It is great that you are interested! If you would like to read more, I would recommend the book Destiny Disrupted by Tamil Ansary. It gives a good overview of Islamic history up to the modern day. Amazon link
I am currently reading Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes. I am nearing the end of the book. My reading has just reached World War 1. The author has been explaining why European domination of Middle East governments and the economy in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries convinced some Middle Easterners to adopt a more Western lifestyle even one hundred years ago.
You guys lezem taqraw kteb essmou Disrupted Destiny: Disrupted Destiny
The same goes today, w Touness was not fi planete walla dimesnion wa7ad’ha. Colonization, like slavery, was systematic (moumanhaja).
I forgot to add this in my other comment (which focused on academic books), but if you want a really easy but informative/accessible read, perhaps comparable to Lesley Hazleton's book, you might want to check out Tamim Ansary's <strong><em>Destiny Disrupted</em></strong>, which is a history of the world through Islamic eyes (not exclusively focused on Shi'ism) though. I'd recommend the audiobook specifically, as it's read by the author.
"Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes"
>In Destiny Disrupted, Tamim Ansary tells the rich story of world history as the Islamic world saw it, from the time of Mohammed to the fall of the Ottoman Empire and beyond. He clarifies why our civilizations grew up oblivious to each other, what happened when they intersected, and how the Islamic world was affected by its slow recognition that Europe-a place it long perceived as primitive and disorganized-had somehow hijacked destiny.
It's truly a classic, a must-read and it's on Amazon for 10 bucks.
Destiny Disrupted is a book by Tamin Dasry that describes all of world history from the perspective of the Muslim world. I think its the book to read if you're looking for just a quick introduction to the middle east and don't need super detailed information.
I'd recommend Destiny Disrupted: A history of the world through Islamic eyes. It's written with a western audience in mind, so it's easy to digest, but also manages to avoid getting too bogged down in politics.
I didn't read it yet. It was recommended by Muslimmatters.org: http://muslimmatters.org/2014/07/30/book-review-lost-islamic-history/
Here is another book:
<strong>[Book] Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes</strong> - Tamim Ansary, for people looking for a comprehensive-but-approachable way to look at world history through the lens of Islam.
<strong>[Book] Lost Islamic History: Reclaiming Muslim Civilization from the Past</strong> - Concise summary of Islamic history by Firas Alkhateeb. Covers various aspects of Muslim contributions to the world. Recommended by MuslimMatters.org
<strong>[Book] Ibn Fadlan and the Land of Darkness</strong> - Journey of a tenth-century, medieval diplomat sent on a mission from Baghdad to the far north by the caliph Muqtadir. His subsequent account of his travels, his life and the peoples he encountered are discussed.
<strong>[Books] The first four Caliphs and Sahabah</strong> - Collection of books online on the first caliphs, and stories of the companions of the prophet (pbuh).
<strong>[Video] 1914: The Shaping of the Modern Muslim World</strong> - Yasir Qadhi explains the abolishment of the Islamic Caliphate and the division of Muslim lands into the modern countries of the Middle East that we are all familiar with today. Part 2
<strong>[Audio] Crash Course in Islamic History</strong> - Abdal Hakim Murad, free 7 part audio series, a succinct and yet comprehensive Islamic History series.
<strong>[Video] Omar video series</strong> - a historical Arab television drama, depicting the life of Omar ibn Al-Khattab, the second Caliph of Islam
<strong>[Web] History of Islam Timeline</strong> - interactive website lets you scroll through the different stages of Islamic history. Extended prophetic timeline here
<strong>[Video] Huda TV : Untold Stories of World and Islamic History</strong> - Dr. Abdullah H. Quick presents a series intended to bring untold stories from world history related to Islam.
<strong>[Video] 13 Centuries of Islamic History</strong> - Online video series conducted by Sheikh Abu Ja'far Al-Hanbali on the history of Islam, from the period at the end of the rightly guided Khalifah, all the way up until today.
<strong>[Book] History of Islam (3 Vol. Set)</strong> - three volumes of Islamic history, presents authentic events based on the writings of other famous Muslim historians. I don't know if this is better of if Venture of Islam (vol 2) and Venture of Islam (vol 1) is better.
<strong>[Book] The New Cambridge History of Islam</strong> - 6 volumes, history of Islamic civilization, tracing its development from its beginnings in seventh-century Arabia to its wide and varied presence in the globalised world of today (Doesn't rely on Quran and hadith).
<strong>[Video] Revival, Rejuvenation & Reform In Islam</strong> - Dr. Ovamir Anjum, A 6 hour seminar explaining some of the stages of the Muslims world from 2nd Century (AH) onward.
<strong>[Video] 3 Minutes of Islamic History</strong> - expansion of Islamic empire in the last 1300 years.
<strong>[Book]A History of Islamic Societies</strong> - the origins and evolution of Islamic societies
<strong>[Videos] Lives of the Khulafaa</strong> - Yasir Qadhi, detailed series of videos starting from the the first caliph and onward.
<strong>[Books] The first four Caliphs and Sahabah</strong> - Collection of books online on the first caliphs, and stories of the companions of the prophet (pbuh).
<strong>[Book] Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes</strong> - Tamim Ansary, for people looking for a comprehensive-but-approachable way to look at world history through the lens of Islam.
<strong>[Book] Lost Islamic History: Reclaiming Muslim Civilization from the Past</strong> - Concise summary of Islamic history by Firas Alkhateeb. Covers various aspects of Muslim contributions to the world. Recommended by MuslimMatters.org
<strong>[Video] Revival, Rejuvenation & Reform In Islam</strong> - Dr. Ovamir Anjum, A 6 hour seminar explaining some of the stages of the Muslims world from 2nd Century (AH) onward.
I second this. It is well-written and a good introduction.
"World histories" have been criticized as being too Eurocentric. I agree.
Two books can help correct this myopia.
Destiny Disrupted: World History Through Islamic Eyes
Big History by David Christian. This history starts with the origin of the universe. This views human history in the biggest perspective. I listened to the author's Great Courses lecture series on the topic.
I recommend reading Destiny Disrupted.
Europe didn't catch up to the middle east and China until about the 16th - 17th Century.
Silk Road
World history from a middle eastern perspective Read Destiny Disrupted
<em>Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes</em> by Tamim Ansary is neat and gives a good overview of Middle Eastern/Islamic history up to the modern day. Not sure about books on the caliphate(s) specifically though.
There's also Tim Mackintosh-Smith's <em>Arabs: A 3,000-Year History of Peoples, Tribes and Empires</em>, but that starts out before Islam even. Still really fascinating, but a little dense.
It's not explicitly about the conflict in the Middle East, but Destiny Disrupted provides a ton of good context for the Islamic perspective.
book: destiny disrupted.
Or, as Tamim Ansary cautions the Ottomans: never get involved in a land war in Europe.
Destiny Disrupted is an awesome book on the subject. The author is straight to the point with a good sense of humor. It also covers the history all the way to 9/11.
Be warned, it WILL make you cry when you realize 1400 years and the rulers of today are no different than those who gifted horses, sent advisors and outright joined in the crusaders in taking down their own Muslim ruled lands for trifling worldly gains, a pattern repeated mercilessly throughout Muslim history.
> The middle east was a powerhouse of trade and innovation until around 1200 A.D. and while those events certainly could explain their adoption of isolationism, it doesn't explain why that region hasn't recovered in over 800 years.
The Mongol invasion alone was the most devastating thing to happen to that region in its entire history (for the Khwarizmian dynasty and the caliphate in baghdad especially). And it happened as the West invaded the holy land and the bubonic plague wiped so many off the face of the planet. The three pronged destruction of that part of the world isn't my theory, by the way.
http://www.amazon.com/Destiny-Disrupted-History-Through-Islamic/dp/1586488139
I agree that once ijtihad was assassinated by conservatives that the center of the Islamic world suffered, but other areas thrived even with religious conservatism, like the Berber empires of the Maghreb. It's not an accident that Ibn Rushd arose out of the Almohad dynasty in Spain, a dynasty that pushed tawhid above everything else.