Over the past decade, all six states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have invested considerably in the development of their local heritage industries. In parallel, these states have expanded their efforts at fostering home-grown nationalism. What scholarship exists on the topic of expansion of the heritage industry tends to
In Oman, traditional gravity-fed irrigation systems called aflāj (s. falaj) flow continuously, bringing life to arid areas. The water is used both day and night, and before the introduction of clocks and wristwatches, the sun and stars were widely used to time the allocation of water to farmers. Today, several villages still use
Ethnographic information collected by the authors on former star use along the Arabian Sea coast of Oman is presented and discussed. Although the stars were not observed directly, some were identified from detailed descriptions and astronomy software. Many are associated with winds warning of danger at sea, a few to
The Arabian dhow, with its characteristic features, is one of the most evocative images of the Arabian Gulf, the Red Sea, and the Indian Ocean. The great cargo dhows represented a flourishing trade which stretched from the Mediterranean to China, in the time of the Portuguese and the Dutch from
This book is a study of the seafaring communities of the Arabian Gulf and Oman in the past 150 years. It analyses the significance of the dhow and how coastal communities interacted throughout their long tradition of seafaring. In addition to archival material, the work is based on extensive field
Just as the sea has played a pivotal role in the connectivity of people, economies and cultures, it has also provided a common platform for inter-disciplinary cooperation amongst academics. This book is a selection of conference papers and other contributions that has seen the coming-together of scholars and researchers from
Selected Papers of Red Sea Project VI This volume contains a selection of fourteen papers presented at the Red Sea VI conference held at Tabuk University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2013. It sheds light on many aspects related to the environmental and biological perspectives, history, archaeology and human culture
Few images are as evocative as the silhouette of the Arab dhow as, under full sail, it tacks to windward on glittering waters of Red Sea before moving across the face of the rising or setting sun. In this authoritative new book, Dionisius A. Agius, one of the foremost scholars
On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Journal of Arabian Studies (JAS), this article offers the first history of the field of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies (GAPS), including the origins and evolution of JAS. It begins with an overview of the origins and evolution of GAPS as
Former Vice-President Joe Biden won the bid for the 46th Presidency of the United States, if Trump’s objection did not change the outcome. Although the election was in the US, its reflection is global. Many countries, especially the EU countries, were bidding for Biden, while leaders who have personal connections