Geography and Life in Arabia

Learning Target: Identify the physical features and describe the climate of the Arabian peninsula, its relationship to surrounding bodies of land and water, and the nomadic and sedentary ways of life.

The Arabian Peninsula

The Arabian peninsula is located in the southwest corner of Asia.

It lies near the intersection of three continents: Africa, Asia and Europe.

It is bordered by four bodies of water. The Mediterranean Sea The Red Sea The Arabian Sea The Persian Gulf

Arabian Peninsula

Deep harbors like this one opened Saudi Arabia to maritime trade as early as 3,000 B.C.

South of Taif, Saudi Arabia

Physical Features: Sand Dunes Huge, sandy deserts

cover large parts of Arabia.

Sand dunes, or hills of sand shaped by the wind, can rise to 800 feet high and stretch for thousands of miles.

Arabia’s Rub’al – Khali is the world’s largest sand desert.

Physical Features: Limited Water Arabia’s deserts have

very limited water supplies. There are no permanent

lakes or rivers. Water exists mainly in

oases. An oasis is a wet, fertile area in the desert usually fed by an underground water source.

Four Farmers in an Oasis

Desert Climate Arabia is one of the hottest, driest places in the

world. From June through August, midday

temperatures in the desert can soar to 122 F. The shamal, sand-laden winds from the northern

deserts, is most frequent in early summer and can blow for days at 25-30 miles an hour.

Rainfall ranges from none at all for up to 10 years in the Rub Al-Khali, to 20 inches a year in the mountains of Asir Province.

A sandstorm viewed from sea

Mountains in Yemen

Nomadic and Sedentary Ways of Life

To live in the desert environment, people developed two main ways of life: nomadic and sedentary.

Nomads – moved constantly, did not settle in towns or villages

Sedentary – settled lifestyle, developed towns and villages

Nomads Arab

(One who lives in a moveable tent)

Lived in tents Made of black goat’s hair

Organized into tribes Raised herds of animals

(sheep, goats, camels) Traveled regular routes as

seasons changed Depended on camels for

transportation and milk

Sedentary People

Settled in oases so they could farm

Settlements along trade routes became towns

Towns became trade centers for both nomads and townspeople. Each town had a marketplace (souk) for trade.

Illustration of ancient Souk

Modern Day Gold Souk