Looking at putting together my summer reading list and want to try to delve more deeply into the history of the Middle East region. Any good books you guys would recommend?
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Best books on the history of the Middle East?
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Last: 6 yr ago by BQ78
Bernard Lewis is a pretty respected author. If you're looking for terrorism, there's a ton of good stuff.
A Peace to End All Peace is a great book.
Lawrence in Arabia
Depends when you are talking. I'm a fan of anything Eastern Roman and Byzantine.
The Mongol stuff is good.
I just can't get my mind to be interested in the Islamic stuff.
Feel like caliphate was a flash in the pan and after the mongols bombed them back to the Stone Age there isn't much there.
I do love some good Cyrus the Great, Darius and all the Persian stuff. Assyrian everything is good.
I can recommend lots of stuff on those. If it's Arab/Islamic I'm not your guy:-/
The Mongol stuff is good.
I just can't get my mind to be interested in the Islamic stuff.
Feel like caliphate was a flash in the pan and after the mongols bombed them back to the Stone Age there isn't much there.
I do love some good Cyrus the Great, Darius and all the Persian stuff. Assyrian everything is good.
I can recommend lots of stuff on those. If it's Arab/Islamic I'm not your guy:-/
I disliked Islamic culture growing up, just from the ones I knew. I figured I had to get to know them better, no way I should have such a dislike for a whole culture, so I took a Mideast studies class at TAMU to get over that.
Well, it was taught by an Iranian, and it was full of Arab students looking for an easy grade. They hated each other. They hated the prof. They were indifferent to me and tamu. I hated them worse after that. We read quadafi's bull**** book. We read all kinds of crap. This was in the 80's.
Don't bother. It's a ****hole. It's a frustrating story of morons and hypocrites, all doing ****ty things in a ****hole. History everywhere else makes sense and colors your understanding of the world because everywhere else it is made by rational people. Since Islam, none of that applies there so there is nothing to take from it.
Well, it was taught by an Iranian, and it was full of Arab students looking for an easy grade. They hated each other. They hated the prof. They were indifferent to me and tamu. I hated them worse after that. We read quadafi's bull**** book. We read all kinds of crap. This was in the 80's.
Don't bother. It's a ****hole. It's a frustrating story of morons and hypocrites, all doing ****ty things in a ****hole. History everywhere else makes sense and colors your understanding of the world because everywhere else it is made by rational people. Since Islam, none of that applies there so there is nothing to take from it.
Have any of you read anything by Sebastian Junger? He made Restrepo (which I liked) and then followed it up with several books about the modern conflicts in the region.
Between Al Queda, Isis, the European refugee crisis, terrorist bombings & shootings across the US, etc. it would be a very good thing to have a background of knowledge about the region for keeping up with current events.Quote:
Don't bother. It's a ****hole. It's a frustrating story of morons and hypocrites, all doing ****ty things in a ****hole.
In a more broad historical context, ME history goes way beyond Islam... the area is the cradle of human civilization (one of them anyway). Assyrians, Hittites, Jews, Minoans, Egyptians, Greeks, Macedonians, Romans, Persians, Mongols, Venetians, Crusaders, Turks, Brits, Russians, ANZACS, Americans... you get the picture. There are so many layers, all fascinating. You could spend your entire life researching the area.
Some other good reads:
Guests of the Ayatollah
Oil Kings
The Looming Tower
A Short History of the Byzantine Empire
Persian Fire
jeffk said:
Have any of you read anything by Sebastian Junger? He made Restrepo (which I liked) and then followed it up with several books about the modern conflicts in the region.
I read War and the Perfect Storm, both good books
Apache said:Between Al Queda, Isis, the European refugee crisis, terrorist bombings & shootings across the US, etc. it would be a very good thing to have a background of knowledge about the region for keeping up with current events.Quote:
Don't bother. It's a ****hole. It's a frustrating story of morons and hypocrites, all doing ****ty things in a ****hole.
In a more broad historical context, ME history goes way beyond Islam... the area is the cradle of human civilization (one of them anyway). Assyrians, Hittites, Jews, Minoans, Egyptians, Greeks, Macedonians, Romans, Persians, Mongols, Venetians, Crusaders, Turks, Brits, Russians, ANZACS, Americans... you get the picture. There are so many layers, all fascinating. You could spend your entire life researching the area.
Some other good reads:
Guests of the Ayatollah
Oil Kings
The Looming Tower
A Short History of the Byzantine Empire
Persian Fire
That's a generous truth. My point was just that it is incredibly complicated to learn all the actors and how they fit in just today, much less for the last 500 years....they all have variations of similar names, they all have their petty differences, but that the results are they all act about the same, so unless you are going into the military or foreign service over there, or going to work there, there are much more enlightening histories to study.
I do agree pre Islamic history is a bit more interesting, as is early Islamic history, just from a massive lesson in wtf
The Eve of Destruction by Howard Blum is about the Yom Kippur War. Good read. I second Guests of the Ayatollah by Mark Bowden.
Until you read and understand the Bible .........
You would be venturing farther East from the "Middle East" as usually conceived, but "The Great Game" by Peter Hopkirk is a fabulous read about and endlessly fascinating region and subject-- the spy wars between the Russians and British in today's Afghanistan and former Soviet 'Stans.
I also recommend "Destiny Disrupted" by Tamim Ansary. It is a history of the world through Islamic eyes. Be forewarned: some of it is nonsense, and it features some especially retrograde and inaccurate history of premodern Christendom. However, it is valuable because many Muslims believe the perspectives presented, so it goes a long way to explaining some of the pathologies present today.
I also recommend "Destiny Disrupted" by Tamim Ansary. It is a history of the world through Islamic eyes. Be forewarned: some of it is nonsense, and it features some especially retrograde and inaccurate history of premodern Christendom. However, it is valuable because many Muslims believe the perspectives presented, so it goes a long way to explaining some of the pathologies present today.
I lived/worked in the Dhofar region of the Sultanate of Oman for 4 years. This book gives a pretty good (basic) history of the country and neighboring Yemen. A pretty serious, but relatively unknown insurgency war was fought there in the late 1960s to early 1970s. This book covers a portion of it.
"In the Service of the Sultan"
Amazon Link
"In the Service of the Sultan"
Quote:
While the Americans were fighting in Vietnam, a struggle of even greater strategic significance was taking place in the Middle East: the Sultanate of Oman guards the entrance to the Arabian Gulf, and thus controls the movement of oil from that region. In the 1960s and 70s, the Communists tried to seize this artery and, had they succeeded, the consequences for the West and for the Middle East would have been disastrous - and yet, few people have ever heard of this geo-political drama at the height of the Cold War.
In the Service of the Sultan tells, first-hand, the largely unknown story of a small number of British officers who led Muslim soldiers in this hard-fought anti-insurgency war which has shaped today's Gulf. After outlining the historical, geographical and political background, the book describes military action in a stark and mountainous environment, including operations with irregular forces and the SAS as well as action in the air and at sea. The book gives a gripping, moving, funny account of all these and paints a powerful and illuminating picture of the realities of war.
It will appeal to all who are interested in the Cold War and relationships between the Western and the Arab worlds. Politics, history, irregular warfare, religion, international affairs: all are ingredients in this absorbing, informative read. In the light of the current insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is also timely to be reminded how a rare victory was won over Communist guerrillas.
Amazon Link
I've read Oil Kings. I thought it was a very good book covering the complicated relationships between the U.S. and middle eastern countries during the 70's.
It's a textbook, essentially, but I read a book called "A History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict" by Ian Bickerton for my Master's and it was especially enlightening.
The Venture of Islam by Marshall Hodgson is a great resource. It is four volumes but allows you to pretty much hit the parts you are interested in and skip others. The third volume, The Gunpowder Empires is especially intersting
It was very eye opening when I spent my time in Iraq. Interaction between Shia (contractor from Baghdad) and Sunni ( workers from Basra) was very strained. Iraqi's and Egyptians don't like each other. Iraqi's and Kuwaiti don't like each other. Iraqis hate Saudis. Iraqis and Syrians can get along. Iraqi's and Iranian's......as long as they are Shias they are good. Everyone hates the Israelis. and then you throw in the Kurds, the Turks and the Palestinians.
Now you have all the ISIS and AQI thing going on, which by the way....they hate each other.
It's too confusing.
Now you have all the ISIS and AQI thing going on, which by the way....they hate each other.
It's too confusing.
The Bible
The Koran
The Kingdom Saudi Arabia and the House of Saud
The Kingdom of Oil
Revolt in the Desert
Republic of Fear
T. E. Lawrence in War and Peace
T.E. Lawrence Seven Pillars of Wisdom
PBS documentary Empire of Faith
The Prize -book or documentary
The Quest
Exodus
The Haj
Black Banners
Black Flags
The Koran
The Kingdom Saudi Arabia and the House of Saud
The Kingdom of Oil
Revolt in the Desert
Republic of Fear
T. E. Lawrence in War and Peace
T.E. Lawrence Seven Pillars of Wisdom
PBS documentary Empire of Faith
The Prize -book or documentary
The Quest
Exodus
The Haj
Black Banners
Black Flags
aalan94 said:
Bernard Lewis is a pretty respected author. If you're looking for terrorism, there's a ton of good stuff.
aalan94 has provided the best answer thus far.
If you want truth first read "The Crisis of Islam."
Go to the beach. Get naked. Drag your rump around on the sand like a dog on a carpet. Ten minutes, minimum. Pack it in well. Rub sand in your hair until your scalp is raw and pack some in your ears. Lay back and get a massive sunburn, Then turn over and do the other side.
Get dressed. Don't shave or shower for 6 months. Dip your toothbrush in a little sand you got from the beach before you brush.
You just experienced the Mideast.
You're welcome.
Get dressed. Don't shave or shower for 6 months. Dip your toothbrush in a little sand you got from the beach before you brush.
You just experienced the Mideast.
You're welcome.
This is why I just smirk when morons act like foreign policy toward the middle east nations is black and white.Quote:
It was very eye opening when I spent my time in Iraq. Interaction between Shia (contractor from Baghdad) and Sunni ( workers from Basra) was very strained. Iraqi's and Egyptians don't like each other. Iraqi's and Kuwaiti don't like each other. Iraqis hate Saudis. Iraqis and Syrians can get along. Iraqi's and Iranian's......as long as they are Shias they are good. Everyone hates the Israelis. and then you throw in the Kurds, the Turks and the Palestinians.
Now you have all the ISIS and AQI thing going on, which by the way....they hate each other.
It's too confusing.
We can thank the French and the Brits for all of this!Presley OBannons Sword said:This is why I just smirk when morons act like foreign policy toward the middle east nations is black and white.Quote:
It was very eye opening when I spent my time in Iraq. Interaction between Shia (contractor from Baghdad) and Sunni ( workers from Basra) was very strained. Iraqi's and Egyptians don't like each other. Iraqi's and Kuwaiti don't like each other. Iraqis hate Saudis. Iraqis and Syrians can get along. Iraqi's and Iranian's......as long as they are Shias they are good. Everyone hates the Israelis. and then you throw in the Kurds, the Turks and the Palestinians.
Now you have all the ISIS and AQI thing going on, which by the way....they hate each other.
It's too confusing.
true we can blame them for a lot of it, but even that is an oversimplification. there's no easy person or persons to blame for all of it just like there's no easy solution. there probably isn't ANY solution.
Mentioned above the Great Game but really all the books by Peter Hopkirk are great reads
The Biagraphy of Gertrude Bell is a great read. The recent movie with Nicole Kidman not so great.
The Biagraphy of Gertrude Bell is a great read. The recent movie with Nicole Kidman not so great.
After spending over 4 years in Oman and now almost a year in the UAE, I can report that the biggest misconception most Americans have about the Middle East is that it is a monolith. The reality is that each country is different and there are regional and tribal divides even within individual countries.
The other thing most Americans are generally clueless about is that there are significant sects of Islam outside of the Sunni and Shia schools. The little known, but peaceful/reasonably widely spread Ibadi sect being just one example.
The other thing most Americans are generally clueless about is that there are significant sects of Islam outside of the Sunni and Shia schools. The little known, but peaceful/reasonably widely spread Ibadi sect being just one example.
Dog:
Good assessment I would just make one edit to the entire thing:
TRIBAL
Good assessment I would just make one edit to the entire thing:
TRIBAL
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