The Road To Ubar: Finding the Atlantis of the Sands

This isn't the first book about the (re)discovery of Ubar, a city lost in the Empty Quarter, the desert of the Arabian peninsular, in modern day Oman. Around five years ago I read Ranulph Fiennes' [b:Atlantis of the Sands: The Search for the Lost City of Ubar 4292473 Atlantis of the Sands The Search for the Lost City of Ubar Ranulph Fiennes https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1363997803l/4292473.SY75.jpg 846537], and enjoyed it such that I gave it four stars. (It was before I wrote reviews, so my comments below are based largely on memory.)The impression I came away with, from Fiennes' book, was the it was his expedition, and his long-standing ambition to find this city. His book revolves significantly (and not unfairly) around his contribution to the finding of the city, and is mingled with teasers about this other significant expedition work - largely Arctic.Nicholas Clapp's book, is quite a different book. Here Clapp outlines a brief trip to Oman in 1980, where he and his wife were part of a team delivering oryx (Arabian antelope) to Oman to be released to re-propagate the species. It was this brief introduction to Oman that left Clapp and his wife Kay looking for a reason to get back to Oman. It took them ten years.Clapp stumbled upon the Koranic myth of the city of Ubar - destroyed by God because the cities leaders refused to acknowledge God. And from there, he spent years researching maps and ancient books looking for more clues.Having convinced himself of the possibility, he set about expanding his research. He contacted NASA and convinced them to carry out some thermal imaging while the space shuttle passed overhead, and set about establishing a team - Ranulph Fiennes included, as well as a geologist from NASA, an archaeologist, a sponsorship manager and others. Central to this team were Nicholas Clapp and his wife Kay. Fiennes plays an important role - both in being responsible for the technicalities of the expedition, but also in obtaining permission from the Sultan of Oman.Clapp's book is rolled out in three sections - which are all roughly equal in length - the first aptly named “Myth”, where he outlines his research - the stories, the history, the maps, the scholarly references. The second - “Expedition” covers the original reconnaissance trip (August 1990), then the actual expedition (November 1991), discovery and archaeology (four seasons over four years). The third section recaps all that was discovered, providing context around the time-lines and overall picture, followed by some imaginative writing to set the scene for the readers understanding of events at Ubar - the incense trade, a visit by the king, the moral failings of the city, and warnings from Hud (the Jew mentioned in the Koran, warning the people of ‘Ad, that they must worship God), and the eventual destruction of Ubar. Following this are appendices, where a archaeological time-line is provided, a glossary of people and places, and some further reflection on Hud. There is also a detailed bibliography and an index.This was a very well structured and well presented book. While Fiennes' book had a number of black and white photos, they were unclear, and didn't contribute much - Clapp's book contains many careful ink drawings - maps, diagrams, sketches etc which very clearly illustrate what is happening. They were a clever addition, where photographs were probably not going to work. I enjoyed Clapp's fictionalizing of events to add depth to what might have been a fairly dry (no pun intended) archaeological narrative, and he was quite clear in signalling where he moved into embellishment.It would have been interesting to read Fiennes' book closer to this one, and pick out any anomalies, and although I still have it in my shelf, I lacked the motivation (although I did flick through it briefly) and was captivated enough with Clapp's book to leave it be.5 stars.PS there are a lot of things I didn't mention in this review, as they are spoilers in some ways - they discovered some interesting things, and reading the book would we rewarded by finding them out. I recommend seeking out this one over Fiennes' book.