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Volume 30, Number 5 September/October 1979

In This Issue

September/October 1979
Desert Glass: An Enigma
Written by John W. Olsen and James R. Underwood

In the Great Sand Sea, near the border of Egypt, science has found - and puzzled over - a scattering of yellow-green glass that may have come from the moon.

 
It Is Written
Written by Robert Arndt and Katrina Thomas

From coast to coast U. S. museums are drawing big crowds with exhibits on Middle East themes: the treasures of King Tut, the art of ancient Nubia and, most recently, calligraphy.

 
Kramer of Sumer
Written by Mary Lucy Wood
Photographed by Katrina Thomas

At 82 Samuel Noah Kramer, the man who "reconstructed the whole of Sumerian literature" is still engaged in the "universal quest for origins" – the translation of mankind's first written records.

 
Sesame Opens!
Written by William Tracy
Photographed by Burnett H. Moody

Sesame Street in New York is "Twentieth Street" in the Arabian Gulf, but it leads, as always, straight to the hearts and minds of enthralled children.

Stamps and the History of the Hijaz
Written by Robert Obojski

On the now popular stamps of the Hijaz, forgotten engravers outlined the highlights of the region's dramatic history - and the final triumph of King 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Sa'ud, founder of Saudi Arabia.

 
Treasures of the North
Written by Barry Hoberman
Illustrated by Neville Mardell

Everyone knows that Arab caravans carried frankincense and myrrh and nearly everyone has heard of the "silk route" to China. But there were other trade routes too - and they went north.