History of the Arabian region

According to some scholars, the history of the Arabian region can be traced back to five thousand years from the present time. In the ancient period, around 3500 B.C., the inhabitants of the central Arabian region began to migrate to other neighboring locations when their land, which was once extremely fertile, turned into a desert. These inhabitants mainly spoke the Semitic languages and are thought to include the Arab, Assyrian, Armenian, and Canaanite ethnicities. The ancient period saw three prominent dynasties control the better watered and more fertile southern part of the Arabian Peninsula. These three dynasties were the Minaeans, Sabaeans and the Himyarites.

The Sabaean Kingdom was referred as the Saba Kingdom. It is more important because two holy books, namely the “Quran” and the “Bible” both make references to this kingdom having existed in the Arabian Peninsula around 1000 B.C. After the Himyarites’ rule, the Arabian Peninsula came under the rule of the Romans. They newly divided the region, naming the three divisions Arabia Felix, Arabia Deserta and Arabia Petraea.

The Medieval Period

The Arabian region during the seventh century was under the reign of the Sassanid and Byzantine communities. These two dynasties were constantly at war against each other and this weakened both sides considerably in terms of ammunition and the military. This gave the Arabs a chance to easily invade this region, thus beginning the Islamic conquest of the Arabian Peninsula. This occurred in the period immediately following the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The Rashidun and Umayyad Caliphates are thought to have played an important role in spreading Islamic power in the Arabian region. Islam was able to spread its wings beyond the Arabian region, reaching the borders of India on one side and the Atlantic on the other.

Modern times

Today the Arabian Peninsula is divided into several Kingdoms both big and small. Most of the land in the Arabian region belongs to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is also an important location for the world’s Islamic community, because it holds the two most sacred holy destinations in Islam: Mecca and Medina.Â
Qatar is the region’s richest nation with the highest per capita income in the Arabian world. After Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are the richest kingdoms in this region.