Synopses & Reviews
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 The book comprises a brief but masterly historical account that has never been superseded.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.
Review
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 It is not likely that this superb work will be superseded in the near future.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
Review
"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 It is not likely that this superb work will be superseded in the near future."--Digest of Middle East Studies
Review
"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
Synopsis
"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
Synopsis
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.
Synopsis
"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
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 157-177) and index.
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 |