Hurmuz

The Strait of Hormuz and the History of the World from the First Migrations to the Modern Middle East

Before the Strait of Hormuz became the world’s most watched energy chokepoint, it was a drowned plain, a migration corridor, a Bronze Age trade route, a medieval island kingdom, and the gate through which empires tried to command the seas.

Hurmuz tells that full story in one sweeping narrative. Beginning with geology, post-glacial flooding, and the first human movements out of Africa, this book follows the making of the Persian Gulf world through ancient trade, Persian and Islamic empires, the rise of medieval Hormuz, Portuguese and British power, the pearl age, oil, tanker wars, and the geopolitical crises of the twenty-first century.

Written with the momentum of story but grounded in real history, Hurmuz is for readers of world history, maritime history, Middle East history, and geopolitical nonfiction. It explains not only what happened at this narrow passage, but why the Strait of Hormuz still matters to trade, empire, energy, and global risk today.