Honour Is in Contentment: Life Before Oil in Ras Al-Khaimah (UAE) and Some Neighbouring Regions (Studien zur Geschichte und Kultur des islamischen Orients, N.F. 25)

Based on interviews and field research, the authors explore the sets of ideas Arab tribespeople from Ras Al-Khaimah had about tribe and community; social and economic networks, and jural contracts for livelihoods and profits; their uses of their environments; the moral relations of credit, debt and labour; ruling; economic and political transformations; and ideas of regional history where conflicts were regarded as disputes over sets of ideas, and informal accounts of tribal and local histories. Their lively descriptions and explanations of life before oil portrayed tribal societies whose relationships were moral rather than political and were between jurally equal persons. All lived from their own resources; 'wealth' was material self-sufficiency; 'riches' the richness of social relationships. Political arenas were decentralised and underpinned by common cultural and moral values. Published sources give a wider context to these ideas and events which show the great complexity and differing perspectives of 'life before oil' in the Gulf. Preface......Page 6 Acknowledgements......Page 12 Contents......Page 14 1 Social matters: social infrastructure, premises and practice......Page 16 Ownership, territory, and residence......Page 41 Group identities and their references......Page 50 “The poetics of dwelling”......Page 51 2 Sea people, ahl al-bahr, and how they lived......Page 60 Sea trading and carrying......Page 61 Pearling......Page 71 Fishing......Page 75 Changes in coastlines......Page 83 Waters, soils, and livelihood options......Page 114 Livelihoods and profits, ma'ash wa fa'ida, and living......Page 117 Waters, soils, environments......Page 152 Livelihoods and living in the Ru'us al-Jibal......Page 162 Waters, soils, and environments......Page 206 Livelihoods and living in the western Hajar......Page 224 6 Distribution, trade, investment, credit and debt......Page 254 The second section describes the activities of traders......Page 276 7 Ruling and Rulers......Page 313 Local terms for persons fulfilling roles in aspects of ruling......Page 319 Local descriptions of ruling in the past......Page 326 Rationales of ruling......Page 348 Changes from the discovery and development of oil......Page 384 8 'What happened to turn our world upside down?'......Page 391 A brief economic history of the area......Page 398 Changes in traditional sources of profits......Page 425 Date growing areas inland from the coast......Page 446 Sands......Page 452 Ru'us al-Jibal......Page 455 Western Hajar......Page 463 The transformation through modernisation......Page 473 9 Back to History......Page 481 The Gulf coastal towns and places on the Shamailyya and Batinah coasts......Page 486 Date garden areas of the Sirr......Page 516 Sands......Page 526 Ru'us al-Jibal history is presented as tribal history; Dhahuriyyin; Shihuh; and Habus......Page 529 Western Hajar......Page 544 Bibliography......Page 574 Index......Page 584 List of Figures......Page 596 Plates......Page 598 Die Studien zur Geschichte und Kultur des islamischen Orients / Studies in the History and Culture of the Islamic Orient (STIO) ist die Reihe der "Beihefte" zur Zeitschrift Der Islam. Beide werden von der Abteilung für Geschichte und Kultur des Vorderen Orients, Asien-Afrika-Institut, Universität Hamburg herausgegeben. Die Abteilung wurde im Jahre 1908 noch vor der Universität Hamburg gegründet. Sie war unter ihrem ersten Direktor C. H. Becker das erste wissenschaftliche Zentrum in Deutschland, in dem die Lehre und Forschung sich auf die historischen und kulturwissenschaftlichen und nicht allein die philologischen Aspekte bei der Erforschung der islamischen Welt konzentrierte. Viele führende Experten der deutschen Islamwissenschaft haben hier gelehrt und/oder studiert. Mit dem gleichen hohen Anspruch und der gleichen hohen Qualität wie Der Islamhaben die "Beihefte" zahlreiche Arbeiten über die Geschichte und Kultur der islamischen Welt publiziert, die jeweils Meilensteine in ihrem Feld darstellten. Die seit 2004 erscheinende "Neue Folge" der Beihefte baut auf dieser Tradition auf und bietet eine Plattform für die Publikation von Studien über die Geschichte und Kultur der islamischen Welt vom Beginn des Islams bis in die heutige Zeit. Mit Band 27 abgeschlossen, Fortsetzung der Reihe unter dem Titel "Studies in the History and Culture of the Middle East (SME)". Based on interviews and field research, the authors explore the sets of ideas Arab tribespeople from Ras Al-Khaimah had about tribe and community; social and economic networks, and jural contracts for livelihoods and profits; their uses of their environments; the moral relations of credit, debt and labour; ruling; economic and political transformations; and ideas of regional history where conflicts were regarded as disputes over sets of ideas, and informal accounts of tribal and local histories. Published sources give a wider context to these ideas and events which show the great complexity and differing perspectives of 'life before oil' in the Gulf. William O. Lancaster and Fidelity C. Lancaster, Aberdeen University, Scotland, UK Social matters : infrastructure, premises & practices Sea people, Ahl al-Bahr : livelihoods and profits Coastal plains & sands : livelihoods & profits Mountain living : Ru'us al-Jibal Mountain living : western Hajar Distribution of produce & services Ruling and rulers What happened to turn our world upside-down? Back to history.