Middle Eastern history Books

Book SynopsisThe town of Bethlehem carries so many layers of meaning--some ancient, some mythical, some religious--that it feels like an unreal city, even to the people who call it home. Today, the city is hemmed in by a wall and surrounded by forty-one Israeli settlements and hostile settlers and soldiers. The population is undergoing such enormous strains it is close to falling apart. Any town with an eleven-thousand-year history has to be robust, but Bethlehem may soon go the way of Salonica or Constantinople: the physical site might survive, but the long thread winding back to the ancient past will have snapped, and the city risks losing everything that makes it unique.Still, for many, Bethlehem remains the little town of the Christmas song. Nicholas Blincoe will tell the history of the famous little town, through the visceral experience of living there, taking readers through its stone streets and desert wadis, its monasteries, aqueducts and orchards, showing the city from every angTrade ReviewA lovely personal adventure through the history of Bethlehem from its origins up to the present day. Blincoe captures the continuities and contradictions, the myths and the history of one of the world's most famous towns with real flair * PETER FRANKOPAN, author of Silk Roads *[Bethlehem] brings within reach 11,000 years of history, centering on the beloved town's unique place in the world. Blincoe's love of Bethlehem is compelling, even as he does not shy away from the complexities of its chronicle * PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER *[Bethlehem] illuminates both the past and the present of the Middle East with countless instances of fantastic achievement and equally terrible human folly * YOTAM OTTOLENGHI, co-author of Jerusalem *A book by a talented chronicler who lovingly paints the city's many contradictions and bewildering complexity. Highly readable and informative, it leaves the reader not only with a profound admiration for this city of extremes and its resilient inhabitants who have endured such hardships, but also with a deep lament at the current suffering of the people of Bethlehem * RAJA SHEHADEH , author of Where the Line Is Drawn *An exuberant and erudite journey into the real Bethlehem. Each page leads the reader down new and fascinating tangents of history, cuisine, and personal anecdote, each time somehow finding its way back to Bethlehem and its habit of standing at the centre of world affairs * JACOB NORRIS, author of Land of Progress: Palestine in the Age of Colonial *Majestic . . . [a] book of many marvellous things -- John Lewis-Stempel * S magazine *A thorough and entertaining account -- Tibor Fischer * Standpoint *Masterful -- Emma Williams * Spectator *Blincoe's thoroughness is nothing short of impressive . . . Blincoe offers a biography so vividly imagined that I jumped when my phone buzzed, interrupting my reverie of Nabatean temples . . . The reward is in the lush prose and personal accounts. Blincoe is a joyful writer, well suited to the task of evoking place with passages . . . transporting the reader with mouthwatering specificity. Blincoe handles his own narratives of Bethlehem delicately, like a horticulturist pruning beloved orchids, following its many iterations through the rise and fall of civilizations . . . More than anything, his love for the place leaps off the page; for all its chronicling of incursions and defeat, this is ultimately a book about hope -- Hala Alyan * The New York Times Book Review *Part history, part travelogue and memoir, it reads like an extended love letter to a place on the brink . . . a highly discursive, frequently amusing, often tragic but always accessible history * Guardian *Blincoe proves an erudite and evocative guide to a city whose place in biblical history has proved to be more of a curse than a blessing -- John Preston * Mail on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisIn 1498 a young captain sailed from Portugal, circumnavigated Africa, crossed the Indian Ocean, and discovered the sea route to the Indies, opening up access to the fabled wealth of the East. It was the longest voyage known to history; the ships were pushed to their limits, their crews were racked by storms and devastated by disease. However, the greatest enemy was neither nature nor the fear of venturing into unknown worlds. With blood-red Crusader crosses emblazoned on their sails, the explorers arrived in the heart of the Muslim East at a time when the old hostilities between Christianity and Islam had intensified. In two voyages that spanned six years, Vasco da Gama would fight a running sea battle that would ultimately change the fate of three continents. The Last Crusade is an epic tale of spies, intrigue, and treachery; of bravado, brinkmanship, and confused - often comical collisions - between cultures encountering one another for the first time. With the world once again tipping back East, The Last Crusade offers a key to understanding age-old religious and cultural rivalries resurgent today.Trade ReviewA stirringly epic book...Gama's incident-rich voyage [is a] thrilling narrative * Sunday Times *This excellent book tells the story [of Vasco da Gama] with the swagger and excitement it deserves * Spectator *Lively and ambitious... Cliff has a novelist's gift for depicting character... He brings sixteenth-century Portugal in all its splendor and squalor pungently to life * New York Times, 'Notable Books of the Year' 2011 *

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Book SynopsisWhy is Israel’s relatively small and low-budget military also the world’s most innovative, technologically and logistically? Edward Luttwak and Eitan Shamir look to the IDF’s unique structure: integrating army, air force, and navy in one service, under an officer class constantly refreshed by short tenures, the IDF is built for agility and change.Trade ReviewRich with rare detail, much of it a result of the authors’ access to the IDF’s inner sanctums and their intimate knowledge of grand strategy and military history. -- Tunku Varadarajan * Wall Street Journal *An incisive, original study of military innovation as it has developed over more than half a century at one of the world’s most redoubtable armed forces, the Israel Defense Forces. Bursting with pertinent information, it is also a pleasure to read. It would be hard to find authors more highly qualified than Luttwak and Shamir to write this book, which should appeal to anyone interested in the modern military. -- Martin van Creveld, author of The Transformation of WarUntil now, no one has adequately explained why the Israel Defense Forces has had such a unique legacy of innovation. Luttwak and Shamir do so in a way that illuminates not only the IDF but also the broader challenges of creativity in war. -- Eliot A. Cohen, author of The Big StickBrilliantly reveals the secret to the success of the Israeli military: its capacity for innovation. Luttwak and Shamir, two distinguished historians who know the Israel Defense Forces inside and out, show how the receptiveness to invention and the courage to change course even in the heat of battle have made the IDF one of the world’s most effective armies. Every serving officer in the armed forces of NATO should read this indispensable work. -- Col. Douglas Macgregor, US Army, Ret., author of Margin of VictoryAn important book for anyone interested in understanding how organizations innovate and improve. The saying ‘change or die’ is true for organizations in general, but in the case of the IDF, it is true in the most literal sense. Many armies throughout history have shown a great capacity for change when necessary, but Luttwak and Shamir show that for the Israeli military, innovation is a way of life. -- Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, Chief of General Staff, Israel Defense Forces, Ret.A compelling and important book. In wartime, armed forces must learn and apply what they learn in combat. In between wars, they must learn from the past and anticipate the future. The IDF is the perfect subject for drawing lessons important to developing military organizations that fight and win; Luttwak and Shamir are the perfect authors to illuminate those lessons. -- Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, US Army, Ret., author of Battlegrounds

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Book SynopsisThe first biography in more than a generation of the father of modern political Zionism and in effect the state of Israel.Drawing extensively on his diaries as well as his published works, this intellectual biographical follows Herzl's transformation from a private person into the founder and leader of a political movement which made the quest for a Jewish state into a player in international politics. Contrary to the conventional view which saw the Dreyfus affair as the trigger for Herzl's loss of belief in the promise of Jewish emancipation, Avineri shows how it was the political crisis of the Austro-Hungarian Habsburg Empire, torn apart by contending national movements, which convinced Herzl of the need for a Jewish polity.In response to the wide resonance for his 1896 THE JEWISH STATE, Herzl convened the first Zionist Congress in Basel in 1897, which established the World Zionist Organization with its representative and elected institutions; this in turn became the foundation for Israel's democratic political system. In his efforts to gain international support for a Jewish state, Herzl met with the Ottoman Sultan, the German Emperor Wilhelm II, Pope Pius X, British, Russian and German ministers, as well as an enormous number of other government and public opinion leaders of most European countries. By the time of his early death in 1904 at the age of 44, Herzl succeeded in putting Zionism on the map of world politics, no longer an esoteric idea held by a small group of Jewish intellectuals in Eastern Europe.Trade ReviewTurning the idea of Jewish nationhood into an organised movement was Herzl's work of genius, which is expounded by Avineri with scholarship, sensitivity and wisdom. -- Oliver Kamm * The JC.COM *How Herzl conjured up the idea of a Jewish state out of the air is the subject of this book. It is a political biography; of Herzl's family life, his loves and his hatreds we learn little. With almost nothing but his will, he wrote, cajoled, talked and organised Zionism into existence. Between 1895 and 1897, in two short years, he provided the movement with its key text (Der Judenstaat), its destination (Palestine) and its organisational birth (the first Zionist Congress in Basle). Then he hawed his ideas around the leaders of Europe, to see if he could make a reality from the dream. These unlikely peregrinations are captured perfectly by Avineri. Without them there would have been no Israel. -- David Aaronovitch * THE TIMES *The great strength of Avineri's immensely readable biography is to deliver Herzl in all his tortured complexity and - something not always given its due - the philosophical clarity of his diagnosis of what had befallen the Jews in the modern age and what might be done about their predicament. He had the beard of a poet but a brain for realpolitik. As one might expect from Avineri, who is first and foremost a powerful historian of political thought, this is the most chewily cogent account yet of Herzl the political thinker and doer. -- Simon Schama * FINANCIAL TIMES *What...Shlomo Avineri, a professor of political sciences at Jerusalem's Hebrew University, offers is a different perspective on Herzl's life. Professor Avineri largely relies on Herzl's own writings, especially his obsessively written diary, rather than so much on secondary sources as many other books do. This device has the advantage of explaining Herzl's thoughts, as well as his actions. -- Alistair Dawber * THE INDEPENDENT *It was Austrian politics, not a French miscarriage of justice [the Dreyfuss case], which moved Herzl towards Jewish separatism, Avineri explains, with a rather more complex story than the one the professor tells us is taught to Israeli schoolchildren. Political liberalism had ended official anti-Jewish discrimination in Austria and widened the franchise; but, to the horror of liberals like Herzl, anti-Semitic demagogues were elected. It seemed that the more democratic Austrian society was, the more anti-Semitic it became. -- Jad Adams * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *Magnificent -- Daniel Johnson * STANDPOINT *This Herzl remains a charismatic figure whose story is a romance. And so, in some measure, it should be, because that is how Herzl functioned and why he succeeded. He combined Disraeli's charm and political genius, Marx's analytical insight, and the towering authority of his people's lawgiver, Moses. -- Bernard Wasserstein * THE TABLET *In this book Avineri has reclaimed Herzl from the propagandists. -- Colin Shindler * HISTORY TODAY *Herzl [is telling] the story of Zionism from the beginning, one of the strangest, most romantic, most bewildering episodes in modern history, and to this day one of the most bitterly contentious. -- Geoffrey Wheatcroft * THE SPECTATOR *Herzl is an excellent biography of a great man and as such long overdue. -- Lord Mitchell * THE HOUSE *What Avineri gives us is a fine-grained and tender portrait of the Hungarian-born Herzl as a feverish romantic, dodgy dramatist, prolific writer and political organizer, a vibrant man whose energy and devotion to finding a national solution for a Jewish state were palpable and exhausting. -- Duncan Kelly * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT *Avineri rightly sums up Herzl's work as a 'glorious failure that produced impressive results'. It is Avineri's understanding of the exigencies and difficulties of politics for a mere private individual, without money or official status that makes this book well worth reading. * ANGLO-ISRAEL ASSOCIATION *

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Book SynopsisA masterfully researched and compelling history of Iran from the sixteenth century to the twenty-firstTrade Review“The defiant spirit of the country is brought to life in this monumental history of the past 500 years.”—Richard Spencer, The Times (London)“No book could be more pertinent for American readers . . . Mr. Amanat searches for patterns to make [Iran’s] tumultuous history lucid to nonspecialist readers. . . His account, in all its melancholy splendor, comes to embody what the 20th-century Iranian poet Forough Farrokhzad called ‘a sorrowful stroll in the garden of memories.’”—Eric Ormsby, The Wall Street Journal“For those with an interest in this pivotal and mercurial country, Abbas Amanat’s magisterial study is too important to ignore.”—Justin Marozzi, Sunday Times (London)“A majestic work that goes a long way in unraveling for an American audience the country’s enigmas and apparent contradictions.”—Ervand Abrahamian, The New York Review of Books“Amanat is a skillful narrator whose use of sources and anecdotes is illuminating. His book should be read by anyone who is curious about the history of political philosophy and ideas.”—The Economist“A fantastic book about a great country - I warmly commend it”—Dr Stephen Leah, Methodist RecorderWinner of the Outstanding Academic Title for 2018 Award, sponsored by Choice"This sweeping but richly detailed text is an impressive treatment of the longue durée of Iranian history since 1501. Amanat interweaves narrative with stimulating analysis and commentary on culture, society, and politics in Iran with a skill based on deep scholarship and understanding. It is rare to find a book that will be important for both those new to Iranian studies and those already in the field: the former will find the book an invaluable starting point, and the latter will gain much from engaging with Amanat’s creative and challenging insights and arguments."—Joanna de Groot, University of York "The appearance of this comprehensive and flowing narrative history of early modern and modern Iran could not be more timely, given the deep-seated misunderstandings and prejudices that persist regarding that country. Few scholars could be as well placed to write it as Abbas Amanat, who has devoted many decades to studying Iran's history and culture. This is likely to remain a work of reference that can be appreciated by students as well as interested general readers. An impressive achievement!"—Sanjay Subrahmanyam, Distinguished Professor of History, UCLA"Lucid, readable, and erudite, Abbas Amanat's flowing narrative uses comparisons and connections with the surrounding world to reveal the dialogical and often defensive character of Iran's routes to modernity. Amanat highlights the heterogeneous groups and contending interests that shaped what he calls a 'Persianized version of modernity.' Balancing analysis of changes in political economy with the roles of public religion and the persistence of cultural traditions, this is a compelling and comprehensive conspectus of Iranian history with a magisterial command of detail."—Nile Green, University of California, Los Angeles "Iran is perhaps the most important poorly understood country in the world--too big and wealthy to ignore, too complex and dynamic to stereotype. Among this generation of historians of Iran, Abbas Amanat stands as a giant. He conveys his enormous learning in eloquent prose, retailing the country's dramatic struggles and displaying gems of its intricate and profound culture with a contagious excitement. Those who wish to understand how an early modern Silk Road monarchy transformed into a contemporary petroleum-fueled theocracy will find no more informed or captivating guide."—Juan Cole, Richard P. Mitchell Professor of History and Director, Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies, University of Michigan

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsNew Foreword by Ibtisam Barakat Foreword from 1989 by Alan Dundes Acknowledgments Note on Transliteration Key to References Introduction The Tales Notes on Presentation and Translation Group I • Individuals Children and Parents 1. Tunjur, Tunjur 2. The Woman Who Married Her Son 3. Precious One and Worn-out One 4. Šwēš, Šwēš! 5. The Golden Pail Afterword Siblings 6. Half-a-Halfling 7. The Orphans' Cow 8. Sumac! You Son of a Whore, Sumac! 9. The Green Bird 10. Little Nightingale the Crier Afterword Sexual Awakening and Courtship 11. The Little Bird 12. Jummēz Bin Yāzūr, Chief of the Birds 13. Jbēne 14. Sackcloth 15. Šāhīn Afterword The Quest for the Spouse 16. The Brave Lad 17. Gazelle 18. Lōlabe Afterword Group II • Family Brides and Bridegrooms 19. The Old Woman Ghouleh 20. Lady Tatar 21. Šōqak Bōqak! 22. Clever Hasan 23. The Cricket Afterword Husbands and Wives 24. The Seven Leavenings 25. The Golden Rod in the Valley of Vermilion 26. Minjal 27. Im ʿĒše Afterword Family Life 28. Chick Eggs 29. The Ghouleh of Trans-Jordan 30. Bear-Cub of the Kitchen 31. The Woman Whose Hands Were Cut Off 32. Nʿayyis (Little Sleepy One) Afterword Group III • Society 33. Im ʿAwwād and the Ghouleh 34. The Merchant's Daughter 35. Pomegranate Seeds 36. The Woodcutter 37. The Fisherman Afterword Group IV • Environment 38. The Little She-Goat 39. The Old Woman and Her Cat 40. Dunglet 41. The Louse Afterword Group V • Universe 42. The Woman Who Fell into the Well 43. The Rich Man and the Poor Man 44. Maʿrūf the Shoemaker 45. Im ʿAlī and Abū ʿAlī Afterword Folkloristic Analysis Appendix A: Transliteration of Tale 10 Appendix B: Index of Folk Motifs Appendix C: List of Tales by Type Selected Bibliography Footnote Index

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Book Synopsis''Impossible to put down while you''re reading, and impossible to forget about when you''ve finished'' GlamourAfter a gruelling job interview where she was interrogated about everything from her political leanings to her family background, Sabrina Mahfouz realised that one unspoken question had pervaded her entire life: as a woman of Middle Eastern heritage, could she really be trusted?Years later, Sabrina found herself confronting this question and how it was specifically informed by the British Empire''s historical dominance in the Middle East. Taking us on a journey of the Middle-Eastern coastlines and waterways that were so vital to the Empire''s hold, and combining memoir, history, politics, myth and poetry, These Bodies of Water is a tapestry of writing that tells the unacknowledged story of Britain''s relationship with the Middle East in the most revealing terms.''A writer of staggering conviction, ingenuity and integrity'' Kae Trade ReviewSabrina Mahfouz is a tidal wave of truth swallowing the banks of empire with a torrent of information which will not be damned. These Bodies of Water is so vast, yet achingly intimate. It is a brilliant piece of work which had me hooked from start to finish. * Lemn Sissay *These Bodies of Water is a bold, brave look at the ways imperialism affects us all, from the universally political to the insightfully intimate -- Riz AhmedSabrina Mahfouz's poetic talents come to the forefront in this lyrical meditation on the influence of the British Empire in the Middle East. Part memoir, part history, These Bodies of Water defies categorisation in favour of a lucid, tumbling narrative that sweeps you along for the ride. Like all truly brilliant books, it's impossible to put down while you're reading, and impossible to forget about when you've finished * Glamour *Sabrina is a writer of staggering conviction, ingenuity and integrity. Her skills are mighty, her language is beautiful and precise. She's a real one -- Kae TempestBrilliant and profound...this book is about coastlines, cities, climate collapse and capitalism. There's so much going on in it. It's marvellous -- Nikseh ShuklaA brilliant and fascinating history of the Middle East, forcing us to rethink everything we thought we knew. A completely necessary book for us all as we sit in a post-Brexit world, once more considering boundaries and border lines. Sabrina writes beautifully, using prose, rhythm and poetry, to combine history and memoir in one of the most compelling journeys through the Middle East -- Salma El-WardanyI'm a huge fan of Sabrina Mahfouz and her unsurpassed talent to draw a reader in from the first line. These Bodies Of Water is a great example of her integrity, her essential honesty, this work is breathtaking and ferocious, uncompromising and powerful -- Salena GoddenI loved THESE BODIES OF WATER. It's fierce, intelligent, and wise, and everyone should read it -- Joanne HarrisJust wonderful . . . Such a brilliant and unique way to tackle the impacts of colonialism on a region. I absolutely loved it -- Alya MooroThis is a fearless and brilliant book. Each and every sentence is fire! * Nikita Gill *With fierce honesty and lyricism, Mahfouz maps out the story of British colonialism in the Arab world, grappling with the dark foundations of her privilege and challenging the lie of meritocracy on which modern Britain is built * Culture Whisper *

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Book SynopsisIn the second edition of The New Middle East: What Everyone Needs to Know, renowned Middle East scholar James L. Gelvin explains how in the aftermath of the collapse of the USSR, the American invasion of Iraq, and the Arab uprisings of 2010-11, a new Middle East has emerged. Syria, Libya, and Yemen have become crisis states, where warlords vie against governments and each other. The economies of Iran, Turkey, and Lebanon, weakened by corruption, sanctions, and neoliberal economic policies, have imploded. Some states have doubled-down on repression, while others intervene in the internal affairs of their neighbors with impunity. The revised and expanded edition explores these hallmarks of the New Middle East, along with the end of American hegemony in the region, the expansion of conflict zones, the continued centrality of the Saudi-Iranian competition, and the ramifications of the breakdown of the Israel-Palestine peace process. It also highlights the crisis of human security brought oTrade ReviewBalanced, rigorous, and sparkling with insights, The New Middle East: What Everyone Needs to Know is a wonderful primer on a region long dominated by polemics and easy generalizations. James L. Gelvin brings a historian's sensibility and jargon-free prose to illuminate the afflictions that have wracked the modern Middle East-civil war, militancy, and authoritarianism, to name a few-while never losing sight of its enormous human potential. This is a must-read for veteran observers and newcomers alike. * Frederic Wehrey, Senior Fellow, Middle East Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, author of Sectarian Politics in the Gulf: From the Iraq War to the Arab Uprisings? *

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Book SynopsisFrom the award-winning co-author of I Am Malala, this book asks just how the might of NATO, with 48 countries and 140,000 troops on the ground, failed to defeat a group of religious students and farmers? How did the West's war in Afghanistan and across the Middle East go so wrong?Farewell Kabul tells how the West turned success into defeat in the longest war fought by the United States in its history and by Britain since the Hundred Years War. It is the story of well-intentioned men and women going into a place they did not understand at all. And how, what had once been the right thing to do had become a conflict that everyone wanted to exit. It has been a fiasco which has left Afghanistan still one of the poorest and most dangerous nations on earth.The leading journalist on the region with unparalleled access to all key decision makers, Christina Lamb is the best-selling author of The Africa House' and I Am Malala, co-authored with Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai. This revelatory and personal account is her final analysis of the realities of Afghanistan, told unlike anyone before.Trade Review‘As a personal account of this sad, twisted story, Lamb's book is unlikely to be surpassed; gracious and humane, she always gives a fair hearing, while her observation is always needle sharp. It is one of the most rewarding and thought-provoking books by any journalist of my acquaintance’ Evening Standard ‘This is a journey through more than a decade of hell and futility, written vividly, with emotion but mercifully shorn of polemic … in this most captivating of war journals’ Observer ‘A spellbinding synthesis of analysis and highly personal reportage … Lamb's grasp of the back story enables her to weave illuminating historical context into the narrative’ Independent ‘She records with a clear eye and a longer perspective her successive encounters with the Afghans and their occupiers …she writes with sympathy and understanding … For anyone who wants to understand how Britain's road to Helmand was paved with well-meant but ill-founded intentions this magisterial memoir is the book to read and enjoy’ The Times ‘A brave and exceptional book … if you had to recommend one book on Afghanistan then ‘Farewell Kabul’ should be it" Daily Telegraph ‘As a personal account of this sad, twisted story, Lamb's book is unlikely to be surpassed; gracious and humane, she always gives a fair hearing, while her observation is always needle sharp. It is one of the most rewarding and thought-provoking books by any journalist of my acquaintance’ Evening Standard ‘Authoritative, wide-ranging and thoroughly readable, Lamb's knowledge and understanding of the region and its central players are impressively profound … Highly recommended’ Literary Review ‘A very good book … that sits with distinction in a growing library about where we – both Afghans and the international community – went wrong … Lamb has a forensic understanding of how things work and why they don’t. An impassioned, at moments anguished, love letter to Afghanistan’ New Statesman

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Book SynopsisOver thirteen centuries, Baghdad has enjoyed both cultural and commercial pre-eminence, boasting artistic and intellectual sophistication and an economy once the envy of the world. It was here, in the time of the Caliphs, that the Thousand and One Nights were set. Yet it has also been a city of great hardships, beset by epidemics, famines, floods, and numerous foreign invasions which have brought terrible bloodshed. This is the history of its storytellers and its tyrants, of its philosophers and conquerors.Here, in the first new history of Baghdad in nearly 80 years, Justin Marozzi brings to life the whole tumultuous history of what was once the greatest capital on earth.

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Book SynopsisHRH King Abdullah was schooled in America and at Sandhurst and was heading for a life as a career soldier, when his father fell ill and he unexpectedly inherited the throne of Jordan. Fiercely loyal to his country but possessing an outsider''s perspective on the political difficulties of the region, King Abdullah has since spent every effort to better Jordan - improving their economy, education and rights for women - and find security for his people and their neighbours. In this seminal work, he puts forward what may be our best chance yet for the most important issue in the region - Israeli-Palestinian peace.Trade ReviewA book that avowedly mixes the personal with the political * Spectator *Abdullah's quest for peace with Israel deserves praise as diligent and honourable * Independent *Abdullah's voice is reasoned and often humorous, didactic rather than dictatorial ... he is a spokesman for his country * Walll Street Journal *

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Book SynopsisThe preeminent meditation on plagues and pandemics from the Islamic world, now in English for the first timeA Penguin ClassicSix hundred years ago, the author of this landmark work of history and religious thought—an esteemed judge, poet, and scholar in Cairo—survived the bubonic plague, which took the lives of three of his children, not to mention tens of millions of others throughout the medieval world. Holding up an eerie mirror to our own time, he reflects on the origins of plagues—from those of the Prophet Muhammad’s era to the Black Death of his own—and what it means that such catastrophes could have been willed by God, while also chronicling the fear, isolation, scapegoating, economic tumult, political failures, and crises of faith that he lived through. But in considering the meaning of suffering and mass death, he also offers a message of radical hope. Weaving together accounts of evil jinn, religious stories, medical manualTrade Review“This is the first English-language edition of his work, deservedly bringing it to a wide new audience. . . . Having lost three of his daughters to the Black Death, [Ibn Hajar] reflects with empathy and grief on examples of plagues from the time of the Prophet Muhammad to his own. . . . At a time when many ruins of the coronavirus pandemic are yet to be rebuilt, Merits of the Plague helps us to place our experience of the disease in a longer arc of history.” —The Times Literary Supplement“Remarkable . . . A landmark work of history and religious thought . . . Surprisingly modern and has a lot to say to us in the era of coronavirus.” —History Unplugged Podcast“A valuable addition to our understanding of the pandemic and how people reacted to it . . . This book offers a much-needed perspective from the Islamic world.” —Medievalists.net“A unique, non-Western medieval perspective on the Black Death and pandemics in general.” —Jara News

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Book Synopsis1967 did not mark the beginning of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but it was a year that changed the course of history. When Egypt''s President Nasser closed the straits of Tiran to Israeli navigation, it triggered a conflict between Israel and the armies of Jordan, Syria and Egypt. Within six days the Israelis had occupied territories three times wider than their own, populated by over a million Palestinian Arabs.Israel suddenly became something of a colonial empire, more Goliath than David. The war granted political legitimacy to Menachem Begin''s right-wing Herut party, and Arab terrorism paved the way for Israel''s secret service to become a major factor in the country''s power structure.1967 will not be a military history, nor will it focus mainly on political developments. The year 1967 dramatically altered the lives of millions of individuals and this book will focus on the personal stories from both sides of the conflict.Trade Review1967 offers a brilliant description of the Six Day War in its widest context. The crucial role of individual actors is deftly woven into the general picture, the description of the military events is enthralling. This is probably the best book on those most fateful days in the history of Israel and the Middle East * SAUL FRIEDLANDER, author of THE YEARS OF EXTERMINATION: NAZI GERMANY AND THE JEWS (1939-1945) **'Today we know that Israel's triumph in 1967 was a Pyrrhic victory. Tom Segev's 1967 makes that more clear than anything written on the subject . . . Segev documents this historic tragedy brilliantly, authoritatively, as no one has before.' AMOS ELON, HA * 'Excellent book’ *LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS * 'A riveting narrative . . . [that] offers a shrewd insight into the nation's psyche’ *THE ECONOMIST * 'Despite the controversy, this left=wing journalist has emerged as one of the foremost historians of the [Israel/Palestine] region *

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Book SynopsisThe ULTIMATE book of Hanukkah fun!

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Book SynopsisAward-winning illustrated chronicle of the modern Arab world, combining travelogue, memoir, history and gorgeous full-colour artTrade Review'A stunningly stylish, breathtakingly evocative tribute in words and art to the cosmopolitan Levant that exists in defiance of war and empire. I treasure my copy.' -- Molly Crabapple, artist and author of 'Brothers of the Gun: A Memoir of the Syrian War''... a personal, impassioned account ... evocative, personal texts with illustrations whose bold, colorful style seems to hark back to hand-painted movie posters' -- 'The New York Review''Lamia Ziade works as an alchemist' -- 'Elle''Extraordinary' -- 'Ms Magazine'

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Book SynopsisA guide that puts Middle Eastern politics, people, and problems in perspective. It demystifies the history and conflicts of this complex region from the Ottoman Empire and the Balfour Declaration to the Intifada and the Gulf War, and offers an analysis of why events in the Middle East continue to reverberate throughout the world.Table of ContentsIntroduction. Part I: Getting Acquainted with the Middle East. Chapter 1: The Middle East’s Relevance in the 21st Century. Chapter 2: Charting a Map. Chapter 3: Middle Eastern Hospitality. Part II: The History of the Middle East. Chapter 4: The Ancient Middle East. Chapter 5: The Medieval Middle East. Chapter 6: The Modern Middle East. Part III: Politics, Islam, and Oil: Three Reasons Not to Ignore the Middle East. Chapter 7: Leadership: Kings, Presidents, and Dictators. Chapter 8: Islamic Militancy in a Nutshell. Chapter 9: Islam and the West. Chapter 10: It’s All About the Oil: Economics in the Middle East. Part IV: Regions in Turmoil. Chapter 11: The Powder Keg: Israel and Palestine. Chapter 12: Iraq. Chapter 13: Afghanistan. Chapter 14: Pakistan. Part V: Regions in Repair. Chapter 15: North Africa. Chapter 16: Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. Chapter 17: The Arabian Peninsula. Chapter 18: Non-Arab Muslim States. Part VI: Cultural Contributions of the Middle East. Chapter 19: A Mosaic of Religions. Chapter 20: Religions on the Edge. Chapter 21: The Family: The Hub of Middle Eastern Life. Chapter 22: Language and Literature. Chapter 23: Arts and Sciences. Part VII: The Part of Tens. Chapter 24: Ten Key Ethnic Groups. Chapter 25: Ten Key Militant Groups. Chapter 26: Ten Key Challenges. Index.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Foucault in Iran is a courageous and thought-provoking invitation to understand the Iranian revolution, and Foucault’s reaction to it, in an original way. A splendid work that goes beyond simple binaries, it has no sympathy for the clichéd vocabulary used by Progressivists to describe these events—or to criticize Foucault for his alleged romanticisation of the Iranian revolution."—Talal Asad, City University of New York "Foucault in Iran is absorbing and integral. Behrooz Ghamari-Tabrizi deftly situates his analysis within the currents of the protest movements that galvanized Iranians across wide ideological, economic, and class spectrums."—Nasrin Rahimieh, University of California, Irvine"Behrooz Ghamari-Tabrizi shows that the Iranian revolutionary movement was a socio-political source of creativity with historical significance. Foucault in Iran is a devastating critique of self-righteous Enlightenment rationality, and a must-read for anyone interested in Iranian political history, revolutionary action, and Foucault’s later writings."—Babak Rahimi, University of California, San Diego"Through a meticulous presentation of events, reading, and engagement with Foucault’s reportage, and the subsequent critiques of his writings on the topic, Foucault in Iran marvelously recaptures the unfolding unpredictability of the events and brings out vividly how this was a revolution without a known script, even to its participants."—Afsaneh Najmabadi, Harvard University"This book presents an intimate portrait of the events and conditions that led to the revolution, coupled with a fascinating account of Foucault’s engagement with that moment. Historically rich and theoretically nuanced, Foucault in Iran advances a scathing critique of previous works on this subject that charged Foucault with having endorsed Islamist violence by supporting the revolution. This book offers a more complicated reading of Foucault’s views on the revolution that disrupts binaries like secular/Islamist while also providing a riveting analysis on questions of time, history, and revolution."—New Books Network"Highly recommended, not only as a counter to Afary and Anderson (and many like-minded detractors of Foucault), but for all interested in Foucault’s work in general."—CHOICE"Foucault in Iran is not simply a good work or even a brave one, it is a thoroughly necessary exemplar of contemporary academia. Every book should be this good."—Hong Kong Review of Books"An exemplary book for our time."—SCTIW Reviews"An impressively meticulous reading of Michel Foucault’s writings on the events that preceded the overthrow of the Pahlavi monarchy in early 1979."—Contemporary Political Theory"It distinguishes itself foremost as a welcome provocation to Afary and Anderson’s labeling of Foucault as an unwitting, “bad leftist.”"—Milestones"A significant critical work in the fields of Foucault studies, comparative revolutions, and political philosophy, Foucault in Iran has already become and will surely remain a must-read in these fields."—Canadian Journal of HistoryTable of ContentsContents Preface Introduction: Foucault’s Indictment 1. Thinking the Unthinkable: The Revolutionary Movement in Iran 2. How Did Foucault Make Sense of the Iranian Revolution? 3. Misrepresenting the Revolution, Misreading Foucault 4. The Reign of Terror, Women’s Issues, and Feminist Politics 5. Was ist Aufklärung? The Iranian Revolution as a Moment of Enlightenment Conclusion: Writing the History of the Present Acknowledgments Notes Index

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Book SynopsisThis first book-length study of Nikephoros Bryennios' history of the Byzantine Empire examines his use of classical Roman constructions of masculinity and honor. It will be important for the study of medieval gender, nobility, memory, historiography, rhetoric of warfare and political and military history of the eleventh and twelfth centuries.Trade Review'… elegantly written and persuasively argued … it rekindles the conversation about twelfth-century culture, politics, and historiography, aligning it with recent scholarship in the fields of Roman and Byzantine studies.' Dimitris Krallis, English Historical Review'… dazzling and insightful …' Mike Markowitz, The NYMAS ReviewTable of ContentsIntroduction; Part I. Contexts: 1. Twelfth-century politics and the House of Komnenos; 2. Writing history in twelfth-century Constantinople; 3. Nikephoros' reading; 4. Sources for the Material for History; Part II. Reading in the Material for History: 5. Problems of the Empire: civil war and mercenaries; 6. The rise of Alexios; 7. Romans and their enemies; 8. Military virtue; 9. Roman family politics; 10. Religion and providence; 11. Roman heroes; 12. A Roman mother; 13. A bold young man; Part III. The Material for History in Twelfth-Century Politics and Culture: 14. The Material for History and imperial politics of the twelfth century; 15. Nikephoros and Anna; 16. Roman ideals and twelfth-century Constantinopolitan culture; Conclusions; Appendix 1; Appendix 2. Vocabulary of virtue.

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Book SynopsisFirst-hand accounts of opening the air attack against dictator Saddam

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Book SynopsisA unique, stunning collection of images of Palestine in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and a testament to the vibrancy of Palestinian society prior to occupation.This book tells the story, in both English and Arabic, of a land full of people—people with families, hopes, dreams, and a deep connection to their home—before Israel’s establishment in 1948, known to Palestinians as the Nakba, or “catastrophe.” Denying Palestinian existence has been a fundamental premise of Zionism, which has sought not only to hide this existence but also to erase its memory. But existence leaves traces, and the imprint of the Palestine that was remains, even in the absence of those expelled from their lands. It appears in the ruins of a village whose name no longer appears in the maps, in the drawing of a lost landscape, in the lyrics of a song, or in the photographs from a family album.Co-edited by Teresa Aranguren and Sandra Barrilaro and featuring a foreword by Mohammed El-Kurd, the photographs in this book are traces of that existence that have not been erased. They are testament not to nostalgia, but to the power of resistance.Trade Review"Against Erasure: A Photographic Memory of Palestine Before the Nakba sets out as a reminder of not only the history of the people of Palestine, but also about the undying struggle against its very erasure. It is a tribute to the emotional power of memory, taking us back to the past of the Palestinians before the Nakba, rendering the whole period as an expression of their vibrant culture, traditions, principles and lifestyle, unravelled through spectacular images of their land demonstrating a life of joy and beauty, of perseverance and resistance. The images will haunt many who have yet to grasp the pain and the fear of a living people who once had a fulfilling life." —The Tribune"At a time of an unfolding Israeli genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza, enabled as much by racist, dehumanizing propaganda as by Western arms, funds and colonial complicity, it is more important than ever to always remember to see the human behind the number, the oppression behind the violence, and the complicity behind the genocide. This precious book shares a glimpse of Palestinian lives prior to the Nakba, the initial destruction of our beautiful homeland to project an image of a "desert" that needs a white colonial settler to make it bloom. In the face of this excruciatingly painful phase of our ongoing Nakba of ruthless, inherently supremacist settler-colonial conquest, celebrating our heritage, our cultural roots, our love for life, for freedom, for justice becomes more necessary than ever. This book helps us do so.“ —Omar Barghouti, Palestinian human rights defender and co-founder of the BDS movement for Palestinian rights"Against Erasure is a stunning demonstration of Palestinian resistance, joy, and the beautiful persistence of our people. As argument, it documents the thriving existence of families, children, and whole communities before Nakba, illustrating our powerful connection to the homeland, which persists and resists until full liberation. This book is a testament to the schools we once occupied and the orange groves our great-grandfather's planted. Through this book, we look into the past as a means of creating and charging towards a future of return." —Noor Hindi"We live in a moment when Palestinian life is being ruthlessly dehumanized in the service of a looming genocide. A critical defense of humanity amidst this atrocity is the constant assertion that these are a people who had a culture and a land before it was violently stolen. Against Erasure: A Photographic Memory of Palestine Before the Nakba, is not only beautiful and heart wrenching; it is a political reminder that we are fighting not only with Palestinian life but against an erasure of their entire history." —Dave Zirin, Sports Editor, The Nation Magazine“If you are curious about what Palestinians were like before the Nakba, before the 2014 Gaza massacres, and before the current Israeli genocide or, more importantly, if for some peculiar reason, you need further affirmation of Palestinian humanity get Against Erasure and humanize yourself.” —CounterCurrents

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Book SynopsisUniquely imprisoned, most Palestinians in Gaza cannot travel beyond the confines of the Strip, and in times of war escape is impossible. They live under siege – economic and armed – and yet so many remain courageous, outspoken and steadfast. Donald Macintyre lays bare Gaza’s human tragedy and reveals how it became a crucible of conflict and a byword for suffering. He identifies the repeated failings – including those of the international community – that have seen countless opportunities for peace pass by. Yet, against all odds, hope for a better future lingers. Gaza was once a flourishing coastal civilization open to the world. Could it be so again?Trade Review'This is a book which answers a lot of questions, and prompts quite a few more…Donald Macintyre is to be commended for his forthright approach.’ * The Muslim World Book Review *'As head of the Independent’s Jerusalem bureau, Donald Macintyre followed Gaza at a critical time, as he recounts in his highly impressive book Gaza: Preparing for dawn (2017). Macintyre was there when Israel dismantled the settlements, when Hamas won the democratic elections of 2006, and when it took full control in a coup a year later. He was also there when Hamas fired rockets into neighbouring Sderot, and when Israel retaliated with repeated incursions. His first-hand account of the tragedy is even-handed, balanced and devastating.' * Ari Shavit, Times Literary Supplement *‘The inflammable world of Middle Eastern politics is treacherous terrain for those who don’t know it well, and even for those who do: Macintyre navigates it with sensitivity, skill and the diligence of a committed reporter… Along the way he fills readers in on the history that led to today’s impasse.’ * Mail on Sunday *‘Superb…essential reading.’ * Tribune *‘Wise and powerful.’ * The Tablet *‘Donald Macintyre has managed to skillfully write a comprehensive account of the Strip that is faithful to history, humane in its consideration of people, and accurate with respect to events. The lucid style of this commendable journalist makes history and events comprehensible and easy to follow.’ * This Week in Palestine *'Searing, scrupulous reportage.' * Jenny McCartney *‘Highly informative and written in an engaging style, navigating the humanitarian repercussions of diplomacy and impunity well.’ * Middle East Monitor *‘A brilliant and incisive account of this tiny, vibrant, but embattled enclave. With the two million people of Gaza struggling to survive food shortages, electricity cuts, and increasing amounts of sewage in her surrounding seas, this is a must-read.’ -- Jon Snow‘Donald Macintyre skilfully picks his way through the tangle of accusations that surrounds Gaza’s tragedy. This is a lucid, essential guide. Highly recommended to anyone who wants to understand the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis.’ -- Jeremy Bowen, BBC Middle East editor‘A perceptive first-hand analysis of Gaza’s hell-on-earth.’ -- Martin Bell, author of War and the Death of News‘Donald Macintyre’s Gaza is a deeply informed and elegant portrait of this small but profoundly important and misunderstood part of the world. Not only are Gaza’s history and politics made compellingly accessible, so too are her sight, sound and smell. In this way Macintyre challenges any notion of Gaza’s irrelevance and perhaps more importantly does what few authors writing on Gaza have done: elevates the ordinary in a manner that will endure, helping the reader understand that no matter who we are and where we are from, in Gaza we can recognise ourselves. This book speaks to something greater than Gaza’s pain; it speaks to Gaza’s soul.’ -- Sara Roy, Senior Research Scholar, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University‘Donald Macintyre has written a remarkable political panorama about Gaza today. In cool prose he exposes the history of the conflict and the discussion that has surrounded it. Anyone interested in understanding the situation between Hamas, the Palestinian Authority and Israel should look at the conclusion of this book. Anyone who wants to feel a little bit how people live in this narrow strip of land on the Mediterranean coast must read the whole work.’ -- Shlomo Sand, Emeritus Professor of History, Tel Aviv University, and author of The Invention of the Jewish People

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Book SynopsisFor many in Israel and elsewhere, Benjamin Netanyahu is anathema, an embarrassment; yet he continues to dominate Israeli public life. How can we explain his rise, his hold on Israeli politics, and his outsized role on the world's stage? In Bibi, Anshel Pfeffer reveals the formative influence of Netanyahu's father and grandfather, who bequeathed to him a once-marginal brand of Zionism combining Jewish nationalism with religious traditionalism. In the Zionist enterprise, Netanyahu embodies the triumph of the underdogs over the secular liberals who founded the nation. Netanyahu's Israel is a hybrid of ancient phobia and high-tech hope; of tribalism and globalism -- just like the man himself. We cannot understand Israel today without first understanding the man who leads it.Trade Review'Certain to elicit both consternation and praise, Anshel Pfeffer’s book is a fascinating exploration of the complex ideological and familial foundations that continue to shape the thinking and governing of the man who may soon become Israel’s longest serving Prime Minster. This is a book that will lead both Bibi’s friends as well as his foes to see him a new — and infinitely more nuanced — light.' -- Daniel Gordis, author of 'Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn''An unsparing examination of the Israeli prime minister's rise to power. Journalist Pfeffer, Israeli correspondent for the Economist and senior correspondent for Haaretz, makes his literary debut with a biting portrait of Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu . . . a perceptive history of a beleaguered nation and one deeply flawed leader.''Riveting and passionately critical. . . a must-read for everyone who is interested in the undercurrents of today's Israeli society.''Anshel Pfeffer's biography is superbly timed . . . insightful and readable. . . Bibi, obsessed by hostile "left-wing" media, complained pre-emptively that this biography would be a "cartoon." It is not: It fleshes out a superficially familiar and invariably quotable figure with a wealth of background information and analysis that provide necessary and, of course, often highly critical context.''Anyone who seeks to understand [Netanyahu's] mercurial rise and the way it has shaped modern Israel would do well to read this insightful biography by Anshel Pfeffer . . . a sober and erudite profile of a man who has made himself necessary to his country through sheer force of will.'‘This excellent biography . . . is a dark record of the astute helmsman of Israel’s recent history.’‘Riveting and passionately critical. . . a must-read for everyone who is interested in the undercurrents of today’s Israeli society.’‘A detailed, revealing, and shrewd biography that is packed with fascinating insights . . . taking full advantage of the author’s vantage point as a bilingual journalist, alive to the subtleties of both Israeli and diaspora Jewish life, it is for now the definitive portrait of Netanyahu.’ '['Bibi'] is exhaustively researched … Most damning is Pfeffer’s take on Netanyahu’s relations with leaders of authoritarian regimes.' -- The Guardian'Excellent.' ‘An insightful examination of the most dominant figure in recent Israeli political history . . . both timely and much welcomed. . . . The picture Pfeffer paints of both Bibi and the Netanyahu family is a fascinating one, full of contradictions and paradoxes.’'Benjamin Netanyahu has turned out to be much more than the temporary speed bump in Israeli politics his critics once imagined. In this lively and trenchant biography, Anshel Pfeffer explains why and how Bibi came to dominate and embody the changing face of the remarkable and divided nation he still leads.' -- Aaron David Miller, Vice-President and Middle East Program Director at the Woodrow Wilson Center'Anshel Pfeffer has given us an understanding, even compassionate, portrait of Benjamin Netanyahu -- the family, the formative experiences, the logic of his belligerent ideology -- while keeping his distance from Netanyahu’s stances and exposing many of the unpleasant truths that lie beneath the surface Netanyahu works so hard to polish. Essential reading.' -- Bernard Avishai, author of 'The Hebrew Republic''Weaving together stories from Netanyahu's time in America and Israel, and from his family history, military service, and political career, Anshel Pfeffer's fascinating and insightful biography paints a portrait of the indomitable outsider who became Israel's three-time prime minister. This riveting account illuminates the ways in which the man leading Israel today is both a product and a beneficiary of bitter divides that have shaped the nation's politics from its earliest days.' -- Tamara Cofman Wittes, Senior Fellow in Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution

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Book SynopsisWinner of the Moore Prize 2020 In Going Home, Orwell Prize winning author Raja Shehadeh travels Ramallah and records the changing face of the city. Walking along the streets he grew up in, he tells the stories of the people, the relationships, the houses, and the businesses that were and now are cornerstones of the city and his community. This is, in many ways, an elegy. Green spaces - gardens and hills crowned with olive trees - have been replaced by tower blocks and concrete lots; the occupation and the settlements have further entrenched themselves in every aspect of movement-from the roads that can and cannot be used to the bureaucratic barriers that prevent people leaving the West Bank. The culture of the city has also shifted with Islam taking a more prominent role in people's everyday and political lives and the geography of the city. As he grapples with ageing and the failures of the resistance, Shehadeh notes the ways that the past still invades the presence from the ruins of the compound that was Yasser Arafat's home to the power of emigrated families to reshape neighbourhoods by selling their long-abandoned homes. This is perhaps Raja Shehadeh's most painfully visceral book.Trade ReviewPalestine's greatest prose writer * Observer *Going Home cements the author's reputation as the best-known Palestinian writing in English -- Ian Black * Guardian *Going Home is about searching for the meaning of 'home' when living in a city under occupation ... In this book, the bonds that bind Palestinians to the land are exposed. Personal and political, human and geographical histories are beautifully intertwined and preserved. -- Claire Kohda Hazelton * Spectator *An insightful, illuminating book -- Paddy Kehoe * RTE *Shehadeh's descriptive powers are balanced by the acuity of his political insights * The Big Issue *Praise for Where the Line is Drawn: Brilliantly evokes the Palestinian tragedy by way of a complex friendship. This is a fiercely intelligent and honest account. -- Ian McEwanShehadeh [...] is a great inquiring spirit with a tone that is vivid, ironic, melancholy and wise. -- Colm ToibinA courageous and timely meditation on the fragility of friendship in dark times, illuminating how affiliation and love[...]can have a profound political power. -- Madeleine ThienWritten with fierce clarity and unusual compassion, this book touches the human heart of a political tragedy. -- Gillian SlovoThe question of how and if friendships can survive across political divides is a resonant one - and I can think of no one better than Raja Shehadeh to treat it with the wisdom, toughness and humanity that it deserves. -- Kamila ShamsieIn the dark agony of the Palestine-Israel conflict, Raja Shehadeh offers a rare gift: a lucid, honest, unsparing voice. His humanity and wisdom are invaluable. -- Claire MessudThe wisdom and elegance of Raja Shehadeh's thinking and writing are more necessary than ever. This book...appeals to - and speaks of - an insistence on dignity, regardless of borders and of endless war. Raja Shehadeh is a buoy in a sea of bleakness. -- Rachel KushnerThis is one of the most intensely human and humane books one is likely to read in a very long while, replete with an elevating dignity and suffused with deep melancholy. -- Trevor Royle * Edinburgh Sunday Herald *Praise for Palestinian Walks: 'Few Palestinians have opened their minds and their hearts with such frankness * New York Times *Shehadeh writes beautifully, his language infused with a lyrical, melancholic sense of loss. An important record of a land marked by conflict that is changing every day * Sunday Telegraph *Shehadeh describes how the destruction of a beloved landscape mirrors the damage to Palestinian identity ... lyrical nature writing with understated political passion * Guardian *

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Book Synopsis'Original and illuminating ... what a good book this is' Jonathan Dimbleby 'A love letter to the people of the Old City' Jerusalem Post In Jerusalem, what you see and what is true are two different things. Maps divide the walled Old City into four quarters, yet that division doesn't reflect the reality of mixed and diverse neighbourhoods. Beyond the crush and frenzy of its major religious sites, much of the Old City remains little known to visitors, its people overlooked and their stories untold. Nine Quarters of Jerusalem lets the communities of the Old City speak for themselves. Ranging through ancient past and political present, it evokes the city's depth and cultural diversity. Matthew Teller's highly original 'biography' features the Old City's Palestinian and Jewish communities, but also spotlights its Indian and African populations, its Greek and Armenian and Syriac cultures, its downtrodden Dom Gypsy families and its Sufi mystics. It discusses the sources of Jerusalem's holiness and the ideas - often startlingly secular - that have shaped lives within its walls. Nine Quarters of Jerusalem is an evocation of place through story, led by the voices of Jerusalemites.Trade ReviewHighly perceptive and readable ... combines millennia of Jerusalem's history with insightful interviews with its residents, weaponising that unusual approach to present a subtle portrait of the current reality at the heart of the world's most intractable and divisive conflict ... fascinating -- Ian Black * Observer *Vivid ... as much about the present as the past -- Rachel Cooke * Observer *Engaging ... Teller is an informed, enthusiastic guide to one of the most contested sites in the world * FT *[Nine Quarters of Jerusalem] is an effective mixture of history and travel literature, the bright and breezy tone of which belies Teller's seriousness. Nine Quarters of Jerusalem offers the best sort of genre-bending writing * Literary Review *As labyrinthine as the city it describes ... a curious, offbeat biography that comes alive through the many gathered voices * The Critic *Acute social analysis ... an engrossing travelogue ... vibrant * Catholic Herald *Illuminating and deeply researched ... there is a wealth of stories here * Geographical Magazine *A love letter to the people of the Old City * The Jerusalem Post *Original and engaging * Tel Aviv Review of Books *A delight ... one cannot help but be impressed by the interviewees' energy, resourcefulness, originality, persistence, and accomplishments against the odds, as well as by the author's depth of historical knowledge, his mastery of linguistics and choice of subjects. * Jordan Times *A highly original exploration of Jerusalem's cultural diversity * Traveller *Stand out * Asian Review of Books *Teller aims to break down the boundaries and reveal the human complexity that has been ignored ... Nine Quarters serves as a riposte to the denial of Palestinian history ... Teller's stories are informed by dogged detective work ... This telling of history spotlights the characters, communities, and institutions that have given the Old City a heartbeat underneath all the grandeur and mythology * Middle East Eye *Teller writes with affection and compassion for Jerusalem's wide variety of peoples but a sharp-eyed lack of deference for a city whose past and present he explores with insight, sensitivity and wry humour -- Jonathan Dimbleby, author and documentary makerThe Old City of Jerusalem has found an inspired, imaginative, and iconoclastic biographer. Teller set himself the modest task of telling stories. The end result, however, is a highly readable book, a vivid portrait, and a fresh perspective on this infinitely complex city -- Avi Shlaim, emeritus professor at the University of Oxford and author of The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab WorldThis book peels away the layers of deception to debunk the myth that the Old City is composed of four distinct quarters - a notion that continues to plague the city and underpins the assumption that present-day conflict comes down to age-old hatred between religions ... Teller takes the reader on a trip that reveals the Old City of Jerusalem better than any other book written about the city -- Raja Shehadeh, author of Palestinian WalksA lyrical and electric book, rich and intensely evocative (with a twist of cumin), as the author shares his life-long obsession for one of the most over-documented and misunderstood cities on earth. This is not another biography but an altogether more important book, about the human tapestries that could, possibly, weave together a new Jerusalem -- Louisa Waugh, author and humanitarian activistCaptivating. Teller's language flows lightly but his feelings run deep and it is difficult to pull away from his descriptions of the Old City. -- Noga Tarnopolsky, Jerusalem reporter * LA Times *A marvel. Teller deftly braids the historical, the political and the experiential. His book is at once universal in scope and intimate -- Massoud Hayoun, author of When We Were Arabs: A Jewish Family’s Forgotten HistoryThere has been no book like this written in the last twenty years ... Matthew Teller has resurrected this city -- George Hintlian, author of History of the Armenians in the Holy LandFor any other city, a book that tells the stories of its residents might be unremarkable - but for Jerusalem, so often weighed down by ancient history and the politics of occupation, Teller has produced a book that is borderline radical in its focus on the people who live there -- Zora O’Neill, author of All Strangers Are KinExploding the myths about age-old hatreds between religions, this must-read book lays bare the role of arrogant British colonialists and missionaries in shaping Jerusalem's Old City according to their vision. It challenges the misleading maps that serve the Israeli narrative and encourages visitors to see beyond the facade. A must-read exposé -- Diana Darke, author of Stealing from the Saracens

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Book SynopsisIn Road to October 7, Erik Skare argues that Palestinian Islamism is far more complex and dynamic than generally assumed. The phenomenon has continuously developed through disputes between moderates and hardliners. These struggles have largely been settled by external drivers - intra-Palestinian competition, Israeli violence and repression, or shifts in the regional power balance.

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Book SynopsisThis volume analyses the transformation of social sectarianism into political sectarianism across the Arab world. Using a framework of social theories and socio-historical analysis, the book distinguishes between 'ta'ifa', or 'sect', and modern 'ta'ifiyya', 'sectarianism', arguing that sectarianism itself produces 'imaginary sects'. It charts and explains the evolution of these phenomena and their development in Arab and Islamic history, as distinct from other concepts used to study religious groups within Western contexts. Bishara documents the role played by internal and external factors and rivalries among political elites in the formulation of sectarian identity, citing both historical and contemporary models. He contends that sectarianism does not derive from sect, but rather that sectarianism resurrects the sect in the collective consciousness and reproduces it as an imagined community under modern political and historical conditions. Sectarianism Without Sects is a vital resource for engaging with the sectarian crisis in the Arab world. It provides a detailed historical background to the emergence of sect in the region, as well as a complex theoretical exploration of how social identities have assumed political significance in the struggle for power over the state.

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Book SynopsisAn accessible, yet comprehensive survey of the last century, Contested Lands tells the story of the Middle East from the fall of the Ottoman Empire to the present day.

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Book SynopsisGamal Abdel Nasser, architect of Egypt's 1952 Revolution, president of the country from 1956 to 1970, hero to millions across the Arab world since the Suez Crisis, was also a family man, a devoted husband and father who kept his private life largely private. In 1973, three years after his early passing at the age of 52, his wife Tahia wrote a memoir of her beloved husband for her family. The family then waited almost forty years, through the presidencies of Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak, both unsympathetic to the memory of Nasser, before publishing Tahia's book in Arabic for the first time in 2011. Now this unique insight into the life of one of the giants of the twentieth century is finally available in English. Accompanied by more than one hundred photographs from the family archive, many never before published, this historic book tells the story of the couple's life together from their marriage in 1944, through the Revolution and Nasser's career on the world stage, revealing an unknown and intimate picture of the man behind the president.Trade ReviewTo comeTable of ContentsForeword by Hoda Gamal Abdel Nasser Prologue: Dearly Departed Early Years To Palestine Return from al-Faluja Continual Meetings with the Officers Prelude to the Revolution The 23 July Revolution The Declaration of the Republic Conspiracies At Home after the Revolution The Nationalization of the Suez Canal Company Life at Manshiyat al-Bakri after the Evacuation Presidential Duties End of the Union The Family Man 1967 The First Heart Attack Summer 1970 The Final Moments Index

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Book SynopsisThe discovery of ancient Egypt and the development of Egyptology are momentous events in intellectual and cultural history. The history of Egyptology is the story of the people, famous and obscure, who constructed the picture of ancient Egypt that we have today, recovered the Egyptian past while inventing it anew, and made a lost civilization comprehensible to generations of enchanted readers and viewers thousands of years later. This, the second of a three-volume survey of the history of Egyptology, explores the years 1881–1914, a period marked by the institutionalization of Egyptology amid an ever increasing pace of discovery and the opening of vast new vistas into the Egyptian past. Wonderful Things affirms that the history of ancient Egypt has proved continually fascinating, but it also demonstrates that the history of Egyptology is no less so. Only by understanding how Egyptology has developed can we truly understand ancient Egypt.Trade Review"Thompson offers a well written, informed, and at times exciting account of the exceptional accomplishments of the individuals and institutions that pioneered the field of Egyptology. Jaromir Malek's informed foreword offers a critical context for unfolding the Egyptological undertaking."—Choice"Wonderful Things is a remarkable achievement: a scholarly work packed with facts but one which is also genuinely readable. It is ambitious in its scope and detail. To follow the growth of an arcane but also a highly romantic branch of learning becomes in Thompson's book something close to an adventure. The author successfully conveys his infectious enthusiasm for the subject but writes with a degree of detachment that allows him to be refreshingly and occasionally almost ruthlessly trenchant and critical."— Jaromir Malek, from the foreword "An incisive anatomy of a discipline that challenges our all too familiar assumptions about how Egyptology came to be."— Stephanie Moser "[A] monumental achievement"—Donald M. Reid, Journal of the American Oriental Society"The definitive reference tool for anyone interested in the development of this academic discipline. "— Morris Bierbrier "Jason Thompson has written what is by far the best history of Egyptology yet. Filled with fascinating facts and characters, Thompson's book is comprehensive and eminently readable and certain to become the standard history of the field for many years to come."— Kent Weeks "At last a definitive history, which does justice not only to the major players but to lesser lights as well…immensely valuable."— Brian Fagan, author of The Rape of the Nile "Remarkably thorough and yet refreshingly readable, this action-packed history of Egyptology is driven by some extraordinary characters—mostly men but some notable women—who needed to learn everything they could about the culture, land, and language of ancient Egypt. As much a study of European colonialism in Egypt as a historiography of seventeenth- to nineteenth-century scholarship, this volume is an absolute necessity for anybody with an interest in pharaonic Egypt."— Kara Cooney "Wonderful Things is not only a definitive study of the early history of Egyptology, but an entrancing read. . . He wears his scholarship lightly, which makes this beautifully crafted book a joy for the general reader."— Current World Archaeology "By any standards, this book is a remarkable achievement."— Antiquity "It's not often that I find a book in which I can confidently state that I found something interesting on nearly every page. And as one who likes to consider himself an historian of archaeology, I learned much. Anyone with a serious interest in Egyptology surely will benefit from reading Wonderful Things.” — Donald P. Ryan, KMT "A book that the Egyptological world and, surely, the world at large was waiting for for a long time. It fills a gap that was getting bigger as time passed by."— André J. Veldmeijer, PalArch "A comprehensive and thoroughly-researched work, in which a huge quantity of data has been synthesized and expounded. . . . The book is a mine of information and succeeds in being both authoritative and highly readable."— John H. Taylor, ASTENE Bulletin "Wonderful Things deserves to become the essential resource for decades to come."— Rosalind Janssen, Egyptian Archaeology "While Wonderful Things would be an entertaining and informative read for any interested person, it should be considered essential reading for every Egyptologist and aspiring Egyptologist."— Melinda Nelson-Hurst, JARCE "An essential and very worthy addition to the shelves of every Egyptologist, professional or dedicated amateur."— Peter A. Clayton, Ancient EgyptTable of ContentsChronological Outline of Ancient Egyptian History ix Maps xPreface xiii1. The Golden Age 12. Akhenaten Lives! 253. The Seven Hathors 494. New Horizons 655. Greco-Roman Egypt 836. Loret’s Interlude 1017. The Return of Maspero 1118. New Players in the Game 1319. The Berlin School and Its Rivals 15110. Egyptology Comes to America 19311. The United States Enters the Field 22712. Attention Turns South 25713. The Twilight of the Golden Age 281Notes 293Bibliography 325Index 355

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Book Synopsis''Lyrically imaginative . . . enthralling'' GUARDIANBefore she was the legendary Persian queen who spun a thousand tales, Shaherazade was a girl who saw something she shouldn''t have.She told the king.She thought she was doing what was right.She couldn''t have imagined what was to come.The Seljuk Empire is on fire and the king is on a rampage after learning of his wife''s infidelity. Unsated by her execution, he has gone on to wed and behead a new wife night after night. Fear spreads through the city and Shaherazade must do something, anything, to halt the horror she has set in motion. When the king starts searching for his next bride, Shaherazade steps forward.As the sun sets on her wedding night, she begins to weave a tale that will go down in history.''A sumptuous, moreish novel infused with the joys of storytelling'' LEILA ABOULELA, author of Minaret'Trade ReviewA sumptuous, moreish novel infused with the joys of storytelling. A bold, heady journey into the riches and passions of Crusader history, presenting a fresh and fascinating Muslim perspective -- Leila AboulelaRichly imagined and sumptuously told . . . Ahmed deftly interweaves history and myth to create a world that is as compelling as it is magical. Every chapter leaves you eager to sit at Shaherazade's feet once more -- G. Willow Wilson, author of The Bird KingFresh and fascinating . . . Every Rising Sun is a deft and elegant novel which celebrates the power of the storyteller to transform and inspire -- Nikki Marmery, author of LilithI was entranced by this marvel of a book, wound about by the weave of its tales, unable to put it down, astonished at the power of a story to change everything -- Claire Gilbert, author of I, JulianA beautifully imagined and fiercely feminist retelling of a cherished classic . . . You won't want to miss Ahmed's gorgeous writing, this rich and vibrant world, and of course, Shaherazade, a timeless heroine who speaks with an urgency it's impossible to deny. I turned the last page grateful to be reminded of how during humanity's darkest nights, stories are what keep us alive -- V. V. Ganeshananthan, author of Brotherless NightAhmed flawlessly weaves together countless threads to create a stunning tapestry revealing the bonds that tie people together and the deceptions that tear them apart. A gorgeous novel that rejoices in the legacy of the woman who tells tales -- KirkusWith imaginative creativity and embellishment of its 12th-century Persia setting, this novel is a striking testament to the power of stories * Library Journal *A vibrant spin on the Arabian classic One Thousand and One Nights . . . Ahmed brings new life to Shaherazade's thrilling tales * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisThe eclectic essays of lauded Harvard professor Roy Mottahedeh Trade Review‘Few can claim to have produced a wealth of scholarship and achieved mastery over Middle Eastern history, but Roy Mottahedeh's insatiable curiosity for the past has left us with a treasure trove of works. Reading essays that he has written over the past fifty years and collected together in his new book, you get a sense of the past whispering to you in more ways than one… a pleasure to read… In the Shadow of the Prophet offers a wide range of thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating engagement with Middle Eastern, Iranian and Islamic history. It provides anyone who has a passion for history with new horizons to explore and a renewed sense of purpose.’ -- Middle East Monitor‘The fruit of decades of travel, teaching, research, and deep personal engagement with modern Iran and the Middle East, these articles are as humane as they are learned, and as wise as they are trenchant.’ -- Peter Brown, Philip and Beulah Rollins Professor of History, Emeritus, Princeton University‘The erudite elegance of his discourse in this remarkable collection is the result of a long, prolific life dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of the many Islams in history.’ -- Abbas Milani, Hamid and Christina Moghadam Director of Iranian Studies, Stanford University‘This book demonstrates its author’s impressive breadth and insight dealing with diverse aspects of premodern and modern Islamic history, religion, and culture. Roy Mottahedeh shows us the complexity of a civilizational experience over a millennium and highlights the place of Iranians in it. This is a timely contribution at a time when misperceptions abound. His delightful autobiography adds to the book’s appeal.’ -- Abbas Amanat, William Graham Sumner Professor of History Emeritus, Yale University

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Book SynopsisThe Lebanese have always lacked a common vision of their past. From the beginning Muslims and Christians have disagreed fundamentally over their country's historical legitimacy: Christians on the whole have affirmed it, Muslims have tended to emphasize Lebanon's place in a broader Arab history. Both groups have used nationalist ideas in a destructive game, which at a deeper level involves archaic loyalties and tribal rivalries. But Lebanon cannot afford these conflicting visions if it is to develop and maintain a sense of political community. In the course of his lively exposition, Salibi offers a major reinterpretation of Lebanese history and provides insights into the dynamic of Lebanon's recent conflict. He also gives an account of how the images of communities which underlie modern nationalism are created.Table of ContentsHow it all began; the confidence game; talking geography; rose among the thorns; the Maronite record; the imagined principality; the mountain refuge; Ottoman Lebanon - how unique?; Phoenicia resurrected; trial and error; the war over Lebanese history; a house of many mansions.

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Book SynopsisÖmer Taspinar is Professor of National Security Strategy at the National War College and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, both in Washington, DC. He is a regular commentator on Turkish, UK and US media and has written for a wide range of outlets, including Foreign Affairs, Washington Quarterly, Survival and Huffington Post (an article published last year for the latter was voted one of 15 articles that made us think differently about the world in 2015'). He often appears on BBC World News, Al-Jazeera and CNN, and until its enforced closure had a weekly column in Today's Zaman. He is also the author of Political Islam and Turkish Nationalism in Turkey and Winning Turkey, co-authored with Philip Gordon, Barack Obama's senior advisor for the Middle East.

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Book SynopsisWhat if our understanding of Israel/Palestine has been wrong all along?Trade Review'It is fashionable to say that the two-state solution to Israel-Palestine is dead. Jeff Halper thinks it was never born. In this brave, thought-provoking and highly original book, he presents both a searching critique of Zionist settler colonialism and a compelling case for one democratic state with equal rights for all its citizens' -- Avi Shlaim, Emeritus Professor of International Relations at Oxford and author of 'The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World' (Penguin, 2014)'Strikes at the core of the political revolution boiling under the surface in Israel/Palestine. Halper serves a generous helping of hope for anyone who cares about the future of this land' -- Shir Hever, author of 'The Political Economy of Israel's Occupation' (Pluto Press, 2010)'An important chapter in the development of a conversation that will form the foundation of a just regime for the inhabitants of the country and the refugees' -- Eitan Bronstein Aparicio, founder and former director of the NGO Zochrot'Jeff Halper harnesses his extremely sharp and original mind alongside his prophetic voice to change the international debate. A gem for both the novice as well as the expert, his book offers a brilliant analysis of Israel's colonial project and outlines what a decolonial horizon might look like' -- Neve Gordon, author of 'Human Shields: A History of People in the Line of Fire' (University of California Press, 2020)'This is the first serious contribution in drawing a path to the project of liberating Palestine' -- Awad Abdelfattah, Former Secretary General of the Balad/Tajamu Party and Coordinator of the One Democratic State Campaign (ODSC)'Helps us to see light at the end of the tunnel. At a time when Israel is seeking to legalise its apartheid regime and colonisation of occupied Palestine, it is vital to imagine and discuss alternative futures' -- Haidar Eid is Associate Professor of Postcolonial and Postmodern Literature at Gaza al-Aqsa University'A powerful and convincing case - a must read for anyone looking for fresh ideas of how to end the long and bloody conflict in Palestine' -- Ilan Pappe, Professor of History and Director of the European Centre for Palestine Studies at the University of Exeter'With informed lucidity, political sophistication and moral integrity Halper depicts the path from here to there. What is most unexpected, given present realities, is that this manages to be a book of realistic hope, the finest work of advocacy scholarship I have ever read' -- Richard Falk, Professor Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University, and author of 'Palestine's Horizon' (Pluto, 2017)'This is a serious work that deserves to be widely read. Halper is among the few who not only understands that we are at a critical historical juncture, but is also able to analyze its multiple dimensions and offer a transformative plan of action' -- Mouin Rabbani, Co-Editor of 'Jadaliyya''Amid a raft of failed policy choices, Halper's book is a cathartic practical vision of one possible way out of the protracted Israel-Palestine conflict' -- Sophia Akram, The New Arab'Halper's book is informative, offering an in-depth perspective that is lacking and addresses the concept of memory within the political framework of decolonisation' -- Middle East Monitor'An extremely convincing and persuasive argument that the only conceivable future for justice and peace necessitates a process of decolonization and equal rights for all' -- Electronic Intifada'He doesn’t pretend that creating one democratic state will be easy but he contends that it is the only way for Palestinians and Israelis to gain long-term security and a viable way of life' -- Jordan TimesAn essential and empowering text for anyone interested in the history and future of Israel-Palestine' -- Morning Star'Thoughtful' -- Labour Hub'[Halper] reframes Israel as a settler-colonial state necessitating a clear oppositional political strategy with an end-game of actively decolonizing the whole political structure' -- Counterpunch'A return to an explicitly anti-colonial Palestinian liberation politics' -- ROAR‘Timely’ -- ‘Counterfire’‘Powerful’ -- ‘Against the Current’Table of ContentsForeword by Nadia Naser-Najjab Acknowledgements Introduction: The Colonist Who Refuses, the Comrade in Joint Struggle PART I ZIONISM AS SETTLER COLONIAL PROJECT 1. Analysis Matters: Beginning with Settler Colonialism Acknowledgements 2. Zionism: A Settler Colonial Project PART II THREE CYCLES OF ZIONIST COLONIAL DEVELOPMENT 3. Settler “Invasion” and Foundational Violence: The Pre-State Cycle (1880s–1948) 4. The Israeli State Cycle (1948–67) 5. The Occupation Cycle (1967–Present): Completing the Settler Colonial Project PART III DECOLONIZING ZIONISM, LIBERATING PALESTINE 6. Decolonization: Dismantling the Dominance Management Regime 7. Constructing a Bridging Vision and Set of Acknowledgements 8. A Plan of Decolonization 9. Towards Post-coloniality 10. Addressing the Fears and Concerns of a Single Democratic State A Last Word: Being Political Notes Index

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Book SynopsisThe first book on the topic in English in over sixty years, Science among the Ottomans contends that, contrary to the generally accepted belief that the Ottomans lost interest in science, science was a valued, dynamic, and sustaining force throughout theTrade Review"Timely...Shefer-Mossensohn consistently avoids the emphasis on technical development that long characterized the literature on science in Islamic contexts, limiting its readership to specialists...Science among the Ottomans opens an important conversation." * H-Net Reviews *"By offering us a new synthesis that represents the current state of the field, Shefer-Mossensohn’s book addresses the perennial question of what happened to Islamic science and medicine after the Middle Ages. It offers a starting point for further discussions." * Early Science & Medicine *"Science among the Ottomans is a remarkable achievement…Shefer-Mossensohn has produced a landmark study with which many of us will train the next generation of historians of science." * Turkish Historical Review *Table of Contents Preface A Note on Transliteration Introduction: What Is the History of Science? The History of Science and Technology The History of Islamic Science and Technology The History of Ottoman Science and Technology History Toward a History of Ottoman Scientific Experiences On Inventiveness: An Ottoman Lesson Chapter 1. Framing “Knowledge” in the Ottoman Empire A Eurasian Matrix: The Multiple Cultural Sources of Knowledge in the Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Concept and Epistemology of Knowledge: The Term cIlm Classification of Knowledge in Muslim Societies Amalgamation of Bodies of Knowledge in Muslim Societies Tensions due to Fusion of Bodies of Knowledge: The Dispute regarding the Status of Pre-Islamic Sciences Mediating Mechanisms of Reception Chapter 2. Where and How Does Learning Take Place? Pedagogy New Educational Institutions and a New Type of Education in the Long Nineteenth Century Chapter 3. Transfer of Knowledge to, from, and within the Ottoman Empire Ottoman Literacy Translations and Translators among the Ottoman Elite Marginal Groups as Agents of Knowledge The Passage of Travelers and Knowledge to and from the Empire Chapter 4. State in Science: On Empire, Power, Infrastructures, and Finance The Patron and the Scholar: Intisap and Waqf/Vakıf Science and Technology and the Ottoman State Infrastructure Science, State, and the State above It: The (Semi)Colonial Connection Conclusion: Ottoman Science A Teacher and a Student: Murtaḍá al-Zabīdī and cAbd al-Raḥmān al-Jabartī as Ottoman Scientists Ottoman Patterns of Scientific Activity Ottoman Innovation Notes Bibliography Index

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Book Synopsis‘The very grubby coalface of foreign policy … I found the entire book most horribly addictive’ Independent ‘One of the unexpected responses to reading this masterful study is amazement at the efforts the British and French each put into undermining the other’ Spectator A fascinating insight into the untold story of how British-French rivalry drew the battle-lines of the modern Middle East. In 1916, in the middle of the First World War, two men secretly agreed to divide the Middle East between them. Sir Mark Sykes was a visionary politician; François Georges-Picot a diplomat with a grudge. They drew a line in the sand from the Mediterranean to the Persian frontier, and together remade the map of the Middle East, with Britain’s 'mandates' of Palestine, Transjordan and Iraq, and France's in Lebanon and Syria. Over the next thirty years a sordid tale of violence and clandestine political manoeuvring unfolded, told here through a stellar cast of politicians, diplomats, spies and soldiers, including T. E. Lawrence, Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle. Using declassified papers from the British and French archives, James Barr vividly depicts the covert, deadly war of intrigue and espionage between Britain and France to rule the Middle East, and reveals the shocking way in which the French finally got their revenge.Trade Review'With superb research and telling quotations, Barr has skewered the whole shabby story...The convulsion of that fateful line in the sand are still being felt today - not only in the Middle East, but throughout the world' -- Michael Binyon * The Times *'Racy... [Barr] is right to assert that few British readers grasp the ferocity of Anglo-French antagonism in the Levant' -- Max Hastings * Sunday Times *'One of the unexpected responses to reading this masterful study is amazement at the efforts the British and French each put into undermining each other' * The Spectator *'The very grubby coalface of foreign policy...I found the entire book most horribly addictive' * Independent *'Lively and entertaining. He has scoured the diplomatic archives and has come up with a rich hail that brings his narrative to life' * Financial Times *'James Barr's history of imperial machinations in the Middle East offers a revelatory slant on the continuing crisis in that area... an outstanding piece of research and a damning take on what stoked current Middle Eastern woes' * Metro *'James Barr has succeeded better than any author before him in telling the fascinating story of Anglo-French rivalries in the modern Middle East... Outstanding' -- Eugene Rogan, author of 'The Arabs: A History'The book resembles a gripping spy thriller...an expertly researched and authoritative book that is easy to read' * Military Times *'Barr is particularly good at identifying and portraying officials and agents engaged in these tit-for-tat reprisals that blurred the distinction between patriotism and crime' * Literary Review *'Engaging and well-researched... James Barr's lively account provides some quite astounding sketches of bluster, bickering and bravado' * BBC History Magazine *The struggle between Britain and France for mastery of the Middle East between 1914 and the late 1940s, is analysed by James Barr in his excellent new book. It is a complex story of intrigue and skulduggery, which Barr pieces together in a deft, well-written narrative. A journalist by profession, he manages to bring the whole subject alive through a series of well-chosen details and characters' * History Today *'History at its meticulously researched and addictive best' * Dublin Review of Books *

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Book SynopsisFollowing the Arab Spring, Syria descended into civil and sectarian conflict. It has since become a fractured warzone which operates as a breeding ground for new terrorist movements including ISIS as well as the root cause of the greatest refugee crisis in modern history. In this important book, former Special Envoy of the Netherlands to Syria, Nikolaos van Dam, explains the recent history of Syria, covering the growing disenchantment with the Asad regime, the chaos of civil war and the fractures which led to an immense amount of destruction in the refined social fabric of what used to be the Syrian nation. Through an in-depth examination, van Dam traces political developments within the Asad regime and the various opposition groups from the Arab Spring to the present day, and provides a deeper insight into the conflict and the possibilities and obstacles for reaching a political solution.Trade Review'[A] monumental work on Syrian power politics' - Robert Fisk, The Independent, 'An excellent book' - Patrick Seale, 'An admirable study... invaluable for anyone with a serious interest in Middle Eastern politics' - Peter Mansfield, 'The most informative explanation of the effects of sectarianism and regionalism on Syrian politics' - Philip S. Khoury, MERIP Reports, '[An] excellent study of the sectarian bases of Syrian politics' - Foreign Affairs, 'Only a handful of important books have been written on modern Syria; and Nikolaos van Dam's The Struggle for Power in Syria is one of them' - Joshua Landis, International Journal of Middle East Studies, 'Nikolaos van Dam is a rare species: An academic analyst and an excellent diplomat who has accompanied and shaped recent Syrian history in theory and practice. He is also brutally honest, including with Western policy failures, and hard to be put into a political camp in this polarized conflict. On the basis of profound studies of the Baath system, he explains how Syria's disaster inevitably unfolded in the context of the Arab Spring, the brutal internal logic of an encrusted regime, and the vested interests of foreign powers. Van Dam's insights from old and new Syria make this book a valuable guide in the complex web of this worst conflict of our century. We get a taste of the difficult search for a new social contract and a political solution in Syria - if this is still possible before the state fails.' - Carsten Wieland, author of Syria: A Decade of Lost Chances, 'Nikolaos van Dam is simply one of the top experts on Syria. Setting the Syrian conflict within its historical and contemporary contexts, he draws on his unique combination of scholarly excellence and practical diplomatic experience. This book is a sophisticated, yet accessible and readable analysis of a highly complex situation. It substantially updates and advances our understanding of the ever evolving war in Syria.' - David W. Lesch, Ewing Halsell Distinguished Professor of History at Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas and author of Syria: The Fall of the House of Assad.Table of ContentsPreface 1 Introduction 2 Ba’thist history before the Syrian Revolution (2011) 3 Could the War in Syria have been avoided? 4 Confrontation between the military of the regime and the opposition 5 The ambivalent Western approach to the Syria conflict 6 Intra-Syrian talks but no negotiations 7 Conclusions Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIn southeastern Morocco, around the oasis of Tafilalet, the Ait Khabbash people weave brightly colored carpets, embroider indigo head coverings, paint their faces with saffron, and wear ornate jewelry. Their extraordinarily detailed arts are rich in cultural symbolism; they are always breathtakingly beautiful—and they are typically made by women. Like other Amazigh (Berber) groups (but in contrast to the Arab societies of North Africa), the Ait Khabbash have entrusted their artistic responsibilities to women. Cynthia Becker spent years in Morocco living among these women and, through family connections and female fellowship, achieved unprecedented access to the artistic rituals of the Ait Khabbash. The result is more than a stunning examination of the arts themselves, it is also an illumination of women''s roles in Islamic North Africa and the many ways in which women negotiate complex social and religious issues.One of the reasons Amazigh women are artists is that the Table of Contents A Note on Transcription and Transliteration Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter One. Ait Khabbash Textiles: Weaving Metaphors of Identity Chapter Two. The Art of Dressing the Body Chapter Three. Dance Performances: Negotiating Gender and Social Change Chapter Four. Women as Public Symbols of Identity: The Adornment of the Bride and Groom Chapter Five. Performing Amazigh Gender Roles: Wedding Ceremonies Chapter Six. Oh, My Sudanese Mother: The Legacy of Slavery in Ait Khabbash Art Chapter Seven. Contemporary Amazigh Arts: Giving Material Form to Amazigh Consciousness Appendix 1. Selected Songs from Ait Khabbash Weddings Notes References Index

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Book Synopsis

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