{"product_id":"the-center-of-the-world-allen-james-fromherz-9780520398559","title":"The 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Allen James Fromherz\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0520398556\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780520398559\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of California Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/03\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 384\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover","brand":"Allen James Fromherz","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":45265353474303,"sku":"9780520398559","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_dc3cbfe8-fce8-4509-af29-99a07886a80c.jpg?v=1713420710","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-center-of-the-world-allen-james-fromherz-9780520398559","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}