Research and Professional Activities

My archaeological fieldwork focuses on the historic oases of al-Ain, the Islamic period ceramics of the Emirates and Arabian Gulf, and the maritime networks of the western Indian Ocean. I have worked on the history and archaeology of many sites and projects in the Emirates, including Qasr al-Hosn, Saadiyat Island, Qasr al-Muwaij‘i, Qattara Arts Centre, al-Ain Oases, Hisn al-Sira, Jazirat al-Hamra and Masafi Oasis. I have also worked in Buraimi and Zanzibar. I am currently working on my next book, provisionally entitled “A History of the Emirati People,” which I plan on publishing in time for the Dubai Expo 2020.

Current Projects:

 al-Ain Oases Mapping Project. In 2014 the College of Humanities and Social Science, with the support of the Office of Research and in collaboration with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, set up the “al-Ain Oases Mapping Project.” It aims to document the present oasis landscape and identify surviving historic components, while at the same time engaging Emirati students with their heritage and building capacity for archaeology in the UAE. The project serves as the basis for “HSS 383 Archaeological Field School,” taught as part of the BA Heritage Studies. The field school constitutes an exercise in research-led teaching and the students are encouraged to take ownership of their fieldwork by being mentored through the publication process. We have now taken two groups of students to present their fieldwork at the Seminar for Arabian Studies in the British Museum, resulting in peer-reviewed publications that help them build compelling CVs towards launching successful careers in the heritage sector.

Zanzibar Trade of the Emirates. This project was set up in 2017 with the support of the Office of Research at Zayed University and in collaboration with the University of Bristol. It aims to investigate historic links between the Emirates and Zanzibar. So far we have conducted two seasons of archaeological excavation in the Old Fort in Zanzibar Town, which has revealed material evidence for trade with the Gulf region. Former students from Zayed University and colleagues from the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi were involved in the excavations, and the project therefore serves to help build capacity for archaeology in the Emirates by providing training and international experience. We are now reaching out to the Afroemirati and Zanzibari communities of the Emirates, to collect oral history and explore the living legacy of historic social and cultural connections.

A History of the Emirati People. I am currently working on a new book project, provisionally entitled “A History of the Emirati People,” which he hopes will be in print in time for the Dubai Expo 2020. Although the book will cover the emergence of the modern emirates in the eighteenth century, the focus is on the history and archaeology of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, which has so far received relatively little academic attention. The book will deal with Arabisation and Islamisation and the formation of the Emirati identity, covering famous local centres like Tu’am and Julfar as well as forgotten tribes such as the Bani Sama, and ending with the incipient nation poised for take-off following the discovery of oil. 

Keywords: Archaeology; history; Arab; Islamic; Emirates; Oman; Arabian Gulf; Indian Ocean.

Teaching Areas

HIS 202 Introduction to Archaeology

HIS 251 World History

HIS 382 Archaeology of the Emirates

HIS 383 Archaeological Field School

HSS 397 Syria and the Arabs

HSS 397 Europe and the Islamic World

HSS 397 A Cultural History of Islamic Spain

HSS 397 Sources for Emirati History

ANT 432 World Regions: Middle East