Doreen Ingrams and her husband were the first Europeans ever to live in the Hadhramaut, an extraordinary, isolated region of southern Arabia. Married to an Arabic-speaking British official, she arrived by boat, and during their ten-year residency travelled throughout the region by camel and donkey. Doreen kept a diary in which she detailed their adventures and described her unequalled access to the domestic quarters, to the women and children, the food, the scents, secrets, jewels, and privileges of this extraordinarily rich traditional society. A Time in Arabia is a precious document - part history, part time-travel, seen through the eyes of a decent, modest, and compassionate woman. "Blending history, travel and autobiography with strong cultural observations, this is a fine and engrossing work."--Midwest Book Review February 2014
