This recording contains a series of discussions referencing North Africa and the Middle East. Discussions include description of ancient Egyptian papyrus-making methods, as recorded by Pliny the Elder; discussion of the mountainous topography of Lebanon and its effects on trade and writing; description of the paper production methods using reeds at the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Iraq; observations about the Yazidis of northern Iraq; decription of the discovery of a clay tablet marked with the name Nebuchadnezzar; observations about the Temple of Jupiter at Baalbek in Lebanon; observations about the musical instruments discovered in Tutankhamun's tomb; a description of petrified wood found near the Gulf of Suez in Egypt; and a description of oxen-powered irrigation techniques used along the Blue Nile in North Africa, near Khartoum in Sudan. North African and Middle Eastern music is dispersed throughout.