The Society for Arabian Studies

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Number 11 ISSN: 1361 9144 Registered Charity No. 1003272 2006 £5.00
Bulletin of the Society for Arabian Studies

The Society for Arabian Studies

Society for Arabian Studies Committee British Archaeological Mission in Yemen (BAMY)

President Chairman Professor Rex Smith

Miss Beatrice de Cardi OBE, FBA, FSA Hon. Secretary Mr Peter Parr

(full committee listed on p.4)
Chairman Ms Sarah Searight

Vice Chairman Dr St John Simpson
Treasurer Col. Douglas Stobie Society Grants sub-committee
Hon. Secretary Mrs Ionis Thompson Hon. Secretary Dr Derek Kennet
Ms Sarah Searight
Dr Dionisius Agius
Dr St John Simpson
Dr Robert Carter

Mr Peter Clark OBE

Mr William Facey Red Sea Study Project 2006

Mr John Grundon OBE Co-ordinator Ms Janet Starkey

Dr Derek Kennet Assistant co-ordinator Dr Dionisius Agius

Dr Paul Lunde Secretary Ms Christine Lindner

Ms Shelagh Weir British Museum rep. Dr St John Simpson

Society for Arabian Studies Bulletin Funding co-ordinator Dr Robert Carter

Editor Ms Janet Picton Proceedings Editor Ms Janet Starkey

Notes for contribut ors to the Bulletin
The success of the Bulletin depends entirely on the good will of its members and correspondents, for it is they
who provide us with the news and articles that go into it. Your notes on news for inclusion in the next Bulletin
should contain: 1. the title of the research project, 2. the name of the organising body/ university (if applicable), 3.
the name of the director or researcher and his/her institutional affiliation, 4. a short description of the project, stating
when and where it was conducted, its main objectives, and results, 5. whether or not the project is expected to
continue in the future, 6. full details of recent and forthcoming publications. In addition, we welcome news items of
general interest, ongoing and completed postgraduate research, news of upcoming conferences, meetings and special
events, and ask that you give us the title or subject of the event, along with the name of the organiser, the date and
the location. Submission by e-mail is welcome. HD disks in PC or MAC format preferred for longer contributions.

Transliteration of Arabic, where required, should follow the IJMES scheme. However, contributors may prefer to
omit transliteration marks altogether. Bulletin questionnaires will be distributed in the summer, although information
is welcome at any time for inclusion in the next issue of the Bulletin. Proposals for ‘feature articles’ should reach
the Editor by August 1st. Contributions will be received up to 1 December for general material (but later for winter
excavation and research reports).

Notice to applicants to conduct research in the Yemen
Applications to conduct research in Yemen should be made to the Society’s sub-committee, BAMY, c/o The British
Academy and addressed to its Honorary Secretary, Mr Peter Parr.

Grants in aid of research
Details under ‘grants’. Applicants are advised to apply in good time before the deadlines of 31 May / 31 October.

Notice to applicants for official sponsorship
The Society will consider applications from expeditions and individuals to whom official sponsorship might be
helpful in obtaining funds from other sources or permission from foreign governments. Such sponsorship will
signify the Society’s approval for the academic content of the research project but will contain no element of
financial support. Applications should be submitted on forms available from the Hon Secretary at address below, or
to Dr Derek Kennet, Chairman Grants Committee, [email protected]., or download from website
www.societyforarabianstudies.org

Please direct all correspondence to: The Society for Arabian Studies,
c/o The British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AH, UK
Bulletin of the Society for Arabian Studies: ISSN 1361-9144 ***Registered Charity no. 1003272
Bulletin of the Society for Arabian Studies

CONTENTS
SOCIETY FOR ARABIAN
STUDIES – NEWS 4
SOCIETY GRANTS 4
SOCIETY GRANT REPORT 5
RED SEA PROJECT PHASE 3
Cultural connections of the Red Sea 10

SOCIETY LECTURES 11
GRANTS AND AWARDS 16 A message from the Chairman
BEECH, KALLWEIT, It’s not easy these days to write about the Society’s activities in the field of
CUTTLER & AL-TIKRITI
Arabian studies when the region with which the society is concerned, albeit
Neolithic sites in Umm az-Zamul
mainly in historical terms, is convulsed with the problems of war, terrorism,
SE desert of Abu Dhabi, UAE 17
religious fervour, etc. The Society has always been firmly apolitical,
OBITUARIES 27
concerned with historic Arabia, anthropological, geographical, architectural,
RECENT NEWS & RESEARCH literary Arabia, distancing itself as far as possible from contemporary issues.
General interest 30 Yet 2005 has been a mournful year in many respects, relevant to all
Societies and Associations 34
interested in the peninsula, for whatever reason, with the demise of an older
Online information 35
generation of rulers (see Obituaries, p27) – King Fahd of Saudi Arabia,
Bahrain 36
Amir Jaber of Kuwait, Shaikh Maktoum of Dubai. Their deaths cast a pall
Jordan 36
of uncertainty over the region; we offer condolences to their successors and
Kuwait 37
Oman 37 our h opes for a more settled future.
Saudi Arabia 39 In political terms there’s nothing the Society can do or would want
United Arab Emirates 41 to do. What we can do, however, and this is an increasingly vital role, is
Yemen 45 publ icise as widely as possible the history and culture of the peninsula. Ionis
MUSEUMS & EXHIBITIONS 46 Thom pson organises a programme of public lectures, generally well
attended thanks to her efforts to bring other societies on board (fewer
BOOK REVIEWS 48
clashes, is the aim). Jan Picton produces an excellent Bulletin, this year with
PUBLICATIONS
the help of Will Facey in augmenting the number of book reviews. Janet
General interest 54
Starkey managed to produce in seven months the Proceedings of the second
Bahrain 59
Red Sea Conference held in October 2004, and is now hard at work
Jordan 59
Kuwait 59 orga nising the third conference (see p10). Publications have become a
Oman 59 signi ficant part of the Society’s activities, thanks to St John Simpson’s and
Saudi Arabia 60 Dere k Kennet’s development of a series of monographs in conjunction with
United Arab Emirates 60 Arch aeopress; this is a considerable achievement given the general
Yemen 61 reluctance of scholars to go into print (nothing new in this but frustrating
CONFERENCES / nevertheless). We do need the back-up from our members in all this and we
EVENTS 2006/7 62 do need more members!
With the Society wholly dependent on subscriptions for most of its

activities, however, it is difficult to play an active role in one particular
Cover photograph: View in the south of aspect of Arabian history: the looting of sites which help to elucidate it. This
Jabal Razih, north west Yemen, 1977, is a particularly grave problem in Yemen, where the authorities are faced
by Shelagh Weir with the almost insuperable problem of guarding the many ancient sites, as
well as with the insatiable greed of the art market and its clientele. Tourism
can be part of the answer, particularly if governments can be persuaded to
BULLETIN OF THE SOCIETY
reserve some of the income thus generated for the protection of sites. We do
FOR ARABIAN STUDIES
urge you to go.
The Editor welcomes feedback Sarah Searight, Chairman
from readers about what they
like/dislike about the Bulletin; and
Membership details from Ionis Thompson, the Hon. Sec., Society for
what subjects they would like to
Arabian Studies, c/o The British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace,
see covered in more or less depth.
London SW1Y 5AH UK. Membership renewals: contact the Treasurer,
What do YOU want from your Douglas Stobie, address above, or e-mail: [email protected]
Bulletin? Please send your views to
E-mail: [email protected]
[email protected]
Website: www.societyforarabianstudies.org

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Bulletin of the Society for Arabian Studies

Society for Arabian Studies news Society grants in aid of research
• THE SOCIETY FOR ARABIAN STUDIES
was founded in 1987 with the purpose of encouraging
interest and research into the archaeology, history,
culture and environment of the Arabian Peninsula -
Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the
United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The Society
publishes an annual Bulletin, organises regular
lectures and supports field projects in this region.
The Society also offers grants for research into these
aspects of Arabian studies. These awards are intended
primarily for small projects and are insufficient in
themselves to finance a major research project,
although they may be used as grants-in-aid towards
larger projects which have already attracted, or can
reasonably expect to attract further independent
funding. Grants will not be awarded to fund
university or other courses. The maximum grant to be
awarded will be £500.
Applicants must be members of the Society.
The Society’s Monograph Series has now Applications should be submitted by 31 May or 31
successfully published, with Archaeopress, its fourth October each year. A decision will be made and the
title. After the successful launch of Derek Kennet’s result communicated within 6 weeks of those dates.
book on Sasanian and Islamic pottery from Ras al- The awards will be tenable for a year from the date on
Khaimah, and Paul Lunde and Alexandra Porter’s which they are awarded. Grant holders will be
publication of the RSP 1 Proceedings, Trade and required to provide a written report on their research
Travel in the Red Sea Region, we now have the with an account of expenditure, to be submitted
impressively prompt RSP 2 publication, People of the within six months of the expiry of the period for
Red Sea, edited by Janet Starkey, and Nadia Durrani’s which the grant was made. Successful applicants will
The Tihamah Coastal Plain of South-West Arabia in also be required to submit a summary of their
its Regional Context c. 6000 BC – AD 600. research for publication in the Society for Arabian
Several more manuscripts are in advanced stages of Studies Bulletin following the end of the period
preparation or discussion with the authors. The Series during which the grant was held. The Society may
Editors are Dr Derek Kennet and Dr St John also ask grant holders to give a talk to Society
Simpson, and either would be delighted to hear about members on their research projects.
any new proposals. They can be contacted on Application forms are available from the Grants
[email protected] Committee Secretary, Dr Derek Kennet, by e-mail:
or [email protected] [email protected] or by post from the
• The British Archaeological Mission in Yemen Society’s Hon. Secretary, Society for Arabian
(BAMY) committee for 2006 is – Chairman: Studies, c/o The British Academy, 10 Carlton House
Professor Rex Smith; Acting Chairman: Dr Venetia Terrace, London SW1Y 5AH.
Porter; Hon Secretary: Mr Peter Parr; Dr Salma www.societyforarabianstudies.org
Damluji; Miss Beatrice de Cardi OBE; Mr John
Grundon OBE (representing the Society); Dr
SOCIETY FOR ARABIAN STUDIES GRANTS
Geoffrey King; Mr Carl Phillips; Mr Clive Smith
in 2005 were made to Julian Jansen van Rensburg
OBE. Details of grants and activities can be obtained
(£450) to support research into the hawari of Socotra
from the Hon. Secretary BAMY, Peter Parr, The
through an ethno-technical study of selected long
British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London
established fishing villages (see feature in Bulletin
S1Y 5A
No. 10, 2005), and to Paul Yule (£500) to support the
• In 2004, the Society gave a £400 grant to Nasser
preparation of maps to be included in a publication
Said al Jahwari towards his work in the Wadi
Himyar: A Late Pre-Islamic Arabian Kingdom
Andam area, Oman. The report on the results of his
between the East and West.
research can be found on p.5.
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Bulletin of the Society for Arabian Studies

Society for Arabian Studies grant report 2005 –
Preliminary Results of the Survey and Investigations of Wadi Andam
Nasser Said al-Jahwari
During the period from 15th December 2004 to 30th Methodology and results
March 2005, I carried out the first season of my The total area surveyed and investigated was
research fieldwork in al-Sharqyah region in the approximately 100 km by around 40 km (c. 400 km2).
Sultanate of Oman. I thank the Society for Arabian The study area was divided into four geographical
Studies for its participation in funding my fieldwork zones: the watershed and upper wadis zone in the
which lasted for 105 days, and the hire of a four- north; the lower wadis zone; the gravel hills zone and
wheel-drive vehicle. A house in al-Alya village in broad wadis to the gravel flat interfluvial zone in the
Walayat al-Mudhaybi at Wadi Andam was rented to south. Three types of area surveys were carried out
be a central point for my work as this village is during the fieldwork. These include control area
conveniently located between Muscat, the capital city survey for selected wadi settlements (villages), upper
(c.120 km away), and Sinaw/Barzaman in far south. Wadi Andam control survey and Hafit cairn survey.
In total, 220 sites have been recorded during the
Research aims surveys (Figure 1). The preliminary results of these
The aim of the research is an attempt to examine the surveys can be summarised below.
settlement history of the Oman Peninsula through the
passage of time, mainly from Hafit Period (Late 4th 1- Wadi settlements (villages) control survey
Millennium BC) to the Late Islamic Period. This This survey included a chosen wadi settlement
includes, in particular, the northern part of Oman, as (village) or area and around 2km2 around this
the southern part has a different settlement history as settlement, and then doing control survey in the
well as different patterns. The research is intended to surrounding 5km2 near the village or chosen area. Six
show the continuity and discontinuity in settlement wadi settlements (villages) were surveyed, each one
patterns, and examines the landscape of the ancient representing one of the divided geographical zones as
agricultural settlements (wadi settlements) from the mentioned above. These villages are al-Falayj (zone
watersheds and upper wadis zones in the north one), al-Qaryatain (zone two), al-Rawdhah (zone
through the lower wadis, gravel hills and broad wadis two), al-Khashbah (zone three), al-Khurais (zone
to the gravel flat interfluvial zones in the south. three), and Barzaman (zone four).

Total Number of Sites in Each Surveyed Area
250
220
200
150
No.Sites
100 94
50 36
21 25 22
13 9
0
CS.1 CS.2 CS.3 CS.4 CS.5 CS.7 CS.9 Total
FIGURE 1: Chart presents the total number of sites found in each surveyed area.
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Society grant report 2005
FIGURE 2: Sketch plan showing one of the surveyed villages and its sites.

Each village and its surrounding area were surveyed areas were visited and checked for possible
by car and on foot, and they were recorded in detail. occupation such as the area from Barzaman down
Furthermore, a control survey was carried out of south toward Muhut for more than 5km2. This area
around 5km2 in the area surrounding each village in did not show any evidence of either occupation or
order to check whether or not there was evidence of burial cairns. This could be related to the nature of the
occupation away from these villages. The primary area that includes wide wadi beds and interfluves,
survey results showed a large number of sites and which is not suitable for settlements.
sub-sites within each wadi settlement and its
surrounding areas. 2- The Upper Wadi Andam control survey (CS.2)
The six villages surveyed showed that there is earlier The fieldwork, moreover, included a control survey
occupation within them. These villages yielded sherds of the area that extends from the junction of Wadi
from the third millennium BC (Umm an-Nar Period), Andam on the main road connecting Muscat via Sur,
a very few possible Second Millennium B.C sherds to the junction near Khadra Bani Dafa’a on the main
(Wadi Suq), a large number of Early and Late Iron road connecting Izki by Sinaw. In other words, the
Age, and sherds from several Islamic periods (Fig. 2). control survey included the area that covers the upper
The control survey of 5km2 away from the villages Wadi Andam, which extends for around 39 km long
showed little evidence of occupation, and these are and around 2 km wide along the wadi edges and its
not major sites. The majority of sites found away hills as well as its gravel terraces.
from the villages or wadi settlements are tomb fields, The survey results in this area yielded around ninety-
either Hafit cairns or beehive tombs. four sites in which sixty-nine are major sites (CS.2.1
On the other hand, the lowlands further south did not to CS.2.69). Different types of features and periods
show any evidence of earlier occupation. Sample have been recorded ranging between stone structures,
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Bulletin of the Society for Arabian Studies

Society grant report 2005
tomb fields, villages, towers and other structures. not surveyed yet and may also include more cairns.
These sites range from the late fourth millennium BC Zone one, in particular upper Wadi Andam (CS.2),
until the Late Islamic periods. Apart from the Islamic also showed a large number of beehive tombs and
sites, four Umm an-Nar sites have been recorded, cairns. The majority are beehive, in particular the area
which include stone structures of different sizes and from al-Alya to Khadra Bani Dafa’a where most of
shapes, tombs and towers, as well as high density or the yellow rocky hills on the wadi banks showed a
concentration of Umm an-Nar pottery sherds. large number of beehive tombs and cairns on the
Furthermore, a large number of Early and Iron Age summits and on their slopes, consisting of around 249
sites have been recorded. cairns and tombs. This number does not include other
types of tombs such as Mahleya type, which are
3- The control survey of Hafit cairns uncountable. Moreover, the area around al-Falayj
One of the research aims was to establish a rough village showed more than 198 cairns and beehive
distribution of Hafit cairns from the north watershed tombs as well as other possible types. However, it is
and upper wadis to the southern limit of the gravel- obvious that the highest density of cairns is in zone
flat areas and interfluves along Wadi Andam. This three while the lowest density area is around
was done in order to locate as many as possible of Barzaman in the south (zone four). Zones one and
these cairns and to gain a proper understanding of two showed a small density of cairns. On the other
their distribution. hand, Beehive and Umm an-Nar tombs are more
Apart from the cairns and tombs recorded within concentrated in zone one (Upper Wadi Andam and al-
some of the above surveyed villages, around nine Fulayj) and zone three (al-Khashbah).
areas were surveyed for Hafit cairns. The results of It should be mentioned that no associated settlements
these surveyed areas show that there is a high density around these cairns have been found. The only
of cairns in zone three that represents the gravel hills structures found, so far, associated with these cairns
and broad wadis. This represents the area starting are groups of piled and paved stones that look like
from al-Khashbah village to Sinaw, and from al- platforms as well as cleared areas. These possible
Khashbah to al-Mudhaybi where more than 1145 platforms and cleared areas could be the stone
cairns were counted. The area from al-Musala to foundations of wooden houses or huts such as barasti
Barzaman, which is located between zone three and that have vanished with the passage of time. They
four, showed around 280 cairns. This does not may be the only evidence of occupation to survive.
include the area from Sinaw to Barzaman, which is Apart from this theory, the absence of Hafit remains

FIGURE 3: Chart shows the total number of sherds of different periods from all the surveyed areas.
Total Number of Sherds in all Sites according to
Periods
L.Ism
8000
7000
6000
5000
Oth.Ism
4000
M.Ism
3000 U.Nar L.I.A
2000
E.I.A
1000 W.S L.B.A E.Ism
0
No.Sherds
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Society grant report 2005
60
54
50
40
30
26 No.Sites
20
13
10
5 5
2 2 1
0
CS.1 CS.2 CS.3 CS.4 CS.5 CS.7 CS.9 Total
FIGURE 4: Chart showing the total number of sites in each area surveyed that produced Umm an-Nar sherds.
could also be due to the fact that they have been long The pottery
buried beneath alluvial floods and sedimentation over The total number of sherds collected on the surface
the passage of time. from the control survey areas is 19,240. These sherds
were sorted into different groups.

60
53
50
40
34
30
No.Sites
20
10 8
5
2 2 2
0
CS.1 CS.2 CS.3 CS.4 CS.5 CS.9 Total
FIGURE 5: Chart shows the total number of sites in each area surveyed that produced Early Iron Age sherds.

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Society grant report 2005
Of the 19,240 sherds, 903 sherds were considered as Figures 4 to 6 present the total number of sherds of
diagnostic, and were numbered photographed, as Umm an-Nar, Early Iron Age and Late Iron Age
drawn and described. Periods found in each surveyed area.
Generally speaking, the results show that multi-period It is obvious that area CS.2 produced the largest
occupation existed in most of the surveyed areas. quantity of sherds for these three periods. This could
Figure 3 shows a high evidence of occupation during be related to the fact that this area is the largest
the Middle and Late Islamic periods and a very low surveyed area and included 94 sites, in which perhaps
density in the Early Islamic period. 26 sites are Umm an-Nar, 34 are Early Iron Age and
On the other hand, during prehistoric times, the 38 are Late Iron Age.
evidence produces a high density of occupation This is the preliminary evidence from the survey and
during the third and first millennia, with a clear more analysis will be carried out on the results, which
absence of second millennium BC evidence, which is are still under evaluation.
only represented by a few handfuls of sherds. Nasser Said Ali al-Jahwari <[email protected]>

70
64
60
50
40 38
No.Sites
30
20
10 7
5 5
3 2 1 3
0
CS.1 CS.2 CS.3 CS.4 CS.5 CS.6 CS.7 CS.9 Total
FIGURE 6: Chart shows the total number of sites in each area surveyed that produced Late Iron Age sherds

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Bulletin of the Society for Arabian Studies

Society for Arabian Studies

RED SEA PROJECT
Phase 3

Cultural Connections of the Red Sea

Friday 27 October and Saturday 28 October 2006

Following two successful conferences held in association with the British Museum on, 1: Trade and
Travel in the Red Sea Region in the Red Sea (2002), and 2: People of the Red Sea (2004), the
Society is organising a third two-day event entitled Cultural Connections of the Red Sea focusing on
the following topics:

Maritime Networks: commercial connections: cultural relations of Red Sea maritime traditions and
industries - particularly the cultural roles of harbours, boats, boat-building and navigational
routes/dimensions.
Ecological Connections: with a focus on natural history - natural distribution of plants, crops, fish,
mammals, birds - which have, at some time, influenced local culture.
Sacred Space: pre-Islamic, Christian and/or Islamic spiritual/religious and political routes and
connections: the spread of religious and political frameworks and traditions within the Red Sea region
- pre-Islamic shrines, churches, mosques, building materials/styles; political & religious networks etc.
Identities: spread of other cultural identities, of and to the Red Sea, with an emphasis on craft
traditions and anthropological perceptions: textiles/costume, architecture, pottery, rock art and other
archaeological artefacts.
Intellectual Landscapes: Visual and oral artistic interaction with the region: with an emphasis on art,
music, dialects and literature and linguistics.

Tickets £28 / or £25 Society members and British Museum Friends
from Christine Lindner, 16/4 Comiston Terrace, Edinburgh, EH10 6AH
Tel: [phone]. E-mail: CB Lindner <[email protected]>

Project Co-ordinator Janet C.M. Starkey, [email protected]

More information at: www.dur.ac.uk/red.sea

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