Book Description
Known as the greatest traveler of premodern times, Abu Abdallah ibn Battuta was born in Morocco in 1304 and educated in Islamic law. At the age of twenty-one, he left home to make the holy pilgrimage to Mecca. This was only the first of a series of extraordinary journeys that spanned nearly three decades and took him not only eastward to India and China but also north to the Volga River valley and south to Tanzania. The narrative of these travels has been known to specialists in Islamic and medieval history for years. Ross E. Dunn's 1986 retelling of these tales, however, was the first work of scholarship to make the legendary traveler's story accessible to a general audience. Now updated with revisions, a new preface, and an updated bibliography, Dunn's classic interprets Ibn Battuta's adventures and places them within the rich, trans-hemispheric cultural setting of medieval Islam.
Customer Reviews:
know what you're getting.......2007-07-10
For the reader interested in understanding the context of ibn Battuta's travels, this is an invaluable reference. Ross juxtaposes the thread of Battuta's journey with the cultural and political history of the regions Battuta explores. The maps are also tremendously helpful and the occassional b&w photo add flavor. The writing style is accessible and enjoyable.
BUT if you want to hear ibn Battuta's story in his own voice, look elsewhere! Ironically, you will not find much of ibn Battuta's voice here. While Ross does use extensive quotes from the tales of many medieval travelers, ibn Battuta's own narrative does not dominate the tone. It seems Ross believes his reader will hold two books in hand, his own and The Travels of ibn Battutah, edited by Tim McKintosh-Smith. And this is exactly what I would recommend to anyone intrigued by this oh-so-intriguing tale.
Fabulous, in both senses.......2006-11-19
Whether or not his stories are true, they make for ripping yarns.
There's a new version in paperback........2006-10-12
Look under 'other versions' on this page. I can't recommend this highly enough! See my review of the new version on that page.
Easily one of the best nonfiction books i've ever read!.......2006-10-12
This should almost be required reading in colleges, especially with the current geopolitical situation. It isn't just a translation of Ibn Battuta's book, it's at least 50% background material on the places he visited & the people he met with considerable historical info from before, during, and after Ibn's travels. The writing is excellent and easy to get through. It easily ranks next to Plutarch (in a good translation) and Gibbon for it's grand overview of a largely unknown area of history & the world (at least in the West).
This was such a good book, I bought and started the Dover Pub. version of the actual text. Big mistake. That is such a dated translation & offered so little extra compared to Ross' version (not to mention being being very hard to follow, even though I'm much more knowledgeable about the muslim world than your average American), that I gave it away to a Palestinian acquantance after reading the 1st 50 pages. Maybe the 2nd or 3rd time I haven't finished a book, ever, no matter how little I was enjoying it.
Stick with this version unless you really feel the need to read Ibn's actual words & try a non-Dover version if you do. That's a little tough anyway because most of the others only cover parts of the book. Even if you do try another version, I really recommend you read this one first to make the real work more meaningful and understandable unless you're an expert on the Islamic world.
My only complaint is that it might have had a little more of Ibn's actual words instead of paraphrases and summaries, but I feel this is actually a plus after trying to read the real text. Ibn was a contemporary of Marco Polo who actually travelled further and did most of his travels as an insider in muslim societies (at least at the government level), so he got to know the society better and was accepted as a co-religionist. Like Polo, Ibn however, suffers from the same flaws in the actual text. There's a lot of "I went to x, the people follow religion y, the climate is z, I saw building a, the local produce is b...". Ross' version cuts out all the dry midaeval travelogue filler and makes all the information crystal clear.
Do yourself a favor and try this book. Ross is an Islamic Studies professor who obviously knows his stuff & has practiced a few thousand times in a classroom setting on presenting it in a way that makes for interesting and easy reading.
Two books in one.......2006-03-26
Ibn Battuta's "Travels" (Rihla) is one of the great travel accounts of history easily comparable with Marco Polo, it is regularly listed on "Great Books" lists (although don't let that turn you away). This book by Dunn is a scholarly gloss of his account designed for the non-specialist - there are many complications to his itinerary and a lot of historical background which are illuminated and explained. Each chapter covers a particular region he traveled, with the first part of the chapter providing the historical background of the region, with the second half recounting Battuta's travels and experiences therein. Thus, not only does one get an overview of Battuta's travels, but a fairly good 14th century "world history". It is one of the more intimate and personal medieval stories providing interesting details about daily living that bring the era and people to life, while also providing a macro historical view of the time. The only thing better would be to read the actual book - but I think this contextual account and the primary source are both just as vital to understanding.
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- Shivaji was at least never communal as the Congress Party was
- A book about Shivaji, the IMAGE; not Shivaji, the MAN
- Inaccurate and full of assumptions
- Gossip & slander in the name of history
- unfaithful book & author guided by silly people & institute
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Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India
James W. Laine
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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invading the sacred
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The Last Mughal: The Fall of a Dynasty: Delhi, 1857
ASIN: 0195141261 |
Book Description
Shivaji is a well-known hero in western India. He defied Mughal power in the seventeenth century, established an independent kingdom, and had himself crowned in an orthodox Hindu ceremony. The legends of his life have become an epic story that everyone in western India knows, and an important part of the Hindu nationalists' ideology. To read Shivaji's legend today is to find expression of deeply held convictions about what Hinduism means and how it is opposed to Islam. James Laine traces the origin and development if the Shivaji legend from the earliest sources to the contemporary accounts of the tale. His primary concern is to discover the meaning of Shivaji's life for those who have composed-and those who have read-the legendary accounts of his military victories, his daring escapes, his relationships with saints. In the process, he paints a new and more complex picture of Hindu-Muslim relations from the seventeenth century to the present. He argues that this relationship involved a variety of compromises and strategies, from conflict to accommodation to nuanced collaboration. Neither Muslims nor Hindus formed clearly defined communities, says Laine, and they did not relate to each other as opposed monolithic groups. Different sub-groups, representing a range of religious persuasions, found it in their advantage to accentuate or diminish the importance of Hindu and Muslim identity and the ideologies that supported the construction of such identities. By studying the evolution of the Shivaji legend, Laine demonstrates, we can trace the development of such constructions in both pre-British and post-colonial periods.
Customer Reviews:
Shivaji was at least never communal as the Congress Party was.......2007-08-15
I wish Laine had gone beyond the legends and myths and stuck to the actual history. He has not done that. He has failed to point out with emphasis that Shivaji like so many other Kings wanted power and territory which he was successful in doing. He was never against Muslims although he may have been agianst Muslim Kings. Even if it was some other Hindu if not Afzal Khan, Shivaji would have still gone with tiger claws to a peace meeting and tore him in the embrace. We cannot judge his deeds now. His top officials were all Muslims even his commander in chief and the court language was Persian and definitely never Marathi. In his time Hindu Muslim was never an issue.
It was only when the British took over they exploited the religious differences and followed the policy of divide and rule and most unfortunately The Congress party did the same and introduced communalism that was the cause of so many problems. The major problems have been partition of the country, invasion of Hyderabad and the Kashmir problem all based on The Hindu Muslim issues. Laine unfortunately could not do justice to history.
A book about Shivaji, the IMAGE; not Shivaji, the MAN.......2007-08-03
Shivaji is considered by many as the Greatest Maratha that ever graced this planet, but what in real is it about Shivaji that makes him an icon of outstanding proportions at least within the Marathi population? This book is not just a biographical account of Shivaji's military and personal life, but more importantly it is an account of the stupendous growth of Shivaji's image as a great warrior in the 18th and 19th century Maharashtra. This means that Shivaji's image gained more fame after his death in 1680 than while he was alive. Many other great Marathas including the Peshwas accomplished prominence on the national scene after the passing away of Shivaji, yet it is Shivaji who manages to capture the distinction in history as the greatest Maratha. After briefly documenting Shivaji's life, the author spends more space in rationalizing the growth of Shivaji's image as a national hero and as a defender of Hinduism. This makes this book a good study in sociology in conjunction with the folklore that has been instrumental in constructing the legend of Shivaji. It is the personal life of Shivaji, as documented in this book that has managed to draw the attention of critics and readers alike. Although I wouldn't use my review to divulge some of the rarely known facts about Shivaji's personal life, I would at least say that the author in his attempt to relate such facts has relied on good sources, and in some instances he is honest enough to consider them as merely speculative.
Inaccurate and full of assumptions.......2007-05-09
As someone who has read a lot of books and literature on Shivaji, I'm amazed how inacurrate some of the information is in this book. Several of the author's comments are pure hear-say or word-of-the mouth with little historical evidence.
As I started reading the book, I very much appreciated the author's effort to present a different perspective how things may have been back in Shivaji's era but by the time I finished reading the book, I was very disappointed with the way data has been put forth.
I would not recommend this book to any of my friends or family.
Gossip & slander in the name of history.......2007-05-02
Many of the supportive comments for this book have stemmed from the condemnation of the censure it evoked in Maharashtra, India where Shivaji is considered as divinity incarnate. When gossip and casual slanderous remarks are thrown at such a figure without any substantiation, outrage is a natural result. I only feel bad that the target of the outrage wasn't Laine himself but the hapless souls at BORI who had the misfortune of Laine's company and then a mention in his book.
What most Laine sympathisers have conviniently forgotten is to comment on the literary merit of the book and also validate Laine's claim of being a historian.
I chanced upon this book at the local library (I would never waste my money on such trash) and found it to be written with an agenda of showing Shivaji in poor light. Let me straightaway get to the point that enraged people the most.
It's the part where Laine tries to pass on his own crucked imagination of doubting Jijabai's marital fidelity and consequently Shivaji's parentage as gossip prevalent in Maharashtrian community. I am a Maharashtrian and I personally know several others who are. Never, I repeat, NEVER have I heard such a disgusting thing being discussed. The gossip is all in Laine's mind and he has included it in a book that's supposed to be history. Says volumes about this guy's credibility!
unfaithful book & author guided by silly people & institute.......2006-05-14
this is realy silly book that makes dark circle on great LORD CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ.author hearts intensions of people of india that treat shivaji not just king but lord.
Reaserch on book is done in Bhandarkar institute,india.Author James Laine trapped between some silly people whose wrong information feeding & scychicness done big controversy & riots in India.there is no faithful reaserch & references behind that book.
There is no need to keep it in bookshelf JUST THROWN IT IN DUSTBIN.
Book Description
How do the metaphors we use to describe procreation affect our view of the relative worth of each gender? Carol Delaney discloses the powerful meanings condensed in the seemingly innocent images of "seed" and "soil." Drawing on her work in a small Turkish village of Sunni Muslims, she shows us that the images are categorically different, hierarchically ordered, and unequally valued.
The ways in which the creation of a child is understood in Turkey furnish a key to understanding a whole range of Turkish attitudes toward sexuality and gender, honor and shame, authority and submission, time and space, inside and outside, open and closed. Moreover, the symbols and meanings by which they represent procreation provide the means for understanding relationships between such seemingly disparate elements as the body, family, house, village, nation, this-world and other-world. Delaney points out that these symbols do not embellish reality; they provide the key to a particular conception of it, a conception that gives coherence to social life. The patterns revealed are not distinctly Turkish; they also comment on some of our own deeply-held assumptions and values about procreation.
Customer Reviews:
Outstanding book.......2002-09-04
Carol Delaney's book is outstanding for a description of cross cultural field work and for an interpretation of the social organization and beliefs in a Muslim community in Turkey. The ideas she presents give the reader pause for thought, because there are many implications for the social fabric.
Lively look at one Turkish Village's Idealogies.......2001-04-18
A hearty read with photos to back up fieldwork. Covers issues of marriage, relationships, authority, bodies, land, food, house, village, life/death, religion in relation to procreation.
Interesting, engaging and easily comprehended, it works well in a study of anthropology of one Middle Eastern way of life. Feminist issues, religious idealogies, and an intense study of one village causes the author to question along with the reader such basic tenets as Freud's motivations and the meaning/uses of words such as "seed."
A timeless vision of a rich society.
Average customer rating:
- Telling the truth
- Horrifying
- This Book will make you angry.
- Excellent and accurate coverage
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The Palestinian Catastrophe: The 1948 Expulsion of a People from Their Homeland
Michael Palumbo
Manufacturer: Olive Branch Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0704300990 |
Customer Reviews:
Telling the truth.......2007-01-16
This is an outstanding historical document daring to tell the truth about the early years of the Israeli State. Based primarily on Israeli government documents it details the sytematic efforts to expunge the Palestinian people from their land and incorporate it under Israeli control. Every American should read this book.
Horrifying.......2003-06-10
It is amazing to read of the level of atrocity and deceit. Ethnic Cleansing, Localized Genocide, Rampant Racism- it reads like something out of Nazi Germany. But here it is, in the middle of the Middle East, anti-Semitism, committed by Jews against Arabs. Brother against Brother. Palumbo shares with us stories of those who helped the Jews flee the Nazis, and how these same individuals watch the actions of the nascent Israeli Defense Forces, and can see no difference in their actions. Truly, as Walter Wink said, we become that which we hate. We learn hatred, and the practices of hatred, from our enemies. And here one repeatedly hears leaders of the Zionist movement explicitly calling for the same practices as the Nazis, as they worked so well, and even calling for alliances with the Nazis, in order to establish a country 'Goyim Rein', an 'Israel for the Jews, as Germany is for the Germans'.
And it is surprising to hear how most Jews in the first half of the 20th century did *not* want an Israeli nation, as they did not see that as part of God's call for their people. Or how leader after modern Israeli leader engaged in explicit terrorist action- in fact, most of them were on the top 20 list of terrorists by the British government, during the British mandate. Doing the same practices, the same suicide bombings, as extremist Palestinians do today. We become that which we hate. And it's not just Palumbo's opinion- this is a meticulously researched book. If you choose to disagree with what is said, you must prove a large number of resources wrong- including many resources from Israeli government leaders.
This isn't just dry history. Palumbo uses a highly readable format, telling stories through the eyes of the observers and the victims, with additional factual information. Yet he does it in a way that is in now way fictional, but breathes authenticity. He looks primarily at the infamous al nakba, the Catastrophe, wherein the Palestinians were driven from their homeland- a people uniquely tied in self-identity to the land, just as Americans are tied to their sense of the individual in their identities. I reside, therefore I am.
Insult to injury is the Zionist propaganda machine, that has managed to shift the blame for wartime atrocities on to the victims. After reading this work, one may come away with the same feeling- that truly, Israel has been one of the primary leaders in terrorism.
To read more, I'd recommend Wink's Engaging the Powers, as well as Dying in the Land of Promise. Don Wagner focuses here on the history of Christian Palestinians, from the year 33 to the present, and how they were driven away during al nakba, and their experiences afterward.
This Book will make you angry........2002-06-03
When I was a teenager, all I knew about the 1948 "war of independence" was what I saw in the movie "Exodus" with Paul Newman and what I read in the World Book Encyclopedia entry.
In that movie the Zionist wanted nothing more than to live in peace with their Arab neighbors, but the "arab neighbors" like children following the pied piper of Hamelin, left their homes (and all their earthly belongings) at the word of radio broadcasts from "Arab High Command". (It didn't occur to me to ask why not let them back once they came to their senses.)
From the World Book encyclopedia, I was told that all the surrounding arab countries declared war on Israel within the hour of it's "declaration of independence" and their armies invaded with single minded aim of destroying the country. Israel, against incredible odds, triumphed over all an as an added bonus ended up with 78% of Palestine, instead of the 52% provided for in the UN partition. (What Luck!)
Michael Palumbo, who previously got the goods on Kurt Waldheim's wartime record, followed up by writing this history from UN archival sources, Palestinian sources, and Israeli diaries and memiors (frequently more reliable than Israeli military and intelligence archives).
No matter how much you think you know about the middle east, how much of a critic of Israel you might be, this book will make you angry. Angry over the continuing injustice, angry over the continuing lies, angry over the continuing manipulation of western opinion (particularly US opinion), angry over the impotence of the newly formed UN.
In this book you will learn that the Palestinians did not leave because they were ordered to, on the contrary Arab radio broadcasts demanded that they *stay.* The Palestinians left, because they were terrorized, coerced, and, when all else failed, forced out. The Zionist movement never had any intention of living in peace with "their arab neighbors." From the very beginning (even before Herzl), they intended to claim the entire land for a Jewish State, and would only tolerate the smallest Arab minority possible. The Arab states declared war, but the fighting had started with the partition a year earlier. Their intervention was half-hearted at best and was never meant to destroy Israel (e.g. they never entered in the "jewish part" of the partition.)
Reading this at this time will give the uncanny sense of deja vu.
You'll find the systematic use of looting and wanton vandalism of palestinian homes and businesses. The same manipulation of opinion. (On the one hand, denying access because of fight. On the other hand denying atrocities, because there's "no evidence."
The destruction of houses with people still in them (by dynamite, not by bulldozers tho').
Also there's Menachem Begin's role in the massacre of Deir Yassin and Yitzak Shamir's role in the assasination of UN mediator Folke Bernadotte. (Keep in mind next time you hear Yassir Arafat a "terrorist.")
The overwhelming feeling will be "how can we have been so lied to for so long."
How indeed?
Excellent and accurate coverage.......2000-10-24
I read this book a couple of years ago and was very impressed at the level of research the author has done to bring this information to the public. It is hard to find books with impartial view on this sensitive subject, this is a good one. Read it!!
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The Lesser Gods of the Sahara: Social Change and Indigenous Rights (Cass Series--History and Society in the Islamic World)
Jeremy Keenan
Manufacturer: Routledge
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ASIN: 0714684104 |
Book Description
The northern Tuareg (the Tuareg of Algeria) - the nomadic, blue-veiled warlords of the Central Sahara - were finally defeated militarily by the French at the battle of Tit in 1902. Some 60 years later, following Algerian independence in 1962, they were visited by a young English anthropologist, Jeremy Keenan. During the course of seven years, Keenan studied their way of life, the social, political and economic changes that had taken place in their society since traditional, pre-colonial times, and their resistance and adaptation to the modernising forces of the new Algerian state. In 1999, following eight years during which Algeria's Tuareg were effectively isolated from the outside world as a result of Algeria's political crisis, Keenan returned to visit them once again. Following a further four years of study, he has written a series of eight essays that capture the key changes that have occurred amongst Algeria's Tuareg in the 40 years since Independence.
Book Description
This second edition of Dru C. Gladney's critically acclaimed study of the Muslim population in China includes a new preface by the author, as well as a valuable addendum to the bibliography, already hailed as the most extensive listing of modern sources on the Sino-Muslims currently available.
This monograph, number 149, is in the Harvard-Yenching Institute Monograph Series of the Harvard Council on East Asian Studies, and is distributed by Harvard University Press.
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- Afghan Caravan
- Excellent !
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Afghan Caravan
Idries Shah
Manufacturer: Octagon Press, Limited
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0863040594 |
Book Description
How did this fragmented third-world country come to win three wars against the British Empire and precipitate the break-up of Russia, the super-power? "Afghan Caravan" is a collection of writings that takes the reader on a spell-binding journey through Afghanistan, The Unconquerable. It contains a narrative from a Pathan princess; heroic war stories; tips on savvy carpet-buying; Mulla Nasrudin jokes from the front lines of the Mujahidin; even the Great Pilau Recipe of Khalifa Ashpaz, Master Chef of the Hindu Kush, which was reportedly once served to 4,000 guests. More than entertaining, "Afghan Caravan" presents an unprecedented view of a great people, their dauntless fighting spirit and near maniacal hospitality. It is the telling of a history rich in adventure, tradition and wisdom. Revealed is a magnificent culture, hidden from our history books, contributing to the human story in ways most Westerners are never aware of.
Customer Reviews:
Afghan Caravan.......2002-06-04
This book is a collection of all aspects of Afghan life. It includes travel stories, mythology and history, cooking, wisdom, jokes.... everything!
Idries Shah is a brilliant writer, Afghanistan's most well known. But the collection also includes many works by his equally esteemed family members. I congratulate the work and effort that he and his family have done in keeping Afghanistan's culture and literature alive through this time of distress.
Excellent !.......1999-11-18
I found this book full of interesting, motivating, inspiring stories, that had me laughing one moment, and shedding tears the next. Being an Afghan in America and so caught up with daily distractions, this book reminds us all of what we should be so proud of, our beautiful country, which we might be far away from now, but is always close to our hearts. I finished the last page of the book and quickly turned back to the first page to reread the whole book again. I have probabaly read the book through 10 times and read one short story daily now.
Book Description
Recent events have made an understanding of the turmoil in the Middle East more important than ever. In these essays, Bernard Lewis, a leading expert on Islam, gives essential background on Middle Eastern conflicts with the West and shows how Islam — from its first expansion to its interpretation by Saddam Hussein and other extremists — has always been inextricably linked to the Western world.
Customer Reviews:
When true scholarship proves its worth........2001-12-20
As Professor Lewis states in the Preface to the second edition of this work, "Islam in History" is a collection of thirty-two articles on Islam. Anybody wishing to gain some understanding of this very important, very misunderstood, and very troubled civilization, should read this book. Lewis, once again, provides the reader with a magnificent work that is not pedantic but instructive, that does not belittle its subject nor its audience, and that demonstrates how necessary true scholarship is, particularly in times such as these.
The book is divided into eight parts: Western Approaches, Muslim History and Historians, Muslims and Jews, Turks and Tatars, In Black and White, History and Revolution, New Ideas, and New Events. Since this new edition dates from 1993, the recent developments in the world should not be expected. However, I really meant it when I wrote that true scholarship is necessary in our world: in the last essay of this volume, Lewis writes that there have been basically two atitudes from Muslims to confront the problems of the Islamic/Arab world (he does not deal with the East-Asian Mulims, like Indonesians and Malaysians, because he admits that he does not know much about them), divided into two questions. The first one is "What did we do wrong?" The second is "Who did this to us?" The first question leads to the search for solutions. The second question, and this deserves to be quoted at length, "leads to delusions and fantasies and conspiracy theories--indeed, the most dangerous enemies of the Muslim peoples at this time are those who assure them that in all their troubles the fault is not in themselves but in open or occult hostile forces. Such beliefs can only lead to resentment and frustration, to an endless, useless succession of bigots and tyrants and to a role in world history aptly symbolized by the suicide bomber. In the first of these questions ["What did we do wrong?], for those who have the courage to ask it, and the vision to answer, lies hope for the future and for a new dawn of Muslim creativity."
Professor Lewis wrote those lines in 1993, but they are as relevant today as if he had written them on September 12, 2001. In fact, the last number of "The Atlantic Monthly" has an article by Professor Lewis where he presents this basic premise once more, since it was true a decade ago and it is true today.
I cannot recommend Bernard Lewis's books strongly enough. This one, as all his other books that I have read, is erudite, informative, interesting, serious, entertaining and, above all, important. If you have never read anything by him, but are interested in this book, read his recent article in "The New Yorker" ("The Revolt of Islam"), and the already mentioned article in "The Atlantic." Those articles will serve as an Introduction to "Islam in History." Bernard Lewis is an extraordinary scholar, and we are lucky to have him with us.
Customer Reviews:
Islam Culture.......2005-07-10
Same book with several different titles: "The World of Islam" published in Great Britian by Thames and Hudson Ltd, London, 1976; then "Islam and the Arab World published in NYC by Alfred Knopf Inc., 1976; and perhaps a third issue w/ISBN#0394407113; and then 1984 or so a paperback issue. Big large-size book with many photographs and articles. Edited by Bernard Lewis; Chapter texts by: Bernard Lewis, Richard Ettinghausen, Oleg Grabar, Fritz Meier, Charles Pellat, A. Shiloah, Edmund Bosworth, Emilio Garcia Gomez, Roger M. Savory, Norman Itzkowitz, S. A. A. Rizvi, & Elie Kedourie. Chapter topics:The Faith and the Faithful: the lands and peoples of Islam; (The five pillars of Islam, belief, opinion, and toleration, the rule of law, etc.); the Man-Made Setting: Islamic art and architecture Arabic script, rejection of sculpture, The Mosque: origins & Meaning, etc.); Cities and Citizens: The Growth and culture of urban Islam; The Mystic Path: The Sufi tradition; Jewellers with words: The Heritage of Islamic literature; The Dimensions of Sound: Islamic music, philosophy, theory and practice; The Scientific Enterprise, Islamic contributions to the development of science; Armies of the Prophet, Strategy, tactics and weapons in Islamic warfare; Moorish Spain: The golden age of Cordoba and Granada; Land of the Lion and the Sun: The Flowering of Iranian civilization; the Ottoman Empire: The rise and fall of Turkish domination; Muslim India: From the coming of Islam to Independence; Islam Today: Problems and prospects of the 19th and 20th centuries.
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