ARABIAN PENINSULA.

£500 · Offered by Peter Harrington · No longer available

Al-Shāti' al-mutasālih: Hikāiat al-qarāsina wa-l-lu'lu' wa-l-naft First edition of this pamphlet on the cultural and economic history of the Trucial states, with a collection of photographic illustrations of infrastructure and everyday life. The first chapter begins with the widespread piracy along the Trucial coast, targeting Portuguese and Dutch ships, from the 16th to the 19th century, together with activities related to the African slave trade. After the agreements with Britain in 1847, which banned the slave trade as a form of piracy, the local economy turned to pearling, until the early 20th century. The second chapter focuses on Qatar and Bahrain, the earliest oil exploitation in 1922, the Sunni-Shi'a coexistence, and economic development. The following discuss Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and the "open doors" policy of the early rulers; Ajman, its military bases and new oil; Sharjah; and Ras al-Khaima, and the unification in 1971. The images include traditional architecture in Bahrain, the ruler's palace, street life, and oil refineries in Abu Dhabi, and a map showing oil pipes and wells across the Trucial states.

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