Sultan in Oman

I was vaguely aware of Jan Morris as a travel writer but had never read her work.What a pity I didn't , I've just discovered an amazing writer - better late than never !I worked in Oman 1976/77 and wanted to read about her travels with the Sultan .Wonderfully evocative for me , even though it was written 20 years before my posting.The visual pictures she paints are just as I remember the country.Have just purchased her book "Spain " .Jan you have a new fan - thank you !

.... I loved reading this book written in the time the war in oman ,aden etc were going on ........ what a times to live in for all the people who were involved ... good price ,quick delivery ,good condition ...

Individual view on Oman and its leader just as oil started to have an impact

Interesting subject and a fascinating historical record within the lifetime of that Sultan's successor (his son) who has wrought wonderfully responsible changes in his hitherto feudal kingdom.

Fascinating - will appreciate more after my trip to Oman

I cannot write a review of this book. I ordered it for a friend, Sorry.

A wonderful read for anyone with an interest in Oman. It's 1955, the oil-driven winds of change are blowing through Arabia, and Jan Morris accompanies Sultan Said (the present Sultan's father) on the first ever crossing of Oman by motor vehicle. Little had changed for centuries, and Morris's wonderful and sympathetic prose brings to vivid life a world of sheikhs and slaves, wazirs and warring tribes, cannons and muskets, bedouins and camel trains, and a political system dominated by late imperial Britain.

A very interesting travelogue of Oman in the mid 1950's. With oil wealth flooding the Middle East and British power in the region receding equally quickly changes and pressures are massing on the borders of this largely unknown and forgotten piece of Southern Arabia.The book details the authors travel on a historic trip undertaken by the Sultan of Oman and Muscat, from Muscat to Oman overland through the Mountains and Deserts by truck, a feat never undertaken previously. The trip is undertaken by the Sultan for strategic reasons as he needs to display his authority and unite the people of his entire kingdom to thwart the influence of his wealthy neighbour Saudi Arabia.The author writes beautifully about the stunning landscapes of the interior of Oman. The descriptions of the settlements and different tribal groups of the interior are also sharp and insightful. The prevailing geo-political themes are also accurately described and provide good context,A good book travel book well worth reading.