The Ottoman Gulf: The Creation of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, 1870-1914 / Edition 1

by Frederick Anscombe

Overview

What caused the decline of the Ottoman empire in the Persian Gulf? Why has history credited only London, not Istanbul, with bringing about the birth of the modern Gulf States? Using the Ottoman imperial archives, as well as European and Arab sources, Anscombe explains how the combination of poor communication, scarce resources, and misplaced security concerns undermined Istanbul's control and ultimately drove the Gulf shaikhs to seek independence with ties to the British.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780231108393
Publisher:	Columbia University Press
Publication date:	10/01/1997
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.04(w) x 9.04(h) x 0.65(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Frederick F. Anscombe is assistant professor of history at American University in Bulgaria.

What People are Saying About This

L. Carl Brown

Too much modern Arab history has been written as if the Ottoman Empire had virtually no standing in the unfolding events. Anscombe corrects and enriches the record by uncovering and interpreting the significant Ottoman input without, however, slighting the Wahhibi-Saudi and British-Western sources and interpretations. All are deftly balanced in this fine study.

Editorial Reviews

The nineteenth-century Persian Gulf has been much studied but, Anscombe stresses, always relying primarily on the British archives and therefore seen predominantly from the British point of view. He instead bases his work on the Ottoman documents and sees the Gulf from the perspective of Instanbul. . . . Excellent.

Middle East Quarterly

Too much modern Arab history has been written as if the Ottoman Empire had virtually no standing in the unfolding events. Anscombe corrects and enriches the record by uncovering and interpreting the significant Ottoman input without, however, slighting the Wahhibi-Saudi and British-Western sources and interpretations. All are deftly balanced in this fine study.

L. Carl Brown