Joshua Van Alstine · أبو متعب الأمريكي
Arabia from the inside.
Most writing about Saudi Arabia is observation from the outside. This is not that. More than twelve years of full immersion — fluent in both operating systems at once — reading the Peninsula’s heritage through its own sources: al-Thaʿālibī, Ibn Manẓūr, Lane’s Lexicon, the Qurʾān.
Explore by subject
Cultural Heritage
Bedouin custom, hospitality, the shemagh, camels, and the living traditions of the Peninsula.
Saudi History
Scholarly profiles of the Saudi monarchs and the founding of the modern Kingdom.
Natural Heritage
Desert flora, date palms, and the ecosystems that have shaped Arabian life for millennia.
Featured work
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The Shemagh: An Arabian Tradition and Its Place in the World
By Joshua Van Alstine The shemagh (الشماغ) is Arabian. Not Arabian in the sense of cultural association or political symbolism, but Arabian…
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The Bedouin Code of Hospitality
Ḥaqq al-Ḍayf (حق الضيف) and Karāmat al-Ḍayf (كرامة الضيف) in Arabian Moral Economy Hospitality in Bedouin society is not merely a social…
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In Ancient Camel Racing, Humans Are Replacing Robots
Why Gulf camel racing is reintroducing adult jockeys in the age of robots Camel racing in the Gulf has spent the last…
Recent writing
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In Ancient Camel Racing, Humans Are Replacing Robots
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Exploring Nature-Inspired Design with Maryam AlJomairi
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The Doors of AlUla: Thresholds of Memory and Craft
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Salman bin Abdulaziz: The Historian King Shaping a Nation’s Future
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King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz : A King for Humanity
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King Fahd bin Abdulaziz : Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Architect of Modern Saudi Arabia