Water Sheikhs and Dam Builders: Stories of People and Water in the Middle East

In Water Sheikhs and Dam Builders Francesca de Chatel discusses the problems and paradoxes of water resources in the Middle East and North Africa, exploring the past, present, and future of water in the region and exposing the roots of the current water crisis.

The author provides a colorful and diverse portrait of a resource that is inextricably entwined with the history and future of the region and its peoples. Based on four years of research and travel from Iran to Libya and from Israel to Syria, the book combines lively character sketches, interviews, travel descriptions, historical anecdotes, and hard facts to reveal the complexity of this invaluable resource. Besides identifying the causes of the current water crisis, the book also discusses the reasons behind the widespread lack of awareness of the problem among the general public. The book deals with a variety of themes, such as the role of water in religions and ideologies, the impact of large-scale water projects on people's perception of the resource, and the politics of water pricing. The first four chapters focus on the historical and cultural legacy of water in the region and form the background to the second part of the book, which addresses various aspects of the current crisis. The last two chapters look at the future of water management, identifying a number of strategies that could lead to a more sustainable water use.

By exploring the history and culture of water and approaching the subject from a human perspective, de Chatel takes an entirely new angle on the much-discussed question of water scarcity in the Middle East. Unlike other books on the subject that provide specialized geopolitical, economic, and hydrological analyses, Water Sheikhs and Dam Builders presents the reality of water scarcity through the eyes of those who have to confront the problem on a daily basis. As such, it will capture the interest of environmental scientists, water experts, and Middle East scholars as well as general readers with an interest in the Middle East and the environment.