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The 10 Best Oman History Books list have been recommended not only by normal readers but also by experts.
You’ll also find that these are top-ranking books on the US Amazon Best Sellers book list for the Oman History category of books.
If any of the titles interest you, I’d recommend checking them out by clicking the “Check Price” button. It’ll take you to the authorized retailer website, where you’ll be able to see reviews and buy it.
Let’s take a look at the list of 10 Best Oman History Books.
10 Best Oman History Books
Now, let’s dive right into the list of 10 Best Oman History Books, where we’ll provide a quick outline for each book.
1. Arabs: A 3,000-Year History of Peoples, Tribes and Empires by Tim Mackintosh-Smith Review Summary
Arabs: A 3,000-Year History of Peoples, Tribes and Empires
A riveting, comprehensive history of the Arab peoples and tribes that explores the role of language as a cultural touchstone This kaleidoscopic book covers almost 3,000 years of Arab history and shines a light on the footloose Arab peoples and tribes who conquered lands and disseminated their language and culture over vast distances. Tracing this process to the origins of the Arabic language, rather than the advent of Islam, Tim Mackintosh-Smith begins his narrative more than a thousand years before Muhammad and focuses on how Arabic, both spoken and written, has functioned as a vital source of shared cultural identity over the millennia. Mackintosh-Smith reveals how linguistic developments–from pre-Islamic poetry to the growth of script, Muhammad’s use of writing, and the later problems of printing Arabic–have helped and hindered the progress of Arab history, and investigates how, even in today’s politically fractured post-Arab Spring environment, Arabic itself is still a source of unity and disunity.
2. Arabian Sands (Penguin Classics) by Wilfred Thesiger Review Summary
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Arabian Sands (Penguin Classics)
“Following worthily in the tradition of Burton, Lawrence, Philby and Thomas, [ Arabian Sands ] is, very likely, the book about Arabia to end all books about Arabia.” — The Daily Telegraph Arabian Sands is Wilfred Thesiger’s record of his extraordinary journey through the parched “Empty Quarter” of Arabia. Educated at Eton and Oxford, Thesiger was repulsed by the softness and rigidity of Western life–“the machines, the calling cards, the meticulously aligned streets.” In the spirit of T. E. Lawrence, he set out to explore the deserts of Arabia, traveling among peoples who had never seen a European and considered it their duty to kill Christian infidels. His now-classic account is invaluable to understanding the modern Middle East.
3. Arabs: A 3,000-Year History of Peoples, Tribes and Empires by Tim Mackintosh-Smith Review Summary
Arabs: A 3,000-Year History of Peoples, Tribes and Empires
A riveting, comprehensive history of the Arab peoples and tribes that explores the role of language as a cultural touchstone This kaleidoscopic book covers almost 3,000 years of Arab history and shines a light on the footloose Arab peoples and tribes who conquered lands and disseminated their language and culture over vast distances. Tracing this process to the origins of the Arabic language, rather than the advent of Islam, Tim Mackintosh-Smith begins his narrative more than a thousand years before Muhammad and focuses on how Arabic, both spoken and written, has functioned as a vital source of shared cultural identity over the millennia. Mackintosh-Smith reveals how linguistic developments–from pre-Islamic poetry to the growth of script, Muhammad’s use of writing, and the later problems of printing Arabic–have helped and hindered the progress of Arab history, and investigates how, even in today’s politically fractured post-Arab Spring environment, Arabic itself is still a source of unity and disunity.
4. Arabian Assignment: Operations in Oman and the Yemen (The Extraordinary Life of Colonel David Smiley Book 2) by David Smiley Review Summary
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Arabian Assignment: Operations in Oman and the Yemen (The Extraordinary Life of Colonel David Smiley Book 2)
This remarkable memoir provides fascinating insight into two conflicts that arose in southern Arabia in the decades following the Second World War. It should be essential reading for anyone who enjoys the work of Dan Mills, Mark Urban and Adam Jowett. Thirteen years after serving as an SOE agent in World War Two David Smiley was invited to take command of the Sultan’s armed forces in Muscat and Oman. With the help of an SAS contingent, helicopters, supply aircraft and rocket- firing Venoms, in addition to the Sultan’s own forces, Smiley led a brilliant campaign against the Saudi-backed insurrection in the mountainous terrain of the Jebel Akhdar. Two years after the successful conclusion of this conflict Smiley was invited once again to the Arabian Peninsula, but this time to support and advise royalist forces in the Yemen against a republican coup. Yet, this book is not only about guerrilla tactics and armed conflict but also provides vivid insight into the Arab way of life in the 1950s and 1960s. “It is a splendid tale, excellently told” British Army Review “For students of guerrilla war … this book is required reading” Julian Amery, The Daily Telegraph “everyone will enjoy [this] straightforward account of a little-known part of the world written by an honest soldier with no axe to grind.” RUSI Journal “exciting reading” Bernard Fergusson, The Sunday Times “Smiley’s must be the best and most authoritative account of this action” The Financial Times “a highly readable story of personal adventure.” Infantry Journal Arabian Assignment recounts the activities that Smiley undertook during the course of the Jebel Akhdar War in Oman and the North Yemen Civil War, both of which have shaped the history of the Arabian Peninsula to this day. It is brilliant account of irregular warfare from one of its most influential proponents.
5. Arabs: A 3,000-Year History of Peoples, Tribes and Empires by Tim Mackintosh-Smith Review Summary
Sale
Arabs: A 3,000-Year History of Peoples, Tribes and Empires
A riveting, comprehensive history of the Arab peoples and tribes that explores the role of language as a cultural touchstone This kaleidoscopic book covers almost 3,000 years of Arab history and shines a light on the footloose Arab peoples and tribes who conquered lands and disseminated their language and culture over vast distances. Tracing this process to the origins of the Arabic language, rather than the advent of Islam, Tim Mackintosh-Smith begins his narrative more than a thousand years before Muhammad and focuses on how Arabic, both spoken and written, has functioned as a vital source of shared cultural identity over the millennia. Mackintosh-Smith reveals how linguistic developments–from pre-Islamic poetry to the growth of script, Muhammad’s use of writing, and the later problems of printing Arabic–have helped and hindered the progress of Arab history, and investigates how, even in today’s politically fractured post-Arab Spring environment, Arabic itself is still a source of unity and disunity.
6. The Feathermen by Ranulph Fiennes Review Summary
7. Atlantis of the Sands: The Search for the Lost City of Ubar by Sir Fiennes Review Summary
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Atlantis of the Sands: The Search for the Lost City of Ubar
This is the account of Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ 24-year search for the lost city of Ubar, the Koranic version of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Arabian Desert. The existence of Ubar has been reported by many travellers over the centuries including Marco Polo, Ibn Batuta and Bertram Thomas. Having searched for the site for many years, Sir Ranulph teamed up with an American film-maker in 1968 to track down the likely site. A complete excavation is being carried out with the support of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos of Oman in the remote Bedouin village of Shisr and will take up to ten years. The author’s other books include his autobiography “Living Dangerously” and “The Feather Men”.
8. In the Service of the Sultan: A First Hand Account of the Dhofar Insurgency by Ian Gardiner Review Summary
In the Service of the Sultan: A First Hand Account of the Dhofar Insurgency
A memoir of how a small number of British officers led Muslim soldiers in the hard-fought anti-insurgency war that has shaped today ‘s Gulf. While the Americans were fighting in Vietnam, a struggle of even greater strategic significance was taking place in the Middle East: The Sultanate of Oman stood guard at the entrance to the Arabian Gulf, and thus controlled the movement of oil from that region. In the 1960s and 70s, the Communists tried to seize this artery and, had they succeeded, the consequences for the West and for the Middle East would have been disastrous–and yet, few people have ever heard of this geo-political drama at the height of the Cold War. In the Service of the Sultan “is an enthralling book. In a mere 180 pages, Ian Gardiner, an army officer who fought with the Sultan of Oman’s forces, succeeds in three major objectives. He describes what it is like to be a young officer leading men of different nationalities into combat against wily and courageous guerrillas. He captures the landscape and the spirit of Oman, ‘that entrancing, fascinating, hauntingly beautiful country.’ Finally, he puts the battles he fought in their geopolitical context . . . It should be read with enduring pleasure by anyone who wishes to reaffirm his pride in his country and in its fighting forces” ( The Telegraph ). “For anyone interested in understanding the ingredients behind a successful counterinsurgency campaign, In the Service of the Sultan is a must read.”– Imperial Armour Blogspot “Politics, history, irregular warfare, religion, and international affairs: all are ingredients in this absorbing, informative read.”–Oxford & Cambridge Club Military History Group
9. Arabian Assignment: Operations in Oman and the Yemen (The Extraordinary Life of Colonel David Smiley) by David Smiley Review Summary
Arabian Assignment: Operations in Oman and the Yemen (The Extraordinary Life of Colonel David Smiley)
This remarkable memoir provides fascinating insight into two conflicts that arose in southern Arabia in the decades following the Second World War. It should be essential reading for anyone who enjoys the work of Dan Mills, Mark Urban and Adam Jowett. Thirteen years after serving as an SOE agent in World War Two David Smiley was invited to take command of the Sultan’s armed forces in Muscat and Oman. With the help of an SAS contingent, helicopters, supply aircraft and rocket- firing Venoms, in addition to the Sultan’s own forces, Smiley led a brilliant campaign against the Saudi-backed insurrection in the mountainous terrain of the Jebel Akhdar. Two years after the successful conclusion of this conflict Smiley was invited once again to the Arabian Peninsula, but this time to support and advise royalist forces in the Yemen against a republican coup. Yet, this book is not only about guerrilla tactics and armed conflict but also provides vivid insight into the Arab way of life in the 1950s and 1960s. “It is a splendid tale, excellently told” British Army Review “For students of guerrilla war … this book is required reading” Julian Amery, The Daily Telegraph “everyone will enjoy [this] straightforward account of a little-known part of the world written by an honest soldier with no axe to grind.” RUSI Journal “exciting reading” Bernard Fergusson, The Sunday Times “Smiley’s must be the best and most authoritative account of this action” The Financial Times “a highly readable story of personal adventure.” Infantry Journal Arabian Assignment recounts the activities that Smiley undertook during the course of the Jebel Akhdar War in Oman and the North Yemen Civil War, both of which have shaped the history of the Arabian Peninsula to this day. It is brilliant account of irregular warfare from one of its most influential proponents.
10. Desert Kingdoms to Global Powers: The Rise of the Arab Gulf by Rory Miller Review Summary
Desert Kingdoms to Global Powers: The Rise of the Arab Gulf
An expert in Arab Gulf politics offers a revealing analysis of the region ‘s stunning rise to global power and the challenges it confronts today. Once just sleepy desert sheikdoms, the Arab Gulf states of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait now exert unprecedented influence on international affairs–the result of their almost unimaginable riches in oil and gas. In this accessible study, Gulf politics expert Rory Miller examines the achievements of these countries since the 1973 global oil crisis. He also investigates how the shrewd Arab Gulf rulers who have overcome crisis after crisis meet the unpredictable future. The Arab Gulf region has become a global hub for travel, tourism, sports, culture, trade, and finance. But can the autocratic regimes maintain stability at home and influence abroad as they deal with the demands of social and democratic reform? Miller considers an array of factors–Islamism, terrorism, the Arab Spring, volatile oil prices, global power dynamics, and others–to assess the region’s future possibilities.
