I have a firm grasp of the historical ebb and flow of Middle Eastern empire so I’m really looking for a book that will give me insight into Arab culture and how that shaped history.
If the book is really engaging I won’t even mind if it’s scope is limited to say a village in Oman or something.
Uh, you do know that the majority of Afghanistan’s population is not Arab, right? Do you want Arab history books or books about the history of Afghanistan and its peoples?
I’m reading “A Peace to End All Peace” at the moment. It’s about the period from just before WWI to just after, and the resulting partitioning of the Middle East. The complete lack of understanding of Muslim thought or the mechanisms of Islam pretty much led to the mess today.
You might also try “The House of Saud”, by David Holden and Richard Johns and “The World of Islam”, by Bernard Lewis.
Another recommendation for A Peace to End All Peace (its author is David Fromkin).
Another interesting book is The Crusades Through Arab Eyes by Amin Maalouf. Most histories recount the wars from a European point of view - this one does it from the other side. It’s different to perceive the crusaders as a barbarian horde like the Mongols or the Vikings invading civilized lands.
Two good books on the Anglo-Russian competition for Afghanistan are The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia by Peter Hopkirk and Tournament of Shadows: The Great Game And the Race for Empire in Central Asia by Karl Ernest Meyer.
Probably not at all what you were thinking of, but a great book nonetheless.
My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk.
A novel set in 16th century Istanbul, about the murder of one of the Sultan’s minaturists. It uses the themes of art, time, individuality and legacy to explore the way that people in the Ottoman empire saw themselves through the lens of their religion and culture.
I came into mention this one. Bernard Lewis, who’s in his 90s but still sharp the last time I saw him on TV, is the grandfather of western writers about the Islamic world, particularly the Arabs, and pretty much every decent sized public library will have some of his books. Most of his books were written pre-911 but he updated several of them, and he’s very readable for an ancient academic.
I personally haven’t read them, but a friend of mine recommended to me a series of translations done by Victoria Rowe Holbrook (an American Islamic scholar [also the daughter of Hal Holbrook, not that it’s relevant]) of major Arabic literary works- poems, stories, novels, etc… Said friend said they were translated to be readable to modern day Americans and were extremely enlightening about Islamic culture.
Bernard Lewis has more than a few controversies swirling around him. I have several of his books and would recommend them ( haven’t read the one above ), but I’d be cautious about his modern commentary. Not dismissive, but cautious - his biases come out a bit stronger.
Passable enough intro, but a little thin in some areas IMHO. For a big, general tome I’ve always preferred Ira Lapidus’ History of Islamic Societies. Again, a bit pricier, but a lot more comprehensive.
I like Lapidus’s book, but that’s more about, as the title indicates, Islamic countries, than Arab countries. So, Lapidus’s book has a lot about Islam and Islamic societies in South Asia, Central Asia, and Africa, and isn’t just focused on Arab history and culture.
Also, there’s a new book out by Eugene Rogan; “The Arabs: a History”. Have you read it yet?
No, hadn’t even heard of it. Other than some Ottoman history, I’ve been kind of drifting in non-Islamic/ME literary shoals the past few years. But checking it out, it does look interesting - I probably should pick it up at some point. Thanks for the reference :).
By the way Sitnam, since you indicated you wouldn’t mind some more focused works, here are two you might find enlightening:
Bernard Lewis was a major cheerleader for the invasion of Iraq and something of an intellectual hero to the neo-cons and frankly I would ignore most of his writings on the contemporary Middle-East. Hereis a good critique in the Washington Monthly.
His writings on medieval Islam are more highly regarded but I suspect quite out of date from a scholarly point of view. Still probably a good read though I personally have only dipped into them.
I have been reading and would recommend “A Choice of Enemies” by Lawrence Freedman which focuses on US policy in the Middle East in the last 30 odd years. Ahmed Rashid has written some good books on the Taliban and Afghanistan and you should also check out his essays in the New York Review.