He constructed a framework of regional geology that others will be building upon for the next hundred years. Beydoun was the towering figure in the geology of the Middle East. But he was also an educator who loved teaching, and a key strategist and surveyor for leading oil companies. Beydoun saw the big picture, remembers Walley, but he never lost the practical approach honed during 16 years in the deserts of Arabia and Yemen.
Many people today write more and more about less and less.
Ziad looked at the broad sweep. Plus, he'd been there and seen it. He'd not just studied the rocks - he'd seen and felt them. He then studied geology to doctorate level at St Peter's College, Oxford, while at the same time launching a career as a geologist for leading oil companies. After completing his Oxford undergraduate studies in 1948, Beydoun joined the Iraqi Petroleum Company and spent the next 15 years active in surface and subsurface geology across the Middle East - mainly in the deserts of Arabia and Yemen.