Some error occured while loading the Quick View. Please close the Quick View and try reloading the page.
World history began in the Persian Gulf. The ancient port cities that dotted its coastlines created the first global seaboard, a place from where faiths and cultures from around the world set sail and made contact. More than a history, The Center of the World shows us that contradictions that define our modern age have always been present.
For over four thousand years, the Gulf—sometimes called the Persian Gulf, sometimes the Arabian Gulf—has been a global crossroads while managing to avoid control by the world’s greatest empires. In its history, we see a world of rapid change, fluctuating centers of trade, a dependency on uncertain global markets, and intense cross-cultural encounters that hold a mirror to the contemporary world. Focusing each chapter on a different port around the Gulf, The Center of the World shows how the people of the Gulf adapted to larger changes in world history, creating a system of free trade, merchant rule, and commerce that continues to define the region today.
"Many authors would be daunted by the task of synthesizing over four millennia of history in a geographical area that encompasses eight different modern states. But Fromherz rises to the challenge. . . . He chronologically presents the stories of six different port cities in the Gulf that, in turn, open the door to exploring different historical eras in the region."
“An engaging study of a neglected region in the global historical narrative.”
“The Center of the World . . . champions the exceptionalism of the Gulf region – an idea that is still subject to considerable debate in regional historiography. This is a well-written and erudite history.”
“A sweeping history of the Persian Gulf as a sea that unites more than it divides.”
“Tracks the Gulf’s history by looking at the port cities and trading entrepôts that emerged there, starting in the Stone Age and working up to present-day Dubai, a glittering manifestation of a cosmopolitan ethic that came about in pre-Islamic times.”
“A fascinating analysis of Persian Gulf history that challenges many of the frameworks used to understand the region and world history.”
“The Centre of the World will be an enjoyable read for those interested in the history and politics of this region, which is always at the forefront of the news.”
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Note on Transliteration
Chronology
Introduction. The Global Gulf: Center of the World
1. Dilmun: From the Beginning of World Trade to the Rise of Islam (2800 bce–632 ce)
2. Basra: Where Islam Became a World Religion (632–1000)
3. Siraf: Boom and Bust in the Medieval Gulf (1000–1500)
4. Hormuz: How the Gulf Shaped a European Empire (1500–1793)
5. Muscat: Oman, the British, and the Long Nineteenth Century (1793–1945)
6. Dubai: The Global Gulf in a Global Age (1945–Present)
Conclusion. The Future of the Global Gulf
Notes
Bibliography
Index