Ebook: A Concise History of the Middle East

Introduction -- The Middle East before Muhammad -- The prophet of Mecca -- What is Islam? -- The early Arab conquests -- The High Caliphate -- Shiites and Turks, Crusaders and Mongols -- Islamic civilization -- Firearms, slaves, and empires -- European interests and imperialism -- Westernizing reform in the nineteenth century -- The rise of nationalism -- The roots of Arab bitterness -- Modernizing rulers in the independent states -- Egypt and the fertile crescent under European control -- The contest for Palestine -- Israel's rebirth and the rise of Arab nationalism -- War and the quest for peace -- The reassertion of Islamic power -- The Gulf War and the peace process -- The war on terrorism -- Chronology -- Glossary -- Appendix table 1: Basic statistics for Middle Eastern countries -- Appendix table 2: How many Palestinians?;The classic, bestseller on the history of the Middle East by renowned scholars Arthur Goldschmidt and Lawrence Davidson, updated to reflect the latest scholarship and recent events in this turbulent region.