A Brief History of the Middle East: From Abraham to Arafat |
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A Brief History of the Middle East: From Abraham to Arafat
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by Christopher Catherwood
Sales Rank: 56756
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List Price: $15.95
$15.63
At Amazon
on 11-17-2008.
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Features
Cover Type: Paperback with 400 pages
Published by: Running Press October 16, 2006
Written in: English
ISBN 10 Number: 0786717009
ISBN 13 Number: 978-0786717002
Book Dimensions:
7.6 x 5 x 0.8 inches
Weighs: 3.2 ounces
From Booklist
Historian Catherwood (Churchill's Folly, 2004) first set out to write a concise history of the Middle East before the 9/11 attacks. His objective was to enter into the then-hot and currently even more volatile debate between scholars Bernard Lewis and Edward Said over the origins of East-West tensions. With this book, Catherwood revisits this debate--generally positioning himself alongside Lewis--as part of a broader thesis about the necessity of understanding the inextricability of Western history from its Middle Eastern origins. Much of Catherwood's analysis deals with the consequences of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, which he finds to be a root cause of many modern challenges, including Islamic terrorism and the Palestinian conflict, as well as the wars in Bosnia and Kosovo. Ultimately, however, Catherwood would have us look even further back to more distant battles, such as the massive defeat of the Byzantines by the Seljuk Turks at Manzikert, for insight into the present. Brendan Driscoll
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Product Description
In The Brief History of the Middle East author Christopher Catherwood attempts to show how our entire world is ultimately shaped by events that have unfolded or have their origin in the Middle East. Catherwood insists that, unless we allow ignorance to blind us—which to a certain extent it already has—the Middle East must not be viewed as "some strange place over there." Three of the world's major organized religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—all stem from the area, as do defining civilizations from Ancient Egypt to Babylonia. Catherwood looks at this storied region through the lens of the present by asking these questions. How did the Palestinian issue arise? Why does Osama bin Laden harp on the glories of Moorish Spain? Why did Islamic extremism come to be a substitute for Arab socialist nationalism for so many? Today's headlines have clear historical explanations, and The Brief History of the Middle East will bring that concept into focus.
Reader Reviews
For such a large subject, the author succeeds quite well in providing a concise history of the region. Starting with the ancient Sumerians, Hittites, Phoenicians, Assyrians and Babylonians, he deals with the history of the Middle East up to 2006. In this journey through time, Catherwood discusses the origin of monotheism, Akhenaten, Abraham, Judaism, Jesus, the early church and the council of Nicaea. Two chapters are devoted to Islam: Muhammad And the Dawn Of Islam and The Golden Age Of Islam, where subjects like inter alia Jihad, the Sunni-Shia divide, the Fatimid dynasty and the arrival of the Turks are dealt with. The author frequently references great historians like Bernard Lewis and offers original insights. For example, he points out the significance of the Battle of Manzikert near Lake Van in 1071 where the Byzantines were defeated by the Seljuk Turks. Then followed the Crusades and the terrible Mongol incursion of 1242. Next he deals with the rise of the Ottoman Empire, its expansion into the Balkans, Asia and Africa, and its fall. He discusses the significance of the end of the khalifate with this event and chronicles the Iranian revolution, the hostage crisis and the first and second Gulf wars in reasonable detail. A chapter is devoted to the creation of Israel and the Arab-Israeli wars. The final chapter focuses on 9/11, the clash of civilizations, Sayyid Qutb, Arab regimes in the 20th century, Pan-Arabism, Islamism, transnational terrorism and the ideas of Francis Fukuyama and Samuel Hungtington. There are 4 maps and the book concludes with a Selective Chronology from 3500 BC to the present, a glossary of terms, bibliography and index. Overall the book provides a balanced history of the region where Western civilization began, providing an engaging link between ancient history and the problems of the 21st century. Many of Catherwood's observations are unique and valuable, and the book is an engaging read. For more comprehensive and scholarly studies, I recommend the work of Bernard Lewis and Efraim Karsh.
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A Brief History of the Middle East: From Abraham to Arafat
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Price: $15.63
Updated on 11-17-2008.
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