Hidden in the Sands

Frances Gillespie is an acknowledged expert on the archeology and natural history of Qatar and author of many books on the subjects. She has nearly 30 years experience in the country and was the coordinator of the Qatar Archaeology Project. Her best-selling book, Discovering Qatar, was published in 2006 and she is the author of the first English language field guide on the birds of Qatar. Along with adapting an educational interactive website on the environment, she has published a series of six books in English and Arabic for young readers on the fauna and flora of the country and acts as scientific editor on a number of publications. Hidden in the Sands is the result of Frances' long-held ambition to introduce young people of all nationalities to the fascinating story of Qatar's past. Faisal Abdulla Al-Naimi has 22 years experience in the Department of Antiquities in Qatar, which he became head of in 2006. He is responsible for locating and mapping many of the sites found by earlier teams and discovering hitherto unrecorded sites. In addition to recordings, he has undertaken surveys and excavations in Qatar and around the world. He has been instrumental in setting up the Qatar national database and Geographic Information System for heritage management, along with the Qatar National Historic Environment Record [QNHER], which has surveyed and recorded more than 5,000 monuments and archaeological sites. He is the coordinator of relations between the Gulf Cooperation Council and its counterparts in Europe and is the spokesperson on heritage issues concerning UNESCO in Qatar.