A Time in Arabia

Doreen Ingrams was the first European woman to live in the Hadhramaut, an isolated, bone-dry region of southern Arabia, then little changed since biblical times, now part of the Republic of the Yemen. Her husband was an Arabic speaking British official, sent as a political advisor to the local Sultans, who succeeded in brokering a truce between the perennially feuding tribes. The Ingramses arrived by boat in 1934, and during their ten-year residency travelled throughout the region by camel and donkey. Speaking fluent Hadhrami Arabic, and often wearing Arabic dress, while her husband held talks with tribal leaders Doreen visited the domestic quarters. She met women, children and servants and gained insight into the inner life of Hadhrami families, their diet and traditions, their scents and jewels, as well as their frustrations and difficulties. A Time in Arabia is a precious document - part history, part time travel - seen through the eyes of a decent, modest and compassionate woman.