The Center of the World - by Allen James Fromherz (Hardcover)

About the Book

"There is far more to the history of the Gulf than oil, airports and skyscrapers. For over 4000 years, the Gulf has been a global crossroads, at the center of world history while managing to avoid control by the world's greatest empires in Arabia, Persia and Babylon. Taking advantage of the geography of mountains, deserts, marshes and the monsoon, the people of the Gulf still benefited from the wealth gained from connecting empires. Focusing each chapter on different ports around the Gulf, this sweeping history 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 benefit the Gulf region today"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

This sweeping history reorients our understanding of the Middle East, placing the Gulf at the heart of globalized trade and cross-cultural encounters.

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.

From the Back Cover

"This is an excellent, engagingly written overview of the political and commercial history of a crucial waterway mostly known for the vagaries of the oil that has flowed through it in modern times."--R. P. Matthee, University of Delaware, in Choice

"Remarkably accessible, this book offers an authoritative history of the Gulf, boldly linking the region to the wider currents of global history."--Dale F. Eickelman, author of The Middle East and Central Asia: An Anthropological Approach

"Simply compelling! Allen Fromherz does for the Gulf what Braudel did for the Mediterranean."--G. R. Garthwaite, Jane and Raphael Bernstein Professor in Asian Studies and Professor Emeritus of History at Dartmouth College

"The best historical interpretation of the gulf geography . . . A must read for anyone with an interest in the Middle East, Persia, and economic history." --Ansgar Baums, Senior Fellow, Stimson Center

Review Quotes

"An engaging study of a neglected region in the global historical narrative."-- "H-Net Reviews"

"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."-- "Informed Comment"

"In a very readable history, Fromherz provides a millennia-long narrative replete with fascinating details."-- "Asian Review of Books"

About the Author

Allen James Fromherz is Professor of History and Director of the Middle East Studies Center at Georgia State University. He is author of Qatar: A Modern History and Ibn Khaldun: Life and Times and editor of The Gulf in World History: Arabia at the Global Crossroads.