The Compendium of the Histories of the Arabian Peninsula and Persia, 1622–1810 CE: A Landmark in Gulf

Abstract

This review article examines The Compendium of the Histories of the Arabian Peninsula and Persia, 1622–1810 CE, a massive 33-volume historical undertaking by His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah. Published in 2025 by Al Qasimi Publications, it is an exceptional collection of 1,473 historical documents from English, Dutch, French, Ottoman and Portuguese archives in parallel Arabic and English editions. The Compendium is the culmination of more than forty years of archival research and is probably the most comprehensive documentary history of the Arabian Gulf ever assembled. The review looks at the scope of the work, its methodological approach, its contribution to scholarship, and its potential to transform historical research on the Gulf and the wider Indian Ocean world. It argues that the Compendium not only fills an important gap in the historical record but also sets a new paradigm for documentary historiography in the Arab world by combining rigorous archival scholarship with unprecedented accessibility for researchers across the globe.