The entry of the Portuguese into the waters of the Arabian Gulf in the early 16th century marked a pivotal moment in the region's history. Portugal sought to monopolize navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and control the main ports that connected trade between India and East Asia with Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean. This book reveals how the Gulf became a battleground between the Portuguese and the Mamluks, and then the Ottomans. It also highlights the rise of Omani society and the Arabian Gulf emirates, which successfully built an organized resistance that overturned the balance of power and paved the way for the collapse of the Portuguese project. A documented reading of the struggle for maritime passages in the Gulf and its role in shaping the modern regional order.