New book series reintroduces seminal works on Arabian history  

Richard Francis Burton embarked on an outlandish mission in search of the legendary gold mines of Midian, as detailed in ‘Land of Midian (Revisited).’ (Supplied)
Short Url
Updated 31 January 2025
Follow

New book series reintroduces seminal works on Arabian history  

  • Travelogues from Burton, Doughty, Wellsted and Palgrave feature in Arabian Explorers Series  

DUBAI: Driven by romanticism, imperial ambition, and scholarly curiosity, a succession of European adventurers set sail for Arabia throughout the 19th century, laden with expectation and a desire to unravel its mysteries. For many, the goal was a deeper understanding of the region’s history, religion, geography, peoples, and wildlife, as well as the uncovering of Biblical truth. For some, natural history, ethnology, cartography, and archaeology were combined into a single expedition, resulting in the publication of multi-disciplinary personal narratives that fed the Victorian hunger for adventure, discovery, and escapism. 




William Gifford Palgrave was an intriguing figure who served variously as a soldier, interpreter, priest, missionary, spy, and diplomat. (Supplied)

Among them were Charles Montagu Doughty — the first European to enter Hegra, the Nabateans’ second city after Petra — and James Raymond Wellsted, a second lieutenant of the East India Company, who survived a hurricane off the coast of Magna and took part in a detailed study of the Gulf of Aqaba. Arguably the most famous, however, was the eccentric Englishman Richard Francis Burton, a complex figure remembered for his keen sense of adventure, overt Orientalism, and undertaking the Hajj in disguise. He also embarked on an outlandish mission in search of the legendary gold mines of Midian, an ancient region or tribal confederation mentioned in both the Qur’an and the Bible and thought to be located in north-west Arabia. 

The newly-published Arabian Explorers Series reintroduces travelogues by all three, as well as by William Gifford Palgrave, an intriguing figure who served variously as a soldier, interpreter, priest, missionary, spy, and diplomat. Published by Empty Quarter Press, the series seeks to bring the authors’ vivid depictions of Arabia to a new audience. 

“Throughout their journeys, each author recorded some of the most detailed analyses and observations of Arabia in the English language and precious details about society, cultural customs, political structures, ancient heritage sites, and the shifting power dynamics of the peninsula in this period,” says Jeff Eamon, editor-in-chief at Empty Quarter Press. “We aim to couch each text in its proper context so readers can appreciate their significant historical value (and) understand each author’s subjectivities and perspectives.” 




Charles Montagu Doughty was the first European to enter Hegra, the Nabateans’ second city after Petra. (Supplied)

The reprints include newly commissioned maps, glossaries, and forewords by leading historians, placing these complex and often provocative legacies in context. Included are new editions of Palgrave’s “Personal Narrative of a Year’s Journey Through Central and Eastern Arabia (1862-63),” first published in 1865; volume one of Burton’s “The Land of Midian (Revisited),” originally published in 1879; Wellsted’s “Travels in Arabia Volume Two,” printed in 1838; and Doughty’s “Travels in Arabia Deserta Volume One,” a monumental text first published in 1888. 

“Much of the written information that we have about 19th-century Arabia comes from these travelogues,” explains Eamon. “They have long provided precious information for scholars, students of history, and general readers interested in Arabian culture, social customs, and heritage. With Saudi Arabia’s current investment in its wealth of cultural assets and heritage sites, these publications are amazing sources of information. Doughty, for instance, is the first to document Hegra in minute detail, with detailed sketches of the Nabataean tombs, which have become a major part of Saudi Arabia’s cultural offering.” 




The four travelogues have inspired academic inquiry for over a century, but have also sparked debate, not least because of the biases inherent in their authors’ views. (Supplied)

The four travelogues have inspired academic inquiry for over a century, but have also sparked debate, not least because of the biases inherent in their authors’ views. Burton in particular, has faced accusations of Orientalism and of perpetuating stereotypical views of Arabia. His observations were often tinged with a sense of superiority and colonial arrogance, although he had great admiration for both Islam and Arab culture. 

“Burton’s views on the Arab world were complicated,” admits Dane Kennedy, a historian of the British imperial world and author of the foreword to “The Land of Midian (Revisited).” “His comments on the Bedouin could be highly critical, though he also promoted a romanticized view of them as princes of the desert. Furthermore, he was a forceful defender of the Islamic faith and Arab culture, so much so that many of his countrymen ostracized him, believing him to be a convert to Islam. 

“He was a man of many talents and vast contradictions. He was both an agent of British imperialism and a critic of it. He was a bigot and a relativist. He was, above all, a man of immense curiosity about other cultures, and he sought to satisfy that curiosity by learning some 25 languages, travelling widely across India, Arabia, Africa, Latin America, and other lands, and often acquiring an intimate knowledge of the local communities he encountered.” 




William Gifford Palgrave was the first Westerner to successfully cross the Arabian Peninsula from the Red Sea to the Arabian Gulf. (Supplied)

Palgrave, who made a foolhardy attempt to cross the Nafud desert in July without local guides and barely made it to salvation in Jubbah, also viewed the world through a Eurocentric, colonial lens. The first Westerner to successfully cross the Arabian Peninsula from the Red Sea to the Arabian Gulf (west to east), he travelled in disguise — as a Syrian physician — and filled his narrative with vivid, compelling observations of the landscapes, tribal dynamics, and cultural practices of the Arabian Peninsula. He achieved immediate acclaim upon the publication of “Personal Narrative,” thanks in part to his love of storytelling. 

“We are now more than 150 years on from Palgrave’s Arabian travels and his narrative can be read on various levels — from travelogue to adventure story,” says James Parry, a cultural heritage writer and author of the foreword to the new edition of “Personal Narrative.” “It’s worth remembering that he had a great sense of theatre and wrote his account with his audience very much in mind — it’s a very entertaining read. His descriptions of the places and tribes he visited are fascinating, even if some of his comments about local people and customs are seen as problematic today. They need to be understood as the product of their time, and his account as an historical document.” 

All four travelogues filled in much of the outside world’s knowledge of the Arabian Peninsula. Burton’s account of his journey from Cairo to Makkah, for example, gave the British public a much richer understanding of the region and its peoples. 

“Despite their flaws, it is important to recognize that each author spent years travelling in Arabia, learning the language and customs of its people long before mass transit made the peninsula easily accessible to outsiders,” says Eamon. “While some of their observations can be dismissed now, they nonetheless help paint a picture of pre-industrial Arabia.  

“History-telling is fickle,” he adds. “It carries with it the same baggage that weighs down any human experience. The Arabian Explorers Series is just this: a collection of human experiences, however flawed, that contribute to the broader mosaic that is the history of Arabia.” 


What We Are Reading Today: The Real Economy:  History and Theory

Photo/Supplied
Updated 28 February 2025
Follow

What We Are Reading Today: The Real Economy:  History and Theory

  • Writing for anyone interested in the study of the economy, Levy provides an invaluable provocation for a broader debate in the social sciences and humanities concerning what “the economy” is

What is the economy, really? Is it a “market sector,” a “general equilibrium,” or the “gross domestic product”? Economics today has become so preoccupied with methods that economists risk losing sight of the economy itself.
Meanwhile, other disciplines, although often intent on criticizing the methods of economics, have failed to articulate an alternative vision of the economy. Before the ascent of postwar neoclassical economics, fierce debates raged, as many different visions of the economy circulated and competed with one another. In The Real Economy, Jonathan Levy returns to the spirit of this earlier era, which, in all its contentiousness, gave birth to the discipline of economics.
Writing for anyone interested in the study of the economy, Levy provides an invaluable provocation for a broader debate in the social sciences and humanities concerning what “the economy” is.

 


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Greatness: Diverse Designers of Architecture’

Photo/Supplied
Updated 28 February 2025
Follow

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Greatness: Diverse Designers of Architecture’

  • “Women and designers of color play a crucial role in realizing many of the world’s greatest architectural projects, yet our recognition is still significantly lacking,” she rightfully states

Author: Pascale Sablan

By shedding light on overlooked figures in architecture, “Greatness: Diverse Designers of Architecture,” published this year, makes an urgent and necessary contribution to the field.

At about 200 pages, this richly detailed book by Pascale Sablan, award-winning architect and CEO of Adjaye Associates, presents an anthology of diverse designers who have reshaped the built environment.

The book features essays, project case studies and a much-needed deep dive into architectural typologies, spanning residential, institutional and master planning.

Sablan, a millennial architect from New York, has spent her career advocating for equity and inclusion in architecture.

“Women and designers of color play a crucial role in realizing many of the world’s greatest architectural projects, yet our recognition is still significantly lacking,” she rightfully states.

Through this book, she seeks to correct that oversight, offering an expansive look at how diverse perspectives have long shaped the field.

The book highlights 40 groundbreaking US-based and international projects, emphasizing themes of dignity, sustainability and social justice.

It also explores architecture’s historical role in systemic injustices such as redlining and housing discrimination while illustrating how inclusive design can lead to meaningful change.

“When I started this career, I had no idea how many women and people of color were behind the iconic buildings that I have come to know and love,” she states.

Blending insightful essays, case studies, and profiles of 47 architects and designers from diverse backgrounds, “Greatness” underscores how architecture can serve as a tool for empowerment.

The featured architects tackle some of the industry’s most pressing challenges, including housing injustice, environmental sustainability and community development. She ensures that some of these vital voices are finally highlighted.

While not a comprehensive list, the book serves as a crucial guide, urging readers to recognize these architects as the “greats” she sees them to be.

Released during Black History Month in the US, “Greatness” challenges the industry to rethink who gets to be called “great” in architecture and how we can all expand upon our definition.

Easy to read, easy to reference and easy to look at, it is a great addition to your coffee table collection.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Talking Cure’ by Paula Marantz Cohen

Updated 27 February 2025
Follow

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Talking Cure’ by Paula Marantz Cohen

“Talking Cure” is a timely and enticing excursion into the art of good conversation. Paula Marantz Cohen reveals how conversation connects us in ways that social media never can and explains why simply talking to each other freely and without guile may be the first step to curing what ails our troubled society.

Drawing on her lifelong immersion in literature and culture and her decades of experience as a teacher and critic, Cohen argues that we learn to converse in our families and then carry that knowledge into a broader world where we encounter diverse opinions and sensibilities.


Book Review: ‘Perfect Victims’ by Mohammed El-Kurd

Updated 27 February 2025
Follow

Book Review: ‘Perfect Victims’ by Mohammed El-Kurd

Mohammed El-Kurd’s “Perfect Victims: and the Politics of Appeal,” published in January 2025, is a scorching manifesto against the sanitized narratives of victimhood that dominate Western discourse on Palestine. 

With poetic precision and unyielding clarity, El-Kurd dismantles the “politics of appeal” — the insidious expectation that Palestinians, and other oppressed communities, must contort their suffering into palatable shapes to earn global sympathy. This is not a book that asks for understanding, it demands a reckoning.

Drawing from his lived experience in the occupied Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem, El-Kurd exposes the suffocating standards imposed on Palestinian bodies and stories. He unravels how the world’s empathy hinges on the display of “perfect” victimhood: passive, non-threatening, and quiet in its anguish. 

He writes against this expectation, refusing to strip the Palestinian struggle of its dignity and defiance. Instead, El-Kurd reclaims his community’s narrative as one of survival and resilience, asserting, “We are not just the sum of our wounds.”

“Perfect Victims” is more than a critique, it is an unmasking. El-Kurd meticulously dissects how language, media, and international institutions become tools of erasure. He shines a harsh light on the global complicity that demands victims remain meek to be seen as worthy of justice. 

Through case studies, historical context, and deeply personal reflections, he exposes how even well-meaning solidarity can morph into another form of control, reducing the oppressed to mere symbols stripped of agency.

El-Kurd’s prose is vivid and relentless. His words do not simply inform — they pierce. He does not appeal to the reader’s charity but instead confronts them with the uncomfortable truth: that selective empathy is itself a form of violence. His analysis extends beyond Palestine, offering a blueprint for understanding how narratives of victimhood are weaponized against marginalized communities worldwide.

Yet, what makes “Perfect Victims” truly extraordinary is El-Kurd’s unwavering refusal to accept the confines of victimhood. His narrative is a rebellion against the expectation of silence. He writes: “We are not here to perform our pain for your absolution. We are here to live, to love, to resist.” These words resonate as a battle cry — simultaneously a rejection of imposed passivity and an affirmation of life beyond occupation.

This is a book that refuses to be quiet. It is a work of profound defiance, carving out space for Palestinian voices to be heard, not as whispers, but as thunder. “Perfect Victims: and the Politics of Appeal” is a literary and political act of reclamation — a blazing testament to the enduring dignity of a people who refuse to let their story be written by anyone but themselves.


Jeddah spans tradition and modernity in new book exploring themes of cultural preservation

Updated 27 February 2025
Follow

Jeddah spans tradition and modernity in new book exploring themes of cultural preservation

  • Novel examines balance between cultural preservation and urban transformation
  • ‘The cats of Jeddah serve as a metaphor for the city’s enduring spirit’

RIYADH: While the falcon and camel are the creatures most associated with Arabia’s skies and deserts, cats have long captivated the hearts of the people, historically and religiously.

In his new novel, “City of Cats,” Rafael Hernandez de Santiago sets his narrative in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, exploring where the past and future collide during urban transformation.

“City of Cats” follows Amir, an architect torn between the love he has for his city’s heritage and the push toward modernization. He and his allies face resistance from powerful, money-hungry developers as they propose a cultural park to protect one of Jeddah’s historic districts.

Hernandez draws the comparison that cats represent the soul of a city. Speaking to Arab News at his book launch hosted at the Spanish Embassy on Tuesday, he said: “The cats of Jeddah serve as a metaphor for the city’s enduring spirit, quietly witnessing and adapting to its ever-changing landscape.”

The novel delves into themes of preservation versus progress, communal unity, and resilience of tradition in the face of relentless modernization.

Hernandez is a director and senior researcher at the Gulf Research Center and a prominent newspaper columnist who regularly writes on matters relating to politics, international relations, and data and AI.

Of his reasons for delving into the world of fiction writing, Hernandez said, contrary to the straight edge of fact and policy analysis that his columns require, fiction allows for a more interactive curiosity on complex issues and more emotional engagement.

“Instead of debating urban development and cultural preservation through articles, I wanted readers to feel the impact of these changes through the eyes of characters living through them.”

The Spanish citizen, who has lived in Saudi Arabia for almost 25 years, said that from the ancient Nabatean city of AlUla to the rise of modern metropolises such as Riyadh, the Kingdom balances rich traditions and heritage stories with an ambitious vision for the future, making it a compelling setting for a novel.

“My time here has given me a deep appreciation for its history, traditions, and the unique identity of its cities.

“The experience of witnessing Jeddah’s evolution firsthand played a significant role in shaping the story of ‘City of Cats,’” he said.

Hernandez said that Jeddah is a city where history and modernity coexist side by side. Al-Balad, its historic district, carries stories of merchants, travelers, and families through the generations, who give it a distinct identity. Yet it is constantly evolving, with new skyscrapers and developments.

“While Spain has its own rich history and cities undergoing similar transformations, Jeddah’s story feels particularly urgent. It’s a city at a crossroads, and I wanted to capture that moment.”

Hernandez spoke about how Jeddah acting as Makkah’s gateway gives it a unique character. And that characteristic furnishings, from coral stone houses to intricate mashrabiya windows, reflect the story of the Red Sea and its maritime trade routes.

Contrary to Jeddah’s openness and free-flowing nature, Riyadh’s soul mirrors that of a wise and progressive leader who still stands strong in his structure and heritage, according to Hernandez.

“Like the stray cats that roam both cities, their souls are defined by their ability to survive, adapt, and persist despite the changes around them,” he said.

“City of Cats” is available in English, with Arabic and Spanish translations expected to follow.

Hernandez hopes to turn the novel into a musical one day, as the arts and entertainment scene in the Kingdom rapidly grows.

“The story lends itself beautifully to the format … Musicals are a celebration of storytelling, culture, and emotion — and Saudi Arabia is overflowing with stories and traditions waiting to be expressed in new, creative ways.”

He said that if Saudi Arabia were to start producing musicals, it would open the door for local talent; composers, lyricists, set designers, and actors who are eager to share their creativity with the world.