Al Sayegh said that this publication is part of the series of books that the Culture and Media Centre intends to publish in line with the Centre’s social responsibility under the directives of H.H. Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, H.H. the President’s Representative, Chairman of the Centre, and in accordance with UAE’s strategy under the leadership of H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, President of the UAE.
Al Sayegh highlighted the book’s importance saying that it springs from the author himself who is an authority in both history and Archaeology. He added that In the Land of the Emirates seeks to fill the gap in the available literature on the UAE and to answer the questions that arise concerning early settlements in the region.
Habib Al Sayegh added that this publication will be a valuable reference source for researchers seeking information regarding the historical development of urban settlement in the land of the United Arab Emirates, stressing that it is illustrated throughout its 10 chapters, which are titled respectively as follows: Witnesses of the Past, The first inhabitants, The appearance of Monumental tombs, Magan, Restructuring in the Middle and Late Bronze Age, The Iron Age, Abi’el and the polities of the pre-Islamic era, The centuries leading up to the arrival of Islam, The first centuries after the coming of Islam, From the Portuguese to Modernity. The book is targeted at the general reader.
D.T. Potts is the Edwin Cuthbert Hall Professor of Middle Eastern Archaeology at the University of Sydney. A native of New York, he was educated at Harvard where he received a BA in 1975 and a PhD in 1980. He also holds a higher doctorate from the University of Copenhagen (1991). Prior to his appointment in Sydney, he taught at the University of Copenhagen and the Free University of Berlin.
Potts’ interests have long revolved around Iran, Mesopotamia and Arabia. He is the author of Miscellanea Hasaitica (1989), Arabian Gulf in Antiquity (1990), A prehistoric mound in the Emirate of Umm al-Qaiwain: Excavations at Tell Abraq in 1989 (1990), Further excavations at Tell Abraq: 1990 season (1991), Pre-Islamic coinage of Eastern Arabia (1991), Supplement to the Pre-Islamic coinage of Eastern Arabia (1994), Mesopotamian Civilization: material foundations (1997), Archaeology of Elam: Formation and transformation of an ancient Iranian state (1999), Ancient Magan: secrets of Tell Abraq (2000), Excavations at Tepe Yahya, 1967–1975: third millennium (2001) and Feast of dates (2002).
In addition, he has edited or co-edited nine books. He has conducted excavations at a number of sites in the UAE, including ed-Dur, Tell Abraq, Al Sufouh, Jabal al-Emalah, Husn Awhala and Sharm.