Arabia & the Arabs by Robert Holland

In the introduction to his book (Arabia & the Arabs), historian Robert Holland denies the belief that the Arabian Peninsula was marginal in pre-Islamic times. Its geographical location made it a pivotal point of contact between Mesopotamia, Africa (Egypt), the Mediterranean region and India, which made it necessary for these parties to deal with its inhabitants.

For example, the Assyrian king Esarhaddon, the Persian ruler Cambyses, and the Achaemenid Emperor Artaxerxes would not have been able to cross the northern peninsula and Sinai to reach and occupy Egypt without the aid and blessing of the Arabs of the North.

1. He also described it as a military reserve that constitutes a weight in the region’s wars, whether by playing the role of an ally or an enemy in permanent conflicts. He also mentioned the trade of frankincense, myrrh, aromatics, and others from southern Arabia to the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian regions and its impact in bringing wealth and fame to its Arab merchants and owners.