Alarms and Excursions in Arabia

The life and works of Bertram Thomas in Iraq and Oman.

Bertram Thomas was not only the first non Arab to cross the Rub Al Khali Desert, but also a key person in Iraq's early 20th-century development. He was a British political officer for 5 years in southern Iraq and, often as a lone British representative, helped secure the region for Britain.

In Oman he rose to be the effective deputy for the Sultan, acting as administrator and judge. In Musandam his action helped maintain the exclave within the sultanate.