Sea of Pearls: Dubai and the Emirates

One of the most important historians and archaeologists in Brazil and the world, Rio de Janeiro native Fernanda de Camargo-Moro specializes in telling compelling stories and taking readers on a journey through time, revealing the secrets and past of places and peoples. Having lived in the East, the researcher has spent over 30 years studying the trade routes, peoples and customs, cultures, legends, religions, and cuisine of Arabia and various regions of the Mediterranean, the Balkans, the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia. The Pearl Sea is dedicated to the cradle of one of the oldest civilizations on the planet: the United Arab Emirates. Bathed by the Persian Gulf, this region boasts a stunning geological history and is constantly changing, experiencing a powerful renaissance. Enriched by oil, the group of small states that make up the territory today reflects a modern image of advanced technology, a powerful economy, significant financial influence in the Western world, and bold architecture. This cosmopolitan society, with its international lifestyle, has deep roots in the pre-Islamic and Islamic traditions of Arabia. It is this contrast between past and future that the author presents to us in this brilliant new work. In April 2007, Fernanda de Camargo-Moro set out to revisit the Sea of Pearls, explore places that had escaped previous explorations, and better understand the transformation of this environment. Armed with historical studies, memories of previous trips, a good guidebook to Dubai, and the instinctive curiosity of a researcher, the author explored the cultures of the Gulf, their traditions, history, and myths. Readers will be able to follow the evolution of the native populations and the migratory currents that produced civilizations whose influence reached both the East and the West; smell the cuisine of the Arabian Nights, with its sweet-and-sour meat dishes roasted in the tandoor; and, as if on a vast map, explore the mountains, dunes, beaches, and oases that dot the region's landscape until reaching the purest work of art the Gulf's natural environment has created: the pearl. Upon returning from this incredible journey, filled with surprising discoveries, Fernanda de Camargo-Moro created these memoirs of the sea of pearls, a blend of archaeological, sociological, and anthropological research and a historical, cultural, and gastronomic journey. She challenges the reader: "If you don't believe that utopias are achievable dreams, try visiting the Emirates in person, or at least virtually, to see how the desert sheikhs' dream became a magnificent reality."