The Craft Heritage Of Oman

The book is an impressive presentation of the Omani craft, heritage, artifacts and traditions in a regional format that provides an invaluable reference to scholars and collectors. The quality of the photographic illustrations is outstanding. The book is encyclopedic and beautifully presented in two hardback volumes, with an attractive, sturdy slipcase.

When Sultan Qaboos overthrew his father as ruler of the Persian Gulf state of Oman in 1970, with the help of British advisers, few expected him to survive long. He was unknown to his own population, and the country was poor and plagued by civil wars. Yet he has built his regime's legitimacy on a policy of national unification, the assimilation of all of Oman to the oil rentier state framework, and of his state to the person of the sultan, the incarnation of the country's 'renaissance'. This books seeks to understand the mechanisms of social and political perpetuation of authoritarianism in post-colonial states such as Oman. It shows how one monarchical power has built and constantly renewed its basis to meet the internal and external challenges threatening its stability. Yet this book also raises the question of what happens when one part of this model, namely an oil-rent economy, falters, with half the population under fifteen years of age and when the privileges enjoyed till recently may no longer be tenable. Valeri also sheds light on the strategies adopted and challenges faced by other Arab monarchies in the Persian Gulf, Morocco and Jordan.

Lonely Planet's Oman, UAE & the Arabian Peninsula is your most up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Feel the desert's allure in Sharqiya Sands, dine at the top of the world's tallest building, and see the masterpieces of the Museum of Islamic Art -all with your trusted travel companion.

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.

The modern coastal city of Muscat provides a gateway to scuba diving, dhow cruising and turtle watching, whilst the ancient inner regions provide ideal terrain to take a 4WD through wadis or desert. Some of the most luxurious hotels in the Middle East are in Oman, so this guide is suitable for up-market travellers and backpackers alike.