This multi-volume set of reissued classics brings together a collection of titles that touch on many key aspects of the history of the Middle East. From the early explorers of Arabia to the 1979 revolution in Iran, via histories of places as varied as the UAE and Zanzibar, the analysis of Nazi policies towards the Arab East, and a close reading of the territorial foundations of the Gulf states, the books collected here form a wide-ranging and eclectic study of the history of the region.
This selection of papers by scholarly specialists offers an introduction to the history of the book and book culture in West Asia and North Africa from antiquity to the 20th century. The flourishing and long-lived manuscript tradition is discussed in its various aspects - social and economic as well as technical and aesthetic. The very early but abortive introduction of printing - long before Gutenberg - and the eventual, belated acceptance of the printed book and the development of print culture are explored in further groups of papers. Cultural, aesthetic, technological, religious, social, political and economic factors are all considered throughout the volume. Although the articles reflect the predominance in the area of Muslim books - Arabic, Persian and Turkish - the Hebrew, Syriac and Armenian contributions are also discussed. The editor’s introduction provides a survey of the field from the origins of writing to the modern literary and intellectual revivals.
This collection of essays, first published in 1958, presents analyses by some 34 specialists on key political and social trends in the Middle East. They take the reader through the history of the Middle East to help reveal the background behind the changes that took place in the middle of the twentieth century – a time of fundamental political, economic and social change in the region.
The Middle East, defined here as extending from Morocco to Iran and Turkey to Sudan, lies at the crossroads of three continents – Africa, Asia and Europe. With the largest reserves of petroleum in the world its importance is well beyond its physical size and population. Rapid urban growth has radically transformed Middle Eastern society in recent decades, but the associated problems are incompletely understood. This volume, first published in 1980, highlights some of the major issues of Middle Eastern urbanisation and provides a comprehensive statement about the current position of research. Urban origins and the nature of urban growth are discussed to provide a background to considerations of migration, employment, housing and retailing. The contributors suggest that planning strategies have hitherto proved inadequate with small towns being largely overlooked, historic quarters rapidly disappearing and water in short supply. Future research into all these problem areas is considered essential, but the research must be coordinated and utilised. Concentrating on practical problems, achievements and challenges for research, the contributions in this book, specially commissioned from active researchers in the field, will prove a valuable guide to recent ideas and developments in the Middle East.
This nine volume set provides an overview of many aspects of Middle Eastern language and literature. These books range from discussions of the Arabic language and its publications, to translations of some of the region’s most important early works, to a survey of folk tales and modern literature.
This set re-issues 4 volumes originally published between 1985 and 1991. They Examine the historical process of social formation that gave rise to the communal consciousness of the Arab nation and determined its sense of identity Present detailed analysis of resources in the Arab world, including population, employment, oil and water supplies Discuss dimensions of Afro-Arab co-operation and the future of Afro-Arab Relations Analyse the relations between state and society in the Arab World.
The study of Arab historiography and of the emergence of the Arab nation-state as an object of historical treatment is a matter of considerable current interest. Despite its importance, no academic work has dealt with this subject as a major preoccupation of Arab historians and intellectuals. This book, first published in 1989, discusses the development of modern Arab historiography and its study of the nation-state in the nineteenth century, and analyses the work of three contemporary Arab historians from Egypt, the Lebanon and Morocco. An important and highly readable account, it reaffirms the importance of historiography and proposes a revision of the manner in which modern Arab thought has hitherto been classified and interpreted.
The discovery of oil brought enormous change to the Gulf. It transformed the simple fishing and grazing economies of the Gulf states into some of the wealthiest countries in the world. This book, first published in 1977, examines the impact of oil and oil wealth on the Gulf states. It describes the clash between traditional culture and Westernisation and explodes some of the Western myths about social and economic development in the area. It covers both economic change and progress in education, social welfare, urbanisation and industrial diversification. A unique collection of photographs accompanies the authoritative text.
Exploration usually demands the qualities of bravery, curiosity and organising ability. Arabia demanded more of the voyager: linguistic ability of a high order, scholarship and an imaginative temperament. It was also necessary to be able to pass as a native, if not of Arabia then of part of the Islamic world. The early explorers faced untold dan
