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What happened in the Middle East's oil-rich powerhouse- while we weren't looking Saudi Arabia is a country defined by paradox. It is a modern state driven by contemporary technology and possessed of vast oil deposits, yet its powerful religious establishment would have its customs and practices rolled back a thousand years to match those of the prophet Muhammad. With "Inside the Kingdom," journalist and bestselling author Robert Lacey has given us one of the most penetrating and insightful lo...

This book provides an overview of the military forces, and their antecedents, of the Arabian Gulf States. Most were British Protected States, resulting in their armed forces being heavily influenced by the British military. The States are: Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates and its constituent Emirates of (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah, Umm al Quwain, Ajman and Fujairah). Military forces include the Bahrain Levy Corps, Trucial Oman Levies, Trucial Oman Scouts,...

The life of Gertrude Bell is now the subject of the major motion picture Queen of the Desert, starring Nicole Kidman, James Franco and Damian LewisTurning away from privileged Victorian Britain, Gertrude Bell explored, mapped and excavated the world of the Arabs, winning the trust of Arab sheiks and chieftains along the way. When the First World War erupted and the British needed the loyalty of Arab leaders, Gertrude Bell provided the intelligence for T.E. Lawrence's military activities. After t...

In Princes, Brokers, and Bureaucrats, the most thorough treatment of the political economy of Saudi Arabia to date, Steffen Hertog uncovers an untold history of how the elite rivalries and whims of half a century ago have shaped today's Saudi state and are reflected in its policies. Starting in the late 1990s, Saudi Arabia embarked on an ambitious reform campaign to remedy its long-term economic stagnation. The results have been puzzling for both area specialists and political economists: Saudi...

The first book of its kind to be published for a general readership from youngsters upwards, Hidden in the Sands: Uncovering Qatar's Past is the fascinating, fun and educational story of Qatar's heritage and the exciting discoveries being made by archaeologists. This informative and delightful book is published through the generosity of Maersk Oil as part of its programme to support education and unlock Qatar's history and heritage. Hidden beneath the sand and sea and revealed on rocks are the c...

Cultivating the Past, Living the Modern explores how and why heritage has emerged as a prevalent force in building the modern nation state of Oman. Amal Sachedina analyses the relations with the past that undergird the shift in Oman from an Ibadi shari'a Imamate (1913–1958) to a modern nation state from 1970 onwards. Since its inception as a nation state, material forms in the Sultanate of Oman—such as old mosques and shari'a manuscripts, restored forts, national symbols such as the coffee pot...

The Muslim Brotherhood the oldest, largest and most influential religious movement in the Muslim world has often faced repression, most notably in its home country of Egypt. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Gulf States offered Brothers fleeing persecution a safe haven. However, this friendly reception has become increasingly hostile in the 21st century. Following a crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt in the summer of 2013, many Gulf States followed suit, with Saudi Arabia and the United...

On 2 June 2006, a team of three gliders, one chase plane, support crew and all-terrain vehicles gathered at a fiercely hot and dusty airfield 50 kilometres outside Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia. The pilots, two Saudi Princes and the person who had trained them on the Stemme gliders to be flown, were about to make gliding history by flying in a great circular route round the western half of Saudi Arabia, over some of the harshest and most unforgiving desert terrain in the world. In Wi...

"Buijs is to be congratulated for gathering into one volume essays of such a scope and quality, as well as for confronting the challenging issues of interpretation raised so acutely by Leo Strauss. This combination of factors makes this work immensely useful to students of philosophy and theology who may have been misled by their earlier studies into thinking that one can understand the medieval intellectual explosion without attending to its sources in the Arabic culture--of which Maimonides is...

Every year, in the last month of the Islamic calendar, millions of Muslims from around the world come together in Mecca to perform the Hajj, the pilgrimage that all capable Muslims should perform at least once in their lives. In 2013, the National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden organised the exhibition Longing for Mecca. The Pilgrim's Journey. The chapters in this volume are the outcome of the two-day symposium on the Hajj, which was held at the museum in connection to the exhibition. The centra...

The lost city of Ubar, the most fabled of ancient Arabia, thriving centre of the frankincense trade, has fascinated explorers and archaeologists for hundreds of years, and eluded them all. Legend has it that the city, like Sodom and Gomorrah, was destroyed by God as punishment for the wicked ways of the inhabitants, and buried without trace. Clapp learned the story of Ubar while filmmaking in Saudi Arabia, and on his return to America set about solving the mystery. With a unique blend of modern...