Asimah. An Account of a Two Months Rescue Excavation in the Mountains of Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.

VOGT, Burkhard.

Published by Dubai: Shell Markets Middle East, 1994

First edition of this illustrated report on a rescue excavation - commissioned by the state in view of planning construction in the area - in the mountains of the emirate of Ras al-Khaimah. The work is dedicated to H.H. Sheikh Saqr bin Muhammad al-Qassimi. The emergency fieldwork in 1987-88 were prompted by the "uncontrolled, inconsistent and open" construction boom driven by government housing programmes, mineral surveys, and oil and military operations (pp. 2-4). Burkhard Vogt worked as a Middle East archaeologist specialized in the Arabian Peninsula, on the subject of ancient water management in particular. The report analyses the topography and geology of Asimah, the structure of the ancient site, the burials and funerary furnishings, and the significance of the cemetery for our knowledge of the evolution of pre-Islamic south-east Arabian burial customs. It also discusses domestic pottery and metal remains and artefacts. The colour photographs portray the mountainous landscape and the archaeological site, and include some taken by Beatrice de Cardi, the first archaeologist to study pre-Islamic antiquities in the area in 1972. Vogt noted that some areas documented by de Cardi had meanwhile been destroyed by bulldozers, as he sought to salvage as much as possible before construction began. Folio. Colour photographic illustrations, artist's impressions of archaeological findings, 1 folding. Original green pictorial wrappers. Spine a bit sunned, contents clean: a fine copy. Seller Inventory # 184821

Bibliographic Details

Title: Asimah. An Account of a Two Months Rescue ...
Publisher: Dubai: Shell Markets Middle East, 1994
Edition: 1st Edition