al-Muqaddimat fi al-Jughrafiya al-Tabiiyya
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al-Muqaddimat fi al-Jughrafiya al-Tabiiyya (Introductions to Physical Geography) is an Arabic academic textbook on physical geography written by Abd al-Aziz Turayh Sharaf and published in Alexandria in 1985.
Purpose and Scope
In his introduction, the author states that physical geography in all its branches constitutes the foundational basis upon which any geographical study rests. Because the extensive and branching scope of physical geography makes it difficult for non-specialists to master its details, the work was designed to provide the essential minimum knowledge required by every geographer regardless of their level or specialization.
Structure and Contents
The book is arranged into five main thematic introductions (muqaddimat):
- Introduction to Astronomical Geography (al-Jughrafiya al-Falakiyya): Covers celestial bodies, the solar system, the motions of the Moon and the Earth, and theories regarding the origin of the Earth.
- Introduction to Physiography (al-Fiziyughrafiya): Discusses the age and structure of the Earth, the rocks of the Earth's crust, the distribution of land and water, and the forces shaping the Earth's surface. It details internal tectonic movements, external forces such as weathering, erosion, and mass wasting or landslides, the theory of isostasy, and major relief landforms.
- Introduction to the Geography of the Seas (Jughrafiyat al-Bihar): Examines the definitions and classifications of seas and oceans, their global distribution, ocean boundaries, the topography of ocean floors, the physical characteristics of seawater, and ocean dynamics, including waves, tides, and ocean currents.
- Introduction to Weather and Climate (al-Taqs wa-al-Manakh): Opens with the distinction between weather and climate, followed by discussions of the atmosphere and key climatic elements, such as solar radiation, air temperature, atmospheric pressure, global atmospheric circulation, winds, and air masses. It also treats atmospheric humidity and condensation processes at the Earth's surface and in the upper troposphere, including clouds and precipitation.
- Introduction to Biogeography (al-Jughrafiya al-Ihyaiyya): Focuses on major forms of natural vegetation and their associated fauna, covering tropical, warm temperate, and cold temperate forests, grasslands (savannas), deserts, tundra, and mountain vegetation.
Sources
Each section concludes with a dedicated bibliography of Arabic and foreign sources consulted for that discipline, encompassing foundational works in astronomy, geology, geomorphology, oceanography, climatology, and plant and animal geography.
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