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Keepers of the Golden
Shore
A
History of the United Arab Emirates
by Michael Quentin Morton Hardback: 240 pages, 59 b+w photographs, maps ISBN 978-1780235806 For those who visit the UAE today, staying in air-conditioned hotels and shopping in ultra-modern malls, the country
itself remains an enigma – a glass and concrete creation that seems to have sprung from the desert overnight. Keepers
of the Golden Shore looks behind its glossy facade, tracing the traditional tribal bonds of an ancient land to the society
of today and casting a new and revealing light on this intriguing, innovative and resilient people. Across the spread of its deserts and mountains, islands and seas, the
UAE has a rich and diverse history. From the ancient people who came out of the desert to settle the land, through the invasions
and wars these people fought, to the myth of piracy and the mystique of pearls, and the arrival of the oilmen in the stifling
heat, Keepers of the Golden Shore tells the extraordinary story of how the Emirates and its ruling families evolved from a
tribal society to become one of the richest countries on earth.
Reviews 'Keepers of the Golden Shore covers the country
from prehistory to the present day in less than 250 pages . . . a welcome, readable and much needed starting point for new
readers and new arrivals to the UAE who want a better understanding of the people and places around them.' - James Langton, The National, UAE
‘This excellent and readable book, with a wealth
of illustrations, begins by charting the early tribal history of the coast and its extensive trading relationships.'
- The Anglo-Omani Society Review
‘Quentin Morton, who grew up in the Gulf, writes
with calm authority and rational judgment about the often passionate rivalry between the various emirates and their ruling
families, several of which engaged in fratricide and other dastardly acts . . . for anyone who wants to understand from
where what is now the UAE emerged and how that happened this is a most useful and readable account.' - Jonathan Fryer, Interlib magazine
‘Quentin Morton offers us a comprehensive history of the United Arab Emirates from
the earliest times to the present. It is an enthralling tale, told with verve and clarity and covers the emergence of Greater
Oman after the coming of Islam, the rise and fall of the pearling industry, the hungry years of the Second World War and
the discovery of oil. Evocative illustrations remind us that this is living history in the sense that much of the history
is relevant to the life of the UAE today, particularly relationships within the emirates and the state's relations with
Iran and Saudi Arabia.' - Sir Harold Walker, former ambassador to the UAE
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