{"product_id":"center-of-the-world-a-global-history-of-the-persian-gulf-from-the-stone-age-to-the-present","title":"Center of the World: A Global History of the Persian Gulf from the Stone Age to the Present","description":"\u003cb\u003eThis sweeping history reorients our understanding of the Middle East, placing the Gulf at the heart of globalized trade and cross-cultural encounters.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 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, \u003ci\u003eThe Center of the World\u003c\/i\u003e shows us that contradictions that define our modern age have always been present. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 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, \u003ci\u003eThe Center of the World\u003c\/i\u003e 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.","brand":"Allen James Fromherz","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46348348424428,"sku":"9780520398559","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/1791\/3068\/files\/9780520398559.jpg?v=1744122972","url":"https:\/\/allstora.com\/products\/center-of-the-world-a-global-history-of-the-persian-gulf-from-the-stone-age-to-the-present","provider":"Allstora","version":"1.0","type":"link"}