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Archaeometallurgical studies at the Salh site in northern Oman have provided new data on copper technology in the Bronze Age and Islamic periods. Archaeological results indicate that it may have functioned seasonally. Slag analyses have shown possible technological changes over the centuries. Smelting was carried out under reducing conditions, using oxidized copper ores weathering zone deposits. The scale of copper production at Salh1 was relatively small in both periods, but—due to its strategic location near important trade routes—the site could have functioned as part of a short-range as well as long-range mercantile network.

Compiling the political-theological groups and doctrines that emerged within Islamic society has been a genre of literature that Muslim scholars have paid attention since the early periods. While some of these works, generally focusing on the ideas of these groups, attempt to gather data about them, others are not content with this and aim to demonstrate their erroneous views and the extent to which they have deviated from the right path. Therefore, heresiography has often proceeded not as a field study but on a theoretical basis and, at times, with ideological concerns. Various researchers have suggested that within the broader heresiographical literature, certain traditions of sect classification have emerged, distinguished by their approaches, classifying methods, and the types of information they use regarding the sects. One such classification tradition is the Eastern Ḥanafite (-Māturīdite) Firaq Tradition, which emerged in the Khorasan and especially Transoxiana regions, developed by authors who defined themselves in terms of theological identity as Ḥanafite and, in later centuries, as an extension of this, Māturīdite. The most striking feature of this tradition is that it places the 73-sect ḥadīth at the center of its classification, reaching this number through a mathematical formulation in which six main heretical sects, each consisting of twelve sub-groups, are combined with the one saved sect: 6x12+1=73. This study examines how the Eastern Ḥanafite (-Māturīdite) Heresiographical (Firaq) Tradition, with its distinctive characteristics, perceived Ibāḍism through the narrative found in its earliest and most comprehensive surviving example: Kitāb al-Radd ʿalā al-bidaʿ wa al-ahwāʾ al-ḍālla by Abū Muṭīʿ Makhūl b. al-Faḍl an-Nasafī’s (d. 318/930). This work has been chosen due to its fundamental role in shaping the later heresiographical works of this tradition. The study not only analyzes Abū Muṭīʿ’s depiction of Ibāḍism; but also compares it with other examples of the same tradition when necessary. Furthermore, the accuracy of the information provided about the Ibāḍīs in the work is scrutinized. Although some of the views attributed to Ibāḍism may lead to misunderstandings due to omissions or inaccuracies, they can be said to largely align with actual Ibāḍī beliefs. However, there is one particular point that seems difficult to reconcile: the statement attributed to the famous ṭābiʿī scholar Qatāda, describing the Ibāḍiyya as "Magians of this ummah." In the Islamic intellectual tradition, the school that has been compared to or associated with Magianism, based on a reference to a ḥadīth narration, is in fact the Qadarīyya and its later extension, the Muʿtazila. The similarity sought to be established between these sects and the Magians is based on the dualistic belief in God held by the Magians -one god being the source of all good and the other being the source of all evil- while the Qadarīyya and Muʿtazila, regarding human actions, see God as the creator of good and humans as the bringers of evil into existence. However, there is no possibility of establishing such a similarity between the Ibāḍiyya and Magianism through the belief in God or human actions. This is because the Ibāḍīs reject the idea that humans create their own actions and attribute both good and evil to God. What is the source of this attempted connection between the Ibāḍiyya and the Magians, which we only encounter in the Eastern Ḥanafite (-Māturīdite) Firaq Tradition? The findings of our research within the scope of this study indicate that this connection is likely based on an misreading or scribal due to the similarity in the written forms of the words Ibāḍiyya and Ibāḥiyya in the works of this tradition. A distinct characteristic of the Eastern Ḥanafite Firaq Tradition, the views of each sect are refuted, and the responses of the saved sect along with the correct view on the relevant issue are presented. At this point, Abū Muṭīʿ first presents the views of the Ibāḍiyya and then proceeds to criticize them. In conclusion, from the perspective of the Eastern Ḥanafite (-Māturīdite) Firaq Tradition, Ibāḍism is considered one of the twelve heretical subgroups of Ḥarūriyya/Nāṣibiyya (i.e., the Khārijites), which is one of the six main deviant sects among the 72 misguided ones. Based on the views attributed to it, especially the baseless analogy established with the Magians, it is understood that the authors of the tradition did not have direct knowledge of the Ibāḍīs or contact with them. Ultimately, within this tradition, sects like Ibāḍism are not seen as ideological formations to be understood, but rather as ones to be rejected.

هذا البحث متعلق بمجال التفسير القرآني، يظهر اهتمام المذهب الإباضي بعلم التفسير من خلال إبراز الآراء التفسيرية لعلمائهم، فمن تلك الجهود الآراء التفسيرية المبثوثة في كتاب قناطر الخيرات لأبي طاهر الجيطالي، أحد أعلام المذهب الإباضي، فبجانب الأهمية العلمية والمكانة التاريخية والقيمة المعرفية التي يحملها الكتاب، نجد فيه اهتماما علميا في الجانب التفسيري للقرآن الكريم، بما يظهر المعنى الذي يراه مؤلف كتاب القناطر في النصّ القرآني.من الأسباب التي دفعتني إلى اختيار هذا الموضوع ارتباطه بمباحث علوم القرآن الكريم، وعلم التفسير على وجه التحديد، وما يتصل بكتاب قناطر الخيرات الذي يجد فيه الباحث اهتمامات علمية متنوعة من تزكية للنفس وارتباط بفنون العلم المختلفة.ولموضوع البحث أهميته التي يستمدها مما ينتسب إليه من علم، حيث له ارتباط وثيق بأهل العلم والعلماء، وبعلوم القرآن الكريم والتفسير للنص القرآني وما له من دلالات وإرشادات ربانية، ومن جهة أخرى له علاقة بما قدمه طائفة من علماء المسلمين ممن ينتمون إلى جبل نفوسة وما حولها، فقد تأكد ارتباطهم بعلم التفسير والاهتمام به. مشكلة الدراسة تكمن في النظرة إلى اهتمام المذهب الإباضي بالتفسير القرآني، بسبب ما يُرى من قلة المؤلفات في علم التفسير في الظاهر. فهل نجد للمذهب الإباضي اهتماما بعلم التفسير؟ وما النماذج الدالة على ذلك؟ويتفرع عن ذلك الأسئلة التالية: - ما مدى الاهتمام بالتفسير عند الجيطالي؟- ما مجالات الآراء التفسيرية لدى الجيطالي؟- كيف عرض لنا الجيطالي آراءه التفسيرية في كتابه قناطر الخيرات؟تكمن أهداف هذا البحث في النقاط التالية:

This thesis explains the prevailing paradigm of the role of small states in regional security systems, and fundamentally examines the case of Oman as a small country that has managed to play a significant role in the Middle Eastern regional security system, contrary to conventional political science expectations of such states’ behavior as per the neoclassical realism theory (NRT) paradigm. This thesis explains Oman’s different and independent regional positions, notably: (1) supporting the Camp David Peace Accords (1978) and not joining the Arab League and Gulf boycott of Egypt after Sadat’s rapprochement with Israel; (2) developing and maintaining diplomatic ties with Iran after the 1979 Revolution, when it was seen as an imminent threat to Gulf regimes, and during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988); (3) meditating between Iran and the US in the P5+1’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (2015) (i.e., the “Iran Nuclear Deal”); and (4) preserving regional security in the context of the ongoing Yemen conflict. This thesis examines these cases in light of hitherto unutilized sources (such as newspapers, official documents, gray literature, archives, memoirs, local books, reports, memos) and interviews with key experts involved in Oman’s foreign policy and related events. This thesis thus demonstrates that Oman as a small state was able to tangibly and effectively influence the regional security system through a balanced foreign policy and establishing spaces that support dialogue and diplomacy to address regional tension and conflicts and maintain relative neutrality in most regional and international conflicts.

سيعنى هذا الموضوع بدراسة انعكاسات الأوضاع السياسية الاقتصادية العالمية على سلطنة مسقط وعُمان في النصف الأول من القرن العشرين، بدايةً بالتركيز على انتقال سلطة القرار السياسي والاقتصادي في سلطنة مسقط وعُمان إلى قوى عظمى كان لها دور في الأحداث السياسية والاقتصادية الداخلية، ولعل أقواها كانت السلطات البريطانية؛ ومن جملة ما سنتطرق إليه في هذا البحث أيضاً هو قضية الصراع الأوروبي في منطقة الخليج العربي وآثار ذلك على حكومة مسقط وعُمان. وكذا انعكاسات الصراع البريطاني - الأمريكي على الامتيازات النفطية في السلطنة قبيل وخلال الحرب العالمية الثانية، وسيكون تركيزنا على مرحلة مهمة من تاريخ سلطنة عُمان المعاصر، وهي المرحلة التي حكم فيها السلطان تيمور بن فيصل الذي حكم عُمان من عام 1913 وحتّى عام 1932م، ومن الإشكاليات التي تناولتها الدراسة باتباع المنهجين الوصفي والتاريخيَّ؛ هو كيف رسمت بريطانيا خطة تدمير الحياة السياسية والاقتصادية بعُمان منذ نهاية القرن 19م؟ من أجل وضعها تحت السيطرة والتبعية، وكيف ساهمت في تدهور الحالة السياسية والأمنية والاقتصادية والمالية في النصف الأول من القرن العشرين لمدّ نفوذها في الساحل العُماني؟ كما تفرعت هذين الإشكاليتين إلى تساؤلين مهمين هما: ما هو الوضع السياسي الداخلي لعُمان، ودور بريطانيا في تأجيج الصراع الداخلي بين داخلية عُمان وحكومة مسقط؟ وما هي الأوضاع الاقتصادية للسلطنة بين الحربين والتداعيات السلبية للأزمة الاقتصادية العالمية؟

This thesis explores the sociocultural continuity and residents’ adaptations to 21st-century conditions within a community-led housing project undertaken by the conservative Mozabite community in the M’zab Valley, Algeria. Using Ksar Tafilelt as a case study, which is a community-led housing project, the research examines the established co-production process to develop a new housing settlement that addresses the needs of the contemporary Mozabite community. It also identifies key lessons in sustainability that can be drawn from this unique and fully realised community-led housing project by examining the relationship between social behaviour and the built environment. The study methodology relies on a combination of questionnaires, interviews, a research diary, and records of physical traces. A sample of 70 residents was interviewed, and various indicators were employed to examine the different types of adaptive transformation changes needed in residents’ homes and neighbourhoods to better meet their contemporary needs. The use, organisation, and occupation of space at both the domestic scale of the house and the urban scale of the neighbourhood have been analysed. Residents’ evaluations and satisfaction with their dwellings and neighbourhoods have also been investigated and assessed in relation to various physical and non-physical features of their housing environments, with a focus on sociocultural factors. The findings of this research indicate that the sociocultural values transmitted from the indigenous Ibadi community remain deeply entrenched in the contemporary Mozabite community, significantly expressed architecturally in Ksar Tafilelt. Thus, these findings suggest that the sociocultural needs of residents must be regarded as equally important as environmental and economic factors. Furthermore, the research iii outcomes have yielded several lessons and principles that can be derived from this settlement, which may inform future housing provision and design practices in Algeria and beyond, particularly in regions with similar geo-cultural characteristics. These lessons can be summarised as highlighting the importance of involving the local community in the creation of urban dwellings to enhance living conditions, as long as the design aligns with their sociocultural and religious beliefs. Additionally, it is crucial to consider the role of sociocultural factors in fostering a more socially and culturally sustainable built environment.

The ksour of the M’Zab Valley, located in southern Algeria, were founded in 1101 by the Mozabites. These fortified villages, in their original configuration, incorporate exemplary architectural and urban planning elements, promoting sustainable habitation that is perfectly adapted to the Saharan context while reflecting local cultural identity. In recognition of their outstanding universal value, UNESCO introduced specific preservation and protection measures as early as 1982. Architect André Ravéreau described this valley as a true “lesson in urban planning”, highlighting a remarkable balance between functionality, sustainability, and respect for the Saharan ecosystem. However, the recent urbanisation transformations in the M’Zab Valley, which are the subject of my doctoral thesis, reveal significant changes. New development projects, located outside the walls surrounding the ksour, are multiplying to meet a growing demand for housing. Although necessary, these interventions create a rupture with the urban landscape and the Saharan architectural identity. A chronological analysis of architectural samples makes it possible to trace the elements that have been abandoned, reproduced, or transformed over time, while questioning how these developments reflect Saharan identity and impact the built heritage.

"There are ongoing efforts in anthropology to decolonise its history and give fairer space to marginalised traditions. This book examines the history and institutionalisation of anthropology in the Maghreb, the Mashreq and the Gulf, in an open and collaborative manner and from various perspectives. Its primary focus is two-fold: first, to reorient the anthropological focus towards studies conducted in the region, particularly on the conditions conducive to the institutionalisation of anthropological knowledge; second, to shed light on anthropological studies in languages other than English offering different theoretical and epistemological perspectives"-- Provided by publisher.