Traditional Architecture of the Arabian Gulf
Traditional Architecture of the Arabian Gulf

Author: R. Hawker

Publisher: WIT Press

Published: 2008-06-10

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 1845641353

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This book chronicles the florescence of architecture in the Arabian Gulf after the expulsion of the Portuguese in the early 1600's. It demonstrates how the power vacuum created by the collapse of Portuguese control over the trade routes in the Indian Ocean encouraged a growth in fortified architecture, especially in Oman, that radiated out to the surrounding region and was then slowly replaced by new patterns in domestic and public architecture and town planning throughout the Gulf as the trade lines were secured and the individual countries took the first steps towards the formation of today's modern nation-states.The book documents the buildings and crafts of this era and analyses them within the framework of the political, economic, and social information available through primary sources from the period in a way that is both intelligent and accessible. It considers the settlements as part of a larger-connected network of cities, towns and villages and focuses both on how the buildings provided innovative solutions to the demanding climate and yet incorporated new decorative and functional ideas. Topics are extensively and richly illustrated with colored photographs of the buildings as they are now, black and white and color historic photographs from archival and museum collections, line drawings, and computer-generated reconstructions.The book is therefore attractive to a number of audiences, including those who live in or travel to the Gulf as well as people with an interest in Arab and Islamic design, culture and society, vernacular architecture, and post-colonial approaches to colonial history.

Oman
Oman

Author: Tony Walsh

Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides

Published: 2016-12

Total Pages: 380

ISBN-13: 1784770205

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Bradt's is the most up-to-date and informative guide to Oman, the Arabian peninsula's most welcoming destination, fully revised and updated by an author who has been living in Oman and Arabia since 1986. Oman is finally reaping the economic benefit of its location between Europe, Africa and Asia with substantial investment in major shipping ports and significant expansion of the national airline with new routes to Western Europe and East Asia. Despite being at the crossroads of great trade routes and empires, Oman has remained an independent country through much of its long history, and today tourism and travel are a major focus for Oman's government. This new edition covers the recent substantial investment in new airport facilities and upmarket accommodation and also features the historic UNESCO towns of Samharam and Al Balid. If you want to live like a local, the guide also tells you how to slow cook the traditional spiced meat shuwa and how to be a perfect guest if invited into an Omani home. Oman is not merely a desert. While it has the classic sand seas - Wihibah Sands - home to the nomadic Bedouin and their camels, this sultanate also boasts lush monsoon-soaked valleys near Salalah, mountain villages surrounded by green terraced fields of fruit trees and rose bushes, and the reef-fringed Ad Dimaniyyat Islands. With such a varied wilderness there is huge scope for adventure. Oman is increasingly perceived as a high-end cultural destination. The new Opera House has opened, directly supported by the Sultan, with top-notch international performers like Placido Domingo. The guide includes advice on property buying, since Omani law changed to allow expatriates to buy, explaining the rules and regulations. There is also a detailed overview of language schools teaching Arabic, not found in other guides. With advice on cultural etiquette, basic Arabic phrases and political history - as well as full practical information on where to stay and eat, and what to see and do - this fully updated edition remains the essential guide for travellers looking to discover the real Oman.

Oman
Oman

Author: Diana Darke

Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 340

ISBN-13: 1841624713

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Oman is not merely a desert. While it has the classic sand seas - Wahiba Sands - home to the nomadic Bedouin and their camels, this sultanate also boasts lush monsoon-soaked valleys near Salalah, mountain villages surrounded by green terraced fields of fruit trees and rose bushes, and the reef-fringed Daymaniyat Islands. With such a varied wilderness there is huge scope for adventure.Tourism has developed over the last few years and there is an increased emphasis on high-end visitors, with new luxury spas in hotels like The Chedi, The Wave, and the Four Seasons in Muscat, and the new Marriott in Salalah. Large international cruise ships now call for a night or two at Muttrah/Muscat harbour and at Salalah in the south. Eco-awareness is on the rise, with many bigger hotels using waste water for garden irrigation and eco-luxe tents are growing in popularity for desert and mountain adventure tours. The first boutique hotels are opening for small-scale tourism to the uninhabited historic villages, particularly in the mountains, where the high altitude gives cooler climates and greener landscapes with village terracing for agriculture.Oman is increasingly perceived as a high-end cultural destination. The new Opera House has opened, directly supported by the Sultan, with top-notch international performers like Placido Domingo. New sections in this edition include advice on property buying, since Omani law changed to allow expatriates to buy, explaining the rules and regulations. There is also a detailed overview of language schools teaching Arabic, not found in other guides.With advice on cultural etiquette, basic Arabic phrases and political history - as well as full practical information on where to stay and eat, and what to see and do - this fully updated edition remains the essential guide for travellers looking to discover the real Oman.

Ancient Weapons of Oman. Volume 2: Firearms
Ancient Weapons of Oman. Volume 2: Firearms

Author: Vincenzo Clarizia

Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing Ltd

Published: 2022-08-11

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 1803270330

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This book presents a detailed overview of the firearms used in Oman over the last four centuries. Portable firearms, rifles and cannons are all discussed in detail with supporting illustrations. The weapons described in this book are mostly from the National Museum Oman and Bait al Zubair Museum in Muscat.

Oman Reborn
Oman Reborn

Author: Linda Pappas Funsch

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2015-12-29

Total Pages: 267

ISBN-13: 1137502010

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The Sultanate of Oman is one of the few "good news" stories to have emerged from the Middle East in recent memory. This book traces the narrative of a little-known and relatively stable Arab country whose history of independence, legacy of interaction with diverse cultures, and enlightened modern leadership have transformed it in less than fifty years from an isolated medieval-style potentate to a stable, dynamic, and largely optimistic country. At the heart of this fascinating story is Oman’s sultan, Qaboos bin Sa’id, friend to both East and West, whose unique leadership style has resulted in both domestic and foreign policy achievements during more than four decades in office. Exploring Oman from a historical perspective, Funsch examines how the country’s unique blend of tradition and modernization has enabled it to succeed while others in the region have failed. Accounts of the author’s own experiences with Oman’s transformation add rich layers of depth, texture, and personality to the narrative.

Regionalizing Oman
Regionalizing Oman

Author: Steffen Wippel

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-08-16

Total Pages: 341

ISBN-13: 9400768214

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This volume addresses the historical structures and current dynamics of Oman’s regionalization processes and their political, economic and social dimensions. It is based on an interdisciplinary and trans-regional dialogue between scholars from different social sciences and area studies such as political science, economics, management, economic and social geography, history, social anthropology and linguistics as well as Middle East/West Asian, gulf and African studies, and develops four major axes of research: - Oman’s integration into global and regional flows of goods, capital, people and ideas; - The multi-scaled political negotiation of such integration (or disintegration) processes; - Consequences of suchlike processes and forms of regionalization for (translocal) actors; - Ideas and strategic communication of regional belonging and the constitution of regions. Each chapter deals with one or more of these issues. Part I deals with concepts of regionalisation and region-building and presents different approaches that accentuate certain dimensions of these processes and come from different disciplinary backgrounds. Part II focuses on the translocal, transnational and (trans)regional movement of people, their practices and imaginations, be they contemporary labour in- and out-migrants, returnees from Eastern Africa or nomadic tribal members. Part III takes a closer look particularly at economic issues and regionalisation processes that are mainly based on multiple trade links, regional development policies or politics of regionalism. Part IV analyses political and socio-cultural issues in regional and global perspectives.

The Emergence of the Gulf States
The Emergence of the Gulf States

Author: John Peterson

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2016-06-16

Total Pages: 417

ISBN-13: 1472587626

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CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title 2017 The Emergence of the Gulf States covers the history of the Gulf from the 18th century to the late 20th century. Employing a broad perspective, the volume brings together experts in the field to consider the region's political, economic and social development. The contributions address key themes including the impact of early history, religious movements, social structures, identity and language, imperialism, 20th-century economic transformation and relations with the wider Indian Ocean and Arab world. The work as a whole provides a new interpretive approach based on new research coupled with extensive reviews of the relevant literature. It offers a valuable contribution to the knowledge of the area and sets a new standard for the future scholarship and understanding of this vital region.

Ancient Weapons of Oman. Volume 1: Edged Weapons
Ancient Weapons of Oman. Volume 1: Edged Weapons

Author: Vincenzo Clarizia

Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing Ltd

Published: 2022-08-11

Total Pages: 220

ISBN-13: 1803270314

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Omani men carried personal weapons until relatively recently. Swords and daggers were part of daily life attire and are still worn in social events. This book describes all the main types of Omani edged weapons, their origin, structure and accessories, with supporting illustrations and references to examples from museums and private collections.