Arab Seafaring: In the Indian Ocean in Ancient and Early Medieval Times - Expanded Edition

by George F. Hourani

Overview

In this classic work George Hourani deals with the history of the sea trade of the Arabs in the Indian Ocean from its obscure origins many centuries before Christ to the time of its full extension to China and East Africa in the ninth and tenth centuries. The book comprises a brief but masterly historical account that has never been superseded. The author gives attention not only to geography, meteorology, and the details of travel, but also to the ships themselves, including a discussion of the origin of stitched planking and of the lateen fore-and-aft sails. Piracy in the Indian Ocean, day-to-day life at sea, the establishment of ancient lighthouses and the production of early maritime guides, handbooks, and port directories are all described in fascinating detail. Arab Seafaring will appeal to anyone interested in Arab life or the history of navigation. For this expanded edition, John Carswell has added a new introduction, a bibliography, and notes that add material from recent archaeological research.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691214894
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	06/30/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	216
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

George Houran (1913-19840 was Professor of Near Eastern Studies at the University of Michigan. John Carswell is Director of Islamic Department at Sotheby's.

Table of Contents

	Introduction to the Expanded Edition
	Preface
Ch. I	Trade Routes in the Pre-Islamic Era Prehistory and Geography	3
	The East before Alexander	6
	The Persian Gulf in Hellenistic and Roman Times	13
	The Red Sea in Hellenistic and Roman Times	17
	The Sassanid and Byzantine Empires	36
Appendix	Direct Sailing between the Persian Gulf and China in pre-Islamic Times	46
Ch. II	Trade Routes Under the Caliphate General Consequences of the Islamic Expansion	51
	The Arabs on the Mediterranean	53
	Persian and Arab Sea Trade with the Far East	61
	East Africa and the Coasts of Africa	79
	Later Times	83
Ch. III	The Ships Hulls and Their Equipment	89
	Masts and Sails	100
	Navigation and Life at Sea	105
Appendix	Four Sea Stories	114
	Notes on Chapter I	129
	Notes on Chapter II	140
	Notes on Chapter III	150
	Bibliography	157
	Index	179

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"In Arab Seafaring George Hourani reviews—crisply, comprehensively and authoritatively—the story of Arab trade routes and the ships that plied them, from earliest times to the Middle Ages. His book is as indispensable today as it was when first published forty years ago; there is no other that covers this significant martime history."—Lionel Casson, author of The Ancient Mariners

Lionel Casson

In Arab Seafaring George Hourani reviews—crisply, comprehensively and authoritatively—the story of Arab trade routes and the ships that plied them, from earliest times to the Middle Ages. His book is as indispensable today as it was when first published forty years ago; there is no other that covers this significant martime history.
— Lionel Casson, author of "The Ancient Mariners"

Editorial Reviews

"All in all, this brief account is rich in the depth of its analyses and in the authoritative sources cited, both Western and Arab. . . . It is not likely that this superb work will be superseded in the near future."

Digest of Middle East Studies

"This reprint of Professor Hourani's elegant monograph forty-five years after its first publication is a tribute to the soundness of his original conception and the excellence of its presentation. Hardly a word seems to need emendation."

Asian Affairs

"In Arab Seafaring George Hourani reviews—crisply, comprehensively and authoritatively—the story of Arab trade routes and the ships that plied them, from earliest times to the Middle Ages. His book is as indispensable today as it was when first published forty years ago; there is no other that covers this significant martime history."—Lionel Casson, author of The Ancient Mariners

From the Publisher