Southern Arabia Research Articles

Testing support for the northern and southern dispersal routes out of Africa: an analysis of Levantine and southern Arabian populations.

The Northern Dispersal Route (NDR) and Southern Dispersal Route (SDR) are hypothesized to have been used by modern humans in the dispersal out of Africa. The NDR follows the Nile into Northeast Africa and crosses the Red Sea into the Levant. The SDR emerges from the Horn of Africa and crosses the Bab el-Mandeb into southern Arabia. In this study, we analyze genetic data from populations living along the NDR and SDR to test support for each dispersal route. We genotyped 90 Yemeni samples on the Affymetrix Human Origins array. We analyzed these data with published data from Levantine and other southern Arabian populations as well as 157 comparative populations for a total sample size of >550,000 genetic variants from >2,000 individuals in >160 populations. We calculated outgroup f3 statistics to test how Levantine and southern Arabian populations relate to African populations living along the NDR and SDR and to other non-African populations. We find that Levantine and southern Arabian populations bear similar genetic relationships to both African and non-African populations, thus providing no support for the use of one dispersal route over the other. Our results are consistent with a history of gene flow between the Levant and southern Arabia. Consideration of genetic, archaeological, and paleoclimate data provide a slight edge for the SDR but, ultimately, more data are needed to definitively identify which dispersal route out of Africa was used.

Environmental Extremes Are Associated with Dietary Patterns in Arabian Gulf Reef Fishes

Climate change is affecting the trophic ecology of reef fishes through changes in reef-associated food availability and fish feeding behavior. The southern Arabian Gulf is a thermally extreme environment, providing an opportunity to study fish diets on reefs with summer temperatures representative of next-century conditions elsewhere. Using 18S metagenomic analyses of stomach contents, we provide the first description of the dietary composition of three abundant reef fishes (Pomacanthus maculosus, Pomacentrus aquilus and Pomacentrus trichrourus) from the thermally extreme southern Arabian Gulf, with five sampling periods across one year used to assess seasonal variation in diet. In total, 146 stomach content samples were sequenced, resulting in 9.6 million filtered reads that aligned to 17 classes in 14 phyla. Corals (Cnidaria, Anthozoa) dominated stomach contents of all three fishes (overall mean: 74.6%, 40.6%, and 21.2% of stomach reads, respectively), suggesting coral consumption to be characteristic of reef fish diet in the region. Sanger sequencing validated the presence of corals in the stomach contents and identified two common genera in the region, Porites and Platygyra, as part of the diet. Other common phyla included sponges and annelid worms (P. maculosus: 14.9%, 4.1%; P. aquilus: 5.9%, 16.7%; P. trichrourus: 8.2%, 14.7%, respectively), with the remainder comprised of 11 other phyla. Algae were virtually absent in diets of all three species. The P. maculosus diet was consistently coral/sponge dominated across the year, but there was substantial seasonal variation in the damselfishes, with diets dominated by coral in the hottest month (August; P. aquilus: 89.4%, P. trichrourus: 51.5%) but broadest in spring (March, May) when corals became less common (16.4%). These results suggest that these fishes have developed a feeding ecology responsive to the fluctuating and extreme environmental conditions of their region. These results broaden our understanding of the diets of these three species and document the nature, complexity and temporal dynamics of reef fish diets in the most thermally extreme coral reef environment on earth.

Khat (Catha edulis) and its oral health effects: An updated review.

Khat or qat (Catha edulis) is a plant that grows in East Africa and southern Arabia. The leaves and twigs of this small tree are chewed by several millions of people worldwide for their stimulating amphetamine-like effects. The reported prevalence of khat chewing in Europe and the USA is on the rise, especially with global migration. Long-term khat chewing has several detrimental general and oral health effects. The aim of the present study was to review the current literature regarding khat use and its association with oral and dental diseases, with particular emphasis on its link with oral keratotic white lesions and oral cancer. We searched the literature to identify all relevant articles. Studies showed that khat is associated with several oral and dental conditions, including keratotic white lesions, mucosal pigmentation, periodontal disease, tooth loss, plasma cell stomatitis, and xerostomia. There are limited data on the incidence of dental caries among khat chewers. The evidence that khat chewing is a risk factor for oral cancer is still weak, and is mainly based on anecdotal case reports and uncontrolled studies.

The Physiological and Ergogenic Effects of Khat (Catha edulis Forsk) Extract

ABSTRACTBackground: Khat (Catha edulis Forsk) is a natural psychoactive substance which contains two main addictive substances; Cathine and Cathinone. Khat is widely used in east Africa and southern Arabian Peninsula. Khat chewers believe that it improves work capacity and increases energy level and alertness. That is why we aimed in this study to investigate the physiological and ergogenic effects of khat extract. Methods: This study is an experimental study conducted at the Substance Abuse Research Centre in Jazan University, Saudi Arabia. Thirty healthy young volunteers were randomly assigned into two experimental groups. The first group ingested 45 g of grounded khat leaves extract mixed with juice in the first session then placebo (juice only) in the second session. While the second group ingested the placebo in the first session and the grounded khat leaves with juice in the second session. Experiments were done between December 2012 and March 2013. We recorded the blood pressure, heart rate, grip strength, and reaction time every 15 min for 75 min after each ingestion. The study proposal was reviewed and approved by Research Ethics Committee (REC) of the Medical Research Centre in Jazan University. Results: The results showed the consumption of 45 g of grounded khat leaves contributed to the increase in blood pressure (SBP & DBP) and reaction time (p < 0.05); but had no significant effect on heart rate and grip strength (p > 0.05). Conclusions: The findings of this study showed that Khat has an acute effect on some physiological parameters. These findings support the prohibition of cathinone and cathine by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA, 2016).

Assessing the robustness and uncertainties of projected changes in temperature and precipitation in AR5 Global Climate Models over the Arabian Peninsula

The current study presents the future projection of temperature and precipitation based on ensemble from Couple Model Intercomparison Project 5 (CMIP5) at seasonal and annual time scales over the Arabian Peninsula. Various analysis methods and techniques including spatial plots with robustness analysis, line plots with likelihood spread, and bar plots as well as annual cycles with likelihood ranges of both temperature and precipitation have been employed. The Northern Arabian Peninsula (NAP) region shows an increase in projected signal of temperature higher than the Southern Arabian Peninsula (SAP). Moreover, the northwestern part of NAP shows a large decrease in precipitation for both the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios. However, the SAP region shows a great increase in precipitation for both the scenarios. Further, the central, southern and eastern parts of Saudi Arabia also show a tendency of increase in precipitation. Moreover at annual time scale, NAP shows a consistent statistically significant (95% level) decreasing trend of precipitation at the rate of 0.66% (−1.18/−0.14 for RCP4.5/RCP8.5) per decade, whereas SAP shows statistically significant (99% level) increasing trend in precipitation at the rate of 1.67% (0.34/2.99 for RCP4.5/RCP8.5) per decade, while the precipitation significant (99% level) increasing trend 0.86% (−0.27/2.00 for RCP4.5/RCP8.5) per decade over the Arabian Peninsula. The significant (99% level) warming is projected 0.42°C (0.23°C/0.60°C for RCP4.5/RCP8.5) and 0.37°C (0.20°C/0.53°C for RCP4.5/RCP8.5) per decade over NAP and SAP respectively, which is 0.39°C (0.22°C/0.57°C for RCP4.5/RCP8.5) per decade over the whole Peninsula. Our results call for the development of immediate actions and policies in order to combat negative impacts of climate change over the Arabian Peninsula.

Local Production of a Small Rectangular Limestone Incense Altar at Tell Halif, Israel: Iconographic Considerations

This article studies local production of an incense altar found at Tell Halif in 2007 through examining its iconography. The carvings depict hunting scenes consisting of a human and various animals. These animals are positively identified as zebu, wild boar, Saluki-type hounds, and Nubian ibexes. The distribution of these five animals indicates that the southern Levant might be the source of primary influence for incense altar production, while southern Arabia is also a visible influential factor. Established trade between the southern Levant and southern Arabia, as early as the 12th–11th centuries B.C.E., might support the idea of cultural ties between the two regions. The taxonomical identifications strongly support the hypothesis that the object was locally produced. And this hypothesis is also in accord with the petrographic provenance analyses of the raw material used for the Tell Halif incense altar.

Timing of the southward retreat of the ITCZ at the end of the Holocene Humid Period in Southern Arabia: Data-model comparison

New pollen data from Omani mangroves (Kwar-al-Jaramah [22.49° N - 59.76° E] and Filim [20.61° N - 58.17° E]), in addition to previously published paleohydrological records from Southern Arabia improve our understanding of the timing and amplitude of the southward retreat of the Indian monsoon influence in Southern Arabia along a north-south transect. Comparison with simulations performed with the IPSL climate model, considering both snapshot experiments and transient simulations from 6000 cal yr BP to the present, confirm the latitudinally time-transgressive nature of the humid-arid transition at the end of the Holocene Humid Period. This occurred in two steps, respectively dated at around 5000 and 2700 cal yr BP. At around 5000 cal yr BP, the southward ITCZ shift was orbitally-driven and led to the abrupt aridification at Kwar-al-Jaramah and the progressive increase of dryness at Filim as the mean position of the ITCZ was centered ca 22.30°N. At 2700 cal yr BP, aridity was fully in place over all of southern Arabia due to increased climate variability. More intense rainy events during the last millennium, however, may have contributed to the discrete hydrological improvement without any impact on the regional vegetation which has remained desert to the present day.

Biogeographic implications of fossil fishes from the Awash River, Ethiopia

ABSTRACTThe late Miocene and Pliocene Middle Awash fish fauna is one of the earliest known Neogene fish faunas in eastern Africa and is the earliest known from the Horn of Africa. The fauna was recovered as part of the Middle Awash research project, which was designed to investigate the Mio-Plio-Pleistocene deposits along the shores of the Awash River, Ethiopia. Remains of eight fish taxa were recovered: Clarotes, Cichlidae, and Parachanna, which are native to the African continent where they have a long fossil record, and cf. Labeo, Barbus, Labeobarbus, Bagrus, and Clarias, whose origins were in Asia. These genera and families are all extant; however, certain fossil elements of cf. Labeo and Bagrus differ morphologically from modern species. When and how the Asian-derived taxa moved into Africa is enigmatic. The Middle Awash fossil deposits are located within the Horn of Africa, long suggested as a possible crossing point between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula in the late Miocene. Data presented in this paper suggest that in the late Miocene, the Horn of Africa region was accessible from the southern Arabian Peninsula via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait land bridge, which was (only) viable in the late Miocene. This land bridge has been implicated in the migration of other freshwater and terrestrial animals between Africa and Arabia. The subsequent movement of Barbus sp., Labeobarbus sp., Bagrus sp., and Clarias sp. into eastern Africa had a large impact on the diversity and abundance of later populations of African freshwater fish.Citation for this article: Stewart, K. M., and A. M. Murray. 2017. Biogeographic implications of fossil fishes from the Awash River, Ethiopia. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2017.1269115.

Ethnopharmacological Story of Guggul Sterones: An Overview

Medicinal plants have played an important role throughout the world in treating and preventing human diseases, commiphora wightii is an important medicinal plant of herbal heritage of India. Guggul is obtained from commiphora mukul which belong to the Family, Burseraceae. C. mukul occurs in north east Africa, Somali and southern Arabia, in India it is found in Gujrat, Mysore, Bengal, M. Pradesh, Desert of Rajastasthan a list of few Commiphora species C. Mukul, C. Myrrh, C. Stocksiana Engl, C. Caudate Engl. etc, Guggul tree is small, 1.2–1.8 m high. Each plant yield about one kilogram of the product which is collected in cold Season, isolation of guggul sterons, extract with EtOAC yield soluble fraction and insoluble fraction, soluble fraction consist of 45% gum resin while 55% insoluble fraction contains carbohydrate, there is no any therapeutic property reported. Guggul lipid has active ingredients like Ketosteroids cis and trans is also known as sterones. guggulsterone-I, II, III, IV, V, VI, myrcene, dimyrcene, bioactive compounds in extract of mukul reported are dimyrcene, 15 α-camphorene. 16 linoleic, oleic, stearic, palmitic acid, sitosterol etc. It is therapeutically used in obesity hyperlipidaemia, arthritis, coronary thrombosis, cardiac disorders, diabetes, tumours, thyroid disorders, hepatic obstructions and weakness pharyngitis etc. Marketed formulation of Guggul triphala Guggul, Yougaraja Guggul, kaishora gugguln, Navaka guggul etc.

Oral hygiene and periodontal health status among khat chewers. A case-control study.

BackgroundHabitual khat chewing is a widespread male habit in Southern Arabia and East Africa. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of Khat chewing on oral hygiene and periodontal health status among Yemeni male khat chewers.Material and MethodsThis case- control study included 310 khat chewers, aged 20-65 years, and 72 age- and gender- matched non-chewers as controls. Periodontal examination included recording of dental plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), probing pocket depth (PPD), attachment level (AL) and gingival recession (GR). Demographic data, oral hygiene practices, and duration, frequency and site of khat chewing were obtained using questionnaires. SPSS was used for data analysis. ANOVA and t- tests were used to compare groups.ResultsKhat chewers had significantly higher mean PI, AL, GR scores than non-chewers (P < 0.05). However, no significant differences in the GI and PPD mean scores were observed between both groups (p > 0.05). Interestingly, the results showed that the chewing side had less PI, GI and PPD than non-chewing side. However, gingival recession was significantly higher in the chewing side. The duration of chewing showed a significant effect on PI, PPD, AL, and GR but had no effect on the gingival condition. Likewise, the frequency of chewing showed a significant effect on PPD, AL, and GR, but had no effect on other indices (PI and GI).ConclusionsThe results of this study indicate that khat chewing have a detrimental effect on the periodontium. Key words:Khat chewing, periodontal health, oral hygiene.

A New Species of Pipistrelle Bat (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) from Southern Arabia

A new species of the genus Pipistrellus is described from the Dhofar region, southern Arabia. The new species occurs in a very limited area lesser than 1,000 km2, situated in the belt of relative humid savannah habitats of coastal Arabia between easternmost Yemen and south-western Oman. This bat represents the eighth pipistrelle species known from Arabia and fourth bat species endemic to southern Arabia. The new species is positioned morphologically and genetically very close to the group of the Oriental species of the genus Pipistrellus and represents the westernmost offshoot of the Oriental vespertilionid bat fauna, isolated for more than 1,500 km across the Indian Ocean from the area of continuous distribution of this fauna in the Indian Subcontinent.

Failure and success in state formation: British policy towards the Federation of South Arabia and the United Arab Emirates

ABSTRACTDespite the apparent similarities in Britain's relationship with the Sheikhdoms of the Lower Gulf and the traditional states of southern Arabia, British policy-makers pursued contrasting policies towards the two sets of territories in the era of decolonization. As regards South Arabia, Britain followed a policy of amalgamating the states into a ‘Whitehall’ federation. The fact that the Federation of South Arabia remained dependent on British backing, and in consequence became ineffably associated with British imperialism in an era of anti-colonial Arab nationalism, fatally damaged its chances of longevity. Applying the lessons of failure in South Arabia, the British were far more inconspicuous in the discussions which led to the creation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Indeed, the fact that the UAE essentially emerged from the initiative of Sheikhs Zaid of Abu Dhabi and Rashid of Dubai, rather than the British, was one of the key factors in its survival. By contrast, the Federation of South Arabia collapsed ignominiously once the ballast provided by the British had been removed.

Paleorelicts or archaeophytes: Enigmatic trees in the Middle East

Plants in arid lands with long histories of use by humans may shed light on the past and help decide on management policies, especially with regards agroforestry design and landscape-scale ecological restoration. We focus on five woody species that occur in unexpected sites and habitats in southern Arabia, and the southern Levant (Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon), namely Adansonia digitata L., Dalbergia sissoo Roxb. ex DC., Faidherbia albida (Delile) A.Chev., Lawsonia inermis L., and Tamarindus indica L.. Little study has been conducted on these taxa in these areas, despite their past and present importance to people in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and elsewhere. Based on herbarium records from 12 major herbaria, field observations, and extensive literature review, we suggest that two of the five taxa are clearly archaeophytes in the Middle East (Adansonia digitata and Lawsonia inermis) introduced as early as 1500–2500 years BP. In contrast, D. sissoo is probably a neophyte, introduced in the last 135 years. We call for focused research on them as these trees of ancient heritage have value for agricultural, agroforestry and ecological restoration programmes going forward.

English

Extreme all-direction wave conditions and joint probabilities of high waves and high water levels are derived at selected locations in the southern Arabian Gulf. The wave conditions are obtained using the spectral wave model SWAN with wind and offshore wave information procured from ocean weather, supplemented with local water level records. Wave transformations from offshore to nearshore and waves generated by local wind conditions are derived using wind speed and direction, offshore wave height, peak period and direction and water level inputs to the SWAN model. The model predicted extreme 3-hourly wind speeds for return periods ranging from 0.06 &ndash; 200 years and the wave conditions for each storm. The study indicates that future sea level rise to 2058 gives 1:50, 1:100 and 1:250 return period water levels of 2.64, 2.71 and 2.79 mCD respectively at Jebel Ali. &nbsp; Key words: Joint probability, extreme water levels, extreme waves, return period, wave modelling.

Taxonomic revision and distribution of herbaceous Paramollugo (Molluginaceae) in the Eastern Hemisphere.

The genus Paramollugo with the type species Paramollugo nudicaulis (≡Mollugo nudicaulis) has recently been described after molecular investigations. Here we report two new endemic Malagasy species: Paramollugo simulans and Paramollugo elliotii, and transfer a forgotten New Caledonian endemic Mollugo digyna to Paramollugo (Paramollugo digyna). Consequently, the number of Paramollugo species in the Eastern Hemisphere is increased from three to six. Almost all genus representatives (except Paramollugo nudicaulis, which has a wide distribution in Southern Asia, Arabia and tropical Africa) are endemic to Madagascar, Somalia, or New Caledonia. Since the type of seed coat ornamentation is crucial for species delimitation, a diagnostic key with new taxonomically significant carpological characters and other new traits is provided for all the herbaceous Paramollugo. The distribution patterns of Paramollugo nudicaulis s.str., Paramollugo simulans and Paramollugo elliotii are presented.

Drug Induced Liver Injury Secondary to ‘ Monkey Dust’

Introduction: Monkey dust - a type of bath salts, is a recreational drug. Bath salts are synthetic cathinones derived from the shrub grown in East Africa, Southern Arabia and people chew its leaves leading to mild stimulant effects. Bath salts are increasingly becoming more popular among recreational drugs. Their use is detrimental and sometimes lethal. There is very limited data on systemic adverse effects of bath salts and liver injury pattern is not well described in the literature. We present a challenging case of bath salts induced liver injury concomitantly presenting with acute hepatitis C infection. Case presentation: A 40 year old male presented with right upper quadrant and epigastric abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever and jaundice for 4 days. He reported injecting bath salts with shared needles in last 4 weeks and smoked marihuana regularly. He reported no alcohol use, herbal supplements or use of any hepatotoxic medications, however he gave history of unprotected sex. His vital signs and physical exam were unremarkable were except for mild epigastric tenderness. His laboratory data showed AST >717 U/L, ALT 2435 U/L, alkaline phosphatase 185 U/L and total bilirubin 4.1 with direct bilirubin of 3.3 mg/dL. His hepatitis profile came back positive for hepatitis C genotype 2b with viral load of 6900 IU/mL. He also had positive ANA and anti smooth muscle antibody. His abdominal sonogram showed no evidence of biliary obstruction or vascular thrombosis. His liver biopsy showed pattern consistent with drug induced liver injury. He was treated supportively and 4 weeks later his hepatitis C viral load became undetectable with normalization of his liver enzymes. Discussion: Bath salts induced liver injury is rare and requires high degree of clinical suspicion as most patients have polysubtance abuse and high risk for simultaneous viral infections. Patients often present with agitation, panic attack, violent behavior and other stimulant effects. It is thought that the stimulant effect is due to decreased uptake of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain cells. Patients should be monitored in the intensive care unit for severity of symptoms which can often be lethal. Routine drug screen essays do not detect bath salts. Patient safety should be entertained and benzodiazepines should be used for sedation. Treatment is mainly supportive with intravenous hydration. It is important to recognize this entity as it may potentially lead to liver failure.

Allies at the End of Empire—Loyalists, Nationalists and the Cold War, 1945–76

ABSTRACTThe wars of decolonization fought by European colonial powers after 1945 had their origins in the fraught history of imperial domination, but were framed and shaped by the emerging politics of the Cold War. Militia recruited from amongst the local population was a common feature in all the counter-insurgencies mounted against armed nationalist risings in this period. Styled here as ‘loyalists’, these militia fought against nationalists. Loyalist histories have often been obscured by nationalist narratives, but their experience was varied and illuminates the deeper ambiguities of the decolonization story, some loyalists being subjected to vengeful violence at liberation, others actually claiming the victory for themselves and seizing control of the emergent state, while others still maintained a role as fighting units into the Cold War. This introductory essay discusses the categorization of these ‘irregular auxiliary’ forces that constituted the armed element of loyalism after 1945, and introduces seven case studies from five European colonialisms—Portugal (Angola), the Netherlands (Indonesia), France (Algeria), Belgium (Congo) and Britain (Cyprus, Kenya and southern Arabia).

Technological homogeneity within the Arabian Nubian Complex: Comparing chert and quartzite assemblages from central and southern Arabia

Nubian Levallois technology is the defining characteristic of the Middle Paleolithic or Middle Stone Age technocomplex known as the Nubian Complex. Until recently, this technocomplex was found exclusively in northeastern Africa; however, archaeological surveys conducted across the Arabian Peninsula in the last decade have expanded the known distribution of this technological phenomenon. Since 2009, researchers from separate archaeological missions have mapped sites yielding Nubian cores and debitage, and by extension Nubian technology, in the southern, central and northernmost parts of the Arabia Peninsula. Nubian Complex artifacts in central and southern Arabia were made using different raw materials: in Al-Kharj (central Saudi Arabia) Middle Paleolithic industries were made exclusively on quartzite, while in Dhofar (southern Oman) chert was the only knappable material available for use. Given these differences, we sought to examine the influence of raw material variability on core morphology and size. Contrary to initial hypothesis, this study finds that the differences recorded are not a function of raw material properties. In both areas, Nubian cores were reduced using the same technological systems producing a set of preferential blanks. Rather, the recorded differences from raw material constrains were primarily due to knapping accidents, which occur in higher proportions at quartzite-based assemblages from Al-Kharj (specifically the siret fracture) compared with the chert assemblages from Dhofar. In sum, we argue that raw material had little effect on Nubian Levallois core technology and was not a constraint on Nubian Complex artisans.

Positive selection of lactase persistence among people of Southern Arabia.

Frequency patterns of the lactase persistence (LP)-associated -13,915 G allele and archaeological records pointing to substantial role played by southern regions in the peopling and domestication processes that involved the Arabian Peninsula suggest that Southern Arabia plausibly represented the center of diffusion of such adaptive variant. Nevertheless, a well-defined scenario for evolution of Arabian LP is still to be elucidated and the burgeoning archaeological picture of complex human migrations occurred through the peninsula is not matched by an equivalent high-resolution description of genetic variation underlying this adaptive trait. To fill this gap, we investigated diversity at a wide genomic interval surrounding the LCT gene in different Southern Arabian populations. 40 SNPs were genotyped to characterize LCT profiles of 630 Omani and Yemeni individuals to perform population structure, linkage disequilibrium, population differentiation-based and haplotype-based analyses. Typical Arabian LP-related variation was found in Dhofaris and Yemenis, being characterized by private haplotypes carrying the -13,915 G allele, unusual differentiation with respect to northern groups and conserved homozygous haplotype-blocks, suggesting that the adaptive allele was likely introduced in the Arabian gene pool in southern populations and was then subjected to prolonged selective pressure. By pointing to Yemen as one of the best candidate centers of diffusion of the Arabian-specific adaptive variant, obtained results indicate the spread of indigenous groups as the main process underlying dispersal of LP along the Arabian Peninsula, supporting a refugia model for Arabian demic movements occurred during the Terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene.

Assessing the robustness and uncertainties of projected changes in temperature and precipitation in AR4 Global Climate Models over the Arabian Peninsula

An ensemble from different climate projections is essential for attaining robust climate change information in a particular region. To achieve this purpose, the results of an ensemble combining the Global Climate Models data from Couple Model Intercomparison Project 3 (CMIP3), have been employed for the Arabian Peninsula region. Different analysis methods comprising spatial plots with robustness analysis, bar plots with likelihood ranges, as well as line plots with likelihood spread along with decadal trend analysis have been carried out at annual as well as seasonal time scales for temperature and precipitation.Results of CMIP3 data for the B1, A1B and A2 scenarios indicate robust changes in temperature and precipitation in the future climate. Spatial plots show a robust summer temperature increase over the whole Peninsula which is higher in the summer season as compared to the winter. The Northern Arabian Peninsula (NAP) region also shows a higher temperature increase in comparison with the Southern Arabian Peninsula (SAP) during the summer season. Moreover the NAP region, which generally comes under the influence of disturbances originating from the Mediterranean Sea region during the winter season, has shown a robust decrease in precipitation during the winter season. Contrarily the SAP region, which remains dry during the winter season and comes under the influence of South Asian Summer Monsoon in the summer season, indicates a robust increase in precipitation during the summer season. This behavior is also obvious from bar plots, which show a gradual decrease (increase) in median precipitation values towards the end of the 21st century for all the three scenarios over the NAP (SAP) region during the winter (summer) season. Moreover, smaller lengths of full as well as likely ranges in the bar plot for NAP (SAP) shows that these precipitation projections are less uncertain as compared to SAP (NAP) for the winter (summer) season. Furthermore from the line plots, a consistent decreasing trend in precipitation (1.35% per decade, significant at 99%) can be observed, while SAP shows an increasing trend in precipitation (1.21% per decade, significant at 99%). Similarly for the case of temperature, a significant (99% level) increase is projected over NAP and SAP regions with values of 0.37 and 0.35°C per decade respectively.Considering the vulnerability of the region to climate change impacts, these results call for immediate actions in developing the long-term strategies to deal with the adverse impacts of climate change up-to the end of the 21st century at a regional level.