Baibars the First


Book Description




The Arabian Epic: Volume 3, Texts


Book Description

The hero cycles of Arabic belong to the literary tradition of The Arabian Nights and can be seen as the popular epics of their civilisation. The Arabian epic covers ten of the main representatives of this genre. Each of these has been developed through the processes of accretive oral story-telling by means of an accumulation of narrative and folklore motifs, many of which belong to what can be seen as a universal tradition. The work is published in three volumes. The first volume introduces the background and the dimensions in which the cycles are set, while the second volume analyses their contents and the literary formulae used in their construction, as well as listing analogues found in other literatures. The epitomes surveyed in the final volume provide non-Arabists with a more immediate insight into the contents of the cycles, drawing attention to their narrative colouring and texture.




Journal of Medieval Military History


Book Description

The Journal of Medieval Military History continues to consolidate its now assured position as the leading academic vehicle for scholarly publication in the field of medieval warfare. Medieval Warfare The articles here offer a wide range of approaches to medieval warfare. They include traditional studies of strategy (on Baybars) and the logistics of Edward II's wars, as well as cultural history (an examination of chivalry in Guy of Warwick) intellectual history (a broad analysis of strategic theory in the Middle Ages), and social history (on knightly training in arms). The Hundred Years War is studied using cutting-edge methodology (data-drivenanalysis of skirmishes) and by tackling relatively new areas of inquiry (environmental history). There is also a close reading of Carolingian documents, which sheds new light on armies and warfare in the time of Charles the Great. Contributors: Ronald W. Braasch III, Pierre Galle, Walter Goffart, Carl I. Hammer, John Hosler, Rabei G. Khamisy, Ilana Krug, Danny Lake-Giguère, Brian Price.




From Slave to Sultan


Book Description

Spanning the greater part of the thirteenth century, the career of the Mamluk sultan of Egypt and Syria, al-Mansur Qalawun, is of great interest for the light it sheds on the major themes of early Mamluk history: the emergence of a new political and administrative structure, characterized by increased militarization and mamlukization; the role of the caliphate and the nature of sultani authority; the problem of succession; Mamluk factionalism; Egyptian-Syrian relations; relations with Mongols and Crusaders; and the importance, not to mention the strategic and complex nature, of international trade in the Mamluk realm. Not only does this work fill a gap in knowledge of the early Mamluk period, complementing the studies we have of Baybars's and al-Nasir Muhammad's reigns, but it goes further than most in analyzing the institutions of the period, and uses hitherto neglected materials to illuminate theoretical and practical questions of Mamluk rule. With indices. "From Slave to Sultan is well written. The analysis is dense and packed with scholarship; it is one of those books of which specialists will devour the notes with even greater relish than they do the text... Graduate students in particular will be grateful for her first chapter, in which she introduces, describes, and evaluates the various sources." MESA Bulletin "This book a will unquestionably stand as the authoritative work on Qalawun for some time to come." School of Oriental & African Studies "Northrup is to be commended for undertaking this important, and much needed, project with her persistent efforts, meticulous and critical reading of the sources, sound methodology, and diligent presentation. The result is a definitive work on the political legacy of one of the most eminent early Mamluk sultans." Journal of Near Eastern Studies . (Franz Steiner 1998)




Palestine and Israel


Book Description

Republished in an English edition as the modern state of Israel prepares to celebrate its seventy-fifth anniversary in 2023, this book presents a history of Israel and Palestine up to the foundation of that modern state. Stretching from the thirteenth century BCE until the First World War, it is a concealed history of a mixed multitude of winners and losers living in the same land. It can be read as a regional history of the Southern Levant, written in light of modern historical and archaeological research. But it can also help shed light on the Israeli–Palestinian question. It contributes to a better understanding of why the Palestinians—regardless of where they live—have remained rooted in their patrimony, Palestine, and why they as a people, now as ever, are entitled to a land and state of their own.




A Compendium of the Earth, and of the People of the Earth, and of the Wars They Fought


Book Description

Since the dawn of mankind, there has been war. And though the cause of each may be different, all have one thing in commonthe quest for power of one man or group over another. Explore the entire history of human warfare from the very beginning of humanity to modern times and beyond and witness a lust for power that has not diminished with age.




Cairo, Jerusalem & Damascus


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The Battles of Armageddon


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One site. Thirty battles over four thousand years. Egyptians, Crusaders, Mongols, Israelis




Man of Wiles in Popular Arabic Literature


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The Man of Wiles - terrorist or saint? The Man of Wiles (otherwise known as the Master Thief, the Trickster or the Fool) appears in every hero cycle within classical Arabic literature - proof of this figure's popularity with the audiences of Arab story-tellers. He embodies views acceptable to an otherwise inarticulate part of the population, allowing Islam to be treated in a paradoxical and sometimes humorous light in contrast to conventional piety. And he shares with Odysseus not only his wiles but his function as 'the sacker of cities', redressing the idea that classical Arabic literature is unrelated to anything outside its own borders. The study of this popular form sets out in detail the recorded lives of these Men of Wiles for those to whom the original texts are not available.




The Curse of Zainab, Deity of Torment


Book Description

Part 2. Deity of Torment In this world, beginnings decide your fate, and many times, heroes are made from very strange beginnings, a mixture of cruelty, pain, and loss. After the exciting events of the first novel "Zero Moment" and the second "The Sect" of the Son of Chaos series, it is more necessary to know this unidentified hero, so what is his story? Where is he from? And how did a man who could manipulate others become like this? To know him well, it is necessary to know his history, not only from birth, but even a hundred years ago and more, that is what we will find out in this novel. Between Pharaonic curses and Turkish-Arab origins, there is a dangerous secret that men gave their lives decades ago, to preserve it, a story of violence and madness was born to create an exceptional situation. The past has not yet concluded, you have a right to know the circumstances that led to who you are now, including those that started more than a century before your birth. Although this book is a part of the Son of Chaos series of novels, its events do not take place in the same setting as those in the other books in the series or even during the same time period. Instead, they occur very far in the past in the fictional timeline, where the beginning, which was inevitable, to make its hero, is a moment on the fabric of time, which we cannot ignore. If you love the character of Baibars from the book Zero Moment and are eager to read the rest of his story in the book The Moment of Baibars, the final book in this series, then, my friend, you have the right to know who he is. In order to get to know someone well, you need to be aware of their past, which spans many years before their birth. Your destiny is determined by your beginnings, whether you like it or not. The past hasn't passed away, and you have every right to know the events that contributed to who you are now, even if they started more than a century before your birth. Your future is determined by your beginnings. Oftentimes, heroes are born out of the most unlikely beginnings. Do not concern yourself with who you were or how you came to be. What is important is who you are going to be tomorrow! -The thief of memories came to me and offered me a number of alluring contracts, promising to remove all of my terrible memories. When he eventually departed, I felt like a lump of joy and pleasure, and I was just about to accept his offer when I suddenly thought of you. -He was struck by chaos, polished by randomly, wrestled with him and wrestled with it, wrestled with it until he tamed it, and he became its brother, friend, and son. -From an early age, he did not enjoy safety and stability, he lived in the midst of hurricanes of chaos, and the heart of randomness. He became the son of shadows and their master. He deserved the nickname he called himself "Son of Chaos."