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Documents for "Middle Eastern Physical Geography":
  • Alwand or Alvand , mountain, c.11,600 ft (3,540 m) high, W Iran. It bears cuneiform inscriptions of Darius I and Xerxes I.
  • Anti-Lebanon ancient Anti-Libanus, Arabic Jabal al Sharqi, mountain range between Syria and Lebanon, rising to Mt. Hermon, 9,232 ft (2,814 m) high. Once noted for its forests of oak, pine, cypress, and juniper, the range is largely barren and stony. Its...
  • Arabah or Araba , depression, on the Israel-Jordan border, extending c.100 mi (160 km) from the Dead Sea S to the Gulf of Aqaba; part of the Great Rift Valley complex. Limestone, salt, and potash are mined near the...
  • Arabia peninsula (1991 est. pop. 35,000,000), c.1,000,000 sq mi (2,590,000 sq km), SW Asia. It is bordered on the W by the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea, on the S by the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea,...
  • Arafat or Arafa , granite hill, Saudi Arabia, near Mecca. The hill was an ancient pagan sanctuary and is shrouded in many legends. It is a site for prayers during the hajj , the annual Muslim pilgrimage...
  • Bab el Mandeb [Arab.,= gate of tears], strait, 17 mi (27 km) wide, linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and separating the Arabian peninsula from E Africa. It is an important passage on the Indian...
  • Bakhtegan salt lake, c.60 mi (100 km) long, in the Zagros Mts., S Iran; fed by the Kor River. The town of Neyriz was once on its shores, but because of the lake's shrinkage it is now to the southeast...
  • Barada ancient Abana , river, 52 mi (84 km) long, rising in the Anti-Lebanon Mts. and flowing S to marshy Lake Al Utaybah, SE Syria; forms the Ghutah oasis, site of the city of Damascus. The Barada's waters have been...
  • Biqa, Al or El Bika , upland valley of Lebanon and Syria, 75 mi (121 km) long and 5 to 9 mi (8-14.5 km) wide, between the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon ranges; highest part of the Rift Valley complex. The village of...
  • Carmel, Mount [Heb.,=garden land], mountain ridge, NW Israel, extending 13 mi (21 km) NW from the plain of Esdraelon to the Mediterranean Sea, where it ends in a promontory marking the southern limit of the Bay...
  • Damavand or Demavend , volcanic cone, 18,606 ft (5,671 m) high, in the Elburz range, N Iran. A permanently snow-covered volcano of recent geologic origin, it emits gases and small quantities of sulfurous materials; lava...
  • Dasht-e Kavir great salt desert, c.500 mi (800 km) long and c.200 mi (320 km) wide, SE of the Elburz Mts., N central Iran. It is a huge basin of interior drainage named after the kavirs (salt marshes) located...
  • Dead Sea salt lake, c.390 sq mi (1,010 sq km), extending c.45 mi (70 km) in the Jordan trough of the Great Rift Valley between the Ghor on the north and Wadi Arabah on the south, on the border between...
  • Diyala river, c.275 mi (440 km) long, rising as the Sirvan River in NW Iran and flowing SW through the Zagros Mts. into E Iraq, where it enters the Tigris River S of Baghdad. The Diyala is unnavigable,...
  • Ebal, Mount Arabic Jabal Aybal, 3,084 ft (940 m) high, in the Samarian hills, West Bank. On Ebal, according to the Bible, the curses due for the violations of God's commands were delivered. There also, Joshua built the altar and...
  • Elburz mountain range, N Iran, between the Caspian Sea and the central Iranian plateau; rises to 18,606 ft (5,671 m) at Mt. Damavand. The range consists of steep, narrow, parallel ridges crossed only by...
  • Esdraelon [Gr. for Jezreel ], fertile plain, c.200 sq mi (520 sq km), extending southeast c.25 mi (40 km) between the coastal plain, near Mt. Carmel, and the Jordan River valley, N Israel; separates the hills of Galilee on...
  • Euphrates Turkish Frat, Arabic Al Furat, river of SW Asia, c.1,700 mi (2,740 km) long, formed by the confluence of the Kara and the Murad rivers, E central Turkey, and flowing generally S through Turkey into Syria, then SE through Iraq,...
  • Galilee, Sea of   Lake Tiberias , or Lake Kinneret , lake, 64 sq mi (166 sq km), 14 mi (23 km) long, and 3 to 7 mi (4.8-11.3 km) wide, NE Israel; its surface is c.700 ft (210 m) below sea level. The lake, occupying a downwarped basin, is fed and...
  • Gerizim Arabic Jabal at Tur, mountain, 2,890 ft (881 m) high, in the Samaritan Hills, in the West Bank. Nablus , near the ancient Shechem, lies in the valley between Gerizim and Mt. Ebal. Gerizim is sacred to the Samaritans, whose tradition holds that Abraham's offer to sacrifice Isaac occurred there. The...
  • Ghor, the Arabic Al Ghawr, region of the Jordan Valley, c.70 mi (110 km) long, between the Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias) and the Dead Sea, on the border of Jordan and Israel and the West Bank. Entirely below sea level and...
  • Gilboa Arabic Jabal Faqquah, range of hills, eastern spur of the Samarian Hills, located at the southeastern edge of the Esdraelon plain, NE Israel; rising to 1,630 ft (497 m) at Mt. Gilboa. In the Bible, Saul was defeated and...
  • Golan Heights strategic upland region (2003 est. pop. 10,500), c.500 sq mi (1,250 sq km), SW Syria. It borders S Lebanon, NE Israel, and NW Jordan. It takes its name from the ancient city of Golan and was known as Gaulanitis in New Testament times. It is a rocky plateau overlooking Israel where elevations range from c.6,500 ft (2,000 m) in the north to below sea level along the Sea of...
  • Hamun-i-Helmand or Sistan Lake , marshy lake in the Sistan, c.5,000 sq mi (12,950 sq km), on the Iran-Afghanistan border. The lake, fed by the Helmand, Farah, and other rivers, varies in size during the year, achieving its...
  • Hermon, Mount Arabic Jabal Ash Shaykh [mountain of the chief] and Jebel-eth-Thelj [snowy mountain], on the Syria-Lebanon border. The highest of its three peaks (all of which are snow-covered in winter and spring) rises to 9,232 ft (2,814 m). Its seasonal snow melt is important...
  • Holy Sepulcher church in Jerusalem, officially the Church of the Resurrection. It is in the east central part of the Christian quarter, on the supposed site of Jesus' tomb. Steps connect it with chapels of St...
  • Hula, Lake or Lake Huleh , Arabic Bahr al Hulah, near sea-level lake formed by a natural dam of basalt, NE Israel; the Jordan River exits from its southern end. In ancient times the lake was called the Waters of Merom. Between 1950 and 1958,...
  • Jabal ad Duruz mountain, c.5,900 ft (1,800 m), S Syria, highest point of the Druze Mts.
  • Jordan river, c.200 mi (320 km) long, formed in the Hula basin, N Israel, by the confluence of three headwater streams and meandering S through the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea ; the region of Palestine's longest and most important river and the world's lowest river below sea level. It flows through the northern section of the Jordan trough, a part of the Great Rift Valley ; between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea, the Jordan valley is called the Ghor. There it forms the border between Israel and the West Bank (W) and the nation of Jordan (E). The Jordan is fed by many small streams, with headwaters in Syria and Lebanon. The Yarmuk River is its largest tributary. Deep and turbulent during the rainy season, the Jordan is reduced to a sluggish, shallow stream during the summer. As it nears the Dead Sea, its salinity increases...
  • Karkheh ancient Choaspes, river, c.350 mi (560 km) long, rising in the Zagros Mts., W Iran, and flowing S into the Khuzestan lowland, where it forms a swamp bordering the Tigris River. An ancient storage dam on the river at...
  • Karun river, c.450 mi (720 km) long, rising in the Zagros Mts., W Iran, and flowing S to the Shatt al Arab on the Iraqi border. The Karun is navigable to Ahvaz for shallow draft vessels; rapids prevent...
  • Khabur river, c.200 mi (320 km) long, rising in SE Turkey, and flowing generally south through NE Syria to enter the Euphrates River, near Dayr az Zawr. The Khabur River project, begun in the 1960s,...
  • Khark or Kharg , island, c.4 mi (6 km) long and c.2 mi (3 km) wide, SW Iran, in the Persian Gulf. Site of one of the world's largest deepwater oil ports, it is linked to the mainland by a 25-mi (40-km) pipeline...
  • Kishon [Heb. Qishon =tortuous], intermittent river, c.45 mi (70 km) long, rising below Mt. Gilboa, N Israel, and flowing NW to the Mediterranean Sea near Haifa; only the lower 7-mi (11.3-km) section is a permanent...
  • Lebanon ancient Libanus, mountain range, c.100 mi (160 km) long, paralleling the Mediterranean Sea from S Lebanon N into Syria and rising steeply from the coast. Qurnet as Sawda (10,131 ft/3,088 m) is the highest peak. A...
  • Middle East term traditionally applied by western Europeans to the countries of SW Asia and NE Africa lying W of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. Thus defined it includes Cyprus, the Asian part of Turkey,...
  • Murad river: see Euphrates , river.
  • Nafud or Nefud , desert area in the northern part of the Arabian peninsula, occupying a great oval depression; 180 mi (290 km) long and 140 mi (225 km) wide. This area of red sand is surrounded by sandstone...
  • Nebo, Mount 2,625 ft (800 m) high, N Jordan. In the Bible, Moses viewed the Promised Land from there before his death.
  • Negev or Negeb [Heb.,=dry], hilly desert region of S Israel, c.5,140 sq mi (13,310 sq km), bordered by the Judaean Hills, the Wadi Arabah, the Sinai peninsula, and the narrow Mediterranean coastal plain; it...
  • Orontes Arab. Nahr al-Asi, river, c.250 mi (400 km) long, rising in the northern part of the Al Biqa valley, Lebanon, and flowing generally N through Syria, then W into S Turkey and into the Mediterranean Sea; celebrated...
  • Peor [Heb.,=opening], mountain, E of Jordan, to which Balak took Balaam to deliver his curses. In ancient times it was said to be near Heshbon. See Baal-peor.
  • Rub al Khali [Arab.,=empty quarter], great desert of the Arabian peninsula, c.225,000 sq mi (582,750 sq km); one of the largest sand deserts in the world. The desert occupies much of the southern interior of...
  • Sabalan or Savalan , volcanic cone, 15,592 ft (4,752 m) high, NW Iran, near Ardebil. The prophet Zoroaster reputedly wrote the Avesta there.
  • Sahand peak, 12,140 ft (3,700 m) high, NW Iran, S of Tabriz. It is snow-covered most of the year and is traditionally associated with the prophet Zoroaster.
  • Scopus, Mount peak, 2,736 ft (834 m) high, NNE of Jerusalem. Dominating Jerusalem, it has long held strategic importance in the defense of the city. Roman legions camped there in AD 70 as did the Crusaders in...
  • Sefid Rud or Safid Rud , river, c.450 mi (720 km) long, rising in NW Iran and flowing generally east to meet the Caspian Sea at Rasht. A storage dam on the river was completed in 1962. The Sefid Rud has cut a water gap...
  • Sharon plain between the Samarian Hills of central Israel and the Mediterranean Sea, extending c.50 mi (80 km) from Jaffa to Caesarea, and mentioned several times in the Bible. See also rose of Sharon. Famous...
  • Shatt al Arab tidal river, 120 mi (193 km) long, formed by the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, flowing SE to the Persian Gulf, forming part of the Iraq-Iran border; the Karun is its chief tributary. The Shatt al Arab flowed through a broad, swampy delta, but the marshlands in Iraq were drained in the early 1990s in order to increase government control over the Arab...
  • Sinai triangular peninsula, c.23,000 sq mi (59,570 sq km), NE Egypt. It is c.230 mi (370 km) long and 150 mi (240 km) wide and extends north into a broad isthmus linking Africa and Asia. Sinai is...
  • Socotra island, 1,383 sq mi (3,582 sq km), S Yemen, at the mouth of the Gulf of Aden. The mountainous interior rises to c.5,000 ft (1,520 m). The island's inhabitants farm, fish, and herd; exports include...
  • Syrian Desert Arabic Badiyat Ash Sham, arid wasteland, SW Asia, between the cultivated lands along the E Mediterranean coast and the fertile Euphrates River valley. It extends N from the Nafud Desert in Saudi Arabia and comprises W...
  • Tabor, Mount 1,929 ft (588 m) high, N Israel, in Galilee. Ruins of an ancient stronghold crown its summit. Mt. Tabor is surrounded by growing Israeli towns and settlements.
  • Tehama region of the Arabian peninsula: see Tihamah.
  • Tigris river of SW Asia, c.1,150 mi (1,850 km) long, rising in the Taurus Mts., E Turkey, and flowing SE through Iraq to join the Euphrates River, with which it forms the Shatt al Arab. The Tigris is...
  • Tihama region of the Arabian peninsula: see Tihamah.
  • Tihamah   Tihama, or Tehama , narrow, extremely arid lowland region along the west coast of the Arabian peninsula, extending c.1,300 mi (2,090 km) from the Gulf of Aqaba S to the Bab el Mandeb straits. Some agriculture is...
  • Urmia, Lake formerly Lake Rezaiyeh, shallow salt lake, 1,815 sq mi (4,701 sq km), c.90 mi (140 km) long and 50 mi (80 km) wide, NW Iran; alt. 4,180 ft (1,275 m). The largest lake in Iran, it has no outlet and receives the drainage of...
  • Yarmuk river, c.50 mi (80 km) long, rising near the Jordan-Syria border and flowing generally W to the Jordan River, S of the Sea of Galilee. One of the region's larger rivers, it is used primarily for...
  • Zab name applied to the two principal tributaries of the Tigris River. The Great Zab, 265 mi (426 km) long, rises in SE Turkey and flows generally S through Iraq to the Tigris. The Little Zab, 250 mi (402 km) long, rises in NW Iran and flows SW through Iraq to the Tigris. Both rivers are extensively used for irrigation, flood control on the Tigris, and hydroelectricity. Bakhma Dam on the...
  • Zagros mountain system of W Iran, extending c.1,100 mi (1,770 km) from the Turkish-Armenian frontier SE to the Strait of Hormuz, forming the western and southern border of the central Iranian plateau;...
  • Zarqa or Zerka , in the Bible, river, 80 mi (129 km) long, rising in the hills W of Amman, N Jordan, and flowing generally north, then west, to the Jordan River; it is the ancient Jabbok. On its southern bank...
  • Zayandeh Rud or Zaindeh Rud , river, c.250 mi (400 km) long, rising in the Zagros Mts., W central Iran, and flowing southeast through an agricultural district to a swamp W of Yazd; used for irrigation along its entire length...
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