This text is both a study of the relationships between tribes and state formation, and a political history of central Arabia. It deals with the Rashidi dynasty which in the 19th century emerged among the Shammar camel herders, made the oasis of Hail a capital rivalling Mecca and Medina in fame and prosperity, and attempted to unify central Arabia into a single polity. The author considers why at this particular moment the Shammar became susceptible...