Persian Gulf Pilot

descriptions of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi.

A scarce pilot guide of the Persian gulf describing Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi, and numerous other villages and towns along the Arabian coast. Includes coastal views of Ras Al Hadd, Sur, Qalhat, As Suwaiq, Sohar, Fujairah, Khasab, the Tunb Islands, Abu Musa, the Doha Fort, Bahrain Harbour, and Tarut Island, amongst others.

The guide was published to give accurate sailing directions to the ports, towns, and safe anchorages along the Arabian coast from Ras al Hadd on the eastern peninsular of Oman to Shatt al Arab in the North, and back along the coast of Iran to Bandar Abbas and beyond. With much early information on the principal settlements of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman, and an interesting glossary of Arabic-English key terms.

Dubai is described as well as Daira: 'Daira is a large suburb consisting of mat huts, amongst which stand a number of well-built houses.' 'Dibai (Dubai) contains the residence of the Shaikh. There are several tall towers in Dibai; the fort is a conspicuous square building with a round tower... from which the Shaikh's flag is displayed.'

Abu Dhabi is similarly described: 'This town consists for the most part of huts and extends along the coast for nearly two miles. In the town there is a small fort, partially surrounded by trees, with five towers close together... The coast in the vicinity of Abu Dhabi is very low and the beach is of white sand'. There are two views of Qasr Al Hosn, one of which appears here with the 1948 supplement for the first time. The great pearl bank is also given attention: 'this extensive bank... fills the great bight in the southern part of the Persian Gulf.' 'Many islands, both close to the coast and far offshore, lie on the bank... With the exception of Dalma none has permanent inhabitants, though they are frequented by the pearl boats during the summer and by fisherman from Abu Dhabi in the winter.' 'The best pilots for the coast are to be obtained at Abu Dhabi.'

Much of the information of Qatar and Doha is amended by the supplement, and appropriately altered by the annotations, showing its quickly changing nature. Bahrain is also described, and there is also note of the health of the region: 'Manama... is more liable to epidemics than the smaller ports; since 1920, however, there have been no more epidemics in Bahrain than in any other of the larger Gulf ports.'

Kuwait is described 'The Shaikh's palace... has a small roof, which is the highest point of any building in the town.' 'The principal export is pearls; the chief imports are rice, sugar, tea, flour, piece goods, matches, hardware, wheat and barley.'

Ninth edition, with the fourth supplement dated 1948; 8vo (24.5 x 16 cm); supplement tipped to front pastedown, 2 maps acting as an index for admiralty charts, folding meteorological chart, 21 plates showing numerous coastal views, with additional view of Abu Dhabi fort tipped in from supplement, further in-text weather diagrams, notice of supplement tipped in to face title, numerous annotations making good the corrections from the supplement; publisher's tan cloth, lettered in black, touch of rubbing to spine, very good copy; xxvi, 286 pp.