Qatar is a country of spectacular contrasts: from pearl fishing, its main industry until the 1930s; to gas and oil, which generate immense wealth today; to the triumph and controversy of hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Almost a lifetime since he grew up in Qatar, Michael Quentin Morton writes about the country's colourful past and its controversial present. The book is filled with stories about the people of this land: the tribes and the travellers, the seafarers and slaves - as much a part of Qatar's history as its rulers and their wealth. The opaque Arabian world guards its secrets well, but Masters of the Pearl penetrates the veil to shed light on a country that has previously defied explanation.