The discovery and development of local water resources is an important theme in the history of the Arab states. These volumes draw together, for the benefit of scholars, surviving historical records on the water resources of Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the Trucial States and Oman, including the evaluation and management of water supplies; surveys and exploration, and water divining. Material has also been included on the Jeddah water scheme in Saudi Arabia. This small collection does not cover the Tigris-Euphrates basin, for which abundant historical material on local irrigation schemes is available [see, for example, Iraq Administration Reports 1914-1932, Archive Editions, 1992], nor the Jordan Valley, where a separate study of the complex political issues is required.
