Product Description

This concise depiction of the Islamic world features developments from the time of Muhammad and the rise of Islam in the seventh century to the complex political map of today. It clearly outlines and explains the major periods of Islam's phenomenal development and growth world-wide by focusing on the religious, cultural, and political achievements of the great Islamic Empires, including the golden age of the Abbasids in Baghdad, the Turkish Ottomans, and the Mughals of India. The book also features a chapter on medieval Muslim Spain. Special boxed sections provide informative snapshots of Islamic culture such as development of the Arabic language, architecture, and poetry. Included are more than 50 illustrations and maps.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #736577 in Books
• Published on: 2003-10-01
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .94 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

From Publishers Weekly
For more than 30 years the tiny Hippocrene publishing house has dished out the world in neat, no-frills volumes, ranging from dictionaries and phrasebooks in obscure languages, such as Beginner's Basque, to ethnic cookbooks and compact, illustrated histories. Their most recent offering is a brief historical examination of the Umma, or worldwide Islamic community, and, like similar Hippocrene titles, this one serves as a useful introduction to a complex and largely foreign subject. As a resource, the book is well organized; it spans the Muslim world's immensely diverse geography, from Spain to China to Indonesia, but is broken down into coherent and easy-to-search chapters that briskly move from the religion's origins to the September 11 attacks. To their credit, Hill and Awde find a tone that is measured and neutral. Much like a standard encyclopedia entry, each chapter eschews controversy for consensus, maintaining an even-handedness that quickly earns the reader's trust. If there is any hint of bias here, it is a positive one: the authors accept that the Islamic world has "had centuries-old disagreements" with the West, and they duly note where there have been flashpoints, but they reject the notion that a clash of civilizations is inevitable and, whenever there is an opportunity, they underscore "the parallel reality of peaceful and constructive co-existence." In light of this, one is bound to enjoy the numerous ironies of history-whether, for instance, it is the fact that the prophet Muhammad kept a Jewish concubine, or that a medieval Arab chronicler named Osama observed how some Christian Crusaders could respect, and even adopt, the ways of the Islam.
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About the Author
Fred James Hill is a specialist in the politics, history, and cultures of the Islamic world. He has travelled extensively in countries stretching from West Africa to the Indian Subcontinent. Nicholas Awde is a writer and regional consultant based in the Caucasus and Central Asia. Peter Maghashyan is a freelance journalist, analyst, and consultant on regional, political, and economic issues. He is based in Yerevan, Armenia.