During the years 1797-1820 the Qasimi Arabs or Qawasim, inhabitants of the present day United Arab Emirates, acquired an enduring reputation as ruthless pirates. Some of their victims flew the British flag, and thus their actions were to provide the initial stimulus and justification for 150 years of British involvement in the Gulf. Recently, however, it has been doubted whether the Qawasim were in fact pirates. This scholarly but accessible account founded on contemporary sources, illustrated with testimonies of eye-witnesses and participants, sets out to decide this controversial question. This in-depth investigation makes use of hitherto untapped archival material. It helps to explain why the Gulf is as it is today while strongly evoking a flavour of life in this turbulent and fomative period of the region’s history.