# The Center of the World: A Global History of the Persian Gulf from the Stone Age to the Present - Hardcover

by **Allen James Fromherz** (Author)

**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.

### Back Jacket

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  

### Author Biography

**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_.

**Number of Pages:** 360

**Dimensions:** 1.3 x 9.1 x 5.9 IN

**Publication Date:** September 03, 2024

## Details

- **Price:** 29.95 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 29.95 USD | In stock |

## Images

- The Center of the World: A Global History of the Persian Gulf from the Stone Age to the Present - Hardcover

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