Now & Then - Oman - Hardcover

Nowell, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0953303357 ISBN 13: 9780953303359

Publisher: Zodiac Publishing, 2001

Synopsis

The Sultanate of Oman has always had a prominent position in history because of its geographical position. Oman traded from the earliest times with the civilisations in the Fertile Crescent and the Indus Valley. This, in turn, led to the development of profound sailing and navigational skills and techniques. Thus, while the famous Portuguese sailor "Henry The Navigator" was struggling to get his fleet down the West Coast of Africa in the 1500s, sailing dhows from Oman had been trading for centuries with countries as far a field as Zanzibar and China. The sailing skills and trading routes that the Omanis developed were the envy of the western world. With their occupation of Muscat in 1507 the Portuguese took over domination of these trading routes. 100 years later English sailors arrived in a more peaceful manner, in search of limes, which prevented the ships crews from getting the dreaded disease known as scurvy, during their long sea crossings. A relationship began between the Omanis and the English that has lasted until the present time.

With the ascension of Sultan Qaboos to power in 1970, Oman was propelled into the twenty-first century, fuelled and financed by the discovery of oil, as a country of the new millennium. Its transformation, aptly termed the "Renaissance", from a country with few schools, hospitals or roads to the present day has been controlled but spectacular. Where there were tracks around Muttrah, there is now an elegant Corniche, where there were simple houses built of palm fronds and coral blocks, there are elegant villas; where there was a modest population working hard to survive on fishing, herding and trading, there is a cosmopolitan mix of nationalities living in a healthy and prosperous environment.

"Now & Then - Oman" is a photographic insight into a nation whose fortunes waned in one region to be replaced by oil wealth in another.

About this title

About the Author:

Yorkshire born John Nowell completed his first wing over at the age of 14, as a member of the Air Training Corps, in a De Havilland Chipmunk. He decided there & then that flying was to be his career. After leaving school, he joined the Royal Air Force but was too late to achieve his passion of flying Sunderland flying boats. He did serve on some of the great flying boat squadrons, numbers 206, 205 and 230 where, in addition to his flying duties, he was responsible for the squadron records including the photo albums and the RAF Form 540s - the monthly operational record of the squadron. It was here that John first saw the amazing records of the exploration flights, made in the 1930s, by the flying boat crews who crossed half the world to Australia and the Far East.

He was made a Licentiate of The Royal Photographic Society in 1990 based on the photographs in his first book, "A Day Above Oman". His photographic interest in history and archaeology was instrumental in the location of 4,000-year-old tombs on a remote plateau of Oman and was made a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. He is also a Freeman of the Guild of Pilots & Navigators and is now based in Dubai where he is working on further books in the "A Day Above" and "Now & Then" series.

About this edition

• Publisher: Zodiac Publishing
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0953303357
• ISBN 13: 9780953303359
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 128