- Hardcover: 128 pages
- Publisher: Stacey International; Reprint edition (8 Feb 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0905743741
- ISBN-13: 978-0905743745
- Product Dimensions: 28.2 x 23.4 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
1,137,089 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #73 in Books > History > Countries & Regions > Asia > Middle East > Arabian Peninsula > Saudi Arabia
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More About the Author
Product Description
Book Description
Saudi Arabia by the First Photographers comprises an assembly of outstanding early photographs, some never previously published, and several more lost to sight for many decades, covering the period between the 1860s and 1950s. These 80 years saw the creation by Ibn Saud, out of the fragmented regions here portrayed, of the new Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Here is an extraordinary visual record of the time before the old way of life was swept away. It draws on all known photographers in the 1860s into the second quarter of the 20th century.
Photographers represented include Muhammad Sadiq and Snouck Hurgronje ('Abd al-Ghafar) in the last decades of the 1800s; Ibrahim Rifa'at, Clemow and Hallajian at the turn of the century; Gertrude Bell, Shakespear, T.E. Lawrence and Philby in the first quarter; and so to de Gaury, Rendel and Thesiger in the 1930s and 1940s, with Battigelli, Steineke and other Aramco photographers documenting the coming of oil in the 1930s and after. Some magnificent photographs from Bell and Thesiger appear here in published form for the first time.
These remarkable photographs are accompanied by a text setting them in their historical context, by William Facey, one of today's outstanding historians of the Arabian peninsula, and a detailed coverage of the aims, styles and photographic equipment of those who took the pictures, by Gillian Grant, formerly archevist of the Middle East Centre, St Antony's College, Oxford.
This is the first work of its kind, and an unparalleled resource for the historian.
About the Author
William Facey began his career as a classicist at Oxford and has emerged as a leading historian of the Arabian Peninsula. For many years he has worked as a consultant on museum projects in the Arabian Peninsula, particularly in the archaeology, history and people of the individual nations. He has also been involved in planning museums and exhibitions in England, Europe, Central America and the Far East.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
SAUDI ARABIA is a young state - a child of the twentieth century. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
SAUDI ARABIA is a young state - a child of the twentieth century. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Images from the days of yore...,
By
This review is from: Saudi Arabia by the First Photographers (Hardcover)
This is an important, unique collection of the earliest photographs taken on the Arabian Peninsula. It includes the earliest known photograph, taken of the city of Madinah, in 1861, by Colonel Muhammad Sadiq of the Egyptian Army. The photos are grouped by geographical sections of the country, and are preceded by two introductory chapters written by William Facey and Gillian Grant (with some duplication in subject matter). They cover both the development of photography itself, as well as those who utilized it in the Peninsula. There is the Islamic prohibition against "graven images," but based on the numerous photographs of people, clearly a lot did not object (as is equally true today). It was reported that Gertrude Bell, during her stay at Hail, was given full liberty to take any photographs she wanted.
As mentioned in the introduction, numerous photos are of the "snapshot" variety, lacking proper composition; the result usually of the early circumstances in which they were taken, and this does detract from the overall collection. Still, I found many others worthwhile. In particular, there were the "general views" of cities like Madinah (p 35), Buraydah (p68), Marat (72-73), Dumat al-Jandal (p88-89), and even an aerial view of the Hasa oasis, taken by Aramco in the `50's (p100). Equally impressive is the Hijaz railroad (p40), Bait Baghdadi, Aramco's first office in Jeddah (p51), a baby camel traveling in a "camel bag" (p 83), gazelles and cheetahs killed during the hunt (p84-85), the Ruwala tribe on the move (p86-87) In my opinion there is little doubt that the finest photographer in the collection was Wilfred Thesiger. There is one of his crossing of the Empty Quarter in 1948 (p104), but there are numerous ones of his travels in the Asir and the Tihamah, in 1947, that I had not seen before. Particularly impressive are the brushwood houses of the Tihamah, which recall his photography of the Marsh Arabs of southern Iraq, many years later. Overall, a worthwhile collection, and hopefully you can purchase it for somewhat less than the secondary sellers are currently offering it for. Another reason for a re-print? (Note: Review first published at Amazon, USA, on September 19, 2008)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review) 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Images from the days of yore...,
By John P. Jones III - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Saudi Arabia by the First Photographers (Hardcover)
This is an important, unique collection of the earliest photographs taken on the Arabian Peninsula. It includes the earliest known photograph, taken of the city of Madinah, in 1861, by Colonel Muhammad Sadiq of the Egyptian Army. The photos are grouped by geographical sections of the country, and are preceded by two introductory chapters written by William Facey and Gillian Grant (with some duplication in subject matter). They cover both the development of photography itself, as well as those who utilized it in the Peninsula. There is the Islamic prohibition against "graven images," but based on the numerous photographs of people, clearly a lot did not object (as is equally true today). It was reported that Gertrude Bell, during her stay at Hail, was given full liberty to take any photographs she wanted.
As mentioned in the introduction, numerous photos are of the "snapshot" variety, lacking proper composition; the result usually of the early circumstances in which they were taken, and this does detract from the overall collection. Still, I found many others worthwhile. In particular, there were the "general views" of cities like Madinah (p 35), Buraydah (p68), Marat (72-73), Dumat al-Jandal (p88-89), and even an aerial view of the Hasa oasis, taken by Aramco in the `50's (p100). Equally impressive is the Hijaz railroad (p40), Bait Baghdadi, Aramco's first office in Jeddah (p51), a baby camel traveling in a "camel bag" (p 83), gazelles and cheetahs killed during the hunt (p84-85), the Ruwala tribe on the move (p86-87) In my opinion there is little doubt that the finest photographer in the collection was Wilfred Thesiger. There is one of his crossing of the Empty Quarter in 1948 (p104), but there are numerous ones of his travels in the Asir and the Tihamah, in 1947, that I had not seen before. Particularly impressive are the brushwood houses of the Tihamah, which recall his photography of the Marsh Arabs of southern Iraq, many years later. Overall, a worthwhile collection, and hopefully you can purchase it for somewhat less than the secondary sellers are currently offering it for. Another reason for a re-print? |
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