Arabia Felix

the long version

Thomas had some anthropological interests and believed in the pseudoscience of racial types and craniofacial measuring. He documented or described the peoples in the Rubʻ al-Khali, taking note not only of their skull sizes but also local distinctions between social classes, exorcisms, hunting practices, Islamic and non-Islamic spiritual beliefs, a wife's role and duties, female circumcision, tribal dances, mourning ceremonies, food customs, some local cures for the ailments of people and animals, "the psychology and ethics of the blood-feud," and war, among many other topics. His photographs of the people are scattered throughout the text.