Product Description
In 1955 the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, southeast of Saudi Arabia on the Arabian Sea, was a truly medieval Islamic State, shuttered against all progress under the aegis of its traditionalist and autocratic ruler. But it was also nearly the end of an imperial line, for in those days the British Government was still powerful in Arabia. Rumors of subversion and the intrigues of foreign powers mingled with the unsettling smell of oil to propel the sultan on a royal progress across the desert hinterland. It was an historic journey–the first crossing of the Omani desert by motorcar. Jan Morris accompanied His Highness as a professional observer, and was inspired by the experience to write her major work of imperial history. The Pax Britannica Trilogy. The author of some forty books, Welshman Jan Morris has established herself as one of the great modern travel authors. Originally published in 1957 (Faber and Faber) and now back in print.
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January 28th, 2010 at 6:31 pm
In an effort to increase regional knowledge in advance of an assignment in Oman, I bought this book together with several others to augment knowledge gained in an earlier visit to the Sultanate in ’03. The book is short and set in 1955, and is essentially the diary of a traveler accompanying the Sultan’s traveling party on a historic journey through the country at the end of a brief civil war. While interesting in parts, the trip was done at break-neck pace and therefore true insights on the country are limited. While an interesting snapshot in time, the book nonetheless was something of a disappointment. I expected to get a book which would really paint a solid picture of the country prior to the reign of Sultan Qaboos. In a way this does have elements of that, but it is more aimed at the romantic traveler than it is a student of the country or its history.
Rating: 3 / 5