Explorations in Bible lands during the 19th century - H. V. Hilprecht

EXPLORATIONS IN
ARABIA
BY PROFESSOR FRITZ HOMMEL, PH. D.
I
We can form a true idea of the size of the Arabian
peninsula only by comparing it with other lands. The
Native of S.W. Arabia
small country of Palestine contains
about 10,000 square miles, and covers
an area as large as the states
of New Jersey and Delaware combined
; Belgium nearly 10,500
square miles ; while Arabia contains
over 800,000, and is three
times as large as the state of Texas,
or over one fourth
the size of the
United States of America with
Pennsylvania added. In other
words, it is nearly as large as British
India (excluding Burma); or
about as large as the European
countries of France, Belgium, Holland,
Germany, Switzerland, Italy,
Austria-Hungary, Servia,
Roumania,
and Bulgaria, all combined.
Considering the inadequate facilities for transportation,
which are the same in Arabia to-day as in ancient times,
we can fully understand, in view of such enormous extent
of territory, the statements of the ancient classic writers,
that the caravans of the ancient Mineans, bearing frankincense
and other merchandise, required fully seventy days
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