Краткая история арабских народов

‘The rise of Christian Europe cannot be explained without some understanding of the accomplishments of Arab civilisation, from which Western culture largely derived its knowledge and its early ways of thought. Thus some acquaintance with Arab history is necessary to the comprehension of our own beginnings.’ — John Bagot Glubb (Glubb Pasha) A fascinating and concise history of the Arab peoples from the beginning of the seventh century to the mid-twentieth century. This chronicle is the perfect read for fans of Albert Hourani, Philip K. Hitti, Eugene Rogan and John McHugo. In the 7th century, at the time of the decline of the Roman and Persian empires, the nomadic Bedouin tribes began to establish the magnificent Arabian empire that was eventually to reach from the Atlantic to the far borders of China. From this time and for several centuries the Muslim followers of the new religion of Islam, began to be collectively known as ‘Arabs’.In this book, John Bagot Glubb uses his considerable knowledge of the Arab world gleaned from his time spent living and working in the region to explore its history, culture and politics. He draws extensively on original historical sources written and translated into English from French and Arabic. He also uses his background and personal experiences to inform his writing and the opinions he expresses are based on a deep respect and sympathy for the Arab people developed during his time in Iraq and Trans-Jordan.Beginning before the birth of Muhammad this book manages to bring to life an incredibly tumultuous and extraordinary period of history, worthy of greater study by anyone with an interest in the development of world history and civilisation. ‘Sir John Glubb writes with assurance, familiarity, and a broad deep knowledge of his subject. This is an excellent short introduction to the older history of the Arabs’ — Library Journal ‘Through a sympathetic, literate scholarship, and an insider’s knowledge of military affairs, ‘Glubb Pasha,’ as his soldiers called him, succeeds in rendering a complex subject available to students, businessmen, and the interested general reader.’ — Kirkus Service ‘The writer of this book presents a wealth of valuable information, and his emphasis on the cultural contributions of the Arabs to the modern world is justified. He is particularly good on military history, taking us through the Moslem expansion of the seventh and eight centuries, the Crusades and up through World Wars I and II. This is a valuable reference work, and is probably the only place much of the data it contains is readily available’ — New Orleans Times-Picayune