Middle Eastern history Books

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Book SynopsisThe Mediterranean coast of Turkey, also known as the "Turquoise Coast", is rich with natural beauty and historic remains. In the spring and summer of 1965 Michael Pereira set out to discover this region, before a government push to develop the area for tourism forever altered the landscape. Mountains and a Shore is Pereira''s account of his travels. Starting his journey in Antalya, Pereira criss-crosses the coast from Marmaris to Mersin. He travels by bus, lorry -- even donkey -- for he believes, "It is only by travelling in the same style as the people of the country that one can properly get to know that county and its people". Pereira speaks Turkish fluently and through his encounters with drivers and café owners, farmers and schoolchildren, he shows the Turkish people to be generous, proud, and resilient. As David Mason writes in his new foreword, "The Turkish word for the Mediterranean is Akdeniz, the White Sea, but the land between the Black and White Seas is polychromatic, swirlingly complex, contradictory, challenging, and often heart-stoppingly beautiful. Getting to know Turkey is not always easy, even now. Time travel with Michael Pereira is an excellent way to begin.

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Book SynopsisThe United States seeks an Iraq that is sovereign, stable, and self-reliant; an Iraqi Government that is just, representative, and accountable; neither a safe haven for, nor sponsor of, terrorism; integrated into the global economy; and a long-term partner contributing to regional peace and security. The United States is pursuing this goal along political, security, economic, diplomatic, and rule of law lines of operation. In 2009, the war in Iraq appears to be winding down, as security gains made since the height of the insurgency in 2006 and 2007 continue to be sustained, and as Iraqis increasingly seek management of their own affairs. A new U.S.-Iraqi Security Agreement that went into effect on January 1, which confirmed the Iraqi''s responsibility for their own security, introduced a new era in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and in U.S.-Iraqi bilateral relations. This book measures the stability and security in Iraq today, and looks at the strategies, approaches, results and "winding down" of military involvement of Operation Iraqi Freedom. This book consists of public documents which have been located, gathered, combined, reformatted, and enhanced with a subject index, selectively edited and bound to provide easy access.

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Book SynopsisThe circumstances surrounding the collapse of the Camp David summit between U.S. president Bill Clinton, Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Yasser Arafat in July 2000 are still hotly debated by scholars and experts of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In pointing out the myriad of reasons for the breakdown, some have pointed to flaws in leaders'' personalities and differences in negotiation styles; others have stressed the lack of sufficient preparations for the summit and the initial unbridgeable differences between the parties attending it. Most experts, however, agree that domestic considerations played a major role in the summit progression and eventual breakdown. This book highlights the attempts to salvage peace against the backdrop of intensifying violence during the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and the role of domestic factors, particularly public opinion in determining the conduct of Israelis and Palestinians since the beginning of the second intifada. This book consists of public documents which have been located, gathered, combined, reformatted, and enhanced with a subject index, selectively edited and bound to provide easy access.

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Book SynopsisThis book includes the entire spectrum of contemporary politics and economics of the Middle East. The coverage is intended to deal with the Middle East, its political dynamics, economic policies, and institutions. Included in this compilation are: the politics, elections and benchmarks of Iraq as well as a look at the Kurds in post-Saddam Iraq; the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA), economic conditions and elections of 2009; Israeli-Arab negotiations; Jordan and its background and U.S. relations; the United Arab Emirates Nuclear Program; U.S. security assistance to the Palestinian Authority; and the politics, government formation and performance of Afghanistan.

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Book SynopsisThis book examines the broad international support for imposing progressively strict economic sanctions on Iran to try to compel it to verifiably confine its nuclear program to purely peaceful times. Additionally, this book analyses the current unrest in Syria and the U.S. response to the Syrian government''s crackdown against demonstrators, providing background information on U.S. sanctions against the Asad regime and its supporters.

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Book SynopsisThe Middle East is undergoing an era of revolutionary change that is challenging the foreign policies of the United States and virtually all regional states. One of the most important rivalries defining the strategic landscape of the Middle East is between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The competition between these two states is long-standing, but is especially important now. This book examines how the successor presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has damaged relations in the Saudi-Iranian relationship along with the Saudi-led intervention into Bahrain.

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Book SynopsisAlthough Turkey still depends on the United States and other NATO allies for political and strategic support, growing economic diversification and military self-reliance allows Turkey to exercise greater leverage with the West. These trends have helped fuel continuing Turkish political transformation led in the past decade by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party (AKP), which has Islamist roots. Future domestic political developments may determine how Turkey reconciles respect for democratic views that favour Turkish nationalism and traditional Sunni Muslim values with protection of individual freedoms, minority rights, rule of law, and the principle of secular governance. This book examines U.S. relations with Turkey, with a focus on domestic and foreign policy issues; the decline in Israel-Turkey relations; and ongoing change in the Middle East region.

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Book SynopsisSeveral published reports indicate that top Israeli decision-makers now are seriously considering whether to order a military strike on Iran''s nuclear facilities. Israeli officials generally view the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran as an unacceptable threat to Israeli security, with some viewing it as an existential threat. This book analyses key factors that may influence current Israeli political decisions relating to a possible strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. These include, the views of and relationships among Israeli leaders; the views of the Israeli public; U.S., regional, and international stances and responses as perceived and anticipated by Israel; Israeli estimates of the potential effectiveness and risks of a possible strike; and responses Israeli leaders anticipate from Iran and Iranian-allied actors, including Hezbollah and Hamas, regionally and internationally.

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Book SynopsisIraq has completed a political transition from the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein to a plural polity that encompasses varying sects and ideological and political factions. That transition has been accomplished through a series of elections that began in 2005, after a one-year occupation period and a subsequent seven-month interim period of Iraqi self-governance. However, disputes over the relative claim of each community on power and economic resources permeate almost every issue in Iraq, including security, elections, economic decision making, and foreign policy. The constant infighting over these issues has contributed to popular frustration over the lack of focus on improving governance and delivery of services. This book examines the politics, governance, and human rights issues facing Iraq today.

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Book Synopsis"Seven Myths of the Crusades' rebuttal of the persistent and multifarious misconceptions associated with topics including the First Crusade, anti-Judaism and the Crusades, the crusader states, the Children's Crusade, the Templars and past and present Islamic-Christian relations proves, once and for all, that real history is far more fascinating than conspiracy theories, pseudo-history and myth-mongering. This book is a powerful witness to the dangers of the misappropriation and misinterpretation of the past and the false parallels so often drawn between the crusades and later historical events ranging from nineteenth-century colonialism to the protest movements of the 1960s to the events of 9/11. This volume's authors have venerable track records in teaching and researching the crusading movement, and anyone curious about the crusades would do well to start here." —Jessalynn Bird, Dominican University, co-Editor of Crusade and ChristendomTrade Review"I never imagined that my Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest, first published in 2003, would prove to be so enduring a format for helping students of all kinds to rethink key moments in human history. It is therefore a great honor to see that the book has now inspired Hackett Publishing Company's "Myths of History" series, expertly and effectively edited by Alfred J. Andrea and Andrew Holt." —Matthew Restall, Pennsylvania State University"Andrea and Holt's timely, readable, and informative book will hopefully go a long way towards combating some of the myths of the crusades that still circulate in the twenty-first century. . . . [Their] introduction is a real gem and one might wish that more books on the crusades for popular audiences had introductions so useful for situating readers. . . . The contributions strike a balance between presenting the complexity and messiness of the historical material with giving readable and coherent accounts. . . . This is an excellent and useful volume." —Lucas McMahon, Princeton University, in Comitatus"Seven Myths of the Crusades' rebuttal of the persistent and multifarious misconceptions associated with topics including the First Crusade, anti-Judaism and the Crusades, the crusader states, the Children's Crusade, the Templars and past and present Islamic-Christian relations proves, once and for all, that real history is far more fascinating than conspiracy theories, pseudo-history and myth-mongering. This book is a powerful witness to the dangers of the misappropriation and misinterpretation of the past and the false parallels so often drawn between the crusades and later historical events ranging from nineteenth-century colonialism to the protest movements of the 1960s to the events of 9/11. This volume's authors have venerable track records in teaching and researching the crusading movement, and anyone curious about the crusades would do well to start here." —Jessalynn Bird, Dominican University, co-Editor of Crusade and Christendom"There has long been a great need for a book like this one, and it deserves a wide dissemination among the interested reading public and journalists as well as students and professional historians. It draws on much of the best and most recent scholarship on diverse aspects of crusading, but is still written in an accessible style. It should certainly be included in any reading list for an undergraduate course on the crusades, and anyone intending to make judgmental pronouncements on the aims and character of crusading would do well to read it and reflect carefully before rushing into print." —Alan V. Murray, University of Leeds"Andrea and Holt's Seven Myths of the Crusades provides a valuable introduction to Crusades mythology. The collection covers some of the most important and most widely debated issues in crusading studies and will prove highly useful, particularly to undergraduate students and to non-academics with an interest in crusading history." —Meriem Pages, Keene State College, in Speculum "Written in a clear and accessible style, this volume rests on an impressive scholarly base supported by peer-reviewed research and up-to-date sources cited in abundant footnotes on almost every page." —G. G. Guzman, Bradley University, in CHOICE"Few historical labels carry such an emotional charge as that of 'crusade'. It is a word used both thoughtlessly and polemically, often by public figures with little understanding of the events or by those with a vested interest in the misrepresentation of both motives and outcomes. Professional historians have a duty to redress the balance, and the essays collected in this important book tackle fundamental issues ranging from the place of the crusades in relations between Islam and the West to their long-term influence on the development of anti-Semitism." —Malcolm Barber, Emeritus Professor of History, University of Reading, UK."Crusade historians frequently lament the wide gulf that separates modern scholarship from popular beliefs regarding the holy wars of the Middle Ages. In this lively book a group of those scholars tackle seven of the most intractable myths that obscure our view of the crusades. With erudition, energy, and a dose of humility this book makes the case that solid historical research brings us ever closer to historical accuracy—and that matters. The myths of the crusades may be legion, but breaking down seven of them is an excellent place to start." —Thomas F. Madden, St. Louis UniversityTable of ContentsContents: Preface Introduction: Once More into the Breach: The Continuing War against Crusade Myths 1. The First Crusade: Unprovoked Offense or Overdue Defence? -Paul F. Crawford 2. Mad Men on Crusade: Religious Madness and the Origins of the First Crusade -James M. Muldoon 3. The Crusades and Medieval Anti-Judaism: Cause or Consequence? -Daniel P. Franke 4. The Quest for Gain: Were the First Crusaders Proto-Colonists? -Corliss Slack 5. Myths of Innocence: The Making of the Children's Crusade -David L. Sheffler 6. Templars and Masons: An Origin Myth -Jace Stuckey 7. Islam and the Crusades: A Nine Hundred-Year-Long Grievance? -Mona Hammad and Edward Peters Epilogue: Putting It All Together Suggested Reading Contributor Biographies Index

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Book SynopsisHackett's Passages: Key Moments in History series titles include original-source documents in accessible editions, intended for the student-user or general audience. This edition, The Greco-Persian Wars, taps our knowledge of the Persian Empire and its interactions with the Greek world. The sources examined were created in different times and places, for different purposes, and with different intended audiences. Using these sources effectively requires recognizing their distinct characteristics. A general introduction about the Greco-Persian wars is included to provide historical background and an overview of the information contained in the original-source documents. Also included are a glossary of terms, a chronology, insightful headnotes to each document, and an index.

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Book SynopsisThe story of the incident that forged Canada's reputation as a broker of peace and a player with outsized influence in world affairs. In a world on the edge of crisis, a nation forged its identity.Shortlisted for the John W. Dafoe Book Prize“Anderson delivers a brisk, gripping yarn making excellent use of his research, including multiple interviews with surviving actors in the drama. Pearson ... is front and centre throughout. That Anderson captures him so well is a tribute to his métier as a storyteller.”— Literary Review of CanadaLester Pearson, Canada's foreign minister (and future prime minister) stands before the United Nations General Assembly. His speech, shaped by caution and hope, is a last-ditch attempt to prevent a conflict in Egypt from igniting a conflagration throughout the Middle East. He is about to carve out a razor's edge of common ground to bring together angry allies and bitter enemies by suggesting the creation of the first UN peacekeeping force.Pearson's diplomacy throughout the Suez Crisis launched a bold experiment in international security and cemented Canada's reputation as "a moderate, mediatory, middle power." In this timely biography, available now in a trade paper edition, Antony Anderson has created not only a compelling portrait of a future prime minister, but also a nuanced analysis of the political maze navigated by Pearson to avert a bloody war.Trade Review"Anderson delivers a brisk, gripping yarn making excellent use of his research, including multiple interviews with surviving actors in the drama. Pearson . . . is front and centre throughout. That Anderson captures him so well is a tribute to his métier as a storyteller." * Literary Review of Canada *

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Book SynopsisIt was just one remote hilltop in an unnamed war in the late 1990s, but it would send out ripples that are still felt today, foreshadowing the chaos of 21stcentury conflicts in the Middle East. The hill, in Lebanon, was called the Pumpkin; 'flowers' was the military code word for casualties.Part memoir, part reportage and part haunting elegy for lost youth, award-winning writer Matti Friedman's powerful account follows the band of young soldiers - the author among them - conscripted out of high school into holding this remote outpost, and explores how the task would change them forever. Pumpkinflowers is a lyrical yet devastating insight into the day-to-day realities of war, and a powerful coming-of-age narrative. Raw and beautifully rendered, this essential chronicle casts an unfl inching look at the nature of modern warfare, in which there is never a clear victor and innocence is not all that is lost.Trade Review"Matti Friedman's haunting war memoir reminds one of Michael Herr's unforgettable Vietnam memoir, Dispatches. It, too, is destined to become a classic text on the absurdities of war. Evocative, emotionally wrenching, and yet clear-eyed and dispassionate, Pumpkinflowers is a stunning achievement." - Kai Bird, Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer and New York Times bestselling author of The Good Spy; "Inspiring, heartbreaking, illuminating." - Yossi Klein Halevi, author of Like Dreamers; "Riveting. Pumpkinflowers is both an historical jigsaw puzzle and an examination of Israel's fraught national identity." - Siobhan Fallon, author of You Know Where the Men Are Gone; "A haunting yet wry tale of young people at war, cursed by political forces beyond their control, that can stand alongside the best narrative nonfiction coming out of Afghanistan and Iraq." - Kirkus Reviews; "The collective portrait [of young Israeli soldiers] puts Pumpkinflowers on a par with Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried - its Israeli analog." - New York Times; "A book about young men transformed by war, written by a veteran whose dazzling literary gifts gripped my attention from the first page to the last." - Wall Street Journal; "Pumpkinflowers is a sad, lyrical book-proud and fierce on its own terms. Friedman's prose is elegant and concise, yet it is studded with gems from the Talmud and Torah that only a writer deeply learned in the Jewish tradition could offer. His memoirs of his time in the mist and the mountains of Lebanon are full of haunting insights into what it means to be a soldier. It will be remembered as a classic." - Prospect

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Book SynopsisBorn just as the British Empire was taking its last breaths, Martin Adeney was part of the 'twilight generation' caught between the imperial and postimperial ages, forced to navigate the insecurities - political, economic and cultural - faced by the British as we struggled to understand and adapt to our diminished place in the world order.A compelling blend of memoir and narrative history, Baggage of Empire leads us through the crumbling ruins of great industries and imperial trade cities; from the retreat of the northern newspaper empires to an almost exclusively southern, metropolitan viewpoint; through the tumultuous dominance and decline of the trade unions; to the rise of Thatcherism and big business.From the unique vantage point his career as a journalist has given him, particularly as industrial editor of BBC TV, Adeney notes that many of the issues that preoccupied us in the late '60s and early '70s - including immigration, housing, education, industry and communications - remain the daily currency of our political discourse. Despite all of our material prosperity and cultural self-confidence, we are all burdened, in one way or another, by the baggage of empire.Trade Review"Martin Adeney has been a fine industrial journalist more or less over my whole working life. Here he writes vividly of his contact with contemporary leaders in politics, business and trade unions who, in various ways, battled against Britain's decline as a great manufacturing nation. It is an entertaining elegy for a world that has largely disappeared along with the British Empire itself." - Lord (John) Monks, former General Secretary of the TUC and the ETUC; "Martin Adeney's memoir is a very well-observed account of the decline of three 'empires' that have defined his life. He writes with clarity and wit about the great events of the second half of the twentieth century, during which he met many notable figures, especially politicians and trade union barons, and his portraits of these people, based on his personal experience of them, are always acute and funny." - Professor Lawrence Goldman, Director of the Institute of Historical Research, University of London

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Book Synopsis'Fascinating' Guardian, 'Book of the Day''A truly masterly book... A tour de force that will be read for a very long time.' Peter HennessySelected by the New Statesman as an essential read for 2022Britain shaped the modern Middle East through the lines that it drew in the sand after the First World War and through the League of Nations mandates over the fledgling states that followed. Less than forty years later, the Suez crisis dealt a fatal blow to Britain's standing in the Middle East and is often represented as the final throes of British imperialism. However, as this insightful and compelling new book reveals, successive prime ministers have all sought to extend British influence in the Middle East and their actions have often led to a disastrous outcome.While Anthony Eden and Tony Blair are the two most prominent examples of prime ministers whose reputations have been ruined by their interventions in the region, they were not alone in taking significant risks in deploying British forces to the Middle East. There was an unspoken assumption that Britain could help solve its problems, even if only for the reason that British imperialism had created the problems in the first place.Drawing these threads together, Nigel Ashton explores the reasons why British leaders have been unable to resist returning to the mire of the Middle East, while highlighting the misconceptions about the region that have helped shape their interventions, and the legacy of history that has fuelled their pride and arrogance. Ultimately, he shows how their fears and insecurities made them into false prophets who conjured existential threats out of the sands of the Middle East.Trade ReviewFascinating... Diary entries, telegrams, diplomatic records and, where possible, interviews with aides and advisers help bring out the psychology, preoccupations and prejudices that framed British decision making. The result is an empathetic but not a sympathetic account. * Guardian, 'Book of the Day' *Ashton gives an authoritative account of this familiar saga... He unravels the diplomatic and political intricacies with enviable skill. -- Piers Brendon * Literary Review *A truly masterly book on a crucial running theme of British history since 1945. It is rich in scholarship, laced with insight and burnished with fluency. Nigel Ashton has a special feel for that fissile terrain where oil, sand, geopolitics and UK foreign policy meet. It is second only to the European Question as a wrecker of premierships and political reputations. False Prophets is a tour de force that will be read for a very long time. -- Peter Hennessy, author of WINDS OF CHANGEEngaging... Ashton frames his study through the lens of 10 Downing Street, showing how its occupants, from Anthony Eden to David Cameron, dealt with successive postwar crises in the world's most hydrocarbon-rich, but politically volatile, region... It has the advantage of shaping a cacophony of confusing events into a highly readable narrative. * Financial TImes *A fascinating and challenging insight into the twists and turns of Britain's relationship with the Middle East. Prime ministers and their diplomatic advisers must understand this history if we are to get better at understanding this region in the future. -- Tom Fletcher, author of THE NAKED DIPLOMATAs Nigel Ashton details in his insightful book False Prophets, successive British prime ministers have been lured into the quick-sands of the Middle East by an exaggerated sense of the threat emanating from the region and by the desire to enhance the UK's "special relationship" with the US. Too often, Britain's over-estimation of its ability to control events led to interventions that proved detrimental to national interests and compounded the region's problems. -- Emma Sky, author of THE UNRAVELLINGA masterful new account of the perceptions and underlying motivations that swept a succession of British prime ministers into (often messy) entanglements in the Middle East, post-1955. Superbly researched and written with tempo, this is a brilliant book; one which will be enjoyed by professional historians and general readers alike - not least because the author has a special eye for those small yet revealing, sometimes ironic, often amusing, moments that history can so delightfully throw our way. -- Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, President and CEO of the International Peace InstituteThis is an outstanding book, combining a wide-ranging knowledge of the history of the Middle East and of successive prime ministers, interwoven with a vital understanding of Anglo-American relations. It is both stimulating and very well-written. -- Kathleen Burk, Professor Emerita of Modern and Contemporary History, University College LondonAs if Anthony Eden's tragic missteps over Suez in 1956 were not warning enough, this lively, sobering account shows how British prime ministers have continued to get drawn into Middle Eastern affairs, often at a high political cost and with little foreign policy gain. -- Sir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies, King's College LondonNigel Ashton's fascinating, sweeping study, lively and detailed, is of all prime ministers trying to exert their personal authority in the Middle East and to sustain the idea of Britain as a world power. It is a history of ambitions, egos, imperiousness, interventions and often failure, with painful legacies, and it is written with an expert's grasp. -- Dr James Ellison, Reader in History, Queen Mary, University of LondonVivid and salutary. * The Tablet *This fascinating book makes a strong case that the volatile mixture of history, economic interests and personal convictions it describes will continue to exert a fateful fascination for British prime ministers. -- Peter Ricketts * Engelsberg Ideas *Table of Contents1: Anthony Eden: Suezcide of a Statesman 2: Macmillan's Hot Pursuit of Nasser 3: Douglas-Home's War in Yemen 4: A Tale of Two Kisses: Harold Wilson, George Brown and the Middle East 5: Heath's Day of Atonement 6: Callaghan's 'Local Terrorist Made Good' 7: Arms and the Woman: Margaret Thatcher and the Middle East 8: Major's Safe Haven 9: The Next Stage of Evil: Tony Blair and the Middle East 10: In Blair's Shadow: Gordon Brown and the Middle East 11: Cameron and the Arab Spring

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Book SynopsisThe flowering of the 'Abbasid caliphate between 750 and 1258 CE is often considered the classical age of Islamic civilization. In the preceding 120 years the Arabs had conquered much of the known world of antiquity and established a vast empire stretching from Spain to China. But was this empire really so very different, as has sometimes been claimed, from what it superseded? The Great Caliphs creatively explores the immense achievements of the 'Abbasid age through the lens of Mediterranean history. When the Umayyad caliphs were replaced by the 'Abbasids in 750, and the Arab capital moved to Baghdad, Iraq quickly became the centre not only of an imperium but also of a culture built on the foundations of the great civilizations of antiquity: Greece, Rome, Byzantium and Persia. Debunking popular misconceptions about the Arab conquests, Amira Bennison shows that, far from seeing themselves as purging the 'occidental' culture of the ancient world with a 'pure' and 'oriental' Islamic doctrine, the 'Abbasids perceived themselves to be as much within the tradition of Mediterranean and Near Eastern empire as any of their predecessors. Like other outsiders who inherited the Roman Empire, the Arabs had as much interest in preserving as in destroying, even while they were challenged by the paganism of the past. Indebted to that past while building creatively on its foundations, the 'Abbasids and their rulers inculcated and nurtured precisely the 'civilized' values which western civilization so often claims to represent.Trade Review'An engaging synthesis of much recent scholarship on medieval Islamic society and culture which fills a significant gap in a literature dominated by histories of politics and religion.' - Times Literary Supplement; 'Offers a compelling yet nuanced understanding of the civilization of the 'Abbasid Empire. A wonderful book.' - Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History, Queen Mary, University of London; 'Bennison fashions a smooth, expository narrative, drawing back the curtain on medieval Islamic society by a mix of lively anecdotes, illuminating references to modern practices, striking comparisons with the more familiar medieval West, well-judged and pithy generalizations and gobbets of medieval texts that instantly bring long-dead people to life. There really is something here for everyone.' - Robert Hillenbrand writing in The Middle East in LondonTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Note on transliteration List of Maps List of Figures Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 A Stormy Sea: the politics of the ‘Abbasid caliphate The making of an empire The Umayyads: Islam’s first caliphal dynasty The rise of the ‘Abbasids The early ‘Abbasid caliphate The Samarran interlude The Shi‘i century The Saljuq sultanate and the ‘Sunni revival’ The Crusades and the twilight of the caliphate Chapter 3 From Baghdad to Cordoba: the cities of classical Islam Arab urbanism at the dawn of Islam The first Muslim towns Umayyad urbanism ‘Abbasid imperial cities and their imitators Provincial cities in the ‘Abbasid age Chapter 4 Princes and Beggars: life and society in the ‘Abbasid Age Peasants and countryfolk The people of the city Women and children The religious minorities Beggars and tricksters Chapter 5 The Life Blood of Empire: trade and traders in ‘Abbasid times Routes and commodities Merchants and pilgrims Trade facilities Chapter 6 Baghdad’s ‘Golden Age’: Islam’s scientific renaissance The foundations of Islamic learning The flowering of knowledge under the ‘Abbasids The ‘Abbasid translation movement Translations, translators and scientists Knowledge and science after the translation movement Chapter 7 The ‘Abbasid Legacy Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisSeth is an ancient Egyptian deity, much maligned in popular, academic and theological thought. Up until fairly recently the only thing one needed to know about Seth was that he was the personification of evil and the prototype of the devil and Satan and all bad things in the world. He is the god who in one of the worlds most ubiquitous myths, kills another god, his own brother Osiris no less, then usurps his role as king, persecuting the orphaned Horus who only survives to manhood, due to the cunning of his sorcerer mother Isis. Horus then overpowers Seth and ensures he gets his just deserts. This book explores the mythos of the god and various ways of seeing him; these may even appear antithetical, as is encapsulated in what is sometime known as The Nagada Hypothesis which stands in contrast to the consensus that Seth was always a malign deity. Topics covered include historical views of Seth such as Plutarchs Anti-God; Modern views of Seth; The Outsider: Gods of Sex and Death; The Two Ways. Includes extensive liturgy, ritual and appendices such as the Seven Spells of Nekhbet - a fantastic piece of battle magic in which the ancient Vulture Goddess enlists the power of Seth to protect Egypts borders. Also a discussion of Apophis, an ancient personification of evil, who is often confused with Seth.

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Book SynopsisIn the early-seventeenth century the European thirst for knowledge about other countries and cultures was growing, after all it was the Age of the Discovery. Iran was a little-known country at the time because commercial and diplomatic contacts had begun only a few decades earlier. Before 1633, when this book was written, area studies on Persia did not exist. There were some books, travelogues, or reports on wars, but none about the people, the country, the culture, or the government. To fill this gap, Joannes de Laet, a wealthy and erudite merchant and scholar, published this book in a series of country studies that included the Netherlands, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Poland (Livonia, Latvia, Prussia), Turkey, Mogol India, Brasil, and the New World (West-Indies). Because de Laet had never been to Persia, he used classical Greek and Roman authors, medieval sources (including from Arab authors), and account by the most recent travelers. He also used information from Nicolaas Hem, an employee of the Dutch East-Indies Company, who had lived in Persia since 1623 and had just returned to the Netherlands. De Laet also had contacts with Jacob van Gool (Golius) the famous professor of Arabic and Hebrew at the University of Leiden, from whom he received data from as yet unpublished Arabic texts. The book offers in a nutshell what was known about Persia at that time from published sources and enriched by first-hand information from Hem and Golius. This book was not only the first systematic and encyclopedic summary of all available information about Persia at the time, but it was also a well-informed one, even if most of the information was second hand. It also provided the framework for many later works about Persia.

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Book SynopsisGeorgias Zviad Gamsakhurdia and Irans Mohammad Mosaddegh were two of the most consequential national leaders of the twentieth century. Nicolas Gorjestani examines, in two separate volumes, each leaders life story, resistance strategy, governance, reform record, and overthrow. The two books combine insightful memoir, strategic analysis, economic assessment, and historical review to weave a compelling narrative that gives the reader a front-row seat to the transformational events that unfolded in Georgia in the 1990s and Iran in the 1950s. The similarities between these two patriots are remarkable: their personal background, vision, governing philosophy, political destiny, and legacy. With courage, passion, and tenacity, they took on domestic establishment elites to fight against authoritarian or arbitrary rule. Both leaders shared a vision of a modern, democratic state, and, to that end, undertook pathbreaking political and socio-economic reforms. They also challenged the world powers to end colonial domination of Iran and Georgia and to re-establish national sovereignty. Gamsakhurdia (Book 2) stood up to Mikhail Gorbachev and George H. W. Bush in 1990-1991 over independence from the Soviet Union, while Mosaddegh (Book 1) locked horns with Winston Churchill, Harry Truman, and Dwight Eisenhower in 1951-1953 over the nationalization of Irans oil industry. Their governance was cut short as both leaders were overthrown in similar paramilitary coups. Gamsakhurdia was deposed in the first regime change in the former Soviet space supported by the Soviet military; Mosaddegh was toppled in the first post-WWII regime change organized and supported by the British MI6 and American CIA.

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Book SynopsisUntil recent times, Iran regularly had to cope with local or national famines. The various governments, until the second decade of the twentieth century, had neither a policy nor institutional arrangements to deal with grain shortages, artificial or not, and the resulting famines. In severe cases of famine governments might have temporarily intervened in the market, but usually they left care for the hungry to private philanthropy. Invariably, this private effort was inadequate when compared to needs. Although there were earlier incidental efforts, it was only as of 1918 that a beginning was made for more permanent and structural pro-active measures to prevent rather than to combat famine. The creation of the Edareh-ye arzaq or Alimentation Service in Tehran and Tabriz to ensure food security saved thousands of lives in the years that followed. Despite this result, its work is almost totally ignored; there is not even an encyclopedia article about its activities. In this study, Willem Floor discusses the early efforts to combat famine as well as the beginning of a more targeted and structural approach developed by Lambert Molitor in Tabriz during 1917-18 as well as its application in Tehran as of 1918. Whereas in Tabriz, after 1918, the approach was reactive, in Tehran a pro-active program was developed, which as of 1922 became part of the tasks of the Millspaugh mission. During 1926-27 there was even a quasi-national food security program. After Millspaugh''s departure in 1927 the food security of Tehran became an entirely Iranian affair, which as of 1935 was transferred from the Alimentation Service to a State company that had a national food security responsibility.

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Book SynopsisPersians who travelled to the West during the Safavid and early Qajar period (early 17th-to-early 19th century) have received little attention. This book memorialises them in portraiture and pulls them back from historical obscurity. It brings together twenty-nine images -- drawings, paintings, etchings, lithographs and even a silhouette -- done in Boston, Geneva, London, Paris, Prague, Saratoga Springs, St. Petersburg, Vienna and Washington DC, between 1601 and 1842. In the days before photography, portraits commemorated their visits to distant capitals. Some of the subjects were members of Persias élite, some from modest backgrounds, and all were on a mission of one sort or another. Today, the images offer us rare glimpses of the dress, accoutrements and regalia that so distinguished the travellers. Subjects of fascination for both contemporary artists and a public intrigued by all things Persian, the sitters in these works left an indelible mark in the consciousness of Western observers, only a few of whom ever journeyed themselves to the Land of the Lion and the Sun.

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Book SynopsisIn the interests of exploiting Irans location and natural resources to launch a projected attack on British India, Napoleon sent a delegation of military advisers to Fath ''Ali Shah. They were charged with designing and reinforcing fortifications, training cavalry and infantry to European standards, and establishing a centre of artillery production. He also sent geographers to reconnoitre the country, documenting routes that might be used by French and Persian land forces in a planned but never fulfilled invasion of India. The work of these officers has often been mentioned in passing but rarely has it been studied in detail. Although shifting geo-political forces ended the Napoleonic experiment, French involvement in the armed forces of ''Abbas Mirza and his brother Mohammad ''Ali Mirza continued. Despite the presence of English officers at Tabriz, the renegade Gaspard or J.B. Drouville headed to Iran, followed after the debacle at Waterloo by a handful of French officers who sought employment outside their native land. This book is the first detailed study of the French officers who worked in Iran between 1807 and 1826, the impact they had, the innovations they introduced, their trials, and their tribulations. French military involvement in early Qajar Iran produced a host of stories deserving the attention of anyone with an interest in the seeds of military modernisation in the Middle East, technology transfer in the 19th century, and the social, political, diplomatic, and military history of the Middle East in one of its most tumultuous phases.

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