|
Saudi Arabia
Northern Arabia
The area north of the An Nafud is geographically part of the
Syrian Desert. It is an upland plateau scored by numerous wadis,
most tending northeastward toward Iraq. This area, known as Badiyat
ash Sham, and covered with grass and scrub vegetation, is extensively
used for pasture by nomadic and seminomadic herders. The most
significant feature of the area is the Wadi as Sirhan, a large
basin as much as 300 meters below the surrounding plateau, which
is the vestige of an ancient inland sea. For thousands of years,
some of the heavily traveled caravan routes between the Mediterranean
and the central and southern peninsula have passed through the
Wadi as Sirhan. The most important oases in the area are Al Jawf
and Sakakah, just north of the An Nafud.
Data as of December 1992
|
