"For many centuries, the world of Islam was in the forefront of human achievement - the foremost military and economic power in the world, the leader in the arts and sciences of civilization. Christian Europe, a remote land beyond its northwestern frontier, was seen as an outer darkness of barbarism and unbelief from which there was nothing to learn or to fear. And then everything changed, as the previously despised West won victory after victory,...

A fascinating look at ancient Eastern history, from the Babylonian Empire to the conquest of the East by Alexander, written by British archaeologist and scholar David George Hogarth of Oxford's Ashmolean Museum.

"In June 2014 Islamic State launched an astonishing blitzkrieg which saw them seize control of an area in the Middle East the size of Britain. The news was soon filled with their relentless acts of savagery, yet nobody seemed to know who they were or where they'd come from. Now, top BBC reporter Andrew Hosken delivers the inside story on Islamic State. Through extensive first-hand reporting, he builds a comprehensive picture of IS, their brutal ideology...

Keddie presents the history of the lives of Middle Eastern women since the rise of Islam. Positioning women within their individual economic situations, identities, families, and geographies, she examines the experiences of women in the Ottoman Empire and Turkey, in Iran, and in all the Arab countries.

"Kim Ghattas seamlessly weaves together history, geopolitics, and culture to deliver a gripping read of the largely unexplored story of the rivalry between between Saudi Arabia and Iran, born from the sparks of the 1979 Iranian revolution and fueled by American policy. With vivid story-telling, extensive historical research and on-the-ground reporting, Ghattas dispels accepted truths about a region she calls home. She explores how Sunni Saudi Arabia...

The Islamic world drew upon a myriad of pre-existing styles of fortification, taking Romano-Byzantine, Indian and Chinese ideas to create a highly effective and sophisticated hybrid fortification that was both new and distinctive. This book examines early Saracen fortifications, covering their historical background, socio-political circumstances, and their role in protecting industry, trade and the frontiers of the Islamic world. From the mayyad 'castles...

"The War of the Three Gods is a military history of the Near and Middle East in the seventh century--with its chief focus on the reign of the Eastern Roman Emperor Heraclius (AD 610-641)--a pivotal and dramatic time in world history. The Eastern Roman Empire was brought to the very brink of extinction by the Sassanid Persians before Heraclius managed to inflict a crushing defeat on the Sassanids with a desperate, final gambit. His conquests were short-lived,...

Israel and Palestine: The Complete History seeks to explain the overall story of Israeli and Palestinian tensions and divisions in the region. Author Ian Carroll takes the reader back to the very beginning of the conflict some 4,000 years ago, then moves through the major events of the Middle Ages and 20th century, and brings us right up to the present day, documenting the significant events that have happened along the way. Carrol aims to tell the...

The first complete history of Central Eurasia from ancient times to the present day, Empires of the Silk Road represents a fundamental rethinking of the origins, history, and significance of this major world region. Christopher Beckwith describes the rise and fall of the great Central Eurasian empires, including those of the Scythians, Attila the Hun, the Turks and Tibetans, and Genghis Khan and the Mongols. In addition, he explains why the heartland...

"The interaction between mankind and spiritual beings -- of Divine Encounters -- as recorded inscriptures and ancient texts provides a powerful drama that spans Heaven and Earth, involving worship and devotion, eternity and mortality, love and sex, jealousy and murder. But how much of these are based on real happenings and how much is based on myth?"--Publisher's website