Sarawat Mountains

Mountain range in Saudi Arabia and Yemen
Sarawat Mountains is located in Saudi Arabia
Sarawat Mountains
Sarawat Mountains
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Sarawat Mountains is located in Middle East
Sarawat Mountains
Sarawat Mountains
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Sarawat Mountains is located in West and Central Asia
Sarawat Mountains
Sarawat Mountains
Show map of West and Central Asia
CountriesYemen and Saudi ArabiaRange coordinates18°16′02″N 42°22′05″E / 18.26722°N 42.36806°E / 18.26722; 42.36806

The Sarawat Mountains (Arabic: جِبَالُ ٱلسَّرَوَاتِ, romanized: Jibāl as-Sarawāt), also known as the Sarat in singular case,[1] is a part of the Hijaz Mountains in the western part of the Arabian Peninsula. In a broad sense, it runs parallel to the eastern coast of the Red Sea, and thus encompasses the mountains of Fifa',[2] 'Asir[3] and Taif[4][5] (which can be seen as including the Midian Mountains).[6] In a narrow sense, the Sarawat start in Taif city in Saudi Arabia, and extend to the Gulf of Aden in the south, running along the entire western coast of Yemen, in what used to be North Yemen, and extend eastwards into part of what used to be South Yemen, thus running parallel to the Gulf of Aden.[1][7]

Geology

Habala Valley near Ahad Rafidah in the Asir Mountains of Saudi Arabia

These mountains are mainly rocky though some contain vegetation. Many of the peaks are fairly young and jagged, but some are smoother from weathering. Nearing the Yemeni border, the Sarawat begin to spread into individual peaks, and the Hejaz turns from a cliff to a gradual ascent up to the Yemeni Plateau. In Yemen, the Sarawat are divided into the western and central highlands, where the western highlands receive plenty of precipitation, more than anywhere else in the peninsula, and the central highlands have the highest mountains in the peninsula. A very dramatic part of the Yemeni Sarawat are the Haraz Mountains,[8] where a few peaks top 3,000 metres (9,800 feet), but the descents and views from the mountains are staggering; some foots of mountains are only at 500 metres (1,600 feet) above sea level yet their peaks are at 2,800–3,300 metres (9,200–10,800 feet). All of the mountains over 3,000 metres (9,800 feet) are located in Yemen, the highest of which is Jabal An-Nabi Shu'ayb near the capital Sana'a. At 3,666 metres (12,028 feet), Jabal An-Nabi Shu'ayb is also the highest peak in Arabia.[1][7]

Geologically, the Sarawat is part of the Arabian Shield, and are made up mostly of volcanic rock. The western slopes end abruptly near the Red Sea coast, while the eastern side of the mountain range slopes downward more gently and is intersected by wadis that support agriculture, especially in the southern reaches of the Sarawat, where the mountains face the monsoons. Among the cities located within the Sarawat is the Yemeni capital, San'a, located near some of the Sarawat's highest peaks.[1][7]

Wildlife

Hamadryas baboon near Ta'if in the Hejaz

The presence of the Arabian leopard was reported here.[9][10] Hamadryas baboons are present in both Yemen and Saudi Arabia.[11]

Gallery

See also

  • flagSaudi Arabia portal

References

  1. ^ a b c d Robert D. Burrowes (2010). Historical Dictionary of Yemen. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 5–340. ISBN 978-0-8108-5528-1.
  2. ^ "ThePlace: Fifa Mountains in Jazan". Arab News. 2019-02-15. Retrieved 2019-02-17.
  3. ^ Overstreet, William Courtney (1977). Tertiary laterite of the As Sarat Mountains, Asir Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Vol. 2. Directorate General of Mineral Resources. pp. iii–2.
  4. ^ Mandal, Ram Bahadur (1990). "VI: A Regional Geography". Patterns of Regional Geography: World regions. New Delhi, India: Concept Publishing Company. p. 354. ISBN 8-1702-2292-3.
  5. ^ Nasr, Seyyed Hossein (2013). "1: The Holiest Cities of Islam". Mecca the Blessed, Medina the Radiant: The Holiest Cities of Islam. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4629-1365-7.
  6. ^ Scoville, Sheila A. (2006). "3". Gazetteer of Arabia: a geographical and tribal history of the Arabian Peninsula. Vol. 2. Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt. p. 288. ISBN 0-7614-7571-0.
  7. ^ a b c McLaughlin, Daniel (2008). "1: Background". Yemen. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-8416-2212-5.
  8. ^ Cook, John; Farmer, G. Thomas (2013-01-12). "VI: Land and Its Climates". Climate Change Science: A Modern Synthesis. Vol. 1 – The Physical Climate. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 334. ISBN 978-9-4007-5757-8.
  9. ^ Judas, J.; Paillat, P.; Khoja, A.; Boug, A. (2006). "Status of the Arabian leopard in Saudi Arabia" (PDF). Cat News. Special Issue 1: 11–19.
  10. ^ Spalton, J. A. & Al-Hikmani, H. M. (2006). "The Leopard in the Arabian Peninsula – Distribution and Subspecies Status" (PDF). Cat News (Special Issue 1): 4–8.
  11. ^ Teller, Matthew (1 November 2012). "The Happy Ones". Saudi Aramco World. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  12. ^ McLaughlin, Daniel (2008). "3: Sana'a". Yemen. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 67. ISBN 978-1-8416-2212-5.
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Oman
Hajar range[a]
Central Hajar
Eastern Hajar
  • Jabal Aswad
  • Jabal Bani Jabar
Western Hajar[d]
Ru'us al-Jibal[e]
  • Jabal Harim
  • Jabal Qiwhi
Jebel Shams of the Western-Central Hajar range, Oman
Dhofar range
 Saudi Arabia
Sarat range[f]
'Asir range[h]
Al-Bahah
  • Jabal Shada [ar]
Jizan
Najran
  • Jabal Abu Hamdan
  • Jabal Raum
Hijaz range[i]
Midian range
Sarat Mountains in the area of Al-Bahah, Saudi Arabia
Shammar range
Aja range
Tuwayr range
 United Arab Emirates
Western Hajar[j]
Ru'us al-Jibal[k]
Shumayliyyah range[n]
Outliers, outcrops or anticlines
Jebel Jais of the Western Hajar in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE
 Yemen
Hadhramaut range
  • Jabal Ar-Rays?
  • Jabal Husn Ghuraf
  • Jebel Shaqb?
Sarat Mountains near Ma'rib, Yemen
Sarat range[p]
Haraz range
Note: Mountains are sorted in alphabetical order, unless where it concerns ranges. The highest confirmed mountains in each country are indicated with 'HP', and those with the highest peak are indicated with 'HP', bearing in mind that in the UAE, the highest mountain and the mountain with the highest peak are different. Outcrops are indicated with 'OC', and outliers with 'OL', and anticlines with 'AC'. Volcanoes are indicated with 'V', volcanic craters with 'VC', lava fields with 'LF', and volcanic fields with 'VF'.

Other notes:

  1. ^ Shared with the UAE
  2. ^ Also regarded as being of the Western Hajar
  3. ^ Also regarded as being of the Western Hajar
  4. ^ Shared with the UAE
  5. ^ Shared with the UAE
  6. ^ Sensu lato, shared with Yemen
  7. ^ Shared with Yemen
  8. ^ Sensu lato
  9. ^ Sensu lato
  10. ^ Shared with Oman
  11. ^ Shared with Oman
  12. ^ Highest mountain in the UAE, but the peak is in Oman
  13. ^ Due to the peak of Jebel Jais being in Oman, this mountain has the highest confirmed peak in the UAE
  14. ^ Shared with Oman
  15. ^ Shared with Oman
  16. ^ Shared with Saudi Arabia
  17. ^ Highest confirmed peak in the Arabian Peninsula