Abstract

At the close of World War I, the great oil reserves of the Arabian Peninsula lay hidden beneath the desert sands. Westerners dismissed today’s opulent Gulf States as little valued back lots among the rich real estate that made up the British Empire. Although the British adeptly appropriated the underground petroleum lakes in Iran and then in Iraq, across the water on the Arab side of the Persian Gulf the entire peninsula was deemed worthless by world experts who insisted, "There is no oil in Arabia."

In this fascinating history of the discovery, development, and exploitation of Middle East oil, international journalist Aileen Keating tells a largely unknown story rich in drama, conflict, and comic interludes. She reveals how the experts could be so wrong for so long and why the fabulously rich oilfields of Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia remained untapped for years after they were discovered by a colorful New Zealander named Frank Holmes.