An Archival Journey through the Qatar Peninsula: Elusive and Precarious

This book explores the overlooked history of the Qatar Peninsula, focusing on landscape and the natural world. It uses digitized maps, manuscripts, and other sources to tell a more complicated story of place, challenging the standard narratives. Readers who know something about Qatar will be surprised by the nuances and details, while those who know little or nothing will be drawn in to discover the desert's richness.

Format: Hardback
Length: 351 pages
Publication date: 06 September 2022
Publisher: Springer International Publishing AG

This captivating book delves into the archives to uncover a comprehensive and unconventional history of the Qatar Peninsula, paying meticulous attention to the landscape and the natural world. Spanning geographically across the landscape and chronologically through a selection of primary sources, the book utilizes digitized maps, manuscripts, hydrographic surveys, government records, traveler accounts, early photographs, archaeological and ethnographic reports. While these traditional sources are commonly employed by Qatar to present a streamlined and singular version of its history, this book offers a subversive interpretation of those sources. By intricately weaving together elusive and fragile stories that have been difficult to locate, at risk of being lost, and previously unpublished, the book crafts a more intricate and nuanced narrative of place. Through these captivating tales, readers are invited to reimagine a region that, like many others, actively strives to control a limited range of stories about itself.

For readers familiar with Qatar, the book's nuances and details will come as a delightful surprise. However, for those with limited or no knowledge of the region, the book serves as an intriguing gateway to discover the unexpected richness and diversity found even in the most remote and inhospitable landscapes, particularly in the realm of deserts.

Weight: 616g
Dimension: 210 x 148 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783031038440
Edition number: 1st ed. 2022