Articles
The author has written numerous articles about the history of the Middle East and beyond:
Adventures in Middle Eastern Oil: Wendell Phillips, archaeologist, oilman and explorer - a feature about the charismatic figure who blazed a trail across the Middle Eastern oil scene, GeoExpro, vol.18, no.4, September 2021, pp. 52-55.
A False Dawn - the Saga of Arabia's First Oil Concession The Arabian oil concession granted to Standard Oil of California in 1933 is fully documented in the history books but the first concession granted to Major Frank Holmes ten years earlier is less well known, AAPG Explorer, September 2023.
A Gusher at Baba Gurgur - a short piece about the controversies leading up to the first oil strike in Iraq in 1927, AAPG Explorer, February 2014, pp. 34-35.
All the Beautiful Domes - the history of oil in Indonesia, 1871-1949, GeoExpro, vol. 19, no. 6, December 2022, pp. 30-33.
A Lucky Eclipse - an article about Tony Altounyan's extraordinary solo expedition to Mahra country in 1946, Journal of the British-Yemeni Society, vol. 8. 2010.
A Time for Reflection - the story of how geophysics became the future of petroleum exploration, GeoExpro, vol. 19, no. 3, June 2022, pp. 52-55.
Bedouins, Boundaries and the Buraimi Oasis - how the futures of Oman and the UAE were determined, IB Tauris Blog, 22 August 2013.
Calypso in the Arabian Gulf: Jacques Cousteau's Undersea Survey of 1954 - a fascinating account of Jacques Cousteau's brief foray into oil exploration, leading to the first discovery of oil in Abu Dhabi's offshore waters, Liwa journal, no. 13, vol. 7, June 2015, pp. 3-28.
Darkening Skies: The Qatar Well Fires of the 1950s - a series of catastrophes that rocked the early Qatari oil industry, AAPG Explorer, July 2018.
Flying Boats on the Trucial Coast, 1927-47 - when the first aeroplane landed in Abu Dhabi, see what happened next. Liwa journal, vol. 9, issue 19, June 2019
In the 1930s Middle East, Airplanes Helped Open the Oilfields - pilots faced long journeys, primitive airfields, sandstorms, breakdowns and a hostile population, Smithsonian Air and Space magazine, February 2020.
Max Steineke and the Structure Drill - the early oil discoveries in Saudi Arabia, GeoExpro magazine, issue no.1, vol. 15, March 2018.
Memories of Iraqi Kurdistan - reminiscences of oil personnel working in the mountains of north-eastern Iraq in the 1950s and 60s, GeoExpro, issue no.2, vol. 11, pp. 42-46.
Mexico - from Onshore to Offshore - from the 16th-century Spanish conquistadors to modern times, Mexico has been bound to oil. Although no longer in the top ten of the world’s leading producers, shale gas may change this picture in the future, GeoExpro, issue no. 6, vol. 18, December 2021.
Narrowing the Gulf: Anglo-American Relations and Arabian Oil, 1928-1974 - this article examines the tensions between Great Britain and America over Arabian oil resources in the twentieth century, Liwa journal, no.6, vol. 3, December 2011.
Oil Exploration in Yemen - the story of oil exploration in Yemen leading to the first commercial discoveries, GeoExpro magazine, issue no. 3, vol. 10, 2013.
Once Upon a Red Line - the Iraq Petroleum Story - the story of an oil consortium that at one time controlled 20 per cent of the world's oil resources, GeoExpro, Ipad edition, June 2013.
River of Oil - Early Oil Exploration in Iraq - Knowledgeable but squabbling geologists; summary dismissals; camel transport; ‘lagoonal' oil; and 40m-high gushers. All in a day's work for the first oil explorers in Iraq: GeoExpro, issue no. 1, vol. 12, March 2015, pp. 57-60.
The Abu Dhabi Oil Discoveries - the story of the early days of oil exploration in Abu Dhabi leading to the first onshore and offshore discoveries, GeoExpro, issue no. 3, vol. 8, 2011.
The British India Line in the Arabian Gulf, 1862-1982 - an article about a famous shipping line and its impact on a region, Liwa journal, issue no. 10, vol. 5, December 2013, pp. 40-63.
The Buraimi Affair: Oil Prospecting and Drawing the Frontiers of Saudi Arabia - this article traces the history of the dispute between Great Britain, acting for Abu Dhabi and Oman, and Saudi Arabia over the Buraimi Oasis which came to a head in 1955, Journal of Asian Affairs, vol. 46, no. 1, pp. 1-17.
The Development of Civil Aviation in the Arabian Gulf - how the region developed from an aviation no-go area to a hub of modern travel, Liwa journal, issue no. 29, June 2023, pp. 10-27.
The Duqm Landing - the start of oil exploration in central Oman in the 1950s, AAPG Explorer, April 2020.
The Khoshtaria Concessions - Oil and the Northern Provinces of Iran, GeoExpro, issue no. 4, vol. 17, 2020.
The Land That Oil Forgot - the story of oil exploration in Palestine, 1913-1948, GeoExpro, issue no. 1, vol. 17, 2020.
The Mysterious Mr Rickett - an article about the intrigues of an international oil speculator and businessman, GeoExpro, issue no. 2, vol. 14, pp. 54-8.
The Search for Offshore Oil Abu Dhabi - this article traces the development of Abu Dhabi's offshore oil industry from the first discovery, AAPG Explorer, July 2016.
The Search for Oil in Oman - the trials and tribulations of oil exploration in Oman, bullets and all, GeoExpro magazine, issue no. 1, vol. 9, 2012.
The Search for Petroleum in the Sultanate of Oman - The First 120 Years (co-authored with A. Heward and M. al-Kindi) - This is a story of failure, success, disappointment, and elation. World wars, a market glutted with cheap oil, and geologists unable to access areas of interest hampered the search. (Geological Society of London special paper).
The Stick and the Money Bag: Britain and the Trucial States in the 1930s - an article about the first steps towards the formation of an independent UAE, Liwa journal, vol.19, issue 23, June 2020, pp. 31-7.
The Strange Case of Wadi Mu'aydin - the dry hole at Fahud-1 in Oman is famous in the annals of oil exploration as the “unluckiest well in the Middle East.” However, there is another story to be told which, with a different outcome, could have dramatically changed the course of oil development in the country. AAPG Explorer, May 2024.
The Third River - an extract from my book of the same name covering the early days of oil exploration and discovery in the UAE and Oman, Liwa journal, no.9, vol.5, June 2013.
The Way to Madness - a blog about the Musandam Peninsula for Reaktion Books, 1 June 2017.
The Winning of Romanian Oil - the story of how the great powers and oil companies fought over Romania and its oil, GeoExpro, issue no. 3, vol.18, 2021.
Thesiger and the Oilmen - the famous explorer, Wilfred Thesiger, was an admirer of the bedouin way of life, yet provided the oil companies with useful information. Where did his loyalties lie? Article in the Journal of the Petroleum History Institute, Vol, 14, December 2013, pp, 125 - 39.
'They Couldn't Stop Amelia Earhart' - how the famous American’s attempt to fly around the world was nearly thwarted by British officialdom, Air & Space magazine, December 2021.
Unlocking the Earth: A Short History of Hydraulic Fracturing - looks at the development of fracking and its application to shale gas and oil in the USA and Europe, GeoExpro, issue no. 6, vol. 10, 2013.
Wendell Phillips in Oman - the remarkable story of Wendell Phillips, archaeologist, explorer, and oilman, who struck the first oil in Oman. Al Hajar, issue no. 32, December 2021.
What Oilfields? Onshore Oil in the UK - the story of the onshore oil discoveries in the United Kingdom, from the Scottish shale industry to the development of the Wytch Farm oilfield in Dorest, and wartime efforts to make the country self-sufficient, GeoExpro, issue no. 3, vol. 11, 2014.
When Mr Rickett Came to Sharjah - the visit of a mysterious stranger to Sharjah in 1936 that set alarm bells ringing in the corridors of power, Liwa journal, December 2016, vol.7, no. 16, pp. 3-20.