This book is the first in-depth study of early Arab immigrants to Britain, and provides a unique insight into their everyday lives. During the First World War, several thousand Arab seafarers arrived in a number of British ports; most came from the Yemen and neighbouring parts of Britain's Aden Protectorate. They represent the first significant Muslim communities to settle in Britain.

The book focuses on Tyneside because this is the only area for which there are extensive local archival sources

Events on Tyneside are set in their national and international contexts. Throughout the interwar period, declining employment opportunities in shipping brought intense competition for jobs, and the Arab seamen found themselves unwanted guests; discrimination, abuse, regulation and control intensified.