The Arabian Shield is the eastern part of the Arabian-Nubian Shield (ANS), which is a north–south extending belt (3500 km long 1500 km width) narrowing southward and forms the suture between East and West Gondwana at the northern end of the East African Orogen (EAO) (B. H. Ali et al., 2009; K. A. Ali et al., 2012; Johnson, 2014; Johnson et al., 2011; Merdith et al., 2017; Stern, 1994, 2002; Stern and Kröner, 1993). Continent–continent collision is believed to be responsible for the development of the EAO that originated between 800 and 650 Ma and was previously assumed to constitute the suture between East and West Gondwana (Stern, 1994, 2002).

Age distribution map of magmatic rocks of AS (Arabian Shield) (base map after Johnson 2006)