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The Crusades Through Arab Eyes (Saqi Essentials)
£13.20£14.20 (-7%)
European and Arab versions of the Crusades have little in common. For Arabs, the twelfth and thirteenth centuries were years of strenuous efforts to repel a brutal and destructive invasion by barbarian hordes. Under Saladin, an unstoppable Muslim army inspired by prophets and poets finally succeeded in destroying the most powerful Crusader kingdoms. The memory of this greatest and most enduring victory ever won by a non-European society against the West still lives in the minds of millions of Arabs today.
Amin Maalouf has sifted through the works of a score of contemporary Arab chroniclers of the Crusades, eyewitnesses and often participants in the events. He retells their stories in their own vivacious style, giving us a vivid portrait of a society rent by internal conflicts and shaken by a traumatic encounter with an alien culture. He retraces two critical centuries of Middle Eastern history, and offers fascinating insights into some of the forces that shape Arab and Islamic consciousness today.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Reprint edition (2 Mar. 2006), Saqi Books |
|---|---|
| Language | English, French |
| Paperback | 312 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0863560237 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0863560231 |
| Dimensions | 21.6 x 3.1 x 13.7 cm |
by Amazon Customer
As the title clearly indicates, this book is an attempt to depict the experience of the crusades through Arab eyes; in my opinion, it succeeded.
Until I read this title, my two favourite works concerning the crusades were ‘The first crusade’ by Thomas Asbridge and ‘The sword and the scimitar’ by Ernle Bradford. This book joins that short list.
One of the many bonuses to this title was that it filled a lot of the gaps in the aftermath of July 1099, such as the attempts by the Fatimids to reconquer Jerusalem, how the crusaders conquered Tripoli, Acre, the impact of the Mongols and the Mamluks on Arab civilisation. You come across interesting characters including Saladin, Zangi, Nur-Al-Din, Baybars, Qutuz, to name a few.
If I have any criticism, it is that some bits of information should not be taken at face value. For instance, the author asserts that Richard the Lionheart had Conrad of Montferrat killed by the Assassins – this is speculation at best.
I really enjoyed reading this and have certainly developed a more informed view of the crusades.
by Amazon Customer
This is the feast of PC that you might fear. Instead it’s a fascinating look at the political conditions in the Muslim world that made the Crusades possible and how these changed during the Crusades. The First Crusade arrived at a time when Muslim states were dis-united, unstable and in bitter competition – to the extent that local Muslim rulers were willing to ally with Crusaders against each other. Without understanding these conditions it is impossible to understand the initial successes of the Crusaders especially.
by A. Jacobs
This concentrates on documentary sources from the Arab side, which is fascinating but rather depressing as it turns out they were as squabbling, ego driven and venal as the Europeans. For every hero, there’s a villain and plenty of people who were both at once. Well worth a read but not if you want to be cheered up!
by J GREEN
The book does exactly what is said on the cover, written or translated into an easy to read style. Certainly an interesting perspective and well worth a read for any one interested in the period.
by awz1
Thoroughly enjoyed this, the author conveys the story of the crusades in a very easy to comprehend fashion. Much better than I had expected.
by Ross
Really good read. Great perspective to see how this period mapped out through the eyes of the islamic inhabitants from squabbling petty rulers to the religious groups and the ordinary people. Seen through their eyes no one expected the invasions to be successful and so bloody and how the people despaired of their leaders to mount a defense and drive the crusaders back into the sea. As the story progresses we see how champions eventually emerged and were able to focus and turn the tide. We also see how the invaders eventually succumbed to the same intrigues and power struggles as their rival Islamic enemies.
by N D McKellar Esq
This is an alternative view of an era normally seen through western eyes. For such a detailed book it is amazingly easy to read.
The parallels between the crusades and the present are fascinating. Put al-Qaeda in the role of the crusaders trying to destroy a culturally more advanced society. The arab mystification at the schism between eastern and western christianity and the violence between the two mirrors the schism between Sunni and Shia muslims today. The old man of the mountains sending out his assassins on suicide missions just as Osama Bin Ladin does today.
Perhaps we can also find solutions in the past. The sect of the assassins was only destroyed when the arab world sickened of their violence and turned against them.
by Mr. Stephen R. Kirk
A fantastic read and a great insight into the crusades from an alternative and very informative viewpoint. My education told the crusades through the eyes of the Templars and of Richard the Lionheart. This provides a refreshing alternative perspective into one of histories most interesting periods.