Syrian Arab Republic Consular Section of the Embassy: Damascus, Mazraa, tel. 42-31-55, 42-31-56 (24 hours), 42-31-43, 42-31-65, telex 411671. Consulate General: Aleppo, tel.

SYRIAN RUE - SYRIAN RUTE

SYRIAN RUE - SYRIAN RUE Peganum harmala. Family Zygofillaceae.Material: Seeds of a woody perennial plant native to the Middle East. (The roots are also active, but are rarely used.) Directions: 1 ounce of seeds, chew thoroughly and swallow. Most effective in combination with

The Middle East region is characterized not only by tense political situation, it's hot in here literally this word, thanks to climatic and weather conditions. Many territories are occupied by deserts, one of them is the Syrian Desert, the second name is the Syrian Steppe.

It is interesting that the toponym contains the name of only one of the states, although the territory of the desert, in addition to , occupies part of , and . Sandy areas alternate with steppe areas, so it can be used in equally definitions of “desert” and “steppe”.

History of the Syrian Desert

Geographic maps demonstrate that the Syrian Desert covers an area of ​​about 1 million square kilometers, which is a huge area of ​​land. Its appearance is associated with last glaciation, which ended 12 thousand years ago. For centuries, the lands were completely uninhabited, people wanted to develop them and somehow use them for economic activity was not found.

Helped population explosion and the emergence of nomads who were engaged in cattle breeding. People found themselves in a situation where they had to develop new territories, albeit with such difficult conditions. It is believed that the first inhabitants of the territories now occupied by the Syrian Desert were the Amorites. Then they were replaced by representatives of the Aramaic civilization, followed by the Arabs. Today, most of the local population are Bedouins, they speak different Arabic dialects.

Geographical location

Semi-desert and desert regions occupy lands that lie at the junction of the Arabian Peninsula and the so-called Fertile Crescent. The desert is limited by the following geographical objects: by the Euphrates River - from the northeast; the Mediterranean coast - from the west.

In the southern and southwestern regions It is difficult to draw a border, because the Syrian steppe smoothly turns into the Nefud and Negev deserts. The central Euphrates River, to which numerous wadis are directed, water flows periodically during the rainy season, the rest of the time the riverbeds are dry.

The relief of the desert is dominated by plateaus, with a flat surface. In some places you can see island mountains whose height is 1000 meters. The soil is heterogeneous, there are limestones, silicon, solonchaks (in depressions of the relief) and takyrs.

Climate and precipitation of the Syrian Desert

Geographers note that these territories are located in the subtropical zone. The weather is quite warm, in winter time The thermometers remain at +7°C ( average temperature January), but every year on some days frosts are observed on the soil.

IN summer time– about +30°С. There is little precipitation, it falls unevenly, and the amount of precipitation in the southern and northern regions of the desert differs significantly. The closer you get to the southeast, the fewer there are. In the north and northwest the norm is about 200–300 mm, in the south – only 50–80 mm.

Flora and fauna

It cannot be said that the Syrian Desert is absolutely devoid of vegetation, but the statement about a continuous green cover would be equally incorrect. Among the representatives of the flora kingdom, the most common are shrubs and herbs.

It is clear that it is impossible to do without saxaul, which survives in the most severe conditions, even in this desert. Another popular shrub in these places is biyurgun, also known as saline barnyard grass. Among the herbs, wormwood predominates, but it appears in winter, after precipitation. Ephemerals and their “colleagues”, ephemeroids, are common; only such plants are able to withstand high temperatures and lack of moisture.

It is known that in the century before last there were quite a few species of different animals in the Syrian Desert. Unfortunately, man mercilessly hunted and destroyed our smaller brothers. Historians say that previously it was possible to see ostriches, dromedary camels, onagers and lions.

At the crossroads

Since time immemorial, the Syrian Desert has been at the crossroads of various roads, connecting the Mediterranean coast and Mesopotamia. It was here that the famous caravan route ran, along which oases and famous historical cities, like or .

Today, high-speed highways are laid across the territory, and desert ships, handsome camels, can be seen extremely rarely, caravans are becoming a unique, exotic phenomenon.

Oases are the complete opposite of the desert, a world of greenery, water and coolness. Viticulture and gardening are actively developing here, cotton and subtropical crops and date groves are being planted. The same applies to the Mediterranean coast, which is the main region for growing citrus fruits. The Euphrates Valley preserves small floodplain forests consisting of tamarisk and willow.

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SYRIAN DESERT

SYRIAN DESERT, Badietesh - Sham, desert in the West. Asia, on the territory Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Pl. OK. 1 million km 2. The relief is a plateau with a flat surface, gradually decreasing (from 800 m up to 500 m) to the north-east, where it is limited by the river valley. Euphrates. In some places island mountains rise above the plateau. 1000-1100 m. S. p. is folded primarily. Cretaceous and Paleogene limestones, marls and flints, covered in places by basalt covers. There are numerous. closed depressions (partly of karst origin) with salt marshes and takyrs. Separate massifs of sand, areas of rocky hamada. The climate is subtropical, continental, dry, with warm winters and hot summers. IN Palmyra(Tadmor), to the north. outskirts of S. p. wed. January temperature 6.9 °C, July 29.2 °C, precipitation approx. 100 mm per year (maximum in winter). Khamsin is celebrated in spring and early summer. Terr. S. p. is drainless, there are episodic ones. watercourses with dry beds (wadis); Water supply is carried out through rare wells. The vegetation is sparse, sparse - shrubs, subshrubs, ephemeral and ephemeral grasses, desert lichens on coarse-skeletal serozem-type soils. Along the beds of occasional watercourses there are thickets of tamarisk. Nomadic livestock farming (sheep, goats, camels).

Geography of the Near and Middle East.
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Modern Middle and Middle East is located where Africa, Asia, and Europe meet. All countries of the Near and Middle East are part of Asia, but for clarity and clarity they have been placed in a separate geographical region.

Mountains and deserts of the Near and Middle East

Anatolian plateau

This plateau, generally desert and arid, is located in the central part of Turkey (on the territory of the peninsula Asia Minor), has average height 500 m. Agriculture and livestock breeding (the main activities of the Turkish population) in this area are very difficult, due to high temperatures and hot climate. Despite this, small towns and villages are scattered throughout the plateau.

Arabian desert

Arabian Desert (another name is deserts of the Arabian Peninsula) is one of the largest deserts on the planet, it is a vast wasteland stretching from Yemen to the Persian Gulf, and from Oman to Jordan and Iraq. She takes most of Arabian Peninsula, its area is approximately 2,330,000 sq. km.

Mount Asir and Hijaz

These two low mountain ranges (elevation from 1,830 m to 2,130 m) are located along the Red Sea coast.

Dasht-Lut

This region, located in eastern Iran, is an arid, windswept desert completely surrounded by mountains. During the summer months, the region can be the hottest and driest place on the entire planet. In some areas of the region, not a single rainfall has been recorded in its entire history.

Dasht-Kevir

This region in north-central Iran is often called the "Great Salt Desert". It is Iran's largest desert and is mainly an uninhabited wasteland covered in hard salt cliffs and ridges.

Caucasus Mountains

Caucasus Mountains stretching from the Black Sea
(left) to the Caspian Sea (right).
Image by NASA
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Rub al-Khali desert ("empty quarter").
View from the ISS. Image by NASA
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Located between the Black and Caspian Seas, these mountains occupy most of the territory of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia. Volcanic mountains in this mountain system can exceed 4,500 km in height. above sea level, the most highest point– Mount Elbrus (height – 5,633 m).

Great Nefud Desert

This desert, located in the western part of Saudi Arabia, is part of the Arabian Desert. The desert is famous for its giant sand dunes, some of which reach 30 m in height.

Rub al-Khali desert

Known as the "empty quarter", the desert is the largest sandy desert in the world, as well as one of the hottest and driest deserts in the world. The desert is known for its enormous dunes, some of which reach a length of 40 km. The desert is part of the Arabian Desert, and occupies most of southern Saudi Arabia. In the north of the desert is the smaller Dekhna Desert (also known as "Little Nefud"), which connects the Rub al-Khali Desert with the Greater Nefud Desert.

Syrian desert

This desert is part of the Arabian Desert, has an area of ​​518,000 sq. km, and covers parts of Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and western Iran. This wasteland receives very little rainfall, but the desert is inhabited by Arab nomads who raise cattle and camels. There are several oases in the desert, and oil pipelines also pass through the desert.

Taurus Mountains

These rugged mountains stretch along southern Turkey to the border with Iraq and Iran. The highest point - Mount Ararat - is located in the Eastern Taurus. This extinct volcano has a height of 5,137 m.

Hadramut

Hadramut is a low mountain range (as well as region) in Yemen, average height is 1,050 m. The highest point is 2,440 m.

Elbrus

This mountain system, stretching over 900 km in length. along the northern border of Iran, off the coast of the Caspian Sea, has an average height of 2,700 m. The highest point is the extinct Damavand volcano (height - 5,670 m).

Rivers of the Near and Middle East

Dozens of rivers flow through the Near and Middle East. Most of them are small, so only the main, largest of them will be listed below.

Persian Gulf. In the north, a river flows into the bay
Shatt al-Arab, which is formed by the merger
the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. Image by NASA
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