Ziad Rafiq Beydoun
Encyclopedia
Ziad Rafiq Beydoun was a petroleum geologist, leading authority on the geology of the Middle East and Emeritus Professor at the American University of Beirut
(AUB).
under the British Mandate. He was educated at St. George's School, Jerusalem
and St. Luke's School, Haifa. He returned to Beirut to obtain a first-class degeree in political science and history at the AUB. He then studied at St. Peter's College, Oxford where he obtained a degree and doctorate in geology.
(IPC) as an exploration geologist with a field party led by Mike Morton
in north-west Syria. Beydoun was multi-lingual, speaking Arabic, English, French and Turkish, and spent the next 15 years working for the company in its oil concession areas across the Middle East. From 1949 to 1951, he was field geologist and resident geologist with various IPC associate companies: Qatar Petroleum Company, Mosul Petroleum Company and Petroleum Development (Trucial Coast) Ltd, where he was resident geologist for the Ras Sadr No.1 well. In 1951, he went to the Basrah Petroleum Company and in 1952 he was field and resident geologist with the Mosul Petroleum Company in the Ain Zalah field.
, an island full of malaria and tribal intrigue. Later in the year, he began his association with Petroleum Concessions (Aden Protectorates) Ltd. The company, another IPC associate, had been created to explore the territory that was loosely known as "The Hadhramaut", in today's Yemen. The leader of the geological party was his old mentor Mike Morton. When Morton was called away to take part in the Duqm
landings in Oman, Beydoun took over the party and led it for successive seasons until 1958. IPC withdrew from the Hadhramaut in 1961, but Beydoun would continue to publish books and papers on the geology of the Yemen. On his return to Oxford, Beydoun completed his doctorate on the basis of his field work in that country.
's firm, Partex
. In 1963 he returned to Lebanon, taking up the post of assistant professor at AUB and acting as geology advisor to the Ministry of National Economy. In 1966 he took charge of Marathon Oil
's Middle East and North African evaluation studies, returning to the AUB in 1970 as professor of geology while retaining an advisory role with Marathon.
In 1977, Beydoun and his colleagues at the AUB formed the Lebanese Geological Society. In 1993, he married Muntaha Saghiyeh (a distinguished archaeologist in her own right). In 1987, he became a scientific director of a World Bank
/UNDP project on hydrocarbons in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. In 1990, he was patron of the Oxford University Expedition to north Yemen, which undertook a geological study of Kohlan in Hajjah province. In 1992, he was made Emeritus Professor of the AUB.
from the Geological Society of London
for his “outstanding achievement in petroleum geology”. He joked that it was good to receive the medal while he was still alive. In 1995, he was awarded the Medal of the National Order of the Cedar
by the Government of Lebanon for “distinguished services to geological investigations and research”. The Ziad Beydoun Memorial Award is given each year at the annual convention of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists
in recognition of the best AAPG poster session paper presented at the previous year’s International conference.
Ziad Beydoun died on 7 March 1998. In late September of the same year, the Prime Minister of Yemen presented his widow with the Republic’s Science Medal, awarded posthumously to him in recognition of his unique contribution to the study of Yemeni geology.
The Stratigraphy and Structure of the Eastern Aden Protectorate, Overseas Geology and Mineral Resources Supp. Ser., Bull. Supp. 5, 107pp. HMSO London. 1964.
American University of Beirut
The American University of Beirut is a private, independent university in Beirut, Lebanon. It was founded as the Syrian Protestant College by American missionaries in 1866...
(AUB).
Background and education
Born in Beirut in 1925, Ziad ("Don") Beydoun was from a distinguished family of Mutasharifs who had served in the Ottoman Empire. He was the eldest son of the District Governor in PalestinePalestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
under the British Mandate. He was educated at St. George's School, Jerusalem
St. George's School, Jerusalem
St. George's School is a boys' school in East Jerusalem run by the Anglican Jerusalem diocese. It is located next to St. George's College, just outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. The school was established in 1899. The author of the Thomas the Tank Engine series of books, Rev...
and St. Luke's School, Haifa. He returned to Beirut to obtain a first-class degeree in political science and history at the AUB. He then studied at St. Peter's College, Oxford where he obtained a degree and doctorate in geology.
Syria, Iraq, Qatar and Trucial Coast 1948-53
On 27 August 1948, he joined the Iraq Petroleum CompanyIraq Petroleum Company
The Iraq Petroleum Company , until 1929 called Turkish Petroleum Company , was an oil company jointly owned by some of the world's largest oil companies, which had virtual monopoly on all oil exploration and production in Iraq from 1925 to 1961...
(IPC) as an exploration geologist with a field party led by Mike Morton
Douglas Michael Morton
Douglas Michael Morton was a pioneering petroleum geologist and a leading authority on the geology of the Middle East. He is most noted for his work with René Wetzel on the geology of many parts of northern Iraq in the 1940s and 1950s, recorded in the Stratigraphic Lexicon of Iraq, which is still...
in north-west Syria. Beydoun was multi-lingual, speaking Arabic, English, French and Turkish, and spent the next 15 years working for the company in its oil concession areas across the Middle East. From 1949 to 1951, he was field geologist and resident geologist with various IPC associate companies: Qatar Petroleum Company, Mosul Petroleum Company and Petroleum Development (Trucial Coast) Ltd, where he was resident geologist for the Ras Sadr No.1 well. In 1951, he went to the Basrah Petroleum Company and in 1952 he was field and resident geologist with the Mosul Petroleum Company in the Ain Zalah field.
South-western Arabia 1953-58
In 1953, Beydoun conducted a remarkable one-man survey of the island of SocotraSocotra
Socotra , also spelt Soqotra, is a small archipelago of four islands in the Indian Ocean. The largest island, also called Socotra, is about 95% of the landmass of the archipelago. It lies some east of the Horn of Africa and south of the Arabian Peninsula. The island is very isolated and through...
, an island full of malaria and tribal intrigue. Later in the year, he began his association with Petroleum Concessions (Aden Protectorates) Ltd. The company, another IPC associate, had been created to explore the territory that was loosely known as "The Hadhramaut", in today's Yemen. The leader of the geological party was his old mentor Mike Morton. When Morton was called away to take part in the Duqm
Duqm
Duqm is a port town on the Arabian Sea, in central-eastern Oman.Duqm was a small fishing settlement of the Janubah tribe on the coast of southern Oman where a party of soldiers of the Muscat and Oman Field Force and geologists of Petroleum Development Oman was landed in February 1954 to begin the...
landings in Oman, Beydoun took over the party and led it for successive seasons until 1958. IPC withdrew from the Hadhramaut in 1961, but Beydoun would continue to publish books and papers on the geology of the Yemen. On his return to Oxford, Beydoun completed his doctorate on the basis of his field work in that country.
His remaining career in the oil industry and academia
Upon rejoining IPC, Beydoun was posted to Qatar but following retrenchment of company operations, he was seconded to Calouste GulbenkianCalouste Gulbenkian
Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian was an Armenian businessman and philanthropist. He played a major role in making the petroleum reserves of the Middle East available to Western development...
's firm, Partex
Partex
Partex Oil and Gas Corporation is an oil company which is fully owned by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, from Lisbon, Portugal.-History:...
. In 1963 he returned to Lebanon, taking up the post of assistant professor at AUB and acting as geology advisor to the Ministry of National Economy. In 1966 he took charge of Marathon Oil
Marathon Oil
Marathon Oil Corporation is a United States-based oil and natural gas exploration and production company. Principal exploration activities are in the United States, Norway, Equatorial Guinea, Angola and Canada. Principal development activities are in the United States, the United Kingdom, Norway,...
's Middle East and North African evaluation studies, returning to the AUB in 1970 as professor of geology while retaining an advisory role with Marathon.
In 1977, Beydoun and his colleagues at the AUB formed the Lebanese Geological Society. In 1993, he married Muntaha Saghiyeh (a distinguished archaeologist in her own right). In 1987, he became a scientific director of a World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
/UNDP project on hydrocarbons in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. In 1990, he was patron of the Oxford University Expedition to north Yemen, which undertook a geological study of Kohlan in Hajjah province. In 1992, he was made Emeritus Professor of the AUB.
Books and awards
Ziad Beydoun wrote extensively about the geology of the Middle East, with numerous books and articles (see selected bibliography below) including The Stratigraphy and Structure of the Eastern Aden Protectorate (1964) and The Middle East: Regional Geology and Petroleum Resources (1998). In 1994, he received the William Smith MedalWilliam Smith Medal
The William Smith Medal is a medal of the Geological Society of London, awarded for outstanding research in applied or economic geology. It was first awarded in 1977...
from the Geological Society of London
Geological Society of London
The Geological Society of London is a learned society based in the United Kingdom with the aim of "investigating the mineral structure of the Earth"...
for his “outstanding achievement in petroleum geology”. He joked that it was good to receive the medal while he was still alive. In 1995, he was awarded the Medal of the National Order of the Cedar
National Order of the Cedar
The National Order of the Cedar is a prestigious civilian and military award and Medal of the Lebanese Government. This Order is the highest decoration in Lebanon and is made up of five Grades :* Grand Cordon...
by the Government of Lebanon for “distinguished services to geological investigations and research”. The Ziad Beydoun Memorial Award is given each year at the annual convention of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists
American Association of Petroleum Geologists
The American Association of Petroleum Geologists is one of the world's largest professional geological societies with over 31,000 members as of 2007. The AAPG works to advance the science of geology , to promote technology, and to inspire high professional conduct...
in recognition of the best AAPG poster session paper presented at the previous year’s International conference.
Ziad Beydoun died on 7 March 1998. In late September of the same year, the Prime Minister of Yemen presented his widow with the Republic’s Science Medal, awarded posthumously to him in recognition of his unique contribution to the study of Yemeni geology.
Selected bibliography
- "Synopsis of the Geology of the Eastern Aden Protectorate". Report 21st. International Geological Congress, Copenhagen, 21st, 131-149. 1960.
- Geological map of Eastern Aden Protectorate, British Directorate of Overseas Surveys, 1:1,000,000. (D.O.S. (Geol.) 1148). 1963.
The Stratigraphy and Structure of the Eastern Aden Protectorate, Overseas Geology and Mineral Resources Supp. Ser., Bull. Supp. 5, 107pp. HMSO London. 1964.
- "Eastern Aden Protectorate and part of Dhufar", Geology of the Arabian Peninsula, U.S.G.S. Profess. Paper 560H, 49pp. Washington D.C. 1966.
- "Aden Protectorate and Dhufar", Lexique Stratigraphique International, (ed.) L.Duberret, Vol. III, fasc. 10b2, 126 p, CNRS Paris. (with Greenwood, J.E.G.W.,) 1968.
- "Southern Arabia and Northern Somalia: Comparative Geology", Phil. Trans. Royal Society London, A 267: 267-292. 1970.
- "Geology of Socotra Island, Gulf of Aden" Quarterly Journal Geological Society, London, 125: 413-446. (done with Bichan, H.R.,) 1970.
- "The Gulf of Aden and North West Arabian Sea", Ocean Basins and Marins, 6, The Indian Ocean, (eds) A.E.M. Narin and F.G.Stehli. Ch. 6: 253-313, Pienum Pub. Corp., New York. 1982.
- "The Petroleum Resources Of The Middle East: A Review", Journal of Petroleum Geology, 9: 5-28. 1986.
- The Middle East: Regional Geology and Petroleum Resource, Scientific Press, Beaconsfield UK, 292 p. 1988.
- "Hydrocarbon prospects of the Red Sea-Gulf of Aden: A Review", Journal of Petroleum Geology, 12: 125-144. 1989a.
- "Hydrocarbon potential of the Deep (pre-Mesozoic) Formations in the Middle East Arab Countries", Proceeding OAPEC/ADNOC Seminar on Deep Formations in the Arab countries: Hydrocarbon Potential and Exploration Techniques, Abu Dhabi, Oct. 1989, 31-84.
- "Arabian Plate Hydrocarbon Geology and Potential – a Plate Tectonic Approach", AAPG Studies in Geology No. 33, Tulsa, OK, 77p. 1990.
- "Arabian Plate Hydrocarbon Geology And Potential - A Plate Tectonic Approach",(Eds), Studies In Geology, American Association Of Petroleum Geologists, 33, 77, 1991.
- "Red Sea-Gulf of Aden: Re-assessment of Hydrocarbon Potential", Marine and Petroleum Geology, 9 (5): 478-485 (with Sikander, A.H.,) 1992.
- "The Red Sea-Gulf of Aden: Biostratigraphy, Lithostratigraphy and Paleoenvironments", Journal of Petroleum Geology, 15, 135-156. (with Hughes, G.W.,) 1992.
- "The Qishn Formation, Yemen: Lithofacies and Hydrocarbon Habitat", Marine and Petroleum Geology, 10 (4): 364-372. (with Bamahmoud, M.O., and Nani, A.S.O.,) 1993.
- Geological Evolution and Hydrocarbon Potential of the Deep Formations in The Middle East Arab Countries Proceeding to the Second Seminar on hydrocarbon potential of the Deep Formations in the Arab Countries, OAPEC, Cairo, Oct. 1994. 52p. 1994.
- "Productive Middle East Clastic Reservoirs: Their Depositional Settings and Origin of their Hydrocarbons: Sedimentary Facies Analysis", (ed.) A.G. Plint, Special Public. International Association of Sedimentologists, 22: 331-354. 1995.
- "Sedimentary Basins of the Republic of Yemen: Their Structural Evolution and Geological Characteristics", Revde I’Instit. Francais du Petrole, 51 (6): 763-775.
- "Rift sedimentation and Tectonics in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Region", Journal of Petroleum Geology, 19: 235-245, 1996.
- "Introduction to the revised Mesozoic Stratigraphy and Nomenclature for Yemen", Marine and Petroleum Geology, 14, special issue on Yemen, 1997.
External links
- Looking for Yemen's Hidden Treasure http://www.slb.com/~/media/Files/resources/mearr/wer12/rel_pub_mewer12_2.ashx
- In the Heart of the Desert, photographs and text http://www.greenmountainpress.co.uk