The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume I — Page 56
Seal of the Prophets - Volume I 56 Formation and Land Area The formation of Arabia is of an irregularly shaped rectangle surrounded by water at three of its boundaries, and land at its fourth one. The Arabian coastline is very small, in proportion to its girth, which naturally results in a lack of fine sea-ports. The area of Arabia is approximately 1. 2 Million square miles and it is approximately 1,600 miles long and 700 miles wide. Hence, in reference to its area, Arabia is among the large countries of the world. However, if one analyses its population, various smaller countries appear larger in comparison. At present, the total population of Arabia is no greater than 8 Million. The cause of this shall become apparent ahead. Topography In regards to topographical land characteristics, geographers have categorized Arabia into three types. First is the coastal region which extends over uniformly levelled surface, and in contrast to other regions, is temperate. Second is the mountainous region with valleys, which are the heart of the country. Third is the wilderness, which due to its vast desert, is usually barren and uninhabited. Along the western coast of Arabia, a range of mountains runs north and south, known as Jabalus-Sarāt. Some of the mountains of this range reach an altitude of 8,000, or rather 10,000 feet, but the total average altitude is quite minimal. From the centre of this range, another series of mountains, which in actuality is a combination of many smaller mountainous regions, is spread extensively to the north and south. It divides Arabia into two portions and extends towards the country’s eastern coast. This vast region, which is situated in the centre of Arabia and is significantly above sea level, is known as the Satḥ-e-Murtafa‘ Najd 1. The average altitude of this region is approximately 4,000 feet. An exceedingly vast desert is situated to the north, south and somewhat to the east of the Satḥ-e-Murtafa‘ Najd. The northern desert of Arabia eventually meets the northern desert of Syria, and the southern desert, which is quite vast in area and is entirely barren land is renowned as the A r-Rubu‘ul- Khālī. Significantly high mountain range is also located towards the south and south-east of Arabia, hence, the apex of various mountains in ‘ Ummān reach 1 The Elevated Land of Najd (Publishers)