The Gulf state of Qatar tops the Forbes list of the world's richest countries. In 2010 the country had the world's highest GDP per capita, and its reserves of oil and natural gas are vast. Yet Qatar has climbed to this pinnacle of wealth and influence in a remarkably short time, and from a starting point of obscurity and insignificance. This astonishing transition is the direct result of the efforts nearly two hundred years ago of one visionary man—Jassim bin Muhammad Bin Thani, known as "the Leader."Shaikh Mohamed A. J. Althani is a former minister in the Qatari government. Read more

The first archaeological surveys and excavations in the state of Qatar were carried out by Moesgaard Museum, Denmark, in 1956-1974. A volume on the Stone Age sites was released by JAS in 1967, and the present publication includes the remaining investigations. Of special interest are several graves with iron swords and arrows and camels and a contemporary settlement with pottery showing close relations to Bahrain and the eastern province of Saudi Arabia. The first excavations at the early Islamic site of Murwab are presented, and the book is concluded with a full catalogue of the rock carvings from Jebel Jusasiyah. Read more

Today, Qatar is among the world’s wealthiest countries. Its rich hydrocarbon resources have transformed this small Gulf state into an energy powerhouse, funded its outsized global ambitions, and allowed it to forge an identity separate from those of its large and powerful neighbors.Drawing on Michael D. Tusiani’s firsthand accounts and deep personal experience in the energy sector and Anne-Marie Johnson’s years of reporting, this book explores how Qatar became a major player in the global energy market. It follows the twists and turns of Qatar’s road to riches, from the first interest by British and American oil companies in the 1920s to the decades it took to develop the North field—the world’s largest gas field—following its discovery in 1971 through the country’s emergence as one of the world’s leading exporters of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the 2000s.From Black Gold to Frozen Gas details the technical, financial, and political challenges involved in getting Qatar’s first LNG projects off the ground. It shows how, despite missteps and setbacks, the foundations of today’s Qatar were laid over many decades. And it chronicles epic rivalries within the ruling Al Thani family, among oil companies, and in the geopolitics of the energy landscape.Part historical analysis, part in-the-room narrative, From Black Gold to Frozen Gas is the definitive account of oil and gas development in Qatar. Read more

Dive into the rich tapestry of Qatar's history, culture, and future prospects with our captivating text-only book. In 'Qatar: Everything You Need to Know,' embark on a journey through the vibrant landscapes of this Gulf nation, from its ancient roots to its modern-day achievements and aspirations.With chapters covering every aspect of Qatar's fascinating story, readers will uncover the secrets of its past, the wonders of its present, and the possibilities of its future. From the founding of Qatar to its emergence as a global player, from the bustling streets of Doha to the tranquil oases of Al-Wakrah, each chapter offers a unique glimpse into the diverse facets of Qatari life.Delve into the intricacies of Qatari society, from its deep-rooted traditions to its forward-thinking innovations. Explore the flavors of Qatari cuisine, the rhythms of its music and dance, and the warmth of its hospitality. Learn about the challenges and opportunities shaping Qatar's path forward, from economic diversification to environmental sustainability, from social cohesion to diplomatic engagement.Whether you're a traveler seeking to learn more about Qatar before your visit, a student of Middle Eastern studies, or simply curious about this intriguing country, our book promises to enlighten and entertain. So, grab your copy of 'Qatar: Everything You Need to Know ' today and embark on an unforgettable journey through the sights, sounds, and stories of this remarkable land. Discover why Qatar captures the imagination of so many, and join us as we unravel the mysteries and marvels of this captivating corner of the world. Read more

'A wonderful and sometimes devastating book ... sophisticated, nuanced, fair-minded and yet very hard hitting' SIMON KUPER'This will transport you to Qatar and teach you with humanity and empathy some of the dark truths about globalisation' BEN JUDAH'John McManus is a remarkable, compelling writer' RORY STEWART'Wise, well informed, fair-minded and honest' PETER OBORNEAN INTIMATE PORTRAIT OF LIFE IN THE FIFA 2022 WORLD CUP'S HOST NATIONJust 75 years ago, the Gulf nation of Qatar was a backwater, reliant on pearl diving. Today it is a gas-laden parvenu with seemingly limitless wealth and ambition. Skyscrapers, museums and futuristic football stadiums rise out of the desert and Ferraris race through the streets. But in the shadows, migrant workers toil in the heat for risible amounts.Inside Qatar reveals how real people live in this surreal place, a land of both great opportunity and great iniquity. Ahead of Qatar's time in the limelight as host of the 2022 FIFA Men's World Cup, anthropologist John McManus lifts a lid on the hidden worlds of its gilded elite, its spin doctors and thrill seekers, its manual labourers and domestic workers.The sum of their tales is not some exotic cabinet of curiosities. Instead, Inside Qatar opens a window onto the global problems - of unfettered capitalism, growing inequality and climate change - that concern us all. Read more

What role does Qatar play in the Middle East, and how does it differ from the other Gulf states? How has the ruling Al-Thani family shaped Qatar from a traditional tribal society and British protectorate to a modern state? How has Qatar become an economic superpower with one of the highest per-capita incomes in the world? What are the social, political, and economic consequences of Qatar's extremely rapid development?In this groundbreaking history of modern Qatar, Allen J. Fromherz analyzes the country's crucial role in the Middle East and its growing regional influence within a broader historical context. Drawing on original sources in Arabic, English, and French as well as his own fieldwork in the Middle East, the author deftly traces the influence of the Ottoman and British Empires and Qatar's Gulf neighbors prior to Qatar's meteoric rise in the post-independence era.Fromherz gives particular weight to the nation's economic and social history, from its modest origins in the pearling and fishing industries to the considerable economic clout it exerts today, a clout that comes from having the region's second-highest natural gas reserves. He also looks at what the future holds for Qatar's economy as the country tries to diversify beyond oil and gas. The book further examines the paradox of Qatar where monarchy, traditional tribal culture, and conservative Islamic values appear to coexist with ultramodern development and a large population of foreign workers who outnumber Qatari citizens.This book is as unique as the country it documents―a multifaceted picture of the political, cultural, religious, social, and economic makeup of modern Qatar and its significance within the Gulf Cooperation Council and the wider region. Read more

Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of Qatar with our new book "All you need to know about Qatar". In this book, you'll discover Qatar's rich history from ancient times to the modern era, learn about its unique cultural diversity, and explore the dynamic development of this small but significant country on the Persian Gulf.From the historical roots in Al Zubarah to the modern architecture and vibrant souqs in Doha, this book offers a detailed and well-researched account. Learn about Qatar's traditions, customs, and diverse cuisine. Immerse yourself in Doha's importance as a capital and economic center, as well as Qatar's role in global politics.This book is a must-read for anyone interested in culture, history, and the development of societies. It offers a deep insight into the way of life and the challenges of a country that has developed rapidly and yet has retained its cultural roots. Our book is purely text-based, without images, which gives you the opportunity to concentrate entirely on the information and stories.Whether you are a traveler, a student, a business traveler, or just curious, this book will deepen your understanding and appreciation of Qatar. Get your copy today and discover all that Qatar has to offer! Read more

DISCOVER QATAR IN 2024 with this comprehensive travel guide, filled with location specific photographs by the author, and 26 maps in its 270 pages.It helps you navigate your journey from Doha airport to the city with transport recommendations, catering to every taste and budget.The guide helps you discover hidden gems like the bisht supplier for Messi in vibrant Souq Waqif, the cultural haven of Katara, and the spellbinding dunes of Khor Al Udaid's 'inland sea'.The breathtaking Museum of Islamic Art is included as is the National Museum - both are ‘must sees’ as you explore Doha – a modern city like no other.Understand the culture of Qatari coffee etiquette or saunter along the picturesque Corniche, as you marvel at the kaleidoscopic skyline of Doha's West Bay at twilight.A section in the guide leads along Qatar's remote west coast and uncovers the UNESCO World Heritage site of Al Zubarah, along with abandoned historic ghost villages.If you want to dig deeper into Qatar - there is a comprehensive history chapter and cultural insights will immerse you in the rich tapestry of Qatari life.Buy your 270+ page guide, with Black & White interior photos & maps, to help you plan your 2024 Qatari adventure! Read more

The Persian Gulf state of Qatar has fewer than 2 million inhabitants, virtually no potable water, and has been an independent nation only since 1971. Yet its enormous oil and gas wealth has permitted the ruling al Thani family to exert a disproportionately large influence on regional and even international politics. Qatar is, as Mehran Kamrava explains in this knowledgeable and incisive account of the emirate, a "tiny giant": although severely lacking in most measures of state power, it is highly influential in diplomatic, cultural, and economic spheres.Kamrava presents Qatar as an experimental country, building a new society while exerting what he calls "subtle power." It is both the headquarters of the global media network Al Jazeera and the site of the U.S. Central Command's Forward Headquarters and the Combined Air Operations Center. Qatar has been a major player during the European financial crisis, it has become a showplace for renowned architects, several U.S. universities have established campuses there, and it will host the FIFA World Cup in 2022. Qatar's effective use of its subtle power, Kamrava argues, challenges how we understand the role of small states in the global system. Given the Gulf state's outsized influence on regional and international affairs, this book is a critical and timely account of contemporary Qatari politics and society. Read more

'Passionate and moving and provides further evidence of the universality of football' Jonathan Wilson, FourFourTwo The definitive story of the Middle East's unstoppable rise to football superpower, and the road to the Qatar World Cup When James Montague first began covering football in the Middle East two decades ago, people asked him what future there could possibly be for the beautiful game in one of the most volatile regions in the world. In the years that followed, it would become one of the biggest stories in global sport, from the from revolutionary ultras of the Arab Spring and the takeover of some of the world's biggest clubs by the Emirati super rich, to Qatar's controversial journey towards hosting the 2022 World Cup finals. The only Western journalist covering the story on the ground from the very beginning, James Montague tells the definitive tale of the region's rise to ultimate power player in the global game in a fully revised and updated edition. Travelling to every country in the Middle East and meeting fans, players, workers and campaigners, he paints an unforgettable picture of football in a controversial, vibrant and surprising new world. Read more

Qatar is a country of spectacular contrasts: from pearl fishing, its main industry until the 1930s, to gas and oil, which generate immense wealth today; to famously being at the center of both triumph and controversy in recent years for hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Almost a lifetime since he grew up in Qatar, Michael Quentin Morton writes about the country’s colorful past and its astonishing present. The book is filled with stories about the people of this land: the tribes and the travelers, the seafarers and slaves—as much a part of Qatar’s history as its rulers and their wealth. The opaque Arabian world guards its secrets well, but Masters of the Pearl penetrates the veil to shed light on a country that until now has defied explanation. Read more

Why in recent years have the social and economic upheavals in Kuwait and Qatar been accompanied by a remarkable political continuity? In a region of revolution and coups, these particular monarchies have somehow survived. In her analysis of political change in the Gulf, Jill Crystal investigates this apparent anomaly by examining the impact of oil on the formation and destruction of political coalitions and state institutions. She also adds to our understanding of state formation by highlighting the ways in which states and rulers structure the relationship between those with money and those with power. This updated edition includes a discussion of the Gulf War and its aftermath. Read more

This short book is about Qatar, a country from where Islamists of the Muslim Brotherhood are able to use tremendous oil and natural gas wealth to promote the Brotherhood’s ideology around the world. Using this political warfare infrastructure, Qatar also advances its own national interests against its chief regional rival, Saudi Arabia, as it bucks to replace one of America’s most important strategic alliances. Due to their policy biases and the friendly intellectual environment created and nurtured by petrodollars inside the Beltway, American elites and policymakers have been soft targets for Qatari influence and information operations. Qatar’s vast wealth can alter policy by carefully manipulating narratives and perceptions using weaponized information in the United States. The sums of money are so large—and the effort to evade the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) and other disclosure laws are so comprehensive—that we don’t have anywhere near a complete picture of the scope of Qatar’s influence game. What we do know is worrying enough: Qatar’s money has been able to buy lobbyists who have “encouraged” a number of influential people to soften their line on Qatar’s support for terrorism and Islamism or take up rhetorical arms against its chief regional rivals, especially Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. It’s been able to buy media outlets that create the battlespace or the environment that leads, as we have seen, in very short order, to dramatic policy shifts designed to benefit Qatar. And it’s been able to cement pro-Qatar narratives in the minds of the professional Beltway foreign policy elite through massive grants to think tanks, universities and, perhaps most troublingly, shrewd use of the CENTCOM base at al-Udeid as a platform from where Qatar could ingratiate itself to a generation of U.S. military commanders and policymakers. Read more

Teach for Arabia offers an ethnographic account of the experiences of students, faculty, and administrators in Education City, Qatar. Education City, home to the branch campuses of six elite American universities, represents the Qatari government's multibillion dollar investment over the last two decades in growing a local knowledge-based economy. Though leaders have eagerly welcomed these institutions, not all citizens embrace the U.S. universities in their midst. Some critics see them as emblematic of a turn away from traditional values toward Westernization. Qatari students who attend these schools often feel stereotyped and segregated within their spaces.Neha Vora considers how American branch campuses influence notions of identity and citizenship among both citizen and non-citizen residents and contribute to national imaginings of the future and a transnational Qatar. Looking beyond the branch campus, she also confronts mythologies of liberal and illiberal peoples, places, and ideologies that have developed around these universities. Supporters and detractors alike of branch campuses have long ignored the imperial histories of American universities and the exclusions and inequalities that continue to animate daily academic life. From the vantage point of Qatar, Teach for Arabia challenges the assumed mantle of liberalism in Western institutions and illuminates how people can contribute to decolonized university life and knowledge production. Read more

A cultural study of modern Qatar and how it navigates change and tradition Qatar, an ambitious country in the Arabian Gulf, grabbed headlines as the first Middle Eastern nation selected to host the FIFA World Cup. As the wealthiest country in the world―and one of the fastest-growing―it is known for its capital, Doha, which boasts a striking, futuristic skyline.In Changing Qatar, Geoff Harkness takes us beyond the headlines, providing a fresh perspective on modern-day life in the increasingly visible Gulf. Drawing on three years of immersive fieldwork and more than a hundred interviews, he describes a country in transition, one struggling to negotiate the fluid boundaries of culture, tradition, and modernity. Harkness shows how Qataris reaffirm―and challenge―traditions in many areas of everyday life, from dating and marriage, to clothing and humor, to gender and sports. A cultural study of citizenship in modern Qatar, this book offers an illuminating portrait that cannot be found elsewhere. Read more

What caused the decline of the Ottoman empire in the Persian Gulf? Why has history credited only London, not Istanbul, with bringing about the birth of the modern Gulf States? Using the Ottoman imperial archives, as well as European and Arab sources, Anscombe explains how the combination of poor communication, scarce resources, and misplaced security concerns undermined Istanbul's control and ultimately drove the Gulf shaikhs to seek independence with ties to the British. Read more

A lively analysis of the Arab Gulf states’ stunning rise to global power over the last half-century and of the daunting challenges they confront today Once just sleepy desert sheikdoms, the Arab Gulf states of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait now exert unprecedented influence on international affairs—the result of their almost unimaginable riches in oil and gas. In this book, Rory Miller, an expert in Gulf politics and international affairs, provides an accessible account of the achievements of these countries since the 1973 global oil crisis. He also investigates how the shrewd Arab Gulf rulers who have overcome crisis after crisis meet the external and internal challenges of the onrushing future.   The Arab Gulf region has become an East–West hub for travel, tourism, sport, culture, trade, and finance. But can the autocratic regimes maintain stability at home and influence abroad as they deal with the demands of social and democratic reform? Miller considers an array of factors—Islamism, terrorism, the Arab Spring, volatile oil prices, global power dynamics, and others—to assess the future possibilities. Read more

History of Qatar. The Economy, The Politics, Government, People, Environment and Tourism. Great were among the best known kings who led warring armies in the 2,500 years before the birth of Christ. During the centuries of Greek and Roman domination, the gulf region was of limited interest to the major powers, but the area's importance as a strategic and trading center rose with the emergence of Islam in the seventh century. The caliphate's military strength was concentrated at Hormuz. Strategically sited at the mouth of the gulf, its authority extended over ports and islands of the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf. The strategic importance of Hormuz, however, did not survive the appearance of Western powers, initially the Portuguese who came to the gulf in the late fifteenth century after Vasco da Gama's discovery of the route to India via the Cape of Good Hope. The Ottomans and the Iranians also tried to dominate the gulf but faced opposition from local tribes in Bahrain and Muscat, reluctant to cede authority over their territories, which by then were the most important areas on the coast. Increasing British involvement in India beginning in the late eighteenth century quickened British interest in the gulf region as a means of protecting the sea routes to India Read more

Rarely has a state changed its character so completely in so short a period of time. Previously content to play a role befitting its small size, Qatar was a traditional, risk-averse Gulf monarchy until the early 1990s.A bloodless coup in 1995 brought to power an emerging elite with a progressive vision for the future. Financed by gas exports and protected by a US security umbrella, Qatar diversified its foreign relations to include Iran and Israel, established the satellite broadcaster Al Jazeera, assumed a leading role in international mediation, and hosted a number of top-level sporting tournaments, culminating in the successful FIFA World Cup 2022 bid.Qatar's disparate, often misunderstood, policies coalesce to propagate a distinct brand. Whether to counter regional economic competitors or to further tie Qatar to the economies of the world's leading countries, this brand is de- signed innovatively to counter a range of security concerns; in short, Qatar is diversifying its dependencies.Qatar's prominent role in the Arab Spring follows a similar pattern, yet the gamble it is taking in supporting Islamists and ousting dictators is potentially dangerous: not only is it at risk from 'blowback' in dealing with such actors, but a lack of transparency means that clichés and assumptions threaten to derail "brand Qatar." Read more

With a discography of over 1000 songs, 20 musicals and three motion pictures, the Lebanese singer and performer, Fairouz, is an artist of pan-Arab appeal, who has connected with listeners from diverse backgrounds and geographies for over four often tumultuous decades. In this book, Dima Issa explores the role of Fairouz’s music in creating a sense of Arab identity amidst changing political, economic context. Based on two years of research including 60 interviews, it takes an ethnographic approach, focussing on audience reception of Fairouz’s music among the Arab diasporas of London and Doha. It shows that for discussants, talking about Fairouz meant discussing diasporic life, bringing to the surface notions of Arabness and authenticity, presence and absence, naturalization and citizenship, and the issue of gender. Conversations with the research respondents shed light on the idea of iltizam (commitment), or how members of the Arab diaspora hold on to attributes that they feel define and differentiate them from others. Read more