| At the end of the seventies Jonathan Raban | | | | inclination nor the means to follow the explorer into the |
| wandered across the Middle East. Arabia was the | | | | desert. This is not a criticism. He also quotes Alice, but |
| book he wrote after impressionistic visits to Bahrain, | | | | does not venture into wonderland. But there again, |
| Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Yemen, Egypt, Jordan and, | | | | perhaps he does precisely that, especially in Abu Dhabi. |
| briefly, Lebanon. Paradoxically, the book starts and | | | | Thirty years later, a casual visitor to the places |
| finishes in London, because it was there that questions | | | | Jonathan Raban frequented might have similar |
| about Arab identity and culture arose in the author's | | | | impressions, except the places and the associated |
| mind. | | | | reactions would all be much bigger. Bahrain's planned |
| In Earls Court the author muses on the question, "Who | | | | causeway was built and at weekends there are even |
| are the Arabs?" At the time in common prejudice they | | | | more Saudis doing what Saudis do at weekends. Abu |
| had a reputation for association with terrorism, being | | | | Dhabi is vastly more splendid, and Dubai is still trying to |
| fundamentally religious and having uncountable wealth. | | | | be the tallest, biggest, the best in something |
| So it seems that times have not changed that much... | | | | measurable and sellable. Jordan may well be |
| So Jonathan Raban resolved to find out for himself. | | | | significantly poorer than the country Jonathan Raban |
| Unlike most authors of travelogues, however, Jonathan | | | | found. It seems he may have found it difficult to |
| Raban saw his first task as learning the language and, | | | | escape the swish diplomatic and international resident |
| as a result of this laudable approach, Arabia is perhaps | | | | areas, and he never made it to Wadi Rum or Petra, so |
| more of an achievement than it otherwise might have | | | | didn't even have a tourist experience to relate. I have |
| been. | | | | never been to Yemen or Egypt, so I cannot comment |
| In a nutshell, he found Bahrain seedy and Qatar rich but | | | | on them. |
| built in a scrap-yard. Abu Dhabi was new and squeaky | | | | One thing that always comes across in Jonathan |
| clean, eager to impress, while Dubai seemed to be | | | | Raban's work is a willingness to engage with people, |
| populated by business sharks, opportunistic, pragmatic | | | | very often over a whisky! And, though Arabia might |
| but obsessively driven and eager to excel. All Yemenis | | | | only make a very light scratch across the surface of |
| appeared to be overactive dwarves on a spending | | | | its subject, its focus on individual vignettes makes it a |
| spree. Egypt was big and scruffy, and Jordan was like | | | | highly entertaining and engaging read. The region is no |
| Switzerland with parties. | | | | doubt still host to many others like them. The book is |
| You will gather immediately that Arabia is not an | | | | also mildly informative. And, on a weekend where |
| in-depth study of Arab culture, society or indeed | | | | debates rage on the proposed construction of a |
| anything else. Its pages are heavily populated with | | | | mosque in New York, it is interesting to reflect how |
| stories of expatriates, the sort of people who might be | | | | little attitudes towards the book's subject seem to |
| eager to talk over a drink in a bar. Though he quotes | | | | have changed. |
| Thesiger, Jonathan Raban seems to have neither the | | | | |