1. The several months of fieldwork upon which this article is based were spent in the Sultanate of Oman over the period 1974 to 1976 when the author was Research Fellow at the Centre of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, Durham University. Petroleum Development (Oman) Ltd funded the research (Fisher and Bowen-Jones, 1974).
2. Further demographic and socio-economic information about the research area can be found in. Durham University Oman Research Project Reports (1977).
3. The Study of Nomads;Dyson-Hudson;Journal of Asian and African Studies,1972
4. Development Surveys in the Middle East;Fisher;Geographical Journal,1974