\paperw4260 \margr0\margl0 \plain \fs20 \f1 \fs24 On old maps the immense central region of Arabia was marked by a blank space, the ôTerrae Nulliusö or empty lands, for no one da
red to explore the terrible deserts of the Nefud or the Rub \b \cf2 \ATXht10104 al\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 Khali which form the natural boundaries of \b \cf1 \ATXht43 Oman\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 , \b \cf1 \ATXht41 Yemen\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 , Saudi Arabia, and the Arab Emi
rates. The peoples of the region had found a way to make the mountain areas, coast, and plateaus habitable, living from fishing, hunting, trading, and farming. They were great navigators who crossed the oceans in little boats made of reed and pitch, the
\i dhows\i0 that are still in use today. It is no coincidence that the legendary sailor Sinbad, hero of the \b \i \cf1 \ATXht73 Thousand and One Nights\b0 \i0 \cf0 \ATXht0 , was born at Suhar on the Omani coast. With the exception of the Yemen, the trib
al society of Arabia was mostly a civilization of villages and oases. The big cities are a modern development, the result of the sudden wealth derived from the production of oil.\par
