ABSTRACT
Secondly,theupsetsoftheperiodwereoutgrowthsof powerfulsocialandculturalphenomenathatdistinguishlate seventeenthcenturyandeighteenthcenturyArabiaasoneofthe mostremarkableperiodsinthepeninsula'shistory.Itisnotan accidentthatmostoftheexistingpoliticalentitiesliningeastern Arabia'sGulfshoresemergedasdistinctstatesduringtheeighteenth century.Althoughtheirfoundationandearlygrowthreflectedmany ofthetraditionalpatternsofstatebuildingintheregion,theyalso resultedfrommovementsidentifiedspecificallywiththeeighteenth century.Onemajorsocialphenomenonoftheperiodwasa demographicupheavalofunusualstrength.Migrationshadlongbeen acharacteristicoflifeintheregionandaprimecauseofpolitical change.Thelateseventeenthandtheeighteenthcentury,however, sawrelativelymassivemovementsofentiretribes,generallyoutof Arabia'sinterior,eastwardtotheGulf,ornorthwardintoSyria,Iraq, orevenKhuzistaninIran(whichbecameknownasArabistanby manywesternersasaresultofwholesalesettlementbymigrant Arabs);sectionsofsomeArabtribessubsequentlymovedacrossthe GulftovariousIranianGulfportsasexemplifiedbytheHuwalaArabs ortheAlMadhkurofBushire.Duringtheeighteenthcenturythe demographicmapoftheGulfregionwasalteredextensivelythrough dispersaloftribes,theirsubsections,andevenfamilygroupsinto differentlocalities.Whilenewarrivalstendedtosettleinspecific locations(atleastforafewdecades)theydidnotregardthemselves asparticularlytiedtoagiventerritory.Rather,theyoperatedas autonomoustriballyorganizedgroupsquitewillingtomoveonagain ifitwouldadvancetheircollectivefortunes.Thiswouldbe accomplishedthroughestablishingorcontrollingcertaineconomic activities:overlordshipofafertiledatepalmproducingarea;control ofseaportsandtowns;divingforpearls;conductingcaravans;and eventuallyengaginginsophisticatedmaritime-orientedactivities suchassailingtradeshipsorcarryingonthecommercialactivities attendingtheseoccupations.OnceatribemigratedintotheGulf area,subsectionsofthelargergroupoftensecededfromtherestof thetribeandlefttheiroriginalplacesofsettlementtomoveonto evenmorepromisingsurroundings.8
