Editing Arabian Peninsula (section)

===Landscape===
{{multiple image |align=right |direction=vertical
 |image1=A journey.jpg |caption1=A caravan crossing [[Ad-Dahna Desert]] in central Saudi Arabia
 |image2=Ras al jinz flickr01.jpg |caption2=[[Ras al-Jinz]] in southeastern Arabia (Oman), also known as the 'Turtle Beach'
 |image3=Arabian Plate map-uni.png |caption3=AR-Arabian Plate, velocities with respect to Africa in millimeters per year
}}

The rocks exposed vary systematically across Arabia, with the oldest rocks exposed in the [[Arabian-Nubian Shield]] near the Red Sea, overlain by earlier sediments that become younger towards the Persian Gulf. Perhaps the best-preserved [[ophiolite]] on Earth, the [[Semail Ophiolite]], lies exposed in the mountains of the UAE and northern Oman.

The peninsula consists of:

# A central plateau, the [[Najd]], with fertile valleys and pastures used for the grazing of [[sheep]] and other livestock
# A range of deserts: the [[Nefud]] in the north,<ref name=Prothero15>{{cite book|last=Prothero|first=G.W.|title=Arabia|year=1920|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office|location=London|page=15|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11767/view/1/15/|access-date=8 September 2013|archive-date=31 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031163556/https://www.wdl.org/en/item/11767/view/1/15/|url-status=live}}</ref> which is stony; the [[Rub' al Khali]] or Great [[Arabian Desert]] in the south, with sand estimated to extend {{cvt|600|ft}} below the surface; between them, the [[Dahna]] [[#Mountains|Mountains]]<ref name="Burrows2010">{{cite book |author=Robert D. Burrowes |title=Historical Dictionary of Yemen |pages=5–340 |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |year=2010 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tjXRfqBv_0UC |isbn=978-0-8108-5528-1 |access-date=19 May 2020 |archive-date=15 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215025046/https://books.google.com/books?id=tjXRfqBv_0UC |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Laughlin2008">{{cite book |last=McLaughlin |first=Daniel |title=Yemen |publisher=[[Bradt Travel Guides]] |chapter=1: Background |page=3 |isbn=978-1-8416-2212-5 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eQvhZaEVzjcC |year=2008 |access-date=29 December 2018 |archive-date=2 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702224444/https://books.google.com/books?id=eQvhZaEVzjcC |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Cavendish2007">{{cite book |last=Cavendish |first=Marshall |author-link=Marshall Cavendish |title=World and Its Peoples |volume=1 |chapter=Geography and climate |date=2007 |publisher=Cavendish Square Publishing |isbn=978-0-7614-7571-2 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/worlditspeoplesm0000unse/page/n151 8]–19 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j894miuOqc4C&pg=PA8 |url=https://archive.org/details/worlditspeoplesm0000unse |url-access=limited }}</ref>
# Stretches of dry or marshy coastline with coral reefs on the Red Sea side ([[Tihamah]])
# Oases and marshy coast-land in [[Eastern Arabia]], the most important of which are those of the [[Al Ain, Emirate of Abu Dhabi|Al Ain emirate]] ([[Tawam (region)|Tawam]] region) and [[Hofuf]]/[[Al-Ahsa Oasis|Al-Ahsa]] (in modern-day Saudi Arabia), according to an author<ref name="Cavendish2007"/>
# The south-west [[monsoon]] coastline of [[Dhofar Governorate#Geography|Dhofar]] and Eastern Yemen ([[Al Mahrah Governorate|Mahra]]).

[[File:Dune - panoramio (1).jpg|thumb|[[Rub' al Khali]] is part of the larger [[Arabian Desert]]]]
Arabia has few lakes or permanent rivers. Most areas are drained by ephemeral watercourses called [[wadi]]s, which are dry except during the rainy season. Plentiful ancient [[aquifer]]s exist beneath much of the peninsula, however, and where this water surfaces, [[oases]] form (e.g. Al-Hasa and [[Qatif]], two of the world's largest [[oases]]) and permit agriculture, especially [[palm trees]], which allowed the peninsula to produce more [[date palm|dates]] than any other region in the world. In general, the climate is extremely hot and [[Desert|arid]], although there are exceptions. Higher elevations are made temperate by their altitude, and the Arabian Sea coastline can receive cool, humid breezes in summer due to cold upwelling offshore. The peninsula has no thick forests. Desert-adapted wildlife is present throughout the region.

A plateau more than {{convert|2500|ft}} high extends across much of the Arabian Peninsula. The plateau slopes eastwards from the massive, rifted escarpment along the coast of the Red Sea, to the shallow waters of the Persian Gulf. The interior is characterized by ''cuestas'' and valleys, drained by a system of ''wadis''. A crescent of sand and [[gravel]] deserts lies to the east.

====Mountains====
[[File:Kawkaban -68 (353668857).jpg|thumb|The [[Jabal Haraz|Haraz Mountains]] in the west of present-day Yemen include Arabia's highest mountain, [[Jabal An-Nabi Shu'ayb]] or Jabal Hadhur<ref name="DAKAI 01-1998"/><ref name="GazetteerArabia1917"/><ref name="Mindat"/> near [[Sanaa]].<ref name="Burrows2010"/><ref name="Laughlin2008"/>]]

There are mountains at the eastern, southern and north-western borders of the peninsula. Broadly, the ranges can be grouped as follows:
* North-east: The [[Hajar Mountains|Hajar range]], of UAE and Oman<ref name="Cavendish2007"/>
* South-east: The [[Dhofar Mountains]] of southern Oman,<ref name="Cavendish2007"/> contiguous with the eastern Yemeni [[Hadhramaut Mountains|Hadhramaut]]<ref name="Scoville1979">{{cite book |last=Scoville |first=Sheila A. |title=Gazetteer of Arabia: a geographical and tribal history of the Arabian Peninsula |volume=2 |pages=117–288 |publisher=Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AH8YAQAAMAAJ&q=hadhramaut+mountains |isbn=978-0-7614-7571-2 |year=2006 |access-date=19 May 2020 |archive-date=31 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031101208/https://books.google.com/books?id=AH8YAQAAMAAJ&q=hadhramaut+mountains |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="GhazanfarFisher2013">{{cite book |last=Ghazanfar |first=Shahina A. |author-link=Shahina A. Ghazanfar |title=Vegetation of the Arabian Peninsula |last2=Fisher |first2=Martin |date=2013-04-17 |publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media|Springer Science & Business Media]] |isbn=978-9-4017-3637-4 |location=[[Sultan Qaboos University]], [[Muscat]] |pages=27–55 |chapter=1–2 |access-date=24 October 2020 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uc_tCAAAQBAJ&q=hadhramaut+highlands&pg=PA52 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031101205/https://books.google.com/books?id=uc_tCAAAQBAJ&q=hadhramaut+highlands&pg=PA52 |archive-date=31 October 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* West: Bordering the [[Tihamah|eastern coast]] of the Red Sea are the [[Sarawat Mountains|Sarawat]],<ref name="Burrows2010"/> which can be seen to include the [[Jabal Haraz|Haraz Mountains]] to the east of Yemen,<ref name="Laughlin2008"/> as well as those of [[Asir Mountains|'Asir]] (once part of Yemen) <ref name="Overstreet1977">{{cite book |last=Overstreet |first=William Courtney |title=Tertiary laterite of the As Sarat Mountains, Asir Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia |publisher=Directorate General of Mineral Resources |volume=2 |pages=iii–2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KmxPAQAAIAAJ&q=sarat+mountains |year=1977 |access-date=19 May 2020 |archive-date=8 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208154921/https://books.google.com/books?id=KmxPAQAAIAAJ&q=sarat+mountains |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Hejaz vilayet|Hejaz]]<ref name="Mandal1990">{{cite book |last=Mandal |first=Ram Bahadur |title=Patterns of Regional Geography: World regions |publisher=Concept Publishing Company |chapter=VI: A Regional Geography |page=354 |isbn=978-8-1702-2292-7 |location=[[New Delhi]], [[India]] |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XWwCHWwgKt0C&q=sarawat+mountains&pg=PA354 |year=1990 |access-date=24 October 2020 |archive-date=3 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603000536/https://books.google.com/books?id=XWwCHWwgKt0C&q=sarawat+mountains&pg=PA354 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Nasr2013">{{cite book |last=Nasr |first=Seyyed Hossein |author-link=Hossein Nasr |title=Mecca the Blessed, Medina the Radiant: The Holiest Cities of Islam |publisher=[[Tuttle Publishing]] |chapter=1: The Holiest Cities of Islam |isbn=978-1-4629-1365-7 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4RvQAgAAQBAJ&q=sarat+mountains |year=2013 |access-date=24 October 2020 |archive-date=31 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031101203/https://books.google.com/books?id=4RvQAgAAQBAJ&q=sarat+mountains |url-status=live }}</ref> the latter including the [[Midian Mountains|Midian]] in what is now north-western Saudi Arabia<ref name="Scoville1979"/>
* North-west: Aside from the Sarawat, the northern portion of Saudi Arabia hosts the [[Shammar Mountains|Jabal Shamar Mountains]], which include the Aja and [[Salma Mountains|Salma]] subranges<ref name="Cavendish2007"/>
* Central: The Najd hosts the [[Tuwaiq]] Escarpment<ref name="Scoville1979"/> or Tuwair range<ref name="Cavendish2007"/>

From the [[Hejaz]] southwards, the mountains show a steady increase in altitude westward as they get nearer to Yemen, and the highest peaks and ranges are all located in Yemen. The highest, [[Jabal An-Nabi Shu'ayb]] or Jabal Hadhur<ref name="DAKAI 01-1998">{{Cite book |last=زبارة |first=محمد بن محمد بن يحيى اليمني/الصنعاني |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L4dyDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT359 |title=نيل الوطر من تراجم رجال اليمن في القرن الثالث عشر 1–2 ج1 |date=1998-01-01 |publisher=Dar Al Kotob Al Ilmiyah (دار الكتب العلمية) |isbn=978-2-7451-2623-8 |language=ar |access-date=18 April 2020 |archive-date=25 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225083339/https://books.google.nl/books?id=L4dyDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT359&redir_esc=y |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="GazetteerArabia1917">{{cite book |publisher=[[Qatar Digital Library]] |title=Gazetteer of Arabia |volume=II [1044] (81/688) |url=https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023727632.0x000052 |year=1917 |access-date=2020-04-17 |archive-date=9 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309051759/https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023727632.0x000052 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Mindat">{{cite web |publisher=Mindat.org |title=Jabal an-Nabī Shu'ayb, Bani Matar, Sanaa, Yemen |url=https://www.mindat.org/feature-72377.html |access-date=2020-04-17 |archive-date=12 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612211036/https://www.mindat.org/feature-72377.html |url-status=live }}</ref> of the Haraz subrange of the Sarawat range, is {{convert|3666|m|0}} high.<ref name="Burrows2010"/><ref name="Laughlin2008"/> By comparison, the [[Tuwayr Mountains|Tuwayr]], Shammar and Dhofar generally do not exceed {{cvt|1000|m}} in height.<ref name="Cavendish2007"/>

Not all mountains in the peninsula are visibly within ranges. [[Jebel Hafeet]] in particular, on the border of the UAE and Oman, measuring between {{cvt|1100|and|1300|m|abbr=on}},<ref name="Gardner 01-2004">{{cite web |last=Gardner |first=Andrew Somerville |title=The reptiles of Jebel Hafeet |publisher=[[Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations|ADCO]] and Emirates Natural History Group |pages=149–168 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235918847 |date=January 2004 |access-date=2019-01-14 |archive-date=14 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190114153347/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235918847_The_reptiles_of_Jebel_Hafit |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="LiethMasoom2012">{{cite book |title=Towards the rational use of high salinity tolerant plants: Vol 2: Agriculture and forestry under marginal soil water conditions |date=2012-12-06 |publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media]] |isbn=978-9-4011-1860-6 |editor-last1=Lieth |editor-first1=Helmut |volume=2: Agriculture and forestry under marginal soil water conditions |pages=271–274 |chapter=Reclamation potentials of saline degraded lands in Abu Dhabi eastern region using high salinity-tolerant woody plants and some salt marsh species |access-date=13 January 2019 |editor-last2=Al Masoom |editor-first2=A. A. |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y-fqCAAAQBAJ&q=hafit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330131859/https://books.google.com/books?id=Y-fqCAAAQBAJ&q=hafit |archive-date=30 March 2019 |url-status=live |name-list-style=and}}</ref> is not within the Hajar range, but may be considered an [[outlier]] of that range.

<gallery mode="packed">
File:Salalah Oman.jpg|[[Dhofar Governorate|Dhofar]]
File:Yemen landscape 05.jpg|[[At Tawilah District|At-Tawilah]], [[Al Mahwit]], [[Yemen]]
File:شعيب جو بجبال أجـــا - panoramio.jpg|A subrange of the Jabal Shammar mountains in the desert region of [[Ha'il]], Saudi Arabia
</gallery>