The Gulf Was Never Empty: Sasanian Forts, Monasteries & Global Trade

Was the pre-oil Arabian Gulf a “blank slate” or a vibrant hub of global trade? Discover how Sasanian fortresses, Nestorian monasteries, and multilingual Radhanite merchants connected the UAE to a global network stretching from France to Tang Dynasty China.

Contrary to the myth of an empty desert, the Arabian Gulf in Late Antiquity and the Early Islamic period was a contested frontier and a bustling center of the first globalized economy. The region saw the clash of the Sasanian Empire and migrating Arab tribes (the Azd), who navigated complex treaties and survived the destruction of legendary qanats (aque...