The 46th Seminar for Arabian Studies was held at the British Museum on 28–30 July 2011. 1 This annual conference is an important forum for British and international scholars to meet and present their latest research in the humanities on the Arabian Peninsula, from the Palaeolithic period to the end of the Ottoman empire. While the Seminar was originally created to focus on new archaeological research in Arabia, it now encompasses a broad range of subjects including epigraphy, art, architecture, history, literature, linguistics, ethnography, and sociology. From 2007, the Seminar has begun to include ‘Special Sessions’ aimed at focusing on specific topics for which it was felt there have been significant advances in research and findings. The first Special Session (2007) focused on The