40 Best Qatar Books of All Time

We've researched and ranked the best qatar books in the world, based on recommendations from world experts, sales data, and millions of reader ratings. Learn more

Featuring recommendations from Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Richard Branson, and 48 other experts.
1

A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a breathtaking story set against the volatile events of Afghanistan's last thirty years—from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to post-Taliban rebuilding—that puts the violence, fear, hope, and faith of this country in intimate, human terms. It is a tale of two generations of characters brought jarringly together by the tragic sweep of war, where personal lives—the struggle to survive, raise a family, find happiness—are inextricable from the history playing out around them.

Propelled by the same storytelling instinct that made The...
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James AltucherExcellent novel. (Source)

Ann Miura-KoI would encourage people to read it because it gives you a sense of Afghanistan’s incredible history and the role women have played within that history (Source)

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2

Qatar

Small State, Big Politics

The Persian Gulf state of Qatar has fewer than 2 million inhabitants, virtually no potable water, and has been an independent nation only since 1971. Yet its enormous oil and gas wealth has permitted the ruling al Thani family to exert a disproportionately large influence on regional and even international politics. Qatar is, as Mehran Kamrava explains in this knowledgeable and incisive account of the emirate, a "tiny giant": although severely lacking in most measures of state power, it is highly influential in diplomatic, cultural, and economic spheres.

Kamrava presents Qatar as...
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3

Love From A to Z

A marvel: something you find amazing. Even ordinary-amazing. Like potatoes—because they make French fries happen. Like the perfect fries Adam and his mom used to make together.

An oddity: whatever gives you pause. Like the fact that there are hateful people in the world. Like Zayneb’s teacher, who won’t stop reminding the class how “bad” Muslims are.

But Zayneb, the only Muslim in class, isn’t bad. She’s angry.

When she gets suspended for confronting her teacher, and he begins investigating her activist friends, Zayneb heads to her aunt’s house...
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4
Weiner spent a decade as a foreign correspondent reporting from such discontented locales as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Indonesia. Unhappy people living in profoundly unstable states, he notes, inspire pathos and make for good copy, but not for good karma. So Weiner, admitted grump and self-help book aficionado, undertook a year's research to travel the globe, looking for the "unheralded happy places." The result is this book, equal parts laugh-out-loud funny and philosophical, a journey into both the definition of and the destination for true contentment.

Apparently, the happiest...
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5

And the Mountains Echoed

So, then. You want a story and I will tell you one...Afghanistan, 1952. Abdullah and his sister Pari live with their father and stepmother in the small village of Shadbagh. Their father, Saboor, is constantly in search of work and they struggle together through poverty and brutal winters. To Abdullah, Pari - as beautiful and sweet-natured as the fairy for which she was named - is everything. More like a parent than a brother, Abdullah will do anything for her, even trading his only pair of shoes for a feather for her treasured collection. Each night they sleep together in their cot, their... more

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6

The Syriac Writers of Qatar in the Seventh Century

This edited volume presents a number of Syriac monastic and ascetical writers from the seventh century who were born and educated in Beth Qatraye (Syriac for Qatar or Region of the Qataris) of which Isaac of Nineveh of Qatar is considered to be the most influential of all Syriac monastic writers and who continues to exert a strong influence in monastic circles today. Many of the others like Dadisho of Qatar, Gabriel bar Lipeh of Qatar, Abraham bar Lipeh of Qatar, Gabriel Arya of Qatar, and Ahob of Qatar were important Syriac writers on spirituality and commentators or exegetes within the... more

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7
A lively analysis of the Arab Gulf states’ stunning rise to global power over the last half-century and of the daunting challenges they confront today

Once just sleepy desert sheikdoms, the Arab Gulf states of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait now exert unprecedented influence on international affairs—the result of their almost unimaginable riches in oil and gas. In this book, Rory Miller, an expert in Gulf politics and international affairs, provides an accessible account of the achievements of these countries since the 1973 global...
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8
In this groundbreaking history of modern Qatar, Allen J. Fromherz analyzes Qatar's crucial role in the Middle East and its growing regional influence within a broader historical context. Drawing on original sources in Arabic, English, and French as well as his own fieldwork in the Middle East, the author deftly traces the influence of the Ottoman and British Empires and Qatar's Gulf neighbors prior to Qatar's meteoric rise in the post-independence era. less

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9
Turkey, Iraq, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, and Tunisia

The “Arab Spring” all started when a young Tunisian fruit seller set himself on fire in protest of a government official confiscating his apples and slapping his face. The aftermath of that one personal protest grew to become the Middle East movement known as the Arab Spring—a wave of disparate events that included protests, revolutions, hopeful reform movements, and bloody civil wars.

The Fires of Spring is the first book to bring the post?Arab Spring world to light in a holistic context. A narrative of author...
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10

القرصان

في بداية القرن التاسع عشر، دار صراع دموي عنيف بين الإمبراطورية البريطانية و القبائل العربية فى الخليج للسيطرة على المنطقة، و سباق محموم للحصول على سيف نادر مرصع بالجواهر

يرسل الحاكم البريطاني فى بومبي سيفاً ثميناً لإبراهيم باشا قائد الجيوش المصرية لإغرائه بالتحالف مع بريطانيا للقضاء على الحركة الوهابية الفتية و حلفائها من القبائل العربية. و لكن عندما تنقض سفن أرحمة ابن جابر "القرصان" على السفينة البريطانية التي تحمل هذه الهدية النفيسة تنفتح على القرصان أبواب الجحيم، فيطارده الأسطول البريطاني و تبدأ سلسة من الأحداث الكبرى و المتلاحقة التي تغير واقع و مستقبل المنطقة للأبد
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Don't have time to read the top Qatar books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

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11

Lonely Planet Oman, UAE & Arabian Peninsula

Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher

Lonely Planet's Oman, UAE & the Arabian Peninsula is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Feel the desert's allure in Oman's Sharqiya Sands, dine at the top of the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, in Dubai, and see faith expressed in the masterpieces of the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha - all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Oman, UAE & the Arabian Peninsula and begin your journey...
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12
The contrast between Kuwait and the UAE today illustrates the vastly different possible futures facing the smaller states of the Gulf. Dubai's rulers dream of creating a truly global business center, a megalopolis of many millions attracting immigrants in great waves from near and far. Kuwait, meanwhile, has the most spirited and influential parliament in any of the oil-rich Gulf monarchies.

In The Wages of Oil, Michael Herb provides a robust framework for thinking about the future of the Gulf monarchies. The Gulf has seen enormous changes in recent years, and more are to come....
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13

The Girl Who Fell to Earth

When Sophia Al-Maria's mother sends her away from rainy Washington State to stay with her husband's desert-dwelling Bedouin family in Qatar, she intends it to be a sort of teenage cultural boot camp. What her mother doesn't know is that there are some things about growing up that are universal. In Qatar, Sophia is faced with a new world she'd only imagined as a child. She sets out to find her freedom, even in the most unlikely of places.

Both family saga and coming-of-age story, The Girl Who Fell to Earth takes readers from the green valleys of the Pacific Northwest to the dunes...
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14

Bitter Almonds

'A LOVE STORY AND AN ENTHRALLING MIX OF HISTORY AND PALESTINIAN CULTURE...RIVETING' - The Lady 'A BEAUTIFUL AND MOVING TRIBUTE TO THE ENDURING POWER OF LOVE' - Ann Weisgarber, The Personal History of Rachel Dupree He is orphaned at birth, born into displacement and chaos. He has only one thing to hold on to: a love beyond his reach that propels him forward. She is young and idealistic, and tries to break out of the mould to create her own destiny. Will they be able to overcome their bleak realities amid war and tragedy? Heartbreaking and moving, Bitter Almonds is about displacement and exile,... more

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15

American War

An audacious and powerful debut novel: a second American Civil War, a devastating plague, and one family caught deep in the middle a story that asks what might happen if America were to turn its most devastating policies and deadly weapons upon itself

Sarat Chestnut, born in Louisiana, is only six when the Second American Civil War breaks out in 2074. But even she knows that oil is outlawed, that Louisiana is half underwater, and that unmanned drones fill the sky. When her father is killed and her family is forced into Camp Patience for displaced persons, she begins to grow up...
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16

Lonely Planet Egypt

Lonely Planet: The world’s number one travel guide publisher*


Lonely Planet’s Egypt is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Wonder at the construction of the Pyramids of Giza, wander through the columned halls of the great temple complexes of Luxor, and dive through an underwater world of coral cliffs and colourful fish in the Red Sea – all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Egypt and begin your journey now!


Inside Lonely Planet’s...
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17

Love Comes Later

Alternate cover edition for ASIN B008I4JJES

When newlywed Abdulla loses his wife and unborn child in a car accident, the world seems to crumble beneath his feet. Thrust back into living in the family compound, he goes through the motions—work, eat, sleep, repeat. Blaming himself for their deaths, he decides to never marry again but knows that culturally, this is not an option. Three years later, he’s faced with an arranged marriage to his cousin Hind, whom he hasn’t seen in years. Hard-pressed to find a way out, he consents to a yearlong engagement and tries to find a way to...
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18

Top 10 Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Dubai and Abu Dhabi have so much to offer, and you can experience it all, from unique shops, malls, and souks to the finest restaurants and cafes. Luxuriate at the best golf courses, hotels, and spa resorts, or embrace adventure on exciting desert excursions, at local sporting events, or at lively bars and clubs. In addition to traditional historic palaces and mosques, Dubai and Abu Dhabi have amazing modern architecture, and your Top 10 Travel Guide will be your partner in experiencing it all.

True to its name, DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Top 10 Dubai and Abu...
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19
The Gulf state of Qatar tops the Forbes list of the world's richest countries. In 2010, the country had the world's highest GDP per capita, and its reserves of oil and natural gas are vast. It has been estimated that Qatar will invest more than $120 billion in the energy sector over the next ten years. Yet Qatar has climbed to this pinnacle of wealth and influence in a remarkably short time, and from a starting point of obscurity and insignificance. This astonishing transition is the direct result of the efforts nearly 200 years ago of one visionary man - Jassim bin Muhammad Bin Thani, known... more

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20

The House of Fortune

On the remote far north east coast of Qatar a village awaits the return of its menfolk from long days of diving for pearls. It's the summer of 1928 and life is hard. Pearling is the only means of income and if the divers don't do well the villagers won't be able to survive. The Al Bahr family live in Al Mafjar and Al Khor, some are fortunate, some are not. Lubna Al Bahr will have to marry soon but who will her parents choose for her? Despite the hardships, she is happy living a simple life with her mother, father and brother in the village but all this could soon change. Through the turmoil... more

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Don't have time to read the top Qatar books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
21
Teach for Arabia offers an ethnographic account of the experiences of students, faculty, and administrators in Education City, Qatar. Education City, home to the branch campuses of six elite American universities, represents the Qatari government's multibillion dollar investment over the last two decades in growing a local knowledge-based economy. Though leaders have eagerly welcomed these institutions, not all citizens embrace the U.S. universities in their midst. Some critics see them as emblematic of a turn away from traditional values toward Westernization. Qatari students who... more

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22

The Black Book of Arabia

A modern day Scheherazade, Sheikha Hend Al Qassemi spins fantastic tales of love, betrayal, and heroism from around the Arabian Gulf. These stories offer a surprising look into the personal lives of a whole range of men and women--everyone from princesses to paupers and from sultans to sorcerers.

You'll meet a princess whose best friend literally tries to steal her wedding, right down to her bridal shoes; a bride who mysteriously goes blind on her wedding day; a woman whose romantic Parisian honeymoon proves too good to be true; and a jealous wife who lures her husband into...
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23

The Glass Palace

Illusions of Freedom and Democracy in Qatar

When Americans read in today's news that Qatar is funding rebel groups across the Middle East, few of us have any idea what Qatar is or how it is run. A nation of perhaps 250,000 locals served by 1.35 million foreign workers, the emirate is burning its gas and oil revenue at a break-neck pace in an effort to build a position on the global stage.

Is Qatar actually a suitable ally or a legitimate partner for the United States? Under Qatari labor law, foreign workers are actually owned, for all practical purposes, by their Qatari sponsors in a system akin to slavery. This book...
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24
In a analysis of political change in the Gulf, the author investigates the impact of oil on the formation and destruction of political coalitions and state institutions. This updated edition includes a discussion of the Gulf War and its aftermath. less

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25
An elegant and warm-hearted meditation on love, damage, survival, and restoration from an exhilarating stylist. less

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26
The What Every American Should Know series returns with a timely guide to the region Americans need to understand the most (and know the least)

The latest edition of Melissa Rossi?s popular What Every American Should Know series gives a crash course on one of the most complex and important regions of the world. In this comprehensive and engaging reference book, Rossi offers a clear analysis of the issues playing out in the Middle East, delving into each country?s history, politics, economy, and religions. Having traveled through the area over the past year, she exposes...
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27
Al-Jazeera, the independent, all-Arab television news network based in Qatar, emerged as ambassador to the Arab world in the events following September 11, 2001. Arabic for "the island," Al-Jazeera has "scooped" the western media conglomerates many times. With its exclusive access to Osama Bin Laden and members of the Taliban, its reputation was burnished quickly through its exposure on CNN. During the 2003 war in Iraq, Al-Jazeera seemed to be everywhere, reporting dramatic stories and images, even as it strived to maintain its independence as an international free press news network.... more

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28
Rarely has a state changed its character so completely in so short a period of time. Previ- ously content to play a role befitting its small size, Qatar was a traditional, risk-averse Gulf monarchy until the early 1990s. A bloodless coup in 1995 brought to power an emerging elite with a progressive vision for the future. Financed by gas exports and protected by a US security umbrella, Qatar diversified its foreign relations to include Iran and Israel, established the satellite broadcaster Al Jazeera, assumed a leading role in international media- tion, and hosted a number of top-level... more

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29

ARABIC in 10 minutes a day®

Whether you’re planning a trip to Morocco, Egypt, or any of the 25 exotic countries where Arabic is spoken, you’ll want to bring along your language skills and “ARABIC in 10 minutes a day” is just the ticket! With a focus on practical words and phrases which every traveler needs, the book and interactive software provide an easy, step-by-step approach together with useful study tools and fun, computer activities and games. Perfect for students, travelers and international executives worldwide!

The “10 minutes a day” Program :
The “10 minutes a...
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30

Qatar

Sand, Sea and Sky

Qatar occupies a thumb of land that extends off the Arabian Peninsula into the Persian Gulf. This nation, though small in size, represents more than a strategic geographical location-it is uniquely beautiful and culturally rich. Qatar: Sand, Sea and Sky is an overview of the country and its journey into modernity while it preserves the duality of its culture as a desert by the sea. Stunning photography pairs with informative and personal text by the wife of the most recent United States ambassador to Qatar to give Westerners traveling to Qatar on business or for World Cup preparations... more

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Don't have time to read the top Qatar books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
32
Music and Traditions of the Arabian Peninsula provides a pioneering overview of folk and traditional urban music, along with dance and rituals, of Saudi Arabia and the Upper Gulf States of Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar. The nineteen chapters introduce variegated regions and subcultures and their rich and dynamic musical arts, many of which heretofore have been unknown beyond local communities. The book contains insightful descriptions of genres, instruments, poetry, and performance practices of the desert heartland (Najd), the Arabian/Persian Gulf shores, the great western cities... more

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33
Britain's relationship with the Gulf region remains one of the few unexplored episodes in the study of British decolonization. The decision, announced in 1968, to leave the Gulf within three years represented an explicit recognition by Britain that its 'East of Suez' role was at an end. This book examines the decision-making process which underpinned this reversal and considers the interaction between British decision-making, and local responses and initiatives, in shaping the modern Gulf. Using sources previously unavailable to scholars, Britain's Revival and Fall in the Gulf is a valuable... more

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34
With more than fifty million viewers, Al Jazeera is one of the most widely watched news channels in the world. And it's also one of the most controversial. Set up by the maverick Emir of Qatar, Al Jazeera ("the island") quickly became a household name after September 11 by delivering some of the biggest scoops in television history, including a notorious string of taped speeches from Osama bin Laden. Lambasted as a mouthpiece for Al Qaeda, little is actually known about Al Jazeera and its operations. Its journalists have been accused of spying for everyone from Mossad to Saddam Hussein,... more

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35

Qatari Voices

36
The border dispute between Qatar and Bahrain simmered for more than 50 years before it was adjudicated by the International Court of Justice—a process that took ten long years. This authoritative book documents the controversy in the context of its imperial roots, the countries' ruling families, the discovery of oil, and the political destinies of the emerging Gulf states. This color illustrated historical account includes the forensic evidence that identified key forgeries in the case. less

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37
A small isthmus in the central Gulf, with barely 300,000 citizens and a total population of 1.7 million, Qatar has risen rapidly from obscurity to become the world s wealthiest country per capita. Matthew Gray traces this spectacular rise, exploring the development of Qatar s economy, the patterns of its politics, its role on the world stage, and its prospects for the future. less

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38
Mari Luomi reveals how the Gulf's most dynamic rentier monarchies, Abu Dhabi and Qatar, have begun responding to new, multidimensional natural resource-related pressures, particularly climate change. less

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40
The contradictory trends of the 'post-Arab Spring' landscape form both the backdrop to, and the focus of, this volume on the changing security dynamics of the Persian Gulf, defined as the six GCC states plus Iraq and Iran. The political and economic upheaval triggered by the uprisings of 2011, and the rapid emergence of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in 2014, have underscored the vulnerability of regional states to an intersection of domestic pressures and external shocks. The initial phase of the uprisings has given way to a series of messy and uncertain transitions that have left... more

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Don't have time to read the top Qatar books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.