Travels through Arabia and Other Countries in the East

appear to have included original: "comprehended" under the name of Arabia the whole region original: "tract" lying between those seas and a line drawn from the tip of the Persian Gulf to that of the Red Sea original: "Arabic Gulph". This line, however, was not the real boundary of the country, but was merely imagined to be so out of ignorance.

Whatever one might think of the limits assigned to this country by the ancients, a much larger area must, in any case, be recognized as modern Arabia. Due to the conquests and settlements of the Arabs in Syria and Palestine, the deserts of these countries are now considered part of Arabia. Thus, it can be viewed as bounded on one side by the River Euphrates and on the other by the Isthmus of Suez.

Yet, we should not consider all those countries where these people have made conquests or established colonies as forming a part of Arabia. Of all nations, the Arabs have spread the farthest across the world; and throughout all their migrations original: "wanderings", they have preserved their language, manners, and unique customs better than any other nation. From east to west, from the banks of the Senegal River to the Indus River, one encounters Arab colonies. From north to south, they are scattered from the Euphrates to the island of Madagascar. Even the Tartar hordes have not occupied such a vast portion of the globe.