Situated at the crossroads of three continents, the Middle East has confounded the ambition of conquerors and peacemakers alike. Christianity, Judaism and Islam all had their genesis in the region but with them came not just civilization and religion but also some of the great struggles of history. This book makes sense of the shifting sands of Middle Eastern history, beginning with the early cultures of the area and moving on to the Roman and Persian Empires; the growth of Christianity; the rise of Islam; the invasions from the east; Genghis Khan's Mongol hordes; the Ottoman Turks and the rise of radicalism in the modern world symbolized by Islamic State.

Informative, fascinating and extremely well-researched...Gordon Kerr's book is a mini masterpiece' - ABC Brisbane Situated at the crossroads of three continents, the Middle East has confounded the ambition of conquerors and peacemakers alike. Christianity, Judaism and Islam all had their genesis in the region but with them came not just civilisation and religion but also some of the great struggles of history. A Short History of the Middle East makes sense of the shifting sands of Middle Eastern History, beginning with the early cultures of the area and moving on to the Roman and Persian Empires; the growth of Christianity; the rise of Islam; the invasions from the east; Genghis Khan's Mongol hordes; the Ottoman Turks and the rise of radicalism in the modern world symbolised by Islamic State.

This book, first published in 1948, grew out of a series of lectures delivered since the War at the Middle East Centre for Arab Studies to British students who required a solid grounding in Middle East history and politics to assist in fitting them for active careers in the region. These lectures, by a leading specialist on Middle Eastern history, generated such interest that they were adapted and published in book form for a wider reading public. The book forms a comprehensive introduction to the history of the Middle East.

Includes "Who's who in the Middle East and North Africa."

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.

A Concise History of the Middle East provides a comprehensive introduction to the history of this turbulent region. Spanning from pre-Islam to the present day, it explores the evolution of Islamic institutions and culture, the influence of the West, modernization efforts in the Middle East, the struggle of various peoples for political independence, the Arab–Israel conflict, the reassertion of Islamic values and power, the issues surrounding the Palestinian Question, and the Middle East post-9/11 and post-Arab uprisings. The twelfth edition has been fully revised to reflect the most recent events in, and concerns of, the region, including the presence of ISIS and other non-state actors, the civil wars in Syria and Yemen, and the refugee crisis. New parts and part timelines will help students grasp and contextualize the long and complicated history of the region. With updated biographical sketches and glossary, and a new concluding chapter, this book remains the quintessential text for students of Middle East history.