ABSTRACT
The harsh desert environment and the scarcity of fertile soils have influenced how arable land has been cultivated and protected in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and throughout the Gulf region (Figure 9.1). The following passage from a poem by Rsed Ibn To’an’s describes a series of early 19th-century tribal conflicts over a fertile area. It illustrates the degree to which arable land was protected, and the importance of the cultivated landscape in maintaining hospitality toward guests in the Arabian peninsula:
We shall defend tenaciously the shady palm gardens of Rimman; many a bold youth we killed in its defense. We spear and are speared in defense of our gardens; we readily give our lives to defend them. From the harvest [of the palm gardens] we feed the hungry guests in lean times when others close their doors and eat their food alone.1
