Dictionary of the Middle East - Softcover

Hiro, Dilip.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0312174357 ISBN 13: 9780312174354

Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 1996

Synopsis

The term 'Middle East' conjures up a multitude of images and concepts in the western mind. Sand dunes, camels, nomads. Gushing oil wells. Saddam Hussein. Terrorists, assassins, hostage-takers. Babylon. Islamic fundamentalism. OPEC. Bombed-out Beirut. Women under the veil. Jerusalem, the Holy. The Gulf Wars. The Islamic dome and minarets. The Promised Land. The Pyramids. Yasser Arafat. The Church of the Nativity. Oil Sheikhs loaded with petro-dollars. Teeming Cairo. Arabs and Jews fighting. Ayatollah Khomeini. Arabic calligraphy. Suicide bombers. Bearded Jews in black coats. The Bible. Kibbutzim. Kurds, Shias, Orthodox Jews, Maronites, Bahais, Sunnis, Zionism. Dilip Hiro, the author of several books on the region, has written a general purpose dictionary of the Middle East. Containing almost 1000 entries, it deals lucidly and objectively, with an impressive variety of images, events, ideologies, natural resources, religious sects and organisations. From 'al' to 'Azerbaijan', 'Bible' to 'Byblos', 'semiotic languages' to 'sufism', 'the peace process' to 'Protestant Church', the dictionary covers all you would ever want to know about the Middle East. Thorough and cool-headed, the dictionary will prove indispensable not only to journalists, academics, diplomats, business people and students but also to all travellers to the region.

About this title

Review

If ever there were a region of the world in need of a comprehensive dictionary, the Middle East would be that place. With over 1,000 entries, Dilip Hiro makes sense of one of the most volatile, complex, and highly disputed of turfs. From "Aal" to "Zoroastrians," the dictionary covers the Arab-Israeli Wars, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, literary personalities, and hostages. There are clear explanations of ethnic groups, political ideologies, tourist destinations, and 14 country profiles. Hiro's book is a remarkable reference, adding lucidity to a region traditionally enshrouded in conflict and misunderstanding. Devoid of any noticeable bias, all sides are represented with rigorous attention to accuracy and clarity. All this plus a comprehensive index makes Hiro's dictionary unusually valuable to students, journalists, business people, inquisitive travelers, and anyone else who wishes to get a handle on the Middle East. --Stephanie Gold

Review

'An impressive attempt...Mr Hiro can see both sides of an argument, applying the same stringent scrutiny to the Zionists' Irgun and the Arabs' Islamic Jihad.' - Economist

'An invaluable guide for journalists, diplomats and, not least, politicians...The 1,000 entries ensure comprehensiveness, and their compression into a single manageable volume ensures compactness. And this has been done with a precision that is truly admirable...' - Middle East International

'...invaluable to anyone with a professional or personal interest in Middle Eastern affairs.' - Ben Holland, Turkish Daily News

'While the general reader will find the Dictionary readable, the specialist will find it mostly reliable.' - Middle East Quarterly

'A very useful and highly informative reference work on the region...Hiro deserves much credit for this well researched and highly balanced work which fills a void in the field.' - Middle East Insight

'[T]his dictionary will satisfy the needs of journalists, businessmen, undergraduates, and ambitiously cerebral travellers.' - Orbis: Journal of World Affairs

'Hiro skillfully condenses often very complex subject matters into readable dictionary entries that strike an admirable balance between detailed treatment and cursory overview...the overall value of this handy reference tool for the countries it covers is undeniable. Especially strong in the coverage of recent Middle Eastern history and the current political situation, Dilip Hiro's Dictionary of the Middle East can wholeheartedly be recommended for college and university as well as public library reference collections.' - Christof Galli, University of California at Berkeley

About this edition

• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0312174357
• ISBN 13: 9780312174354
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384