Lawrence G. Potter

The Persian Gulf in history

Introduction L.G.Potter PART I: GULF HISTORY AND SOCIETY The Archaeology and Early History of the Persian Gulf D.Potts The Persian Gulf in the Pre-Islamic Period: Sasanian Perspectives T.Daryaee he Gulf in the Early Islamic Period D.Whitcomb The Kings of Hormuz M.B.Vosoughi Boom and Bust: The Port of Basra in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century R.Matthee The Cultural Unity of the Indian Ocean M.R.Bhacker The Gulf and the Swahili Coast: A History of Acculturation over the Longue Duree A.Sheriff Ties between India and the Gulf P.Risso The Arab Presence on the Iranian Coast of the Persian Gulf S.Nadjmabadi Gulf Society Today: An Anthropologists View of the Khalijis W.Beeman PART II: THE ROLE OF OUTSIDERS The Portuguese Presence in the Persian Gulf J.Teles e Cunha Dutch Relations with the Persian Gulf W.Floor The Ottoman Role in the Gulf F.Anscombe Britain and the Gulf: At the Periphery of Empire J.Peterson The U.S. Role in the Gulf G.Sick

Security in the Persian Gulf : origins, obstacles, and the search for consensus

The Historical Pattern of Gulf Security J.E.Peterson The Gulfs Ethnic Diversity: An Evolutionary History M.Izady The Erosion of Consensus: Perceptions of GCC States of a Changing Region I.A.Karawan The Regional Security System in the Persian Gulf S.Lotfian On the Persian Gulf Islands: An Iranian Perspective J.Roshandel The Islands Question: An Arabian Perspective H.Al-Alkim The Islands Dispute: A Commentary R.Schofield The New Generation in Saudi Arabia: Cultural Change, Political Identity, and Regime Security M.Yamani The Coming Generation in Iran: Challenges and Opportunities H.Semati Mutual Realities, Perceptions and Impediments Between the GCC States and Iran: GCC Views A.K.Al-Shayji Looking for Deliverance: Iraq and the Gulf R.Alkadiri Mutual Perceptions in the Persian Gulf Region: An Iranian Perspective B.Khajehpour-Khouei

The Rise and Fall of Port Cities in the Persian Gulf

It is striking that many port cities in the Persian Gulf have had only a temporary period of fluorescence. A number of the great ports in history have now been abandoned and forgotten, while the megaports built on oil wealth are relatively new. The port cities connected the Gulf region to the Indian Ocean and the wider world, and were central to integrating the social and economic life of the littoral.1 The rise and fall of ports there has been a feature throughout its history, having to do with both changing geographical as well as political and economic conditions. No one city ever dominated the entire Gulf, and the fall of one port city always led to the rise of another.