Books in the Library of Middle East History series

The Safavid dynasty represented the pinnacle of Iran's power and influence in its early modern history. Safavid success depended on an elite from outside Iran: the slaves of Caucasian descent and the Armenian merchants of Isfahan. This book describes how these elites helped to transform Isfahan's urban, artistic and social landscape.

Waziristan, a region on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, has in recent years become a flash point in the so-called 'War on Terror'.

Discusses the period of transition from Ottoman rule to the British administration, focusing on the socio-political changes from the nineteenth century to the twentieth, the impact of the First World War and the development of Jerusalem into the vibrant city it has become.

Comprehensive scholarly account of Saudi Arabia's early economic history

Renowned as great centres of learning, the cities of Baghdad and Isfahan were atthe heart of the Islamic civilization as rich capital cities and centres of intellectualthought. Their distinct cultural voices inspired a unique historical dialogue, whichfinds new expression in Baghdad and Isfahan, the story of how knowledge wastransmitted and transformed within Islamic lands, and then spread across Europe.Capturing the history of Baghdad and Isfahan from 750 to 1750, Elaheh Kheirandishdraws on the voices of court astronomers, mathematicians, scientists, mystics,jurists, statesmen and Arabic and Persian translators and scholars to document theextensive and lasting contribution of sciences from Islamic lands to the history ofscience. Kheirandish bases her narrative on a unique medieval manuscript and otherhistorical sources and the result is more than a thousand-year 'tale of two cities' - itis a city by city, and century by century, look at what it took to change the world.In a feat of travelogue and time travel, this unique book creates parallel storieswith modern and historical characters, crossing cities worldwide, and capturingchanges through time. Interweaving multiple narratives, histories, and futures, shecharts the possible paths - formalized and serendipitous, lost and recovered - bywhich knowledge itself is translated and transmitted across time and cultures.

This study examines the history behind an idea: a new polity of "Greater Lebanon". It shows how, under the powerful influence of the French Mandate, various groups of the local elite attempted to create what amounted to a new Lebanese nationalism.

In 1860, Damascus was a sleepy provincial capital of the weakening Ottoman Empire, a city defined in terms of its relationship to the holy places of Islam in the Arabian Hijaz and its legacy of Islamic knowledge. This book describes the transformation of Damascus.

Analysing Mamluk constructions as a form of communication and documentation as well as a cultural index, this book shows how the buildings mirror the complex - and historically unique - military, political, social and financial structures of Mamluk society. It offers an innovative approach to the history of the Mamluks.

Examines how, despite the prevalence of Arab nationalism and the regression of imperial interference, Syria and Lebanon became more divided, rather than more integrated in the post-independence period. This book also uncovers the strategies and motivations of both countries' elites during this period.

How did the Victorians perceive Muslims in the British Empire and beyond? Talking about Victorian Britain's conceptions and misconceptions of the Muslim World, this book helps in understanding the apprehensions and misapprehensions about Islam in the nineteenth century.