Good books about the area

I have been reading Robert Lacey's Inside the Kingdom, recommended by Charles.  It is about Saudi Arabia and how it came to be as it is.  Taught me alot that I didn't know before especially about how different it is from the UAE - Saudi seems locked in another century, with religious fundamentalists holding back education, and fighting against "western" ideas that are not perceived as devout Muslim.  Also, Saudi Arabia has a Shia minority that does not have the same rights as others.  The UAE is much more progressive, due to Sheikh Zayed, and does not have a Shia minority (everyone is a Sunni, including the ruling family).  The UAE also has a smaller population, so the oil money goes to fewer people, so people get more.


 Another book is City of Gold, by Jim Krane, which talks about how Dubai grew into the Manhattan on the Gulf that it is today.  Only a few decades ago, it was a small pearling town in the sand and now it has the world's tallest building, its own man-made islands, and skyscrapers.  The book talks about the underclass, however, of foreign workers who have built it.  Totally different story to that of Saudi Arabia.


Henry and I are reading the Narnia books.  Ok, they have nothing to do with Arabia, but Calormen in the Horse and his Boy had an Arabian feel.....






Comments

  1. The Horse and his Boy is unlikely to make it to the big screen, as Lewis was undoubtedly referencing Arabian culture in his treatment of Carlormen. Which is a blessing, given the awful mess they made of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment