Dar Al-Hekma University Capstone Project: Serene Middle East Deserts

This capstone project explores the beauty and calming effects of the serene deserts of the Middle East, focusing on the diverse colors of the sand and their influence on relaxation. The research investigates the concept of relaxation among young adults, particularly those in Saudi Arabia, and aims to develop a resort wear collection inspired by the desert's textures, shapes, and colors. The project includes a literature review, survey questions to gather primary data on relaxation preferences and perceptions of the desert, and a mixed-method approach combining qualitative and quantitative research. The study examines the Arabian and Syrian deserts, their geological features, and the adaptations of animal life to extreme conditions. The final deliverable will be a resort wear collection designed to promote relaxation and incorporate elements of the desert's aesthetic. The project also addresses the impact of global warming on desert ecosystems and the importance of preserving these unique landscapes. References, survey questions, and methodological details are included as part of the project documentation.

Serene deserts of the middle east
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Capstone 1: Thesis
Dar Al-Hekma University
Ms. Monisha Kumar
3-10-2019

Serene deserts of the middle east
Acknowledgment
I am tremendously grateful to the university and my esteemed professors for providing me
the opportunity to take up this research work. I have gained tremendously from undertaking
this research endeavor. I am thankful to my professor for providing me with the valuable
guidance and information with which I have successfully been able to accomplish this vast
project of mine.
I am also thankful to my family members and friends for their continuous support they
have provided me continuously.
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Serene deserts of the middle east
Abstract
The study discusses the beauty of the desert and the tranquil deserts of the Middle East.
The sand in the Middle Eastern desert comes in seven different colors. The color of the sand
represents almost a variety of colors of sunset and sunrise. The desert calms down for the
same reason. If you look at the different sand colors, how things are going and how shades
are in different places, it's very reassuring. The aim of this study is to develop a relaxing
holiday dress for people who put on their busy lives. The Arab desert is considered to
be the largest desert. The Arab desert covers an area of approximately
2,330,989 square kilometers, stretching from Yemen to the Persian Gulf
and from Oman to Jordan and Iraq. Beasts living in Arabic and Syrian
continuums are adapted to extreme environmental conditions. In the
latter case, there is no arable land for animals, as annual rainfall is very
rare. There are fewer animal species in the Syrian desert than in the Arab
desert. Oman is the perfect gateway to explore the amazing and
wonderful desert landscape. The Middle East vacation, think of the vast
brown landscape. Even with this view, the desert is a great sight. Not only
the desert provides scenic beauty but also a lot of thrill and enjoyment for
nature lovers. The delight of desert can only be understood by those who
have seen the beautiful sight of variances that nature has to offer.
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Serene deserts of the middle east
Table of Contents
Acknowledgment............................................................................................................................................. 2
Abstract................................................................................................................................................................ 3
Introduction....................................................................................................................................................... 5
Research Questions and Objectives.......................................................................................................... 6
Research Methodology................................................................................................................................ 13
Methodology................................................................................................................................................... 16
Conclusion........................................................................................................................................................ 23
References........................................................................................................................................................ 25
Survey Questions........................................................................................................................................... 27
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Serene deserts of the middle east
Introduction
This Research will be discussing both the beautiful colors of the deserts and the serene
deserts of the Middle East. The reason I chose this topic was that I am so fascinated by the
different colors the sand in the Middle East and how calming the sand has affected. The sand
from the deserts of the Middle East is in seven different colors, which I was quite surprised to
find out. The colors of the sand almost represent the different colors of the sunset and sunrise.
Which relaxes the human mind. People usually find it soothing to watch a sunrise or a sunset
due to the beautiful tints it casts in the sky. The continuously changing shades make it
extremely soothing experiences. The desert is so calming for the same exact reason.
Watching the different colors of the sand and how it just goes on and on, and how the shades
differ from an area to another is very comforting in away. Especially when you take a break
from your busy life to just sit back and enjoy the view. It gives you a sense of peace because
it's not only in the color of the sand but also in the texture. When the sand runs between your
fingers it gives you a sense of serenity and makes you feel carefree. The aim of this research
is to develop relaxing resort wear for people who are consumed in a busy life.
Quotes
“I searched for eternal love in the desert of hope.”- Darkness
This quote talks about the hypothetical deserts of hope. It uses desert for something that is
vast and widespread. So it means that love is looked for in the endless pool of hope.
"The desert tells a different story every time one venture on it."
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The writer here mentions how the desert has something new and different to offer every
single you go to it.
“The desert, when the sun comes up… I couldn’t tell where heaven stopped and the earth
began.”
This talks about how beautiful the desert is especially during sunrise. The metaphor
“heaven” is used to describe something serene and absolutely breathtaking.
Target Market/Audience
Young adults aged between 20-30 years old of medium level income. Lives in Jeddah, the
kingdom of Saudi Arabia, I chose this audience because this age group is always looking for
new fashion trends that are also comfortable.
Research Questions and Objectives
Research Questions
1. What is the concept of relaxation among the young generation?
2. Does nature have a calming effect on the human mind?
Research Objectives
1. To understand the idea of relaxation among the young generation
2. To explore the beauty of Middle Eastern deserts as and the idea of calmness.
3. To study the texture, shapes, and colors of sand in the Middle Eastern deserts.
4. To develop a resort wears collection for the young Saudi women taking in a portion
from the deserts.
5. To understand the influence of nature and its calming effects on the human mind.
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6. The Middle East is a transcontinental region mainly in western Asia between the
shores of the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean (Wiki, 2019). It is the home to
some of the most diverse landscapes in the world. If you close your eyes and imagine
the Middle East, we probably get a glimpse of Sand dunes and hot breeze in our
minds. The Middle East has an incredible sandscape worth speculating and praising
(Holm & Owen, 2017).
7. Some of the greatest deserts in the world happen to be in the Middle East. The awe-
inspiring views, beauty, and richness of nature of these deserts make you leave
everything at once and go for your new adventure trip. The Arabian Peninsula, which
makes up more than one-quarter of the region's area, is bounded by mountainous
heights in the west and south. Most of the region's interior is flat and contains some of
the world's most forbidding deserts, among them the Arabian (or Eastern), and the
aptly named Rub'al Khali, or Empty Quarter covers the most horizon (Harn, 2017).
8. The Arabian Desert is considered the largest desert on the continent. The Arabian
Desert covers an area of about 2,330,989 km² (900,000 sq. mi) and stretches from
Yemen to the Persian Gulf and Oman to Jordan and Iraq. Moreover, the remarkable
geology of the region sustains modern civilization with the compressed ooze of eons
past in the form of the world's most extensive deposits of oil. The Arabian Desert is
composed of three different deserts named Rub’al-Khali Desert, Ad-Dhana
Desert and An-Nafud Desert. Rub’al-Khali Desert is the largest stretch among them.
The prodigious size and uncongenial conditions of this world’s largest contiguous
sand desert earned it the name “Empty Quarter”. Rub’al-Khali Desert is the largest
continuous stretch of the sand in the world. It is located towards the south of the
peninsula. Rub’al-Khali Desert is connected to the central Ad-Dhana Desert, which
then links to the northern An-Nafud Desert (Global Perspective, 2019).
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Serene deserts of the middle east
9. From the aerial view, the Arabian Desert appears to be a vast expanse of light with
indistinctive mountain ridges and a reddish system of desert dunes throughout the
horizon of the Arabian Desert. The dune sand in the region is pinkish-red in color.
While when on the ground, all the features become more prominent. The desert seems
to be non-vegetative at first glance but as we move through the horizon, the small
patches of greenery can be seen (Lewis, 2017).
10. There is also another dessert named Syrian Desert that has been part of the Middle
East and Central Asia. Saudi Arabia and Iraq. The Syrian Desert is also known as Al-
Hamad. It is the combination of a desert and a steppe, which is mostly rocky. This
land area has been exploited for oil since the 1970s. Located in an oasis in the middle
of the Syrian Desert, 215 kilometers northeast of Damascus and 180 kilometers
southwest of the Euphrates River lies in the ancient Semitic city of Palmyra, the ruins
of which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Vicki & Umesh, 2019).
11. Middle Eastern desert animals inhabit two main deserts: the Arabian Desert and the
Syrian Desert. The animals living in both the Arabian and Syrian Deserts are adapted
to extreme environmental conditions. In the latter, there is no arable land available for
the animals, as rainfall is extremely scarce throughout the year. The Syrian Desert has
fewer animal species as compared to the Arabian Desert (Laura, 2019).
12. For fervent explorers, Oman is the perfect gateway to explore the amazeballs and
transcendent views of the Desert. With tour guidance, it takes you to sightsee the
panoramic view of the desert (Vicki & Umesh, 2019). This desert hosts a range of
features from red dunes to quicksand, as well as creatures like gazelles, oryx, sand
cats, and spiny-tailed lizards. When people think of Middle East deserts, vast brown
landscapes come to mind. Even with that vision, the desert is a breathtaking sight. The
colossal size of it, the dunes as far as the eye can see, leaves one feeling
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overwhelmed, but there is a great sense of adventure in exploring the desert. There is
nothing but orange mountains as far as the eye can see. An afternoon of driving
through the sand dunes as the sun sets, followed by an authentic Middle Eastern
dinner experience in a traditional Bedouin-style camp is far much pleasing to the
mind (Halal Trip, 2019).
13. Some of the deserts in the Middle East are rich in history, while others are a wonder
simply because they are a part of nature. We think of all deserts as the same, but
different areas mean different colors of sand, with different compositions, and
therefore different life forms too. With the wind blowing patterns into the dunes, that
can be found nowhere else, the creatures that manage to survive there, and the plants
that thrive under the scorching heat and lack of water, the desert is a place to marvel
at. The fact that it is rarely visited means that there is so much more mystery around
the rich natural resources that exist in it (Lewis, 2017).
14. The planet earth is shouting loud and clear of global warming and how Mother Nature
is being affected by it. Sometimes it's hard to imagine that global warming can have
an effect on the already hot deserts. Even a small change in the natural phenomenon
can have a drastic effect on the desert. The ecosystem of the desert is being affected
by the change in the environment, which in the result is leading towards the pondering
situation. The small change in temperature or precipitation impacts on the plants and
animals living in the region. In some cases, global warming is predicted to increase
the area of deserts, which already covers a quarter of Earth. There is evidence that
deserts have existed for millions of years on this planet. They do, however, seem to
shift and change quickly in terms of geological time. The same global climate patterns
that baked the Sahara also made the air of the Arabian Peninsula hot and humid that
rises at the equator, drops its moisture on the rain forests, then descends as a dry
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scourge over both the Sahara and the Arabian Peninsula (EnvironmentalScience.org,
2019).
15. For most people solitude in a calm place is the most relaxing thing. A desert, in my
opinion, is one place, which can only in relaxing the mind. The sunsets, sunrise the
movement of the sand gently breezes. Being in the Middle deserts it is widely
available to the population.
16. While deserts are dry, they can be found all around the world. While we may think of
a desert as a hot, dry piece of land, it can be cold as well. Regardless of the climate,
these deserts are usually cold at night and receive very little rainfall. However, they
do produce plants, which have adapted to such living conditions. This
widespread desert has played a vital role in human history. For instance, the whole
area has only one significant river system, the Tigris-Euphrates, and their tributaries.
These rivers essentially gave rise to Western civilization. The rivers could sustain
farming in the midst of a harsh desert, but only if people cooperated sufficiently to
build the large-scale irrigation works needed to divert water on the
fertile floodplains of the flood-prone desert rivers. Temperatures can reach as high as
129 degrees Fahrenheit and Annual rainfall on average is far much less. Despite this,
the greatest natural resource of the Arabian Desert is an underground water supply.
There also are reserves of petroleum and natural gas (Jeremy M.B, 2019).
17. The relaxation is the state of being free from anxiety and negative thoughts. To relax
your body, you need to activate your body's natural relaxation response. The response,
which calms you, down and lowers your stress and brings you the feeling of peace.
We may not consider relaxation as an important tool for your mind and body but in
fact, regular relaxation and stress management are important for physical and
emotional health. This is because your body receives a lot of stress response during
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your daily routine and if your body doesn’t return to its regular state of relaxation, you
may find yourself in a state of chronic stress. There are lots of ways to relax. Some
ways are designed to relax your mind and some to relax your body. But because of the
way the mind and body are connected, many relaxation methods work on both the
mind and the body. For many of us, the relaxation means slumping on the couch in
the pajamas with your favorite chips in front of the TV and watching your favorite
series. This may lower some kind of tiredness from your body but to have an eminent
and long-lasting effect of anxiety-free mind, you have to adopt different techniques
(Help Guide, 2019).
18. The definition of relaxation differs from person to person because it is directly related
to the psychology of the person. Psychological relaxation occurs when the mind is
relatively free of stress and distraction. Some people have more trouble with
relaxation than others. When we talk about relaxation, we have in mind the goal to
achieve a specific state of mind. Some people relax with sport, exercise, listening to
music, watching TV or reading a book, etc. However, some people find it helpful to
follow specific relaxation exercises. Relaxation techniques can help you restore your
body to its natural state when you’re feeling stressed, and can potentially help you
remain more resilient to stress that you face in the future (GoodTherapy.org, 2019).
19. When we face stressors in life, we can carry physical and psychological tension, and
these tensions can feed off of one another. The psychological effect on your body has
prolonged effects. Feeling physically tense can increase your psychological and
emotional tension and vice versa. Conversely, relaxing your body physically can help
relieve psychological stress, and relaxing your mind can help you to physically relax
and release tension in your body. When your stress response is no longer triggered, it
becomes far easier to approach challenges in a proactive, peaceful way. The stress can
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be physical and emotional. Whether physical or emotional, we've all touched on stress
at some point in our lives. It's that constant knot in your stomach, the hazy fog you
can't escape - and that sense of dread, pulling you down like gravity (MS Trust,
2018).
20. Negative energy is a serious condition, which happens to all of us in our daily life
consciously and unconsciously. To have negative energy within you doesn’t mean
that you engaged yourself in bad habits. It can occur merely by your surroundings.
Certain people radiate positive energy and other negative energy. But understanding
positive and negative energy in others goes much farther than simply recognizing the
energy someone exudes. Humans are born to feel and share their emotions. So, when
we interact with one another, we share negative and positive energy. When do we
realize that we are having negative energy? The understanding of your behavior and
environment is the best key to scrutinize this state of mind. Every day we come into
contact with the energy that can greatly influence our mood and well being. You
could be walking down the street, minding your own business, maybe even whistling,
you cross paths with a stranger, perhaps he or she is having a bad moment, or a bad
year, and you come within absorption distance of their bad mood swings and there
you Go, Your Negative Energy Absorption goes up (Missy & Emily, 2019).
21. Negative Energy is not solely mythic or biblical, and it indeed doesn’t always stem
from Satan. The negative energy can be controlled and ultimately removed by various
methods and techniques. One way to pinpoint negative energy is by taking a look at
its effects. Because negative energy can affect both the body and mind in pretty
powerful ways. Nature is more than a relaxing place for empathy. It has healing and
restorative power into the human being (Missy & Emily, 2019).
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