The Middle East: 2,000 years of history from the rise of Christianity to the present day (History of civilisation) - Hardcover

Lewis, Bernard

3.81

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9780297813453: The Middle East: 2,000 years of history from the rise of Christianity to the present day (History of civilisation)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0297813455 ISBN 13: 9780297813453

Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1995

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This wide-ranging book charts the successive transformations of the Middle East, beginning with the two great empires, Roman and Persian, which disputed the Middle East 2000 years ago; the development of monotheism and the spread of Christianity; the rapid rise and spread of Islam over a vast area; the invasion of the Mongol hordes of Ghengis Khan; the rise of the Ottoman Turks in Anatolia, the Mamluks in Egypt and the Safavid shahs in Persia; the peak and decline of the great Ottoman state; the changing balance of power between the Muslim and Christian worlds; and the overwhelming impact, in modern times, of Western ideas and technology, and the attempts to reverse them.

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Review:

To gain a better understanding of contemporary Middle Eastern culture and society, which is steeped in tradition, one should look closely at its history. Bernard Lewis, Professor of Near Eastern studies at Princeton University, considered one of the world's foremost authorities on the Middle East, spans 2000 years of this region's history, searching in the past for answers to questions that will inevitably arise in the future.

Drawing on material from a multitude of sources, including the work of archaeologists and scholars, Lewis chronologically traces the political, economical, social, and cultural development of the Middle East, from Hellenization in antiquity to the impact of westernization on Islamic culture. Meticulously researched, this enlightening narrative explores the patterns of history that have repeated themselves in the Middle East.

From the ancient conflicts to the current geographical and religious disputes between the Arabs and the Israelis, Lewis examines the ability of this region to unite and solve its problems and asks if, in the future, these unresolved conflicts will ultimately lead to the ethnic and cultural factionalism that tore apart the former Yugoslavia.

About the Author:

Bernard Lewis (born May 31, 1916) was born in London. He is the author of forty-six books on Islam and the Middle East, including Notes on a Century: Reflections of a Middle East Historian; The End of Modern History in the Middle East; and The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror. He also wrote three major syntheses for general audiences: The Arabs in History; The Middle East and the West; and The Middle East. Lewis is the Cleveland E. Dodge Professor Emeritus at Princeton University.

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