The Middle East: a Brief History of the Last 2,000 Years

In this book, the stories of the prophets have been compiled from ‘Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah’ (The Beginning and the End) which is a great work of the famous Muslim exegete and historian Ibn Kathir and has a prominent place in the Islamic literature. The stories of the prophets and all the events in their lives have been supported by the Qur’anic Verses and the Sunnah (traditions) of the Prophet (S). Wherever it was necessary, other sources have also been reported for the sake of historical accounts, but on such places a comparative study has been made to prove the authenticity of the sources. Ibn Kathir has reproduced the views and interpretations of all the great exegetes of the Qur’an of his time. The systemic narratives of the Stories of the Prophets have been written in chronological order which renders a historical style to the book.

The extraordinary character and career of Saladin are the keys to understanding the Battle of Hattin, the fall of Jerusalem and the failure of the Third Crusade. He united warring Muslim lands, reconquered the bulk of Crusader states and faced Richard the Lion Heart, king of England, in one of the most famous confrontations in medieval. Geoffrey Hindley’s sympathetic and highly readable study of the life and times of this remarkable, many-sided man, who dominated the Middle East in his day, gives a fascinating insight into his achievements and into the Muslim world of his contemporaries.

The story of how Saladin rose swiftly to the heights of power in Egypt, Syria and Palestine through conquest, intrigue and opportunism makes compelling reading. As Geoffrey Hindley shows, Saladin’s exceptional gifts as a battlefields commander and a military organizer were allied to an intense singleness of purpose and a rare political skill. United under his leadership, the Muslims formed a force that the Crusaders couldn’t hope to resist. But the quality that makes Saladin stand out from the other leaders of his time is his reputation for chivalry and honourable dealing.

Greoffrey Hindley is a distinguished medieval historian who has written widely on many aspects of the period. He has made a special study of medieval warfare and of England in the Age of Caxton, Under Siege, Tourists, Travellers nd Pilgrims, The Book of Magna Carta and The Crusades. His most recent publication is A Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons.