Research on the Arabian Peninsula has only gained momentum in the last two decades. At first glance, this is surprising: the region was considered the middle of the last century as underdeveloped and geopolitically insignificant - with the exception of the coastal regions of the Red Sea and Persian Gulf as well as geostrategic hubs (e.g. Aden), which were of great importance for European imperialism from the 19th century onwards.
This was followed from the 1960s onwards in the light of the development of raw material reserves and corresponding capital inflows, an unprecedented economic and
social upheaval, which in most cases was accompanied with the formation of independent states. The article by Thomas Würtz examines the role of Islam in the formation of identity in the states of the Arabian Peninsula in this area.
 

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