{"product_id":"the-center-of-the-world","title":"The Center of the World","description":"This sweeping history reorients our understanding of the Middle East, placing the Gulf at the heart of globalized trade and cross-cultural encounters. \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":"University of California","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57603109585222,"sku":"9780520398559","price":32.14,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0852\/3081\/3510\/files\/aec6fbee4ac1b0a3a3ab78fe1921db25e1a02bc86fb35166e32c159d3ed8bb90.jpg?v=1792072030","url":"https:\/\/www.averdo.com\/en\/products\/the-center-of-the-world","provider":"Averdo","version":"1.0","type":"link"}