ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with a sketch of the heart land of Islam, Arabia proper, and, in widening circles, travel through the countries of the Near East. Wahhabis are the puritans among Islam. Arabia is often called the cradle of Islam, and rightly so, but it is often forgotten that large Christian communities existed in Arabia before the days of Islam. Few Christian explorers have ventured to travel in Arabia, and even today nobody of any other faith is permitted to enter Makka and Madina under penalty of death. Many regard Ibn Su’ud as the greatest Arab ruler since Muhammad’s time, and certainly Arabia has never been so united as she is under his able hands today. Incidentally, very rich deposits of oil have been found in the Hasa district near the Persian Gulf, which has brought Arabia to the forefront of world interest.
