Lecture Notes: Topography of the Greater Middle East

Overview

• Discussion of the landscape of the Middle East.
• Region characterized by:
  • High, rugged mountain ranges.
  • Uplifted plateaus.
  • Vast tracts of dry lowland areas.

North Africa

• General Characteristics:

  • Huge desert (Sahara) and semi-arid regions with minimal relief.
  • Most areas below 500 meters above sea level.
  • Vast coastal plains extending hundreds of miles inland.
  • Flat terrain allows easy traversal barring extreme temperatures.

• Notable Features:

  • Tibesti Mountains: Northern Chad, highest point 3,445 meters.
  • Atlas Mountains: A series of ranges (Anti-Atlas, High Atlas, etc.) in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia.
    • Peaks between 3,000 to 4,000 meters.
    • Impacts local climate by creating wetter, Mediterranean-like coastal regions.
    • Cultural and economic exchanges with Mediterranean Europe.

Arabian Peninsula

• Escarpment: A geological feature causing a quick elevation jump, notably along the west coast.

  • Part of the Sarawat Mountain range in Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
  • Creates Mediterranean climate on western coastal fringe (Hejaz region).
  • Includes cities like Mecca and Medina.

• Central Plateau: Uplifted and tilting towards the Persian Gulf.

  • Low-lying areas (below 100 feet above sea level) in eastern regions (Qatar, UAE, etc.).

Turkey and Iran

• Turkey:

  • Anatolia Plateau: High central plateau with narrow coastal plains.
  • Mountain Ranges: Pontic (north), Taurus (south), home to Mount Ararat (5,127 meters).

• Iran:

  • Zagros and Elburz Mountains:
    • Significant ranges influencing cultural and historical separations.
    • Zagros separates Iran from Iraq and the Arabian world.
  • Iranian Plateau: Uplifted area with varied climates and biomes.

Geologic Activity

• Plate Tectonics: Influence on mountain formation and seismic activity.

  • Arabian plate moving into the Eurasian plate (Zagros Mountains).
  • Anatolian plate squeezed between larger plates, causing tectonic activity.
  • Earthquakes common in Turkey and Iran.

• Rift Valleys:

  • Red Sea and Jordan Rift Valley: Part of African and Arabian plates pulling apart.
  • Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth's surface (427 meters below sea level).
  • Red Sea widening due to plate movements.

Conclusion

• The physical geography and topography of the Middle East profoundly influence cultural, climatic, and historical interactions within the region.