| Aden and the Indian Ocean Trade: 150 Years in the Life of a Medieval Arabian Port Contributor(s): Margariti, Roxani Eleni (Author) |
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ISBN: 1469614928 ISBN-13: 9781469614922 Publisher: University of North Carolina Press OUR PRICE: $42.75 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: March 2014 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Middle East - General - History | Europe - Medieval - Social Science | Islamic Studies |
| Dewey: 382.095 |
| LCCN: 2006023439 |
| Series: Islamic Civilization and Muslim Networks |
| Physical Information: 0.81" H x 5.5" W x 8.5" (1.01 lbs) 360 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Middle East - Chronological Period - Medieval (500-1453) |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Positioned at the crossroads of the maritime routes linking the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, the Yemeni port of Aden grew to be one of the medieval world's greatest commercial hubs. Approaching Aden's history between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries through the prism of overseas trade and commercial culture, Roxani Eleni Margariti examines the ways in which physical space and urban institutions developed to serve and harness the commercial potential presented by the city's strategic location. Utilizing historical and archaeological methods, Margariti draws together a rich variety of sources far beyond the normative and relatively accessible legal rulings issued by Islamic courts of the time. She explores environmental, material, and textual data, including merchants' testimonies from the medieval documentary repository known as the Cairo Geniza. Her analysis brings the port city to life, detailing its fortifications, water supply, harbor, customs house, marketplaces, and ship-building facilities. She also provides a broader picture of the history of the city and the ways merchants and administrators regulated and fostered trade. Margariti ultimately demonstrates how port cities, as nodes of exchange, communication, and interconnectedness, are crucial in Indian Ocean and Middle Eastern history as well as Islamic and Jewish history. |
Contributor Bio(s): Margariti, Roxani Eleni: - Roxani Eleni Margariti is assistant professor of Middle Eastern and South Asian studies at Emory University. |