1. The roots of Islam: Life in Arabia
Social Studies for 10th EBG – Teacher: Mauricio Torres

2. Life in a desert land
 The Arabian Peninsula is located in the southwest
corner of Asia. It is right between Africa, Europa and
Asia.
 Its climate, location and physical features have
shaped its life.

3. Physical Features and Climate
 Arabia is a region with hot and
dry air; blazing sun with clear
skies, which leads to a summer
max of 100º temperatures.
 This climate has forged deserts
filled with sand dunes (sand
hills).
 Here, water is a limited and
highly valued resource. It is found
mainly in oases
 An oasis is a wet, fertile area in the
middle of a desert.
 These served as “gas stations” in
the desert for thousands of years!

4. Two Ways of life
 Being a desert
environment, life here is as
difficult as it can get. In order
to survive, people developed
two lifestyles:
 Nomads lived in tents and
raised herds of sheep, goats
and camels. These animals
provided milk, meat, wool and
leather.
 They traveled along the desert
carrying their loads searching
for food an water.
 Being a nomad had its
advantages:
 Being part of a tribe, gave an

5. Two Ways of life
 While nomads moved around the
desert, other Arabs chose to live in a
sedentary life.
 They made their homes in oasis where
they could farm.
 Later, these settlements, became
towns, especially those around trade
routes.
 Here merchants and craftspeople live and
worked. They worked with people in the
caravan trade
 Caravan: is a group of traders that travel
together.
 Towns became centers of trade an had
bazaars, where nomads and merchants
interacted with each other!

6. Trades routes in the Arab Peninsula

7. Summarizing Arabs:
Arabs
Shepherds
Interact at
the Bazaar Merchants
Nomads Sedentary

8. Ask Yourself
 Define:
 What is a caravan?
 Draw conclusions:
 How did nomads and merchants rely on each other?
 Describe:
 What is the environment that predominates on the
Arabian peninsula?
 Explain:
 What is an oasis and what is its importance?

9. Bibliography
 Burstein, S. M., & Shek, R. (2012). World History
(Teacher´s Edition) (1st Edition ed.). (H.
McDougal, Ed.) Orlando, Florida, US.: Houghton
Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
 Ellis, E. G., & Esler, A. (2009). World History. (P.
Hall, Ed.) Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, US:
Pearson Education INC.
 Images taken from www.google.com