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Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History and Sporting Witness episodes, which focus on the Arabian Peninsula to mark the start of the football World Cup in Qatar.

Our guest is Dr Wafa Alsayed, Lecturer in Political Science and History at the Gulf University for Science and Technology in Kuwait.

We hear about how the states across the peninsula won independence, and speak to the architect of the region's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.

There's also the invention of the robot camel jockey, and a pioneering female Qatari author.

On the World Cup theme, we end with the story of American popstar Diana Ross missing a penalty during the opening ceremony of the 1994 tournament.

Contributors:
Mohammed Al-Fahim on the formation of the UAE
Adrian Smith, architect of the Burj Khalifa
Kaltham Jaber, Qatari author
Esan Maruff who developed robot camel jockeys
Alan Rothenberg who organised the 1994 World Cup

(Photo: Dubai skyline. Credit: Getty Images)