Masters of the Pearl: A History of Qatar

by Michael Quentin Morton

Qatar is a country of spectacular contrasts: from pearl fishing, its main industry until the 1930s, to gas and oil, which generate immense wealth today; it has famously been at the centre of both triumph and controversy in recent years for hosting the 2022 fifa World Cup. Almost a lifetime since he grew up in Qatar, Michael Quentin Morton writes about the country's colourful past and its astonishing present. The book is filled with stories about the people of this land: the tribes and the travellers, the seafarers and slaves - as much a part of Qatar's history as its rulers and their wealth.

The opaque Arabian world guards its secrets well, but Masters of the Pearl penetrates the veil to shed light on a country that until now has defied explanation.

Genres: History, Middle East

264 pages, Hardcover

First published August 10, 2020

About the author

Michael Quentin Morton grew up in Qatar, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi in the 1950s and 1960s. He then worked as a barrister until he decided in 2008 to write full time. He has written nine books and many articles on the history of the Middle East. His latest book, "Masters of the Pearl: A History of Qatar" was published in August 2020.

Reviews

[Ian McHugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was excellent.

There is relatively little 'Qatari history' which makes this book an excellent, and detailed coverage of much previous work and current scholarship. Morton covers the formation of the state extremely well and manages, through a clear and concise narrative, the weave complex tribal and clan-based affiliations and geographies into a coherent and readable historical narrative and analysis. Relations with Saudi and the Emirates and with Bahrain and particularly well done here to allow the casual reader an opportunity to untangle the complexities of some of the relationships.

My only criticism was that, even with the dirth of historical evidence, I would have liked a 'chunkier' coverage of the Qatari peninsula from prehistory through the Islamic Empires to the modern formation. Archaeological details, though scarse, could have allowed for a little more detail.