David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism
by Gregory A Prince
from University of Utah Press
The Road to Ubar: Finding the Atlantis of the Sands
by Nicholas Clapp
from Mariner Books
What is it about the inhospitable corners of the world that so attracts the imagination? Scott in the Antarctic, Hillary on top of Everest, and a multitude of wanderers--from Wilfred Thesiger and T. E. Lawrence to Gertrude Bell--wandering through the vast, empty sands of "the empty quarter" in what is now Saudi Arabia; each of these explorers has been drawn to places most of us would never think of going and found there an unexpected window onto their own souls. In The Road to Ubar, filmmaker Nicholas Clapp follows in the footsteps of earlier visitors to the Arabian peninsula as he seeks the legendary city of Ubar. Going back at least two millennia, stories about a vast city filled with gold that disappeared almost in an instant haunt the literature and lore of Arabia. And for almost as long as the stories have been around, so have the rogues and dreamers who have tried to find it. His interest sparked by the accounts of earlier travelers in the region such as Thesiger and Bertram Thomas, Clapp decided to put together his own team in hopes of finding and filming the lost city.
Using both modern tools (photographs taken from space, courtesy of NASA) as well as old ones (maps, descriptions, and written accounts), Clapp and his team slowly pieced together the clues until they arrived, at last, at the site where they would spend the next four years digging. How they got to the end of The Road to Ubar and what they found there is at the heart of this unusual travel memoir.
No one thought that Ubar, the most fabled city of ancient Arabia, would ever be found-if it even existed. Buried in the desert without a trace, it had become known as "the Altantis of the Sands." Many had searched for Ubar, including Lawrence of Arabia. Then in the 1980s, Nicholas Clapp, a documentary filmmaker and amateur archaeologist, stumbled on the legend of the lost city while poring over historical manuscripts. Filled with overwhelming curiosity, he led two expeditions to Arabia with a team that included space scientists and geologists. The discovery of Ubar was front-page news across the world and was heralded by Time as one of three major scientific events of the year.
IN THE SERVICE OF THE SULTAN: A first-hand account of the Dhofar Insurgency
by Ian Gardiner
from Pen and Sword
While the Americans were fighting in Vietnam, a struggle of even greater strategic significance was taking place in the Middle East: the Sultanate of Oman guards the entrance to the Arabian Gulf, and thus controls the movement of oil from that region. In the 1960s and 70s, the Communists tried to seize this artery and, had they succeeded, the consequences for the West and for the Middle East would have been disastrous - and yet, few people have ever heard of this geo-political drama at the height of the Cold War.
In the Service of the Sultan tells, first-hand, the largely unknown story of a small number of British officers who led Muslim soldiers in this hard-fought anti-insurgency war which has shaped today's Gulf. After outlining the historical, geographical and political background, the book describes military action in a stark and mountainous environment, including operations with irregular forces and the SAS as well as action in the air and at sea. The book gives a gripping, moving, funny account of all these and paints a powerful and illuminating picture of the realities of war.
It will appeal to all who are interested in the Cold War and relationships between the Western and the Arab worlds. Politics, history, irregular warfare, religion, international affairs: all are ingredients in this absorbing, informative read. In the light of the current insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is also timely to be reminded how a rare victory was won over Communist guerrillas.
Behind the Veil in Arabia: Women in Oman
by Unni Wikan
from University Of Chicago Press
"Wikan does provide insights into the real position of these secluded and segregated women. . . . All this is interesting and valuable."—Ahdaf Soueif, Times Literary Supplement
"The book is detailed, insightful, and . . . engrossing. Anyone interested in the day-to-day triumphs and sorrows of women who live 'behind the veil' will want to read this account."—Arab Book World
"Wikan, a fine ethnographer, has an eye for everything that is distinctive about the culture and . . . builds up a wholly convincing picture. Above all, there is a sustained attempt to penetrate the inner lives of these strangely serene people."—Frank H. Stewart, Wilson Quarterly
"This book will certainly be of interest to all scholars concerned with sexual identity in the Islamic world."—Henry Munson, American Anthropologist
Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, And The Uae: Challenges Of Security (Csis Middle East Dynamic Net Assessment)
by Anthony H Cordesman
from Westview Press
Frankincense: Oman's Gift to the World
by Juliet Highet
from Prestel Publishing
The land of frankincense—three ancient Omani cities connected with the frankincense trade—were recently named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The history and value of the resin, once as important to the ancient Arabian world as oil is now, is not widely appreciated today. This stunning book that combines travel writing, history, and a glimpse into the world of perfumery explores every aspect of these fragrant, ivorycolored "pearls," from frankincense's harvesting beneath the barks of desert trees, through the vital role it played in the culture of the old Middle East, to its use today in aromatherapy and perfume. Hundreds of color photographs illustrate the cultivation and preparation of frankincense today along the historic incense routes, while artworks and maps reveal how this luxury item was for thousands of years so crucial to the economy and life of Arabia.
Oman Under Qaboos: From Coup to Constitution, 1970-1996
by Calvin H. Allen
from Routledge
SAS: Operation Storm: Secret War in the Middle East (Greenhill Military Paperback)
by Major General Tony Jeapes Cb Obe Mc
from Greenhill Books
The Feather Men
Cults, Customs and Superstitions of India: Being a Revised and Enlarged Edition of 'Indian Life, Religious and Social'
by John Campbell Oman
from Adamant Media Corporation
This Elibron Classics edition is a facsimile reprint of a 1908 edition by T. Fisher Unwin, London.
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