ENCYCLOPAEDIA LONDINENSIS; 
OR, AN 
UNIVERSAL DICTIONARY 
O F 
ARTS, SCIENCES, and LITERATURE. 
A R A 
A RABIA, a country of Alia, famous from the remotett 
antiquity for the independence of its inhabitants du¬ 
ring the valt conquelts of the Atfyrians, Perfians, Greeks, 
and Romans; and, in latter times, for being the centre 
of an empire equal, if not fuperior, in extent to any that 
ever exilted. This country was, in the earlielt ages, called 
Arabah. Concerning the etymology there are various con¬ 
jectures. It has mod generally been derived from the 
Hebrew word din', Signifying, the zoejf, mixture, or traffic ; 
but, according to M. Volney, Arab , in the ancient lan¬ 
guage of thefe countries, (ignifies a folitude or defert. In 
its largeSt extent, Arabia lies between the 12th and 35th 
degrees of north latitude, and the 36th and 6rft of ealt 
longitude. Its grealeft length from north to fouth is a- 
bout 1430 miles, and its breadth from eaft to welt is 1200. 
It is bounded on the welt by Paleltine, part of Syria, the 
jlthmus of Suez, and the Red Sea, called by the Arabs 
the fea Al Kolzom\ on the ealt by the Euphrates, the Per- 
fiangulf, and bay of Ormos; on the north, by part of Sy¬ 
ria, Diyar-Becr, Irak, and Khuzetan ; and on the fouth 
by the limits of Babel-Mandel and the Indian ocean. It 
grows narrower as we approach the frontiers of Syria and 
Diyar-Becr: and, by realon of the proximity of the Eu¬ 
phrates to the Mediterranean, may be looked upon as a 
peninfula, and that one of the largelt in the whole world. 
Arabia Proper is much narrower, including little more 
than what was comprehended by the ancients under the 
name of Arabia Felix, and here the Arabs have been fet¬ 
tled almolt fince the flood. The firlt divifion of the pe¬ 
ninfula of Arabia was into Arabah and Kedem, as we learn 
from fcripture ; the firlt of which implies the weft, and 
die other the eaft, denoting the fituation of the two coun¬ 
tries. Ptolemy was the firlt who divided this peninfula 
into three parts, Arabia Petnea, Arabia Deferta, and A- 
rabia Felix, which divifion has generally prevailed fince his 
time. 
Arabia Petrcea, on the eaft, was bounded by Syria and 
Arabia Deferta ; on the welt, by Egypt, or rather the 
ilthmus of Suez which feparates Afia from Africa, and 
the Heroopolitan gulf or wcltern arm of the Red Sea; on 
the north, by Paleltine, the lake Afphaltites, and Coelo- 
fyria; and on the fouth by Arabia Felix. This traCt did 
not admit of much cultivation, the greatell part being co¬ 
vered with dry fands, or riling into rocks, interfperfed 
here and there with fome fruitful fpots. Its metropolis 
was Petra, which by the Syrians was fly led Rakam, and 
in Scripture Jolitlicel. Several other cities of Arabia Pe- 
tra:a are mentioned by Ptolemy j but as it is very impro- 
Vol. II. No. 54. 
B I A. 
bable fuch a barren country fliould abound with large cl-- 
ties, we mult look upon them as inconfiderable places. 
Arabia Deferta was bounded on the north by the Eu¬ 
phrates, which feparated it from Mefopotamia ; on the 
welt, by Syria, Judaea, and Arabia Petram; on the ealt, 
by a ridge of mountains which feparated it from Babylo¬ 
nia and Chaldea; on the fouth by Arabia Felix, from 
which it was likewife feparated by feveral ridges of hills. 
By far the greatelt part of this kingdom, as well as the 
former, was a dreary defert, diverfified only with plains 
covered with land, or mountains confifting of naked rocks 
and precipices; nor were they ever, unlefs fometimes at 
the equinoxes, refrellied with rain. The few vegetables 
which they produced were Hinted by a perpetual drought, 
and the nourifhment afforded them by tire nocturnal dews 
was greatly impaired by the heat of the fun in the day¬ 
time. Throughout the defects were found huge moun¬ 
tains of fand, formed by the violence of the winds that 
continually blew over them in the day-time, though they 
ceafed in the night. Wells and fountains were for the molt 
part exceedingly rare; yet, notwithstanding the fterilityof 
thefe countries, the valt plains of fand -were interfperfed 
with fruitful fpots, which appeared here and there like fo 
many illands in theauidft of the ocean. Thefe being ren¬ 
dered extremely delightful by their verdure, and the more 
fo by the neighbourhood of thofe frightful deferts, the Arabs 
encamped upon them; and, having confumed every thing 
they founduponone, removed toanother, as is thecultom of 
theirdefcendants the Bedow^eens at this day. Thefe fruitful 
fpots were likewife frequent in Lybia, and by the Egyp¬ 
tians called anafes, or abafes, as we learn from Strabo. 
The barren part of Arabia Felix, bordering upon the Red 
Sea, was in like manner interfperfed with abafes; which 
probably gave the name of Abafeni to a nation fettled 
there, and in the adjacent fertile region. A body- of 
thefe, it is faid, eroding the (traits of Babel-Mandel, paf- 
fed into Ethiopia, which from them received the name of 
Abaffia. From this account of Arabia Deferta, we may 
realonably conclude, that the towns faid by Ptolemy to have 
been Situated in it were places of very little confequence. 
Arabia Felix was bounded on the north by the two king¬ 
doms jult deferibedon the fouth, by the Red Sea ; on the 
ealt and welt, by part of that fea, together with the Ara¬ 
bian and Perfian gulfs. In Strabo’s time, it was divided 
into five provinces, by the oriental hiltorians called Yaman, 
Hcjaz, Tehama, Najd, and Yamama. In this diftridt Stood 
feveral towns, particularly Nyfa, famous for being the 
birth-place of Bacchus; and Mu fa, or Muza, a celebra- 
B - ted 
