Jebel Akhdar Research Articles

A Study in the Contamination of Desalinated Water with Microorganisms, and Analysis of Chemical and Physical in Western Libya

Monitoring the changes that occur to water during distribution is vital to ensure water safety. The biological stability of reverse osmosis (RO) produced drinking water, characterized by low cell concentration and low assailable organic carbon, in combination with chlorine disinfection was investigated. Water quality at several locations throughout the existing distribution network was monitored to investigate whether microbial water quality changes can be identified. Libya is located in an arid and semi-arid region of Africa with no permanent rivers or true freshwater lakes and average annual rainfall of less than 100 mm. Limited access to surface water resources has led to a heavy reliance on groundwater. Extensive use of conventional water resources such as groundwater, poor awareness of how to optimally use and save water, and seawater intrusion into coastal aquifers have all contributed to a severe water crisis in Libya. The water crisis issues in Libya are exacerbated by the population distribution relative to available water resources. 75% of Libya’s population is concentrated in only 1.5% of the total land area in the western coastal centers of Jufra and Misrata, and the eastern coastal area of ​​Jebel Akhdar. The results from this study highlight the importance of implementing multiple barriers to ensure water safety. Changes in water quality detected even when high-quality disinfected reverse osmosis (RO) -produced water is distributed highlight microbiological challenges that chlorinated systems endure, especially at high water temperatures. The aim of this paper is to shed light on the conventional and non-conventional water resources in Libya. In this context, the research aims to provide an overview of seawater desalination technology in Libya and why desalination should be embraced as a strategic and ultimate solution to the water shortage problem. In addition to the bacterial contamination of desalinated water in western Libya. This study was investigated the quality of drinking water supplied in Some Commercial Water Purification Systems at Sabratha area. Water samples were collected from five stations at Sabratha region. The physicochemical parameters were mainly, pH, Alkalinity, Chloride, Nitrate, Sulfate, Magnesium, Calcium, Sodium, Potassium and TDS. The result shows that all these parameters were fall below WHO guidelines, except pH. The bacteriological result revealed that one of the studied stations was contaminated by E. coli bacteria.

Chemical composition, antioxidant, and enzyme inhibition activities of Crithmum maritimum essential oils: the first chemo-biological study for species grown in North Africa

Crithmum maritimum (sea fennel), is a halophytic plant species found globally in coastal environments. This study is the first investigation into the chemical composition and biological activities of C. maritimum growing wildly in Jebel Akhdar, Libya. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis was utilized to identify and profile the plant’s volatile components; it resulted in the identification of twenty-four components, representing 99.17% of the total peaks in the GC-MS chromatogram. The analysis revealed that thymyl methyl ether, γ-terpinene, and ledene oxide, were the major volatile constituents of the plant at relative percentage levels of 56.86, 16.17, and 4.32%, respectively. The analysis also indicated substantial variations in the volatile composition of C. maritimum Libyan species compared to those from various geographic regions. The plant’s volatile oil quality was evaluated by investigating its in vitro antioxidant activity and the oil’s ability to inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and tyrosinase enzymes. The oil markedly scavenged the free radicals and reduced the ferric ions in the DPPH and FRAP assays at levels of 34.30 ± 0.10 and 38.90 ± 0.51 Trolox equivalents, respectively. The plant’s volatile oil has substantially reduced the AChE at the IC50 value of 34.43 ± 0.25 compared to its effect against tyrosinase (IC50 12.449 ± 0.68). The in silico approach was used to highlight the mechanisms underlying the enzyme inhibitory effect of the plant volatile oil. The stigmastene and γ-santonin demonstrate stronger binding affinity towards AChE and tyrosinase compared to the co-crystalized controls, donepezil and tropolone. The study provides significant information for the environmental changes effect on the volatile constituents of C. maritimum and highlights the plant’s importance within the scope of its antioxidant and enzyme inhibition activities.

A multidisciplinary approach to the antioxidant and hepatoprotective activities of Arbutus pavarii Pampan fruit; in vitro and in Vivo biological evaluations, and in silico investigations

The Libyan Strawberry, Arbutus pavarii Pampan (ARB), is an endemic Jebel Akhdar plant used for traditional medicine. This study presents the antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties of ARB fruit-extract. ARB phytochemical analysis indicated the presence of 354.54 GAE and 36.2 RE of the phenolics and flavonoids. LC-MS analysis identified 35 compounds belonging to phenolic acids, procyanidins, and flavonoid glycosides. Gallic acid, procyanidin dimer B3, β-type procyanidin trimer C, and quercetin-3-O-glucoside were the major constituents of the plant extract. ARB administration to paracetamol (PAR)-intoxicated rats reduced serum ALT, AST, bilirubin, hepatic tissue MDA and proinflammatory markers; TNF-α and IL-6 with an increase in tissue GSH level and SOD activity. Histological and immunohistochemical studies revealed that ARB restored the liver histology and significantly reduced the tissue expression of caspase 3, IL-1B, and NF-KB in PAR-induced liver damage. Docking analysis disclosed good binding affinities of some compounds with XO, COX-1, 5-LOX, and PI3K.

Challenges to rutile-based geoscientific tools: low-temperature polymorphic TiO2 transformations and corresponding reactive pathways

Rutile, a common accessory mineral in a wide variety of rocks, is the most stable naturally occurring TiO2 polymorph. The relationship between its trace element composition and formation conditions has provided geoscientists with discriminant tools for fingerprinting geological processes, such as magmatic evolution and subduction zone metamorphism, alongside applications to the study of sediment provenance. In the present work, volcaniclastic rock samples belonging to Fara and Saiq Formations, outcropping in Jebel Akhdar mountains, Oman, are studied with Raman spectroscopy and Electron Microprobe (EMP) aiming: of (i) the identification of different naturally-occurring TiO2 polymorphs, (ii) the evaluation of their trace element contents in relation with hydrothermal alteration features, and (iii) the analysis of the mineral reactive pathways behind the observed textural relationships. Raman investigations demonstrated that interstitial, fine-grained TiO2 corresponds to anatase, whereas rutile occurs as isolated single grains. EMP determinations further revealed that an identified Nb-enrichment in anatase is coupled with a corresponding Nb-depletion in rutile. The combination of the obtained results with petrographic observations enabled unravelling the TiO2 reactive pathways affecting the studied samples. Thus, a coupled polymorphic dissolution-precipitation reaction assisting rutile-to-anatase conversion has been defined, together with the role of Nb in further stabilizing the structure of the lower temperature polymorph. Semi-quantitative thermometric considerations suggest that rutile substrates are likely of magmatic origin, whereas anatase formation is clearly associated with a lower temperature aqueous environment. The gathered results raise fundamental questions concerning the application of commonly used rutile-based geochemical and thermometric tools.

A preliminary survey of the insect fauna of the Hajar Mountain Range, Oman

ABSTRACTThe Hajar Mountain Range of Northern Oman is an important centre of species endemism, and of biogeographical interest as a crossroads between the Afrotropical and Palaearctic regions. Despite this, the invertebrate fauna of the region is largely unknown, with very little dedicated research or surveys having been undertaken until now. Here we present the invertebrate species collected and identified from five different survey locations within the Hajar Mountains. This preliminary checklist contains 296 records, of which 36 are new records for Oman. Our surveys also discovered two new species of ant: Lepisiota omanensis collected from Jebel Qahwan Reserve and at the base of Jebel Akhdar, and Anochetus annetteae from Hibra Village in the Nakhl Region.

Phylogenetic classification and generic delineation of Hydeomyces desertipleosporoides gen. et sp. nov., (Phaeosphaeriaceae) from Jebel Akhdar Mountain in Oman

Specimens of a new pleosporalean taxon were obtained on the bark of Juniperus excels from the northern mountains of Oman; from the Jebel Akhdar (‘Green Hills’). Sequence analyses based on the regions of large subunit rRNA (LSU), small subunit rRNA (SSU), translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF) and internal transcribed spacers (ITS) were performed to resolve the phylogenetic relationships of the new taxon in Phaeosphaeriaceae. The data concluded that the taxon represents a novel genus of the family Phaeosphaeriaceae and the generic name Hydeomyces and the species name H. desertipleosporoides are introduced for the new taxon. An outline of the characters which differentiate the new genus from phylogenetically closely related genera Dematiopleospora and Dlhawksworthia is given and its morphology of asexual and sexual morphs is described.

Diffused flow of molecular hydrogen through the Western Hajar mountains, Northern Oman

We report the discovery of a general, diffused flow of molecular hydrogen (H2) through the Western Hajar mountains of Northern Oman. H2 was detected across a fracture system in the peridotites of the Semail ophiolite massif, and no traces of this gas were found in unfractured peridotites. H2 seeps in these rocks have been classically interpreted to be the result of reduction of groundwater during the process of peridotite serpentinization. However, there is evidence of hydrogen seepage in other geological units of Northern Oman, particularly in the Precambrian to Early Permian metamorphic sequences of the Jebel Akhdar massif, and to a lesser extent in the Hawasina sequence underthrust beneath the ophiolitic units. As a consequence, hydrogen flows are also being detected from geological formations structurally located below the ophiolites. Our sampling shows that increased flow is not observed in the peridotites, but in the deeper stratigraphic and structural units (Upper Proterozoic). These observations suggest a source of H2 existing below the ophiolites. Minimum estimated H2 flows using various methods range from 70 to 150 m3/km2 per day from peridotites and up to 1300 m3/km2 per day from the Upper Proterozoic.

Tectono-thermal evolution of Oman's Mesozoic passive continental margin under the obducting Semail Ophiolite: a case study of Jebel Akhdar, Oman

Abstract. We present a study of pressure and temperature evolution in the passive continental margin under the Oman Ophiolite using numerical basin models calibrated with thermal maturity data, fluid-inclusion thermometry, and low-temperature thermochronometry and building on the results of recent work on the tectonic evolution. Because the Oman mountains experienced only weak post-obduction overprint, they offer a unique natural laboratory for this study. Thermal maturity data from the Adam Foothills constrain burial in the basin in front of the advancing nappes to at least 4 km. Peak temperature evolution in the carbonate platform under the ophiolite depends on the burial depth and only weakly on the temperature of the overriding nappes, which have cooled during transport from the oceanic subduction zone to emplacement. Fluid-inclusion thermometry yields pressure-corrected homogenization temperatures of 225 to 266 ∘C for veins formed during progressive burial, 296–364 ∘C for veins related to peak burial, and 184 to 213 ∘C for veins associated with late-stage strike-slip faulting. In contrast, the overlying Hawasina nappes have not been heated above 130–170 ∘C, as witnessed by only partial resetting of the zircon (U-Th)/He thermochronometer. In combination with independently determined temperatures from solid bitumen reflectance, we infer that the fluid inclusions of peak-burial-related veins formed at minimum pressures of 225–285 MPa. This implies that the rocks of the future Jebel Akhdar Dome were buried under 8–10 km of ophiolite on top of 2 km of sedimentary nappes, in agreement with thermal maturity data from solid bitumen reflectance and Raman spectroscopy. Rapid burial of the passive margin under the ophiolite results in sub-lithostatic pore pressures, as indicated by veins formed in dilatant fractures in the carbonates. We infer that overpressure is induced by rapid burial under the ophiolite. Tilting of the carbonate platform in combination with overpressure in the passive margin caused fluid migration towards the south in front of the advancing nappes. Exhumation of the Jebel Akhdar, as indicated by our zircon (U-Th)/He data and in agreement with existing work on the tectonic evolution, started as early as the Late Cretaceous to early Cenozoic, linked with extension above a major listric shear zone with top-to-NNE shear sense. In a second exhumation phase the carbonate platform and obducted nappes of the Jebel Akhdar Dome cooled together below ca. 170 ∘C between 50 and 40 Ma before the final stage of anticline formation.

Cryptic diversity revealed in the leaf‐toed gecko Asaccus montanus(Squamata, Phyllodactylidae) from the Hajar Mountains of Arabia

Asaccus geckos are distributed in southwest Asia, mainly in Iran and Arabia. Currently, seven Asaccus species are recognized in Arabia, all endemic to the isolated Hajar Mountains in Oman and the UAE, an area regarded as a biodiversity and endemicity hotspot. Previous phylogenetic studies have shown a non-monophyletic structure of the Arabian Asaccus species, with the Hajar endemic A. montanus diverging first from the remaining Iranian and Arabian taxa, thus suggesting a possible Arabian origin for the genus. Despite the species’ obvious phylogeographical importance, no study has yet explored its intraspecific diversity. In this study, we assessed the genetic diversity and phylogeography of A. montanus and its phylogenetic relationships with the rest of the Arabian Asaccus species and some available representatives from Iran. We used both mitochondrial and nuclear data to assess phylogenetic relationships based on haplotype networks, concatenated datasets and species trees, performed species delimitation analyses, and estimated divergence times and genetic diversity. We suggest Asaccus began diverging during the Middle Oligocene, a period of major tectonic activity in and around Arabia. Our results mainly support previous phylogenetic studies and uncover the presence of cryptic diversity within A. montanus. Asaccus montanus diverged in the Jebel Akhdar Mountain range into two deep allopatric lineages during the Late Pliocene. Our findings suggest further taxonomic research is necessary for this species, especially due to its vulnerable status and restricted range in an area of great conservation importance.

Multiphase Structural Evolution of a Continental Margin During Obduction Orogeny: Insights From the Jebel Akhdar Dome, Oman Mountains

AbstractThe structural evolution of the carbonate platform in the footwall of the Semail ophiolite emplaced onto the passive continental margin of Arabia helps to better understand the early stages of obduction‐related orogens. These early stages are rarely observable in other orogens as they are mostly overprinted by later mountain building phases. We present an extensive structural analysis of the Jebel Akhdar anticline, the largest tectonic window of the Oman Mountains, and integrate it on different scales. Outcrop observations can be linked to plate motion data, providing an absolute timeframe for structural generations consistent with radiometric dating of veins. Top‐to‐S overthrusting of the Semail ophiolite and Hawasina nappes onto the carbonate platform during high plate convergence rates between Arabia and Eurasia caused rapid burial and overpressure, generation and migration of hydrocarbons, and bedding‐confined veins, but no major deformation in the carbonate platform. At reduced convergence rates, subsequent tectonic thinning of the ophiolite took place above a top‐to‐NNE, crustal‐scale ductile shear zone, deforming existing veins and forming a cleavage in clay‐rich layers in early Campanian times. Ongoing extension occurred along normal‐ to oblique‐slip faults, forming horst‐graben structures and a precursor of the Jebel Akhdar dome (Campanian to Maastrichtian). This was followed by NE‐SW oriented ductile shortening and the formation of the Jebel Akhdar dome, deforming the earlier structures. Thereafter, exhumation was associated with low‐angle normal faults on the northern flank of the anticline. We correlate the top‐to‐NNE crustal‐scale shear zone with a similar structure in the Saih Hatat window to develop a unified model of the tectonic evolution of the Oman Mountains.

Diversity, distribution and conservation of the terrestrial reptiles of Oman (Sauropsida, Squamata).

In the present work, we use an exceptional database including 5,359 records of 101 species of Oman’s terrestrial reptiles together with spatial tools to infer the spatial patterns of species richness and endemicity, to infer the habitat preference of each species and to better define conservation priorities, with especial focus on the effectiveness of the protected areas in preserving this unique arid fauna. Our results indicate that the sampling effort is not only remarkable from a taxonomic point of view, with multiple observations for most species, but also for the spatial coverage achieved. The observations are distributed almost continuously across the two-dimensional climatic space of Oman defined by the mean annual temperature and the total annual precipitation and across the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of the multivariate climatic space and are well represented within 17 out of the 20 climatic clusters grouping 10% of the explained climatic variance defined by PC1 and PC2. Species richness is highest in the Hajar and Dhofar Mountains, two of the most biodiverse areas of the Arabian Peninsula, and endemic species richness is greatest in the Jebel Akhdar, the highest part of the Hajar Mountains. Oman’s 22 protected areas cover only 3.91% of the country, including within their limits 63.37% of terrestrial reptiles and 50% of all endemics. Our analyses show that large areas of the climatic space of Oman lie outside protected areas and that seven of the 20 climatic clusters are not protected at all. The results of the gap analysis indicate that most of the species are below the conservation target of 17% or even the less restrictive 12% of their total area within a protected area in order to be considered adequately protected. Therefore, an evaluation of the coverage of the current network of protected areas and the identification of priority protected areas for reptiles using reserve design algorithms are urgently needed. Our study also shows that more than half of the species are still pending of a definitive evaluation by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

(Anatomical study of the Cerebrum of the laughing dove (Stigmatopelia senegalensis

This species of bird distribution in Northern Libya AL-beda from Jebel Akhdar, scanty documentation exist on the neuroanatomy of this species of wild bird. So Morphological and histological study was conducted to examine the structure of prosencephalon (Cerebrum). five animals in the present study. Measurement of weight, length, width, height and volume of the intact cerebrum. from this study were observed to be The mean brain weight obtained for about 2.97g. The mean Cerebrum weight was 1.13 g. The mean Cerebrum length was 10.93mm, The mean Cerebrum width was observed to be 11.85mm, The mean Cerebrum height was 6.65mm, The mean Cerebrum volume was 0.78ml.The histological results revealed that the cerebral cortex constituted the gray matter which has six layers namely molecular layer, external granular layer, pyramidal or external pyramidal layer, internal granular layer, internal pyramidal layer and multiform layer.

Hydrocarbon generation and migration under a large overthrust: The carbonate platform under the Semail Ophiolite, Jebel Akhdar, Oman

The Natih B source rock of the Jebel Akhdar dome in the Oman Mountains hosts at least three different generations of solid bitumen. This study presents detailed analyses of thermal maturity based on solid bitumen reflectance, Rock-Eval pyrolysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy of matrix and solid bitumen. The Natih B source rock was sampled in different valleys (Wadis) around the Jebel Akhdar dome. Detailed petrography of organic material was conducted by optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The petrographic data was used to calibrate an integrated thermal basin model of the Wadi Nakhr area. Due to ophiolite obduction the Natih B source rock was buried to 7.4 to 8km and a maximum temperature of c. 240°C. Hydrocarbon generation and associated primary migration was burial induced and took place from 78 to 66Ma with solid bitumen precipitation in the source rock. A resulting high-reflective solid bitumen generation reflects temperatures of deepest burial in the order of 225°C to 240°C. Based on an elaborated paragenetic sequence two other solid bitumen generations were linked to two oil migration events taking place during uplift (55–50Ma and 48–45Ma), after deepest burial (around 65Ma).

Report on a visit to Jebel Akhdar (Cyrenaica, Libya)

Report on a visit to Jebel Akhdar (Cyrenaica, Libya)

The latest stage of an obduction orogen – doming of the Jebel Akhdar constrained by structural geology and low-temperature thermochronology

The latest stage of an obduction orogen – doming of the Jebel Akhdar constrained by structural geology and low-temperature thermochronology

Solid bitumen in calcite veins from the Natih Formation in the Oman Mountains: Multiple phases of petroleum migration in a changing stress field

Solid bitumen in calcite veins in Natih limestone on the southern flank of the Jebel Akhdar Anticline provide evidence for at least two previously unrecognized petroleum migration events in the Oman Mountains. We present field observation of bituminous calcite veins combined with microscopy using highly polished thin sections. This allows imaging of solid bitumen in reflected light and study of its microstructural context in transmitted light.Straight and en échelon, black impregnated, bedding-normal Natih A calcite veins strike 110°. They formed as one of the earliest structures in an extensional stress regime at the end of Cretaceous (Turonian–Santonian) either by flexure of the Arabian plate (Wasia–Aruma break) or by subsidence during subduction. The veins always contain planar arrays of small (<10μm) intracrystal solid bitumen inclusions and may contain angular mosaic type solid bitumen associated with white, solid bitumen-free calcite and/or round, homogeneous type solid bitumen. The solid bitumen formed in multiple events and were most likely derived from the Natih B source rocks.During the first migration event, microfracturing during obduction of the Semail ophiolite and emplacement of the Hawasina thrust sheets in Santonian–Campanian times formed pathways for oil into the veins. Mosaic type solid bitumen formed during further vein growth. It has a higher solid bitumen reflectance (BRr=3.40–3.76%) combined with a high optical anisotropy compared to the underlaying thermally overmature Natih B source rock (BRr=3.10–3.14%). The higher reflectance of mosaic type solid bitumen is interpreted to result from deformation and does not reflect maximum burial temperatures which are inferred to have been about 225°C.The second migration event is indicated by low-reflective homogeneous type solid bitumen with palaeotemperatures (BRr=0.86–0.92%; about 145°C) lower than maximum burial. It occurs along pressure solution seams which cross-cut the veins showing that this is the latest event in the paragenetic sequence, interpreted to have formed after lateral intraformational oil migration from the active Natih oil kitchen located approximately 40km SW of the study area during doming and uplift of the Oman Mountains in Oligocene to Pliocene times.

The evolution of crack seal vein and fracture networks in an evolving stress field: Insights from Discrete Element Models of fracture sealing

AbstractVeins are ubiquitous in upper and middle crustal rocks. Due to strength and stiffness contrast to the host rock, veins can influence crack propagation. Here we present Discrete Element Models to investigate crack‐vein interactions by simulating cycles of fracturing of a rock mass, sealing the cracks to form veins, and refracturing the rock mass after rotating the stress field. We observe different styles of interaction between new fractures and existing veins, depending on the strength ratio between vein and host rock and on the changes in the stress field between the different deformation stages. If the orientation of stress field does not change between deformation stages, ataxial crack seal veins are produced if the veins are weak and a bundle of subparallel microveins if the veins are strong. If the stress field is rotated between deformation stages, the interactions include reactivation, fracture deflection, and crosscutting. Reactivation of weak veins occurs even if the vein orientation is highly unfavorable relative to the stress field. Relays of fractures between reactivated veins form at a higher angle to the veins than expected. This demonstrates that the orientation of secondary veins does not reflect the regional stress field in a simple manner and that veins can strongly influence fracture connectivity, with implications for paleostress analysis and basin modeling. Simulation results compare well with field examples of multiphase vein networks in carbonates from Jebel Akhdar, Oman.

Influence of climate and dolomite composition on dedolomitization: insights from a multi-proxy study in the central Oman Mountains

Abstract Dedolomitization is an important diagenetic process that can yield information on the history of paleo-fluids in a given aquifer or outcrop, and by extension it offers a window into past hydrologic conditions. Dedolomitization is also relevant economically as it can alter the porosity and permeability of carbonates, thus affecting reservoir quality. Despite considerable research, the process of dedolomitization is still not entirely understood. Here, new findings from the central Oman Mountains highlight the importance of dolomite chemistry and fluctuating climate on dedolomitization. Petrographic, mineralogical, and geochemical data from both altered and pristine dolomite hosted in Jurassic carbonate rocks from the Sahtan Group and outcropping at Wadi Mistal in the Jebel Akhdar tectonic window reveal two dolomite bodies with different characteristics, stratabound and fault-related dolostone. The (ferroan) dolomite crystals are larger in the fault-related dolostone, whereas the (non-ferroan) dolomite crystals are smaller in the stratabound dolostone. Petrography reveals a complex suite of alteration textures, including pristine dolomite, recrystallized dolomite, and calcitized dolomite (dedolomite). Iron oxides are present pervasively in the altered rocks, and different alteration textures co-occur in the same sample. Relative to unaltered dolomite in this outcrop, the recrystallized dolomite is characterized by similar positive carbon isotope values but less negative oxygen isotope values, and the calcitized dolomite is characterized by even less negative oxygen isotope values and more negative carbon isotope values. Based on field data and petrography, two phases of alteration are evident, an earlier dedolomitization event affecting the stratabound dolomite only, and a more pervasive Pleistocene-Holocene alteration phase associated with surface weathering that affected both the fault-related dolomite and to a lesser extent the stratabound dolomite. Stable isotope results further suggest that the more recent subaerial weathering phase happened under two alternating climate regimes: dedolomitization was triggered by meteoric fluids that interacted with soil-related carbon during humid climatic period(s), whereas recrystallization of ferroan fault-related dolomite happened during more arid climatic period(s) with less developed soils and lower fluid–rock interaction. These results suggest that weathering of ferroan fault-related dolomite can lead to formation of goethite and recrystallized, non-stoichiometric dolomite (with a reset stable oxygen isotope signature), and sometimes to dedolomitization.

Quantitative Assessment of Stakeholder Perceptions for Tourism Development

Tourism development has both positive and negative impacts on an economy. Various studies have attempted to capture these impacts using sophisticated quantitative modelling tools such as input–output models or computable general equilibrium models. Other studies have been designed to understand the perceptions of stakeholders. These studies are essentially descriptive and have not applied modelling approaches to capture the perceptions systematically. In this paper, a relatively new modelling approach, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), is used to capture systematically the subjective perceptions of stakeholders about tourism development in the Jebel Akhdar region of the Sultanate of Oman. The results show that respondents generally prefer a huge increase in tourism activity in the region, although they also anticipate some negative impacts.

A Forgotten Press Building at Lamluda

AbstractPresented here are the preliminary results of the unfinished excavations conducted by Richard Goodchild in the late 1950s at Lamluda, east of Cyrene on the upper plateau of the Jebel Akhdar. One of the most interesting discoveries was a well-preserved press complex comprising a press and series of associated rooms, including a storage magazine. The evidence indicates that the complex was probably used for producing wine rather than olive oil; it appears to be of Late Roman or more likely of sixth-century date. This date is indicated by a reused stone bearing three faint carved Maltese crosses found incorporated within Room A. It is clear that parts of the complex were later modified; it is tempting to relate this later activity to continued occupation of the site after the Arab conquest.