The modern coastal city of Muscat provides a gateway to scuba diving, dhow cruising and turtle watching, whilst the ancient inner regions provide ideal terrain to take a 4WD through wadis or desert. Some of the most luxurious hotels in the Middle East are in Oman, so this guide is suitable for up-market travellers and backpackers alike.

The diversity of the Arabian Peninsula is seen not only in its landscapes and peoples, but also in its jewellery styles, which differ markedly from state to state. The Sultanate of Oman possessed, and still possesses, some of the most skilled silversmiths in Arabia. The silver jewellery they produce is of a quality and beauty unsurpassed in the Arab world, and this is an introduction to the subject. There are colour illustrations of khanjars (the characteristic T-shaped dagger of Oman), necklaces, anklets, bracelets, hair decorations and earrings, together with an informative textual background to their history, manufacture and styles.

By employing the innovative lenses of ‘thing theory’ and material culture studies, this collection brings together essays focused on the role played by Arabia’s things - from cultural objects to commodities to historical and ethnographic artifacts to imaginary things - in creating an Arabian identity over time. The Arabian identity that we convey here comprises both a fabulous Arabia that has haunted the European imagination for the past three hundred years and a real Arabia that has had its unique history, culture, and traditions outside the Orientalized narratives of the West. All Things Arabia aims to dispel existing stereotypes and to stimulate new thinking about an area whose patterns of trade and cosmopolitanism have pollinated the world with lasting myths, knowledge, and things of beauty. Contributors include: Ileana Baird, Marie-Claire Bakker, Joseph Donica, Holly Edwards, Yannis Hadjinicolaou, Victoria Hightower, Jennie MacDonald, Kara McKeown, Rana Al-Ogayyel, Ceyda Oskay, Chrysavgi Papagianni, James Redman, Eran Segal, Hülya Yağcıoğlu, and William Gerard Zimmerle.

Bradt's is the most up-to-date and informative guide to Oman, the Arabian peninsula's most welcoming destination, fully revised and updated by an author who has been living in Oman and Arabia since 1986. Oman is finally reaping the economic benefit of its location between Europe, Africa and Asia with substantial investment in major shipping ports and significant expansion of the national airline with new routes to Western Europe and East Asia. Despite being at the crossroads of great trade routes and empires, Oman has remained an independent country through much of its long history, and today tourism and travel are a major focus for Oman's government. This new edition covers the recent substantial investment in new airport facilities and upmarket accommodation and also features the historic UNESCO towns of Samharam and Al Balid. If you want to live like a local, the guide also tells you how to slow cook the traditional spiced meat shuwa and how to be a perfect guest if invited into an Omani home. Oman is not merely a desert. While it has the classic sand seas - Wihibah Sands - home to the nomadic Bedouin and their camels, this sultanate also boasts lush monsoon-soaked valleys near Salalah, mountain villages surrounded by green terraced fields of fruit trees and rose bushes, and the reef-fringed Ad Dimaniyyat Islands. With such a varied wilderness there is huge scope for adventure. Oman is increasingly perceived as a high-end cultural destination. The new Opera House has opened, directly supported by the Sultan, with top-notch international performers like Placido Domingo. The guide includes advice on property buying, since Omani law changed to allow expatriates to buy, explaining the rules and regulations. There is also a detailed overview of language schools teaching Arabic, not found in other guides. With advice on cultural etiquette, basic Arabic phrases and political history - as well as full practical information on where to stay and eat, and what to see and do - this fully updated edition remains the essential guide for travellers looking to discover the real Oman.

Of all the crafts of Oman, the country's silverwork tells us perhaps the most about the people of this land. Silver was a natural currency for this nation of ocean-going merchants. By studying it now, we can unravel vital clues about marriage rites and personal adornment, cosmetics and weaponry. In this age of mass-production, the individual workmanship and beauty of the silversmith s craft is especially precious. Author Ruth Hawley has known the country for over a quarter of a century. She is an acknowledged expert in its silverwork. This book will interest the collector of silver as much as it will all those who know and love Oman.

Impressive in size, scope and detail unparalleled in the market, the 2020 Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, provides the most compelling and complete catalog to 20th Century coins in the world. You've come to rely on this mammoth reference for the most up-to-date pricing and coin detail, as well as the most complete and insightful review of available and collectable world coins. A worldwide network of 120 experts continues to uncover collector coin issues never before published. For the collector or researcher attempting to identify world coins, this is the perfect single source. Inside this one-of-a-kind catalog, you'll find: • One million accurate coin prices--empowering you to make informed buying or selling decisions. • MS65 and PR65 values for much of the catalog • Detailed coin information unmatched in the hobby, making identification a snap • 60,000+ images, making the catalog the most visual reference on the market • Globally accepted KM reference numbers key to identification What's more, coins struck in gold, platinum and silver are detailed with: • Total coin weight • Fineness • Actual precious metal weight

The Sultanate of Oman occupies the southeastern part of the Arab Peninsula. The country is beautiful and is full of unspoiled nature. The sun shines almost every day. The temperatures are pleasant during winter, but it is often unbearably hot during summer. The country is as large as Italy but sparsely populated. It has oil, gas, and a variety of minerals. The rapid development of Oman takes place with respect for its cultural heritage. His Majesty Sultan Qaboos and the people of Oman are admired for having transformed Oman from a backwards, non-unified country into a modern, homogenous state with a high standard of living dominated by tolerance and growing democracy. It is blessed with a ruler, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who has what may be called absolute power, which he uses with great care and wisdom. He is a true servant of his people.

Looks at a variety of beads produced around the world, discusses their religious and social aspects, and describes beaded clothing in primitive societies. Reprint.