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There are thousands of titles in several languages focusing on Oman and different aspects of the country

By Viju James

From time to time one comes across a comment that there are inadequate information resources on Oman. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are thousands of titles in several languages focusing on Oman and different aspects of the country. Some of these are outstandingly excellent and will always serve as a reference point for anyone pouring through the pages.

It is difficult to quantify the number of published books on Oman in different languages. A simple keyword search of the catalogue of the Library of Congress in Washington throws up hundreds of titles in several languages. To this one then has to add titles that can be found in the British Library, the libraries of the Asiatic Society in India and several of the libraries in Europe in each of the European language centres. Without duplication, the end results are impressive.

Most of the books in English on Oman have appeared in the 20th century and a large percentage of these after 1970. This is understandable because the environment for scientific study, research and recording where largely absent in the early decades of the century. Among the earliest books on Oman is the 1871 work of Salilibn-Razik titled: History of the Imams & Seyyids of Oman and Annals of Oman- Keshful-ghummeh by Sirhan Ibn Said published in 1874. Razik’s book originally written in Arabic is now available in English as well.

Books that were published prior to 1970 dealt in great length with the geo-political situation in the region. Phillips Wendell’s book Oman: A History published in 1967 and P S Allfree’s: Warlords of Oman (1967) are two books essential for an understanding of the history of the country during those decades. Towards the mid 20th century and after the discovery of oil in the Middle East there was a shift in subject into areas of exploration like Sir Cyril Fox’s book: Geology & Minerals & Other Resources of Dhufar Province and other parts of the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman.

In the seventies, the Ministry of National Heritage & Culture began publication of the Journal of Oman Studies, a series that covered subjects on history, social organization, archaeology and natural sciences. The Journal had an editorial board composed of experts on these subjects including stalwarts like Paolo Costa and Maurizio Tosi. The issues of the Journal remain just about the only reference material on certain subjects.

One of the issues of the Journal of Oman Studies was the Special Report No 2 on: The Oman Flora and Fauna Survey 1977 (Dhofar) prepared and published by the Office of the Government Adviser for Conservation in 1977. The best way to describe this huge volume is to quote from the foreword written by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos: “This time a window has been opened which reveals to us, in a way never before achieved, some of the facts about a part of our country which is unique in Arabia.”

He adds: “Development is a necessary process, especially in our country, but the impact of development must be skillfully directed so that our woodlands are not destroyed, our soils are not eroded and our valuable species of plants and animals are not prevented from playing their vital role in maintaining the environment, given to us by God in which to live.” The listing and the studies as His Majesty wrote will help Oman in future planning and: “whether they will live, as now, among green trees and grass or in an ever widening desert.” This book covered everything from the vegetation to the butterflies of Dhofar.

Ten years later Anthony G Miller and Miranda Morris authored Plants of Dhofar. This book in spite of its botanical title goes a long way in describing several of the customs and practices followed by the communities living in the jabals of Dhofar. Every plant specimen is described not just by the botanical name but also by the names by which it was known in Arabic as spoken in Dhofar, and the dialect of the people living in the mountains. The authors incorporated myths and legends, songs and poetry associated with each specimen making the book a lot more than a botany textbook.

While describing a plant called harmal the authors record the information they have gathered from the people of the place: “It is one of the plants of the Jinn and thus precautions should be taken gathering it; something of iron should be worn by the collector.” This book again had a foreword by His Majesty saying: “Here in Oman we still have among our people of ancient lineage, a great store of knowledge about medicinal and economic uses for wide range of our wild plants. For some years now we have wished to record as much as possible of this useful knowledge and to preserve the plants upon which it is based, before either or both disappear…..”

Another fascinating book that provides a mine of information is J R L Carter’s book Tribes of Oman which draws heavily on the rapidly shrinking body of oral tradition. The book lists genealogy of several tribes in the country, where they originated from, the folk tales handed down about them and life in the days when it took five days to travel from Muscat to Nizwa. The book has charming legends, snippets of tribal humour and is again an invaluable source of information on the country. For a person looking for his roots in Oman, Carter’s book is a good place to start.

Michael Gallagher and Martin W Woodcock authored: The Birds of Oman in 1980. The book is an exhaustive collection of both the resident birds and migratory birds that come to Oman. This book again is best evaluated by the foreword penned by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos: “In our endeavour to develop the natural resources of Oman we must not forget that one mark of civilisation is the regard men bestow on wild things.” He goes on to add: “…Some of the birds we see in Oman are residents and some are visitors who seek food and shelter here while they pass on their long journeys to and from breeding grounds; yet others, like the Sooty Falcon, come here from places far away to raise their young in our country. All of them are of God’s creation and by His grace given to us to cherish and protect as part of our heritage.”

Authors who had dedicated themselves to the study of a particular subject on Oman published their works in spite of the fact that they could not put attractive colour plates or get a coveted foreword. Two among these are the well thumbed books: Proverbs of Oman by A S G Jayakar and Paola Costa’s book on Musandam and the Shihuh tribe. Issam al Mallah, who has written several books has also written a major reference work on Omani Traditional Music. As the country began its process of infrastructure building there were a series of books that were published to help people live in the Sultanate and enjoy its assets. Companies that were in a particular field of business took it upon themselves to bring out these books. They were utilitarian and informative but to this day give loads of information on ‘how-to’ and ‘where-to.’

Oman — Twenty-five Centuries of Travel Writing by Xavier Beguin Billecocq is a priceless book recording the visits of travellers to Oman from the time of Alexander the Great to the days of Lord Curzon who was Viceroy of India. The greatness of this book lies in the dedication with which the editor has culled references to Oman from hundreds of books, manuscripts, maps and records lying virtually unknown in archives all over the world. Each travel record is a page from the history of Oman and gives a vivid picture of the life and times in that period.

In the 1990’s the Sultan Qaboos University sponsored a book on: The Architecture of Oman written by Salma Samr Damluji with a foreword by The Prince of Wales. This book remains about the only record of the vernacular architecture of Oman. The author and her team managed to record details of ancient architectural styles in all the regions of the country. Yahya bin Mahfoudh al Mantheri in the preface writes that the research in the book makes available a valuable contemporary source and reference for students, researchers and professional in the field.

Staying with architecture is the book: Works of Architectural Restoration in Oman by Maria A Biancifiori. Maria authored the book in memory of her brother G Biancifiori who carried out the restoration and who died while doing it. This is about the only book that records what ancient forts and mosques once looked like, how sarooj was prepared for restoration and how Omani plaster panels were made. A classic two-volume work that was published just two years ago is the: Craft Heritage of Oman by Marcia Dorr and Neil Richardson. This book took years to produce but has for all time collated every bit of information that there was to record on the subject.

Several books on Oman have focused on the special assets of the place like the varieties of dates, coral reefs, the marine species, shells, the butterflies, the caves and on adventure pursuits like rock climbing and underwater diving. These have all come in handy for hundreds of people who were looking for information on a particular subject. It is impossible to list all of the books on Oman or to evaluate them on a simple scale of ten. What does however elevate a book on Oman from an ordinary publication to a classic that will remain relevant for all time is the dedication to the topic and the country.

Oman Observer, 27th August 2006