Linguistically, the word “Arab” means deserts and waste barren land well-nigh waterless and
treeless. Ever since the dawn of history, the Arabian Peninsula and its people have been called as
such.
The Arabian Peninsula is enclosed in the west by the Red Sea and Sinai, in the east by the Arabian
Gulf, in the south by the Arabian Sea, which is an extension of the Indian Ocean, and in the north
by old Syria and part of Iraq. The area is estimated between a million and a million and a quarter
square miles.
Thanks to its geographical position, the peninsula has always maintained great importance..
Considering its internal setting, it is mostly deserts and sandy places, which has rendered it
inaccessible to foreigners and invaders, and allowed its people complete liberty and independence
through the ages, despite the presence of two neighbouring great empires.
Its external setting, on the other hand, caused it to be the centre of the old world and provided it
with sea and land links with most nations at the time. Thanks to this strategic position the Arabian
Peninsula had become the centre for trade, culture, religion and art.
The Sealed Nectar
******
