LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Arabian Peninsula: Red Sea
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Geologically, the Arabian Peninsula is an ancient tilted platform. The highest portions are along the western and southern edges, the lowest in the east. In the past the peninsula was joined to Africa, but it is moving slowly in a counterclockwise direction. The Red Sea occupies the rift valley that formed along the fault separating the two regions.
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Wedged between sea and sand on the SE corner of the Arabian Peninsula, Oman is an enlightened monarchy proud to be a staunch ally of the West. Tourism is a fast-developing enterprise in Oman, and for good reason: more than five hundred castles, fortresses and guard towers sprinkle the countryside; labyrinthine souks beckon with exotic fare; and throughout the country ancient history and culture hold great sway—not the least of which is the renowned hospitality of the desert tribes and their memorable Bedouin barbecues.
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The people who inhabited the Arabian Peninsula - which they called Jazirat al-Arab, or "Island of the Arabs" - were nomads, who survived the harsh desert environment by adhering to a seasonal migration cycle. For four months from June to September, the Arabs waited out the summer heat, until the rains came in October. The eight months until the following summer were then spent travelling between grazing grounds on the desert's fringes. Their travel was eased by the domestication of the camel, which allowed the Arabs access to the harsh Arabian desert.
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The narrow isthmus of Suez, near the Sinai Peninsula, joins the Arabian Peninsula to Africa. Today, the Suez Canal cuts through that connection, allowing ships to pass from the Mediterranean into the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. The peninsula is connected to Asia from the Mediterranean coast along the Tigris-Euphrates River system to the head of the Persian Gulf. Arabia is part of a region geographers now call Southwest Asia. On a map, you can see the Arabian Peninsula at the center of the eastern hemisphere’s continents and waterways. It forms a land bridge between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean, and a crossroads between Africa, Asia, and Europe.
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Monotheistic religions - those that accept and worship only one God - were present in the Arabian Peninsula before Islam. Judaism and Christianity existed among the populations of southern Arabia, and Judaism was particularly influential in the city of Yathrib, which became known as Medina in Islamic times. Nestorian Christians, driven from the Byzantine Empire in the 5th century over differing opinions of doctrine, settled in Persia and in the northern Arabian Peninsula and converted some Arabs there. Zoroastrian traders from Persia passed through Mecca and other trading centres often enough to exert a small religious influence. Trade ... linked the Arab world with Christian Abyssinia (present-day Ethiopia) across the Red Sea, which intermittently controlled parts of Yemen and southern Arabia. For the most part, however, the Arabs retained their traditional faith until the emergence of Islam in the 7th century CE.
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George Potter and Richard Wellington's recent book, Lehi in the Wilderness (Springville, Utah: Cedar Fort, Inc., 2003) provides many interesting insights into Book of Mormon issues in the Arabian Peninsula, but it suffers from some flaws. The authors offer tantalizing finds, but in spite of their field work and abundant photographs and maps, they may have made some serious errors at the beginning of the path they identify. While their candidate for the Valley of Lemuel and the River Laman seem truly impressive, there is a good case that it is too far from the shores of the Red Sea and that the path required to reach it is implausible, as is discussed in the review, "The Wrong Place for Lehi’s Trail and the Valley of Lemuel" by Jeffrey R. Chadwick (
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