A new interdisciplinary approach to Gulf Studies

The Gulf sits at an ancient crossroads of cultures and faiths, and at the heart of modern trade stretching back to the origins of civilization. As a site of both conflict and peaceful encounter, it can be studied in the context of world history, as a place of cultural and historical encounter. From medieval astrology to museum architecture, from the trade of glass and pearls to the role of Indians, Africans, Christian monks, Mandaeans and merchants, this book spans historical periods and disciplinary approaches. It is united by one overarching theme: the Gulf as a cosmopolitan nexus and space of encounter. The chapters describe a Gulf simultaneously perched on the edge of empires and at the centre of world events. Presenting new evidence, new theoretical approaches, and new arguments, this volume aims to change understandings of the Gulf in the world.

Key Features

The first interdisciplinary study of the Gulf incorporates scholarship on cosmopolitan and global connections in archaeology, history and heritage studies
Includes contributions from leading scholars from many disciplines who link the Gulf to the history of the Mediterranean and of the Indian Ocean
Presents new ideas, new evidence and new approaches to the archaeology, theory and history of the Gulf
Focuses on diversity within the Gulf given its location on the edge of empires