Hell in a Very Small Place: The Siege of Dien Bien Phu By Bernard B. Fall.

Hell in a Very Small Place: The Siege of Dien Bien Phu.

By Bernard B. Fall. ISBN: 978-0306811579

The battle at Dien Bien Phu marked a historic turning point in France’s occupation of Indochina and offers a premonition of the United States future military defeat in the same area. By the end of the 56-day siege, a Viet Minh army had destroyed a large French force which eventually led to France withdrawing from Southeast Asia.

This book is a very detailed but easily read account of the lead in, siege and eventual defeat of the French army. It has some very moving accounts of the heroism not to mention horror that the defenders went through, along with an analysis of the political strategy adopted by France and the reluctance of both the United States and Britain to help militarily.

Bedouin jewellery.

Traditional Bedouin jewellery is becoming harder to find in the souks: for those who remember the old souk in Nizwa, that was the place to find it – but now gone, along with the jewellery. Modernity has a lot to answer for, especially when culture and tradition make way for the new….

One can still find items in the souk at Muttrah but sometimes its age is questionable

As an aside: why do I always find information about Oman’s History and culture from outside sources – Looking at published information; very little comes from Oman, why? Maybe one day Oman will wake up and find out how interesting its culture and history really is…

Here on Bedouin jewellery from the Aramco magazine.

the.beauty.of.bedouin.jewelry.

bangles.from.the.sands.

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