German nautical directory of the Gulf

[Persian Gulf Pilot, German] - Oberkommando der Kriegsmarine. Handbuch für den Persischen Golf 1942.

€ 8,500.00

Third edition of the German nautical directory for the Arabian Gulf including meteorological observations, remarks on currents, shallows, tides, islands, reefs and anchorages on the shores of the Emirates. The handbook pronounces Sharjah the "largest and most prominent city along this coast", while Abu Dhabi is considered "the former headquarters of the pirates of these waters". Includes warnings of encountering "bedouins from the hinterland" when going ashore along the coast between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and comprises extensive remarks on the "Large Pearl bank" which "makes up the entire southern area of the Gulf", alerting seafarers to large pearl reefs and shallow waters, reminding them that these banks are partly uncharted. Also mentions pearl fishing as the main source of income for the people of the Gulf, involving more than 3,000 boats with crews of up to 100 people active in 1905. The directory claims Manama to be the main trading centre for pearls, with Dubai and Kuwait coming second and third.

The addendum volume of 1961 is also present here.