A video of Rock Art research in Saudi Arabia.

The YouTube video below is rather long but if anyone has an interest in the subject, it is well worth watching. I have also included a link to the site that is mentioned in the video: for those that maybe missed my last mention of it, please look as it is one of the best and most informative sites I have ever seen.

Another point worth mentioning is: why would I include a topic that refers to Saudi Arabian rock art when I am in Oman?

Because they have come to realise its importance and that it is very much part of the regions cultural heritage.  Not to mention that from an educational point of view, they are willing to spend money promoting the subject and most importantly, make it easily available for anyone to see for free. Oman seems to make it an academic subject and so information is not widely published  outside learned journals – one needs to search for it.

 

 

here is the link to the site mentioned: http://saudi-archaeology.com/overview/team/

Deserts in Oman.

One of the reasons I find the deserts here in Oman so fascinating is the amount of archaeological sites that can be found, usually helped by word of mouth from the Bedouin. Standing next to a bed of flint that has been left by its workers a few thousand years ago. Rock art that has only recently come to the attention of those interested in such things. Stone artefacts that defy any description of their purpose.

The Rub al khali (the largest sand desert in the world) along with the Ramlat al-Wahiba are so vast that no one has been able to fully explore even a small area. One of the nice things about Google Maps is the ability to sit in comfort and slowly search for unusual surface indications or as in Saudi Arabia; major stone structures.

Load-up the Landrover, usually find someone as crazy and go look!

So being able to get a copy of this book, has kept me out of mischief for days…………..

cover

From the Back Cover:

The contemporary deserts of Arabia form some of the most dramatic arid landscapes in the world; yet, during many times in the past, the region was well-watered, containing evidence for rivers and lakes. Climatic fluctuations through time must have had a profound effect on human population that lived and passed through the region. In this book, paleoenvironmental specialists, archaeologists and geneticists are brought together to provide a comprehensive account of the evolution of human populations in Arabia. A wide range of topics are explored in this book, including environmental change and its impact on human populations, the movement and dispersal of populations through the region, and the origin and spread of food producing economies. New theories and interpretations are presented which provide new insights into the evolution of human populations in a key region of the world.

A flower in Wadi Bani Kharus.

A flower No5Do not ask me what type because I don’t have a clue…. wanted to see what both the D800 and the 35mm f1.4 made of the exposure extremes – very well!

There is a slight levels adjustment in PS6 otherwise this is how it came out of the camera. Ho and the flower was about 2″ across, so even very close focusing at about f6 also worked. For a film advocate, this would have needed good incident metering and careful choice of film stock; I am getting converted 🙂

Wadi Bani Kharus.

Wadi Bani KharusEarly morning visit: Wadi Bani Kharus (04:30 alarm clock goes off and no turning over and saying I’ll do it next week)  😉
I escaped early this morning for a visit to Al Elya village in Wadi Bani Kharus. The first time I have been back since a new black-top road was completed from Al Awabi to the village of Al Alya. (did go recently and look at what had been done to the 200 year old Awabi fort since it has been renovated: it’s now actually a new fort built in the style of the old) ho well; I suppose the Ministry of Heritage & Culture know what they are doing. It’s a nice fort but no character and the old one was rather dilapidated so can’t have the tourists hurting themselves.
I must admit that the road makes the journey a lot easier, although far less fun……..
This Wadi is time travel: 600 million years of it in terms of geology; the deeper you go, the older the rocks get.

Not a happy Bunny ….!

Am I being particularly inept because I cannot figure out how this new image editing facility (the one with that stupid fat pencil) works.

Gone is the percentage in-post resizing, it seems to be guess-work with multiple images, for instance one below the other.

So far dragging a corner to resize seems to work until I publish and then the image reverts back to full size.

I hate changes for no obvious reason: what was wrong with the old method (if it ain’t broke don’t fix it) or is it like windows 8 and designed for tablet users?