Tihamah
/tɪˈhɑːmə/noun
The hot, low-lying coastal plain along the Red Sea in western Arabia, especially in Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
Did you know?The Tihamah formed part of the wider landscape crossed by ancient frankincense and myrrh trade routes linking southern Arabia with the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Islamic Arabia
Arabic
تهامة
“Tihāmah, the low coastal region beside the Red Sea; the word’s deeper Arabic derivation is uncertain.”
7th Century
Arabic
Tihāmah
“A recognized geographical region in early Islamic-era descriptions of western Arabia.”
10th Century
Arabic
تهامة اليمن
“The Tihamah of Yemen, referring especially to Yemen’s hot western coastal plain.”
14th Century
Arabic
Tihāmat al-Ḥijāz
“The Tihamah of the Hijaz, the coastal lowlands west of the Arabian interior.”
19th Century
English
Tihama / Tihamah
“An English geographical name for the Red Sea coastal plain of Arabia.”
Modern English
English
Tihamah
“A regional name commonly applied to the coastal plain of western Saudi Arabia and Yemen.”