Pirates or Patriots?

Piracy in the Gulf uncovers the contested history behind Britain’s nineteenth-century campaign against the so-called “Pirate Coast” — today’s United Arab Emirates. Using QDL colonial records, newly digitised by the British Library/Qatar Foundation Partnership, the film reveals how local Arab tribes’ raids and maritime rivalries were rebranded as “piracy” to justify military action, treaties, and decades of British dominance. It also traces the foreign origins of the Arabic word qarṣanah, showing how language itself became a tool of empire. This short film challenges enduring myths, exposing how power, trade, and words shaped the Gulf’s history.