arabian peninsula

The memoirs of Emily Ruete who was born a princess in Zanzibar, raised in a harem, married to a German, and then became embroiled in a bitter struggle for political control over the island during the period of nineteenth-century European colonialism.

ARABIA is the story of Jonathan Raban's magic carpet ride through Bahrain, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Yemen, Egypt and Jordan. Not only does it reveal the Arabs and their culture, it also introduces us to a series of memorable individuals. Much of the book's strength is the author's gift for friendships. He brings us into markets and hotels to glamorous parties and seedy rooms, to a sheikh's fortress and the home of a Bedu family. He opens up the world of the rich and the poor and gives us the feel, the smells, the sounds, the very texture of Arabia.

Including photographs, maps, fact boxes, and Web sites, this book tells of explorers to the Asian peninsula, such as Marco Polo and Ferdinand Magellan.

A tour of Arabia's natural world, from sharks and barracuda in the coral reefs of the Red Sea, baboons and ibex on the high cliffs of the mountain barrier, lizards and migrating birds in the foothills, to the traditional nomadic life of the Bedouin, with a journey by camel across the immense desert.

Includes information on before the oil era, Architecture of Asir and Tihamah, handicrafts, The Bedouin, Neolithic tools, who is an Arab, frankincense, the Tayma stone, The prayer rug, the five pillars of Islam, the Hijri calendar and the two festivals, how Islamic science reached Europe, Arabic numerals, Arabic language, Arabic literature, the development of Islamic law, tribal settlers and nomads, rood, dress, money, music, Saudi women today, climate, falconry, crude oil, gasoline, the search for oil and gas, geology of Arabia, environmental accountability, Saudi Arabia and world energy, Makkah (Mecca), etc.

Explores the ancient city of Arabia and discusses the legends surrounding the kingdom.

Examines how the production of oil resources have impacted the political, social, and economic development of the Saudi Arabian peninsula.