# Calling all recommendations about Arab history & culture **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 24, 2010, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-recommendations-about-arab-history-culture/547814 "2010-07-24T04:17:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-recommendations-about-arab-history-culture/547814/1 "2010-07-24T04:17:11Z")
I read [Afghanistan: A Short History of Its People and Politics](http://www.amazon.com/Afghanistan-Short-History-People-Politics/dp/0060505087) a year ago and almost slipped into a coma doing so. I love history and that book still bored the hell out of me. But I’m willing to give it another go. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Mississippienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mississippienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mississippienne)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-recommendations-about-arab-history-culture/547814/2 "2010-07-24T04:35:58Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![Chicagojeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@Chicagojeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicagojeff)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-recommendations-about-arab-history-culture/547814/3 "2010-07-24T04:57:44Z")
Tamim Ansary’s Destiny Disrupted History of the World through Islamic Eyes… is an excellent read imo and he’s an Afghani… ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-recommendations-about-arab-history-culture/547814/4 "2010-07-24T17:23:12Z")
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. The novels of Naguib Mahfouz are very good. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-recommendations-about-arab-history-culture/547814/5 "2010-07-24T18:02:56Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-recommendations-about-arab-history-culture/547814/6 "2010-07-24T18:08:40Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-recommendations-about-arab-history-culture/547814/7 "2010-07-24T20:05:58Z")
Probably not at all what you were thinking of, but a great book nonetheless. [My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk](http://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Name-Red-Orhan-Pamuk/dp/0571212247/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280001827&sr=8-1). 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. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-recommendations-about-arab-history-culture/547814/8 "2010-07-24T20:06:59Z")
> [@Chicagojeff](#): > > Tamim Ansary’s Destiny Disrupted History of the World through Islamic Eyes.. is an excellent read imo and he’s an Afghani.. [Interesting review here.](http://www.johnreilly.info/dedi.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-recommendations-about-arab-history-culture/547814/9 "2010-07-25T00:53:55Z")
> [@Mississippienne](#): > > 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? Yeah, I’m not really focused, I just feel a duty to learn more about the cultural forces and motives of Middle Eastern nations and their periphery. Thanks for the recommendations everyone, I’ll look into them. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-recommendations-about-arab-history-culture/547814/10 "2010-07-25T00:57:55Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > “The World of Islam”, by Bernard Lewis. I came into mention this one. [Bernard Lewis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-recommendations-about-arab-history-culture/547814/11 "2010-07-25T01:31:18Z")
Albert Hourani’s _A History of the Arab Peoples_. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-recommendations-about-arab-history-culture/547814/12 "2010-07-25T01:57:19Z")
[_Islam: A Short History,_](http://www.amazon.com/Islam-Short-History-Karen-Armstrong/dp/0679640401) by Karen Armstrong. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-recommendations-about-arab-history-culture/547814/13 "2010-07-25T05:04:46Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-recommendations-about-arab-history-culture/547814/14 "2010-07-25T17:56:01Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Another recommendation for _A Peace to End All Peace_ (its author is David Fromkin). Yes, a good primer on the origins of the modern Middle East. > [@](#): > > Another interesting book is _The Crusades Through Arab Eyes_ by Amin Maalouf. I haven’t read Maalouf’s book, but in a similar vein there is [The Crusades: Islamic Perspectives by Carole Hillenbrand](http://www.amazon.com/Crusades-Islamic-Perspectives-Surveys/dp/0748606300/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280079695&sr=1-1), which I suspect is a little more on the academic end and consequently far more expensive ;). > [@Sampiro](#): > > I came into mention this one. [Bernard Lewis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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. 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. > [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > Albert Hourani’s _A History of the Arab Peoples_. 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](http://www.amazon.com/History-Islamic-Societies-Ira-Lapidus/dp/0521779332). Again, a bit pricier, but a lot more comprehensive. If the OP is interested in the underpinnings of some of the issues in the Afghanistan/Central Asia region, a good source is Olivier Roy. He unfortunately can be a bit dense to slog through, but he’s a leading expert on Islamism and the region. Including [The New Central Asia:Geopolitics and the Birth of nations](http://www.amazon.com/New-Central-Asia-Geopolitics-Nations/dp/0814776094/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280079588&sr=1-9) and [Islam and Resistance in Afghanistan](http://www.amazon.com/Resistance-Afghanistan-Cambridge-Middle-Library/dp/0521397006/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280079588&sr=1-7). ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-recommendations-about-arab-history-culture/547814/15 "2010-07-25T18:11:41Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > > [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > > > Albert Hourani’s _A History of the Arab Peoples_. > > 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](http://www.amazon.com/History-Islamic-Societies-Ira-Lapidus/dp/0521779332). 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? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-recommendations-about-arab-history-culture/547814/16 "2010-07-25T18:36:58Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > 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. True. > [@](#): > > 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: [The Middle East on the Eve of Modernity: Aleppo in the Eighteenth Century](http://www.amazon.com/Middle-East-Eve-Modernity-Institute/dp/0231065957/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280082722&sr=1-1). Really interesting insight into the working of an Ottoman Arab city. And… [The Ottoman Gulf: The Creation of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar](http://www.amazon.com/Ottoman-Gulf-Frederick-F-Anscombe/dp/0231108397/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280082880&sr=1-1-spell). The title isn’t quite as broad as it suggests, but it is still an interesting work. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-recommendations-about-arab-history-culture/547814/17 "2010-07-25T19:08:36Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > 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. And even some of his older works are a little um… yeah. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-recommendations-about-arab-history-culture/547814/18 "2010-07-25T19:12:22Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > 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. I like his modern stuff. That could just be that he and I share similar biases, but. . . ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-recommendations-about-arab-history-culture/547814/19 "2010-07-25T19:50:59Z")
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. [Here](http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/0411.hirsh.html)is 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. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2010, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-recommendations-about-arab-history-culture/547814/20 "2010-08-01T02:04:16Z")
Does anyone know of a good source on pre-Islamic Arab religion and mythology?