1.10. Geography's revenge. Arabia since the 9th century.

Arabia is one of only a handful of regions that were never colonized (with the exception of Aden). Not because it's impossible to unlock, but because nobody really bothered. There were only two periods in history when Arabia was of global importance: the last time was due to the discovery of oil, the first time was the result of the emergence of Islam. During the millennium in between these short periods, its unhabitable environment condemned Arabia to obscurity. Only the coastal regions were in regular contact with the outside world. In the isolated mountains of Yemen and Oman, like in the barren deserts of central Arabia, unorthodox movements flourished: hyper-conservative Sunnism, Ibadism and Zaydism. We try to explain their emergence by focussing on their environment.  The episode is named after an influential book by Robert Kaplan.