Examines the development of a socioeconomic region in Iraq, Arabia, and the Gulf during a 150-year period, focusing on regional ties through long-distance trade networks.

This history of trade in Iraq, Arabia, and the Gulf basin over the course of 150 years establishes the interconnectedness of the Gulf region by charting the regional ties that bound disparate districts together through long-distance trade networks. Hala Fattah redraws the parameters of the history of this area, tracing the social history of the regional market from its beginnings to its last-ditch efforts to stand up to the onslaught of superior firepower, more efficient technology, and the inexorable rise of the world market.