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Simoom
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Simoom
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Simoon
Area of occurrenceSahara, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and the deserts of Arabian Peninsula
EffectTemperature may exceed 54 °C (129 °F) and the relative humidity may fall below 10%
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Simoom (Arabic: سموم samūm; from the root س م م s-m-m, سم "to poison") is a strong, hot, dry, dust-laden wind. The word is generally used to describe a local wind that blows in the Sahara, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and the deserts of Arabian Peninsula. Its temperature may exceed 54 °C (129 °F) and the relative humidity may fall below 10%.

Name

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Alternative spellings include samoon, samun, simoun, and simoon. Another name used for this wind is samiel (Turkish samyeli from Arabic sāmm سامّ meaning poisonous and Turkish yel meaning wind[1]). An alternative type occurring in the region of Central Asia is known as "Garmsil" (гармсель).

The name means "poison wind" and is given because the sudden onset of simoom may also cause heat stroke. This is attributed to the fact that the hot wind brings more heat to the body than can be disposed of by the evaporation of perspiration.

Description

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The Nuttall Encyclopædia described the simoom:

The storm moves in cyclone (circular) form, carrying clouds of dust and sand, and produces on humans and animals a suffocating effect.[2]

A 19th-century account of simoom in Egypt reads:

Egypt is also subject, particularly during the spring and summer, to the hot wind called the "samoom," which is still more oppressive than the khamasin winds, but of much shorter duration, seldom lasting longer than a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes. It generally proceeds from the south-east or south-south-east, and carries with it clouds of dust and sand.[3]

In North America

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It has been alleged that a "simoom" occurred on June 17, 1859, in Goleta and Santa Barbara, California. Local historian Walker Tompkins wrote that during the morning, the temperature hovered around the normal 24 to 27 °C (75 to 81 °F), but around 1pm, strong super hot winds filled with dust began to blow from the direction of the Santa Ynez Mountains to the north. By 2 pm, the temperature supposedly reached 56 °C (133 °F). This temperature was said to have been recorded by an official U.S. coastal survey vessel that was operating in the waters just offshore, in the Santa Barbara Channel. At 5 pm, the temperature had reportedly dropped to 50 °C (122 °F), and by 7 pm, the temperature was back to a normal 25 °C (77 °F). Tompkins provided a supposed quote from a U.S. government report saying, "Calves, rabbits and cattle died on their feet. Fruit fell from trees to the ground scorched on the windward side; all vegetable gardens were ruined. A fisherman in a rowboat made it to the Goleta Sandspit with his face and arms blistered as if he had been exposed to a blast furnace."[4] Also according to Tompkins, local inhabitants were saved from the heat by seeking shelter in the thick adobe walled houses that were the standard construction at the time.

However, experts contest this account. UCSB Professor Joel Michaelsen, for instance, said:

I have never found any outside source to validate Tompkins' story, and I am highly skeptical of its veracity. I don't doubt that strong hot, dry downslope winds could kick up lots of dust and produce very high temperatures – but in the 110 F – 115 F range at most. The 133 F just isn't physically reasonable, as it would require the creation of an extremely hot air mass somewhere to the northeast. Last Monday's weather was a very good strong example of the sort of conditions that would produce such a heat wave, and our temperatures topped out at least 20 degrees below Tompkins' figure. Stronger winds could have increased the heating a bit, but not nearly that much. Add to all that meteorologically-based skepticism Tompkins' well-known tendency to mix liberal doses of fiction into his 'histories,' and I think you have a strong case for discounting this one.[5]

Meteorologist Christopher C. Burt wrote about the alleged incident:

There is no record of who made this measurement or exactly where it was made in Santa Barbara. Some later sources say it was made on a U.S. coastal geo-survey vessel. If that is the case then the temperature is not possible since the waters off Santa Barbara in June are never warmer than about 70°F and any wind blowing over the ocean would have its temperature modified by the cool water no matter how hot the air. This report is singular and there is physical evidence (burnt crops and dead animals) that something amazing happened here this day, but the temperature record is impossible to validate."[6]

Figurative use of simoom

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Edgar Allan Poe's short story "MS. Found in a Bottle" (1833) features a storm off the coast of Java, wherein "every appearance warranted me [the protagonist-narrator] in apprehending a Simoom."

In the political essay "Chartism", Thomas Carlyle argues that even the poorest of men who have resigned themselves to misery and toil cannot resign themselves to injustice because they retain an innate sense that a higher (divine) justice must govern the world: "Force itself, the hopelessness of resistance, has doubtless a composing effect against inanimate Simooms, and much other infliction of the like sort, we have found it suffice to produce complete composure. Yet one would say a permanent Injustice even from an Infinite Power would prove unendurable by men."

Walden (1854), by Henry David Thoreau, references a simoom; he uses it to describe his urge to escape something most unwanted. "There is no odor so bad as that which arises from goodness tainted. It is human, it is divine, carrion. If I knew for a certainty that a man was coming to my house with the conscious design of doing me good, I should run for my life, as from that dry and parching wind of the African deserts called the simoom, which fills the mouth and nose and ears and eyes with dust till you are suffocated, for fear that I should get some of his good done to me – some of its virus mingled with my blood. No – in this case I would rather suffer evil the natural way."

In his 1854 novel Hard Times, Charles Dickens in describing the oppressive midsummer heat of the sooty, smoky factories of Coketown, writes, "The atmosphere of those Fairy palaces was like the breath of the simoom; and their inhabitants, wasting with heat, toiled languidly in the desert" (book 2, chapter 1). In American Notes Dickens also describes "that injurious [political] Party Spirit" as "the Simoom of America, sickening and blighting everything of wholesome life within its reach."[7]

In José Rizal's novel El filibusterismo (1891), a bitter and vengeful Crisóstomo Ibarra resurfaces as Simoun. His aim as Simoun is the overthrow of colonial rule in the Philippines, accomplished through the acceleration of already systemic abuse.

In Bram Stoker's novel Dracula (1897), Lucy, describing the appearance of Dracula in her room, writes in her journal entry on September 17 that "a whole myriad of little specks seemed to come blowing in through the broken window, and wheeling and circling round like the pillar of dust that travellers describe when there is a simoom in the desert."

In James Joyce's novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1914), there is a reference to "Stephen's heart [withering] up like a flower of the desert that feels the simoom coming from afar."

In Sinclair Lewis' novel Main Street (1920), there is a reference to "Aunt Bessie's simoom of questioning."

In keeping with its tradition of naming its aircraft engines after winds, the Wright Aeronautical R-1200 of 1925 was called the Simoon.

A simoon strikes during chapter 2 of the film serial Tarzan the Tiger (1929).

In Making a President (1932), H. L. Mencken refers to "a veritable simoon of hiccups."

In House of Incest (1936), Anaïs Nin wrote: "Sabina's face was suspended in the darkness of the garden. From the eyes a simoun wind shrivelled the leaves and turned the earth over; all things which had run a vertical course now turned in circles, round the face, around HER face."

In contemporary culture

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In Patrick O'Brian's novel Post Captain (1972), Diana Villiers' mentally troubled cousin, Edward Lowndes, upon learning that Doctor Maturin is a naval surgeon, remarks, "Very good – you are upon the sea but not in it: you are not an advocate for cold baths. The sea, the sea! Where should we be without it? Frizzled to a mere toast, sir; parched, desiccated by the simoom, the dread simoom."

A song titled "Simoon" features on the Yellow Magic Orchestra's eponymously titled album that was released in 1978. The Creatures have a song called "Simoom" on their 1989 album Boomerang, with lyrics such as "Simoom, simoom... you breathe in suffocation / Relentless simoom, blow and whistle this tune".[8]

In the film The English Patient (1996) there is a scene in which Count László Almásy regales Katharine Clifton with histories of named winds, one of them being the "Simoon." Alluding to the records of Herodotus, Almásy tells Katharine that there was once a certain Arabic people who deemed the "Simoon" so evil that they marched out to meet it ranked as an army, "their swords raised."

In the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering, a card named "Simoon" first appeared in the Visions expansion set on a fictional continent of Jamuraa. This card saw play in the sideboard of contemporary Type II decks and was especially effective against the popular Five Colours Green decks that heavily relied on small creatures with toughness of 1.

See also

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References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Simoom

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
A simoom (from samūm, meaning "") is a strong, hot, dry, and dust-laden that occurs primarily in the deserts of , including the , and the . It is characterized by its violent gusts and suffocating effects, often forming whirlwinds that carry fine sand and dust particles aloft. Known locally as a type of duststorm, the simoom typically affects regions such as the , Arabia, , and neighboring countries like , , , and , where it is driven by seasonal patterns in arid environments. Meteorologically, the simoom arises from intense low-level heating of surfaces, particularly in and summer, which generates circular updrafts. Temperatures during these can reach 55°C (131°F) or higher, with relative often falling to 10%, creating extreme that exacerbates its hazardous nature. The 's duration is usually brief, lasting less than 30–80 minutes, though it can transport fine particles (<0.08 mm) to heights of 3 km or more, significantly reducing and reshaping dunes. The simoom's impacts are profound, posing risks to human health through , , respiratory issues from inhaled , and even suffocation in severe cases, earning it the moniker "poison wind." Ecologically, it contributes to and long-distance transport, influencing air quality and climate patterns across broader regions. Documented since ancient times, including in , with Western accounts from the , the simoom remains a notable feature of desert , distinct from similar winds like the or due to its localized, formation.

Etymology and Terminology

Etymology

The term "simoom" derives from the word samūm (سَمُوم), which translates to " wind" or "hot wind," a designation that underscores the wind's hazardous effects, such as inducing heatstroke due to its intense dryness and heat. This root stems from the verb samma (سَمَّ), meaning "to ," ultimately tracing back to sammā, denoting "" or "." The word entered European languages during the 18th and 19th centuries, primarily through translations of texts and accounts by European travelers exploring the , where such winds were frequently described in vivid detail. These travelogues and literary reviews popularized the term in Western scholarship, adapting the transliteration to fit English while retaining its evocative of peril. In English, the earliest recorded usage appears in 1763, within a review in , marking its adoption into the lexicon via colonial and exploratory literature. By the early 19th century, it had gained formal recognition, as evidenced in Noah Webster's 1828 , which defined it as "a hot suffocating wind, that blows occasionally in and Arabia, generated by the extreme heat of the parched deserts or sandy plains."

Alternative Names and Variants

In English, the simoom is also referred to by synonyms such as samiel, simoon, and variant spellings like simoom, which reflect historical transliterations from and Turkish sources. The term samiel derives specifically from Turkish samyeli, combining sam (poisonous) and yel (), emphasizing the wind's hazardous, suffocating nature akin to the simoom's intense heat and dust. A similar hot, dry wind in Central Asia is known as Garmsil, a Persian-derived term meaning "hot wind" or "hot storm," where garm signifies heat. This wind originates from the Kopet Dag mountains in northeastern Iran, blowing northward into southern Turkmenistan, often raising dust in a manner similar to the simoom but tied to local foehn-like dynamics in the region. The simoom is distinct from terms like haboob, which describes a dust storm driven by thunderstorm downdrafts rather than sustained hot, dry airflow, lacking the simoom's emphasis on extreme thermal intensity.

Characteristics

Physical Properties

The simoom is characterized by extreme heat, with typical air temperatures exceeding 50 °C (122 °F) during its passage across desert regions. Recorded highs have reached up to 55 °C (131 °F) in the , driven by intense solar heating of the arid surface. Wind speeds during a simoom event generally range from 25 to 50 km/h (16 to 31 mph), sufficient to generate significant and transport material across vast distances. These velocities align with observations of summer shamal events, where simoom serves as a local descriptor, often averaging around 5-13 m/s (18-47 km/h) but peaking higher in intense outbreaks. The simoom carries fine and particles, primarily submicron to <0.08 in size, though larger grains up to 1-2 can be entrained, as determined by classic studies of desert aeolian . Relative levels drop extremely low, often below 10% and sometimes falling under 5%, exacerbating the dry conditions and contributing to rapid in exposed individuals. This dust-laden composition can reduce visibility dramatically and pose suffocation risks through inhalation of suspended particles, though such health impacts are explored further elsewhere.

Formation and Dynamics

The simoom arises from intense low-level heating of desert surfaces under cloudless skies, particularly in late spring and summer, which generates strong horizontal winds and updrafts capable of lifting fine dust particles into visible columns. This diurnal heating rapidly warms the near-surface air layer, reducing its density and destabilizing the boundary layer; minimal vegetation and loose sediments facilitate easy entrainment of material. Such mechanisms are characteristic of convective phenomena in hyper-arid environments. Regional pressure gradients play a crucial role in amplifying the simoom's intensity, often arising from broader synoptic patterns such as thermal lows over heated landmasses interacting with adjacent high- systems, which steer and strengthen the low-level . Within these flows, descending air parcels undergo adiabatic compression, increasing the temperature of the air mass—typically by several degrees—while promoting that sustains dust suspension and enhances the desiccating effect. This compression elevates local temperatures to extreme levels, distinguishing the simoom as a localized hot from broader phenomena like the or . These events can exhibit rotational features in dust plumes observable via over expanses, though they are primarily linear wind flows rather than persistent vortices. Durations are usually brief, lasting less than 20-80 minutes, after which the thermal disequilibrium dissipates.

Occurrence and Regional Variations

In the Middle East and North Africa

The simoom, a strong, hot, dry, and dust-laden wind, predominantly occurs in the and across the , including key areas such as , , , and . These regions experience the wind as a hallmark of arid climates, where low cover and loose surface materials facilitate its dust-loading characteristics. Simoom events are most frequent during spring and summer, aligning with seasonal low-pressure systems and dry conditions that enhance wind speeds. In the southern , including the Rub' al-Khali, occurrences peak in summer due to influences from the Indian monsoon, which drives southerly flows and intensifies dust mobilization. Overall, areas like the Rub' al-Khali experience approximately 15 to 20 dust storms annually, some associated with simoom-like conditions, contributing significantly to regional dust emissions estimated at up to 94 million tons per major outbreak. Modern observations from weather stations indicate heightened intensity of simoom-like dust storms in the since 2000, attributed to climate change-driven factors such as rising s and reduced . In , for instance, simoom-like dust events have surged from around 75 in earlier decades to over 200 post-2000, with optical depth trends showing a 0.01–0.04 increase per year from 2003–2012 based on satellite and ground-based data. This escalation is linked to a 2°C rise over the past 60 years, exacerbating wind erosion in vulnerable zones. As of 2025, the frequency and intensity of these events continue to rise, prompting international action including the UN's 2025–2034 Decade on Combating and Storms. The simoom shares similarities with the winds prevalent in and the , both manifesting as hot, southerly gusts during transitional seasons.

In North America and Other Regions

The only documented occurrence of a simoom-like event in took place on June 17, 1859, in the Goleta Valley near , where a sudden scorching reportedly drove s to 56 °C (133 °F), wilting vegetation, killing livestock, and prompting residents to seek shelter. This account originates from George Davidson's 1869 Coast Pilot of California, which described the wind as a rare "simoom" sweeping from the northwest, but lacks details on the measurement method or exact location. Meteorologist Christopher C. Burt has since rated the temperature claim's validity as 1 out of 10, citing no corroborating records, potential exaggeration in early reports, and the improbability of such extremes along the cooled coastal zone, suggesting instead a strong sundowner event with temperatures more realistically around 43–46 °C (110–115 °F). In the American Southwest, analogous phenomena include the , which are strong, hot, dry downslope flows from interiors that occasionally bear dust and exacerbate fire risks, though they differ from true simooms in lacking consistent sandstorm intensity. More direct equivalents to the dust-laden aspects of simooms are haboobs—intense dust storms formed by downdrafts in arid regions—which can produce walls of dust up to 1,500 meters high and reduce visibility to near zero, as observed in and . Modern satellite observations from NOAA's GOES series routinely track these haboobs across the Southwest, confirming their frequency during the season but revealing no events matching the full profile of a classic simoom, such as sustained extreme heat from high-pressure systems. Reports of simoom-like conditions in other regions, such as , remain rare and unverified as true simooms, with similar effects attributed to episodic hot, dry dust storms driven by strong southerly winds like the Brickfielder, which lift vast quantities of across the during dry spells. These Australian events, monitored by the , echo the dust transport of simooms but occur in contexts of frontal systems rather than persistent lows.

Effects and Impacts

On Human Health and Safety

The simoom presents acute dangers to health through its extreme , low , and dense , which can lead to heat-related illnesses, , and respiratory issues from . These conditions increase physiological strain, particularly during . Historical accounts, such as the event in , describe severe effects including blistering and animal fatalities, highlighting the potential for life-threatening risks to unprotected individuals, though deaths are not well-documented. The wind's brief duration—often up to 20 minutes—provides limited time for escape. Symptoms can include , from reduced oxygen, respiratory distress with coughing and wheezing, and from exposure. Low humidity promotes rapid fluid loss, heightening risks. Mitigation involves seeking in dunes or enclosures, a practice used by nomads. Protective gear like the shemagh scarf filters dust and protects the face.

Environmental and Ecological Effects

Intense dust-laden winds like the simoom in the contribute to by transporting fine particles aloft, stripping and reducing fertility through nutrient loss. This can accelerate , expanding arid areas amid and wind exposure. Ecologically, from such events blocks , inhibiting and damaging vegetation, which lowers in areas. For , storms disrupt across the , causing disorientation and elevated juvenile raptor mortality rates of up to 31% per crossing due to exhaustion and deviation. also reduces , affecting herbivores and food chains. In regions like , dust events similar to the simoom—such as those from southerly winds—raise PM2.5 levels to 51 µg/m³ in spring and 80 µg/m³ annually, exceeding WHO guidelines and increasing crustal elements like aluminum and iron in the air. These events influence nutrient cycling and ecosystem productivity by redistributing dust. Simoom winds often reduce visibility to near zero, disrupting transportation including travel and , and causing economic losses through halted activities and damage to crops from abrasion and .

Historical and Cultural Significance

Historical Accounts and Notable Events

In the , European explorers provided vivid eyewitness reports of simoom encounters in Arabia. British adventurer , during his disguised pilgrimage to in 1853, experienced the wind firsthand while crossing the desert plains. In his Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to El-Medinah and Meccah, Burton depicted the simoom as a scorching, dust-choked that "caresses you like a with flaming breath," enveloping travelers in a haze of fine that blinded and choked them, often leading to exhaustion among men and beasts. He noted its sudden onset and rapid dissipation, but stressed its potential to halt progress and cause widespread discomfort, drawing from observations of local coping strategies like veiling and seeking shelter.

Figurative and Cultural References

In 19th-century literature, the simoom served as a potent metaphor for overwhelming adversity and inevitable destruction. Edgar Allan Poe's poem "Al Aaraaf" (1829) invokes the simoom as a devastating force that would obliterate the unrepentant, likening truth or judgment to a wind that annihilates: "To them 'twere the Simoom, and would destroy— / For what (to them) availeth it to know / That Truth is Truth, nor that their doom is so?" Similarly, Henry David Thoreau employs the simoom in Walden (1854) to depict the stifling intrusion of insincere or excessive "goodness" from others, portraying it as a choking desert gale that invades every sense and compels flight: "There is no odor so bad as that which arises from goodness tainted... I should run for my life... as from that dry dust which settles upon the sepulchral Simoom." The simoom's imagery of unrelenting desert peril persists in modern media, where it evokes themes of isolation and survival. In the epic film Lawrence of Arabia (1962), sweeping sandstorm sequences mirror the simoom's blinding, life-threatening fury, amplifying the existential dangers faced by characters traversing the Arabian wastes. Video games further adapt this symbolism, as seen in Golden Sun: Dark Dawn (2010), where Simoom appears as a Jupiter-aligned Djinni—a spirit of scorching, toxic winds—discovered amid hazardous desert islands, embodying the elemental threats of arid exploration. In Middle Eastern folklore, the simoom carries profound symbolic weight as a harbinger of supernatural retribution. Pre-Islamic traditions cast jinn as wild nature spirits empowered to execute divine punishments through natural forces like fierce winds, with the simoom's hot, poisonous blasts aligning with the "smokeless fire" of jinn origin and their role in enforcing cosmic justice. This association endures in Islamic lore, where the simoom relates to nār as-samūm—a hellfire wind deployed as eternal torment for the wicked in the afterlife, as referenced in Quranic descriptions of infernal trials (e.g., Surah Al-Hijr 15:43, evoking a scorching gale of punishment).

References

  1. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/simoom
  2. https://www.weatheronline.co.uk/reports/wind/The-Simoom.htm
  3. https://www.britannica.com/science/simoom
  4. https://biomedres.us/pdfs/BJSTR.MS.ID.006230.pdf
  5. https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=simoom
  6. https://www.oed.com/dictionary/simoom_n
  7. https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/simoom
  8. https://legacy.geog.ucsb.edu/goletas-great-simoon-of-1859/
  9. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/samiel
  10. https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA114224.pdf
  11. https://www.weather.gov/safety/wind-dust-storm
  12. https://rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/joc.4302
  13. https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2022JD037971
  14. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspa.1936.0218
  15. https://userpages.umbc.edu/~tokay/chapter09new.html
  16. https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/30960515/Stout_pubs/Stout_2010_ESPL_diurnal.pdf
  17. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/483941576489819272/pdf/SAND-AND-DUST-STORMS-IN-THE-MIDDLE-EAST-AND-NORTH-AFRICA-MENA-REGION-SOURCES-COSTS-AND-SOLUTIONS.pdf
  18. https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/15/199/2015/acp-15-199-2015.pdf
  19. https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/14/1/180
  20. https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/24/2443/2024/
  21. https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/07/1165363
  22. https://www.markvoganweather.com/2016/07/29/chris-burt-hottest-reliably-measured-air-temperatures-on-earth/
  23. https://forecast.weather.gov/glossary.php?word=santa%20ana%20wind
  24. https://www.weatheronline.co.uk/reports/wind/Brickfielder.htm
  25. https://media.bom.gov.au/social/blog/1990/explainer-what-is-a-dust-storm/
  26. https://www.weather.gov/media/aly/stormbuster/Winter1516SB.pdf
  27. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10295525/
  28. https://www.weather.gov/media/stormbuster/Winter1516SB.pdf
  29. https://www.lung.org/clean-air/emergencies-and-natural-disasters/dust-storms
  30. https://www.platinum-heritage.com/blog/7-ways-bedouins-can-teach-us-to-stay-cool-in-summer-and-1-from-us
  31. https://www.dvidshub.net/news/400350/beating-sandstorms-one-shemagh-time
  32. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2880036/
  33. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6829270/
  34. https://archive.org/details/personalnarrati01burt
  35. https://www.eapoe.org/works/poems/alaa09.htm
  36. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/205/205-h/205-h.htm
  37. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-lawrence-of-arabia-1962
  38. https://www.ign.com/wikis/golden-sun-dark-dawn/Simoom
  39. https://scholarworks.uark.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1008&context=wllcuht
  40. https://quran.com/15/43
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