Allen James Fromherz

Born on a Christmas tree farm in rural Oregon in 1980, Dr. Fromherz's interest in the Middle East and North Africa began during his Fulbright research scholarship to Morocco. He also spent several years teaching and researching in the Gulf. His latest book is The Center of the World: A Global History of the Persian Gulf from the Stone Age to the Present. It reorients our understanding of the Middle East, showing the Gulf as a center of cross cultural encounters. Dr. Fromherz’s first book was on the rise of the Berber Almohad Empire. His second book describes the life and times of Ibn Khaldun: the famous Muslim thinker and historian. Qatar, a Modern History; The Gulf in World History and Sultan Qaboos and Modern Oman, all examine the cosmopolitan and diverse stories of the Khalij. Dr. Fromherz is currently a Professor of Gulf, Middle East, Medieval Mediterranean and Islamic history at Georgia State University. He is Director of the Middle East Studies Center.