On January 10, 2020, the Sultanate of Oman mourned the death of Qābūs Bin Sa‘īd Āl-Būsa‘īdī, a revered monarch whose fifty-year reign set an absolute record in the Arab world for longevity. Throughout these years, Sultan Qābūs crafted a legacy as the founder of mo- dern Oman, dedicated to rapidly developing the country through oil wealth and inspired by the myth of «nahda» or «renaissance.» Since assuming power in 1970, the influx of Asian migrant workers has continuously increased, reaching 40% of the population today. To counter this demographic balance, Sultan Qābūs, driven by natio- nalism, implemented an «Omanization» plan in 1988, which is still in effect today, aiming to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign labor. During his reign, while the migration of Asian workers continued to rise, the oil and gas resources were depleting. Shortly before his death, this situation led Qābūs to conceive a new development policy known as «Oman Vision 2040.» Now, it is the responsibility of his cou- sin, the current Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq, to continue the work started. Between the end of a successful reign for Sultan Qābūs and the begin- ning of Haitham’s, «Ashes of the Arabian’s Pearl» seeks to explore this period of monarchical transition, marked by an urgent need for eco- nomic diversification in the face of diminishing oil and gas resources. For nearly three years, from 2021 to 2023, this documentary project emerged from a desire to closely observe the dynamics of economic development and the subjective future of this Gulf monarchy. This photographic research invokes the past – the glorious time of Qābūs – by using a concept of urban geography, the «tomason,» as a tool to designate a singular category of objects, spaces, buildings that intrigue us because they seem out of place, known to be rem- nants of the forgotten past. But what past? Why are they there? What were they used for? How long will they remain? These memory signs reflect the connection between space – that of territorial develop- ment – and time – that of Qābūs’s glorious reign – in nostalgic and memorial processes. «Ashes of the Arabian’s Pearl» also delves into the lives of thousands of men, the workforce and builders of the country, mainly from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. This project aimed to illustrate their ma- jor roles in the ongoing development policy while highlighting their working conditions often neglected by Omani decision-makers and entrepreneurs. Because workers are not the only actors in this development, this do- cumentary project also intends to show, contrary to the employees, the prevailing lifestyles of Omani entrepreneurs and their families. It ultimately seeks to create a dialogue between two categories of po- pulations – those who employ and those who are employed. A series of portraits – sometimes in the form of opposition in diptychs – but not only, underline the connections and hierarchies embodied in this phenomenon of globalized labor migration. «Ashes of the Arabian’s Pearl» is a multidisciplinary project combining a corpus of archives (resignation letters, canceled visas, medical or- ders and reports, pay stubs, dietary regimes, circulars, time sheets, etc.), sound recordings, objects found in abandoned labor camps – photographed in the studio as an inventory – (work tools, clothing, maps, personal items, etc.), and a set of over a hundred medium-for- mat photographs. Much like the Sultanate of Oman itself, this project stands at the in- tersection of a dual temporality, becoming a bridge between the past and the present.