ABSTRACT
The Arabian peninsula is a vast desert region 650 miles broad and 1300 miles long, washed on three sides by the sea, which lies like a huge, impenetrable wedge between two of the oldest centres of human civilization, the valley of the Nile and the valleys of the Tigris and the Euphrates. In the Bible it was called Kedem (The East); later Arabian geographers described it more accurately as Jazirat (island) or Jazirat-al-Arab (island of the Arabs). The undulating, sandy desert rises precipitously to a plateau, which, at its best, is characterized by arid steppes and an occasional oasis. The climate is inhospitable; for the greater part of the year a scorching sun beats down from a cloudless sky, and only the refreshing morning dew renders human and animal life possible in the dry season. For a long time the Arabian peninsula formed an insurpassable barrier composed of burning sand, rugged mountains, and almost unapproachable shores.
