Middle East Books

This book explains why Raphael Patai's book "The Arab Mind" is wrong and stereotyped.
Barakat explains here everything accurately. A must read!

This book explains why Raphael Patai's book "The Arab Mind" is wrong and stereotyped.
Barakat explains here everything accurately. A must read!

At the beginning of "Arabian Knight" a State Department official is quoted as saying that "Bill Eddy was probably the nearest thing the United States had to a Lawrence of Arabia." I have never had a high opinion of T.E. Lawrence, based on his numerous self-promotional actions; his openly racist statements made in his "classic," - "Seven Pillars of Wisdom;" to his essential dishonesty, as confirmed by historians such as David Fromkin. Based on the excellent biography of Eddy by Lippman, I would consider such a comparison an insult to the memory of Eddy, who was the antithesis of so many of Lawrence's character flaws. The one characteristic they shared was an outsider's perspective on Saudi Arabia during its formative period.

Bill Eddy was born in Sidon, Lebanon, in 1896, the son of missionary parents. He became fluent in the street Arabic patois of his childhood playmates. This was one talent that served him well throughout his life. Upon his death in 1962, he was buried in a cemetery in Sidon, and along with his family members, are the only non-Arabs buried there. Eddy's life was eventful, with several key junctures with critical points in American history.

For the first 100 pages Lippman establishes Eddy's bona fides as the quintessential American patriot and man of action. Immediately after graduating from Princeton in 1917, he joined the Marine Corps, and saw action in the battles at Belleau Wood and the St. Mihiel salient, in France, in the First World War. Towards the very end of the war he was struck down by the Spanish influenza, which killed more people than all the casualties in the "Great War." As a result, he almost died in an American military hospital; he ultimately recovered, but walked with a limp for the rest of his life. After the war he spent some time at the newly founded American University in Cairo, but eventually accepted the position of president of Hobart College in New York State for family reasons. He spent much of the inter-war period there, but tired of managing academic squabbles, and returned to Cairo, in government service, just prior to WW II. As an intelligence officer he was soon posted to Tangiers, in Morocco, which Lippman says had much of the intrigue and duplicity that were depicted in the movie "Casablanca." The author states that based on Eddy's intelligence assessments, delivered personally to the Allied High Command, Operation "Torch", the invasion of North Africa in 1942, was given the go-ahead.

The core of the book is the next 100 pages. While WW II still raged, the political leadership in Washington was formulating the structure of the post-war world. One component of this would be to recognize the importance of the Kingdom, as oil wealth would help transform it from one of the world's poorest countries. Eddy was sent to Jeddah in 1944, as a "Special Assistant" to the American resident. His Arabic language ability was an important component in establishing a good working relationship and friendship with King Abdul Aziz. But so to was a basic attitude of treating "the natives" in a manner of equality and respect, unlike numerous of his compatriots. Eddy was the sole interpreter, trusted by both parties, when President Roosevelt met King Abdul Aziz on the USS Quincy, on the Great Bitter Lake, in the very waning days of the war. Eddy was one of the most effective advocates of the mutual benefits of a strong American-Saudi relationship. He was again tapped to be the American who would establish diplomatic relationships with the most reclusive area of the Arabian Peninsula - the Yemen. In 1946 he went to San'a to meet Imam Yahya. It took him three weeks to cover the 100 miles from the coast by horseback.

In the bibliography Lippman fittingly lists Dean Acheson's "Present at the Creation," an appropriate theme for Eddy's life. Not only was he a driving force behind the creation of a strong American - Saudi bilateral relationship, he was also a central force in the creation of the CIA from the components of the OSS, the organization he worked for during WW II. The later part of the book covers the bureaucratic fighting in Washington, which Eddy participated in, that established the CIA. Since Eddy preferred, and felt he was more effective, not working as a self-promoter, but as a man of reticence, it was difficult for Lippman to determine the full extent of Eddy's role in the overthrow of the democratic government of Syria. This coup, along with the CIA's overthrow of the democratic government of Iran, in 1953, could have been explored further by Lippman, to underscore the continued mistrust of the American government by the peoples of the Middle East, and why inquisitive Americans are often accused of being in the CIA.

Eddy was also an advocate of the Arab point of view concerning the creation of the State of Israel. Lippman does an admirable job in negotiating this sensitive, emotional subject with as neutral a point of view as possible. I felt he failed only once, when he said: "The Arabs, by clinging to their absolutist position and refusing to yield any land to the Zionists, forfeited the political high ground, to their lasting detriment." (p228) Clearly they had already yielded much land, and had accepted substantial immigration; they simply did not want to become a minority in their own country - an issue on a far lesser scale that concerns Americans today about immigration into their own country. By in large, having lost this struggle for influence, Eddy and his family retreated to his origins - Lebanon, where he worked for Aramco, and almost certainly the CIA, to the end of his days.

The book has a stellar graphic design, essential maps, numerous photos from Eddy's life and a solid bibliography. Lippman has done a wonderful service in writing an excellent biography on the life of one American who was deeply involved in numerous important events in American history - from the Western Front of WW I, to Operation Torch in WW II, to the establishment of the American - Saudi relationship as well as the creation of the CIA. It is an essential read for anyone exploring those "present at the creation" of the current world.

As a former Eurocentric American, this book is a terrific introduction to what often seems our love/hate relationship with the Middle East. With striking, straight-forward prose, Thomas Lippman makes history a personal and urgent proposition for every reader. Lippman breathes life into this history through the compelling human story of Colonel Bill Eddy. As a reader, I particularly admire the portrayal of Eddy's vigorous and astute role in defining relationships with Saudi Arabia, and later, his work during the Truman administration to create a viable and autonomous intelligence community. With ARABIAN KNIGHT, Thomas Lippman truly delivers to the reader a remarkable story of an American writ large in the world.

This was a gift for the Egyptian Dig student in the family, who wants to learn more. She loved it.

Such book is an important addition to two fields of studies. The first is the anthropology of language, namely the connection between languages and the phenomena of nationalism and national identity. The second field concerns nationalism and national identities in the Arab Middle East, especially the relationship between the Arabic language and national identity. This book embodies a rich effort to examine the works and ideas of prominent thinkers and scholars in the field of nationalism studies by examining its applicability in the case of the Arab nationalism. Moreover Sulieman uses a wide range of primary classical and modern sources, some of these sources have received only minor attention from scholars, despite their indicative content in studying Arab nationalism and the question of identity. Bu using these sources Suleiman shows how language has played an active role in shaping an Arab nationalism that had clear cultural character.
The book studies also territorial nationalism in the Arab Middle East and how this relates to the language issue as a factor in the conceptualization of national identity. In particular the ideas of Greater Syrian, Egyptian nationalism and Lebanese nationalism.

The Arabic Translation
This is the first ecumenical translation ever in Arabic and one of the fruits of the blessed labors of the Bible society which coordinated Catholic scholarship (mainly society of Jesus), hand in hand with the continuos efforts of the evangelical missions since Dr. Van Dyke of blessed memory, started his first Arabic translation with Lebanese support more than 150 years ago.

How unique is this edition? Very unique indeed.
Here comes the genius of the Orthodox Church tradition: the Controlling authority of the Septuagint and the wider canon of the Alexandrine fathers, as stipulated by Papa Athanasius in his Pascal letter 357, still applicable in the Roman Church, even if the sequence of the Catholic epistles followed by the Pauline was reversed long ago by Amphilochius of Iconium.

Translation principles and rules:
Starting with the best available Hebrew text (Stuttgart: 1968-76),with reference to Aramaic (Syriac) whenever needed. As for the New Testament translation (4th edn.,1994) Koine (Old Greek) the used text was UBS 3, and Nestle Alland no 26. The goal was ultimately rendering in Middle Eastern Arabic speakers a simple modern Arabic language understood by a wide spectrum readership. The word to word translation was avoided in favor of the dynamic equivalent given that translation from Hebrew to Arabic is more expressive due their Semitic brotherhood.
So beautiful is the statement of faith "Throughout history, Bible scholars labored with great erudite and hard work to recover and preserve the original text unblemished" Starting with the ancient clerical traditions the Jews learned in Ancient Egypt illustrated by the ten commandments inscription on stone to the great Alexandrine tradition of the Scriptorium that produced all the great Uncial codices: Alexandrinus, Aphraemi, Sinaticus, and Vaticanus.

Two Variant Editions:
The Bible society has chosen to produce two editions, the full Alexandrine Canon used by the majority Orthodox of the Orient from Antioch to Alexandria,and a minority Roman Unite Churches.
A shorter 'mutilated' edition ( in the words of F. Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury), without O.T. Apocrypha, for the scattered born again brothers. The color code is Brown for the full canon and blue for the shorter, shown by Amazon.com.

Study bible:
Sure, and a good one, which avoids dictating dogmatic influenced interpretations, due to the blessings of ecumenical fellowship.
How? Simply by supporting this annotated Bible with commonly agreed footnotes, and scholarly proven facts, explanations and comments. Four colored maps and two indicative sketches, are helpful tools for novice students, together with general introduction and brief introductions for each book.

For eight years we have been using this bible in Egypt, in the fuller canon edition, which includes the Apochrypha in addition to the hebrew books canonized in jabneh by closing the Hagiographa around the end of the first century.
This scholarly upgraded translation, a friut of the hard work of Bible society translation team, for two decades, was very much needed to satisfy an urgent need in Coptic Egypt and students of the holy word allover the Arab speaking world. It served to clearly instruct in the way of salvation by having the Good News in contemporary plain Arabic. Language was and is the main draw back to the Van Dyke translatiom, that served weii for 150 years.
The other alternative is the Living bible which is a paraphrasing, while the Catholic translation by Jesuits is good but reltively expensive, which render it out of the reach of the population.
To complement the excellent review by Didakialex, I would like to emphasize that the present translation took into account the power of habit of hearing certain expressions. I recommend to compare and check against this transltion whatever translation you use,in Arabic or English.

Do you want to understand the Scriptures better? Do you want detailed information? Do you want to know more about the Holy Land? Better have a copy of this encyclopedia. This book will give you a better knowledge about the stories in the Bible. Biblical artifacts, places, and people are well documented. So much has happened in the Holy Land that you need to brush up yourself too. This would give you more information about the different Abrahamic faiths. An eye-opener for lukewarm followers.

The 2003 edition of AEHL is an excellent reference to all the major excavation sites in Israel! Compared to the 4- or 5-volume set, "Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land" (& its "New..." edition), which is hard to find & expensive, AEHL is a tremendously beneficial aid to students who just need the basic facts to help them understand what's been revealed in this territory.

It not only acts as a reference work for well-known sites like Jerusalem & Lachish, but also introduces readers to obscure ones like Ras (a small site SW of Jerusalem where farmers built terraces for their crops during the Iron Age) & distinguishes 2 places named Socoh (one in northern Judah that functioned as an administrative fortress, & another in southern Judah that was home to a family of scribes).

Each of the classifications discusses its excavation history, its relevance to the Biblical record, & important artifacts discovered there such as the Gezer calendar, the Tel Dan "House of David" stela, & the Siloam Tunnel inscription.

More than 300 black/white photos, maps, & drawings appear with their respective listings, & besides the sites, there are also categories for peoples (e.g., Canaanites, Hittites, etc.), Roads, Seals; in fact, you could read sections on Agriculture, Building Materials, Churches, Cult Objects, Housing, Lamps, Metals, Money, Musical Instruments, Pottery, Temples, Time, Transport, Weapons & Warfare, Weights & Measures as if they were chapters of a book!

Unlike books written from a limited perspective, or magazines/journals edited by a common-bias staff, AEHL maintains its objectivity by presenting over 800 entries studied by more than 100 experts in their respective fields. You will not find a better summary of this material in compact, paper format elsewhere.

While Elam civilization looks as not important or as a minor one for many other historians, Mr. Potts created a great book about these forgotten ancient Iranian people. I enjoyed reading the book a lot. Thank you for your great courage.
I hope you will continue this great job by writing a book about the Medes. That is also a forgotton civilization.

This is a well designed and well produced textbook, which seems to have been organised with students and teachers in mind. Potts has given us a cohesive and logically developed narrative; a big advance on the two chapters by the late René Labat in the 3rd edition of the Cambridge Ancient History. Pott's aim has been "to provide a cogent, readable synthesis of Elam" (p. xxi). And he has achieved this admirably. Features of the text of the book are the summaries at the beginning of each chapter (`text boxes'), the clear site maps for each chapter, and the chronological outlines. All very useful.

The book is cultural and historical as well as archaeological in character and in its emphasis. The contents deal with pottery, seals, sculpture, glyptic art, rock reliefs, the texts of clay documents, inscriptions, architecture, site plans, ivories, coins, figurines, burials and grave goods. Comprehensiveness and scope are notable marks of this book, in the search for the origins and the influence of Elam. It covers its pre-history (c. late fifth millennium B.C.) and continues all the way to the eighth century A.D.

In this volume, Elam and the Elamites are dealt with as a polity in their own right, and not merely seen as a troublesome heterogeneous nation in relation to its neighbours, the Assyrians, Babylonians and Persians. Potts stresses the chameleon-like character ("transformations") of Elam over the centuries, as viewed through the lens of contrasting if not conflicting sources of evidence. He argues that courte durée, rather than longue durée, is the historical concept which best helps to account for the periodic changes which characterised the history Elam.

Despite the incompleteness of the data, Potts has succeeded in bringing Elam and its people into sharper focus than has hitherto been the case. It is a worthy successor to Carter and Stolper's Elam: Surveys of Political History and Archaeology (1984), which was probably the best synthesis of that land and its culture before the advent of the present volume. Professor Potts is to be congratulated on his achievement. Particularly on his desire to communicate the results of his research to his readers in a format and language which strive to make the significance of these results clear and intelligible. This new work should become a standard text in the hands of teaching staff and students alike in tertiary institutions for some time to come.

The illustrations and plates are clear, relevant and help to elucidate the text and its interpretation. A copious 35 page bibliography and a generally adequate index round off the volume.

In this very good biography of Ariel Sharon his life comes alive in simple and concise language. A great introduction to Middle Eastern politics and the life of Sharon. This is one of the first in a stream of new biographies of Ariel Sharon, the Prime Minister of Israel from 2000 to 2005. He was many things. Firstly a son of rebellious Moshavniks who didn't like the reform of Kibbutz life. He fought in Israel's 1948 war of Independence and was wounded at the battle of Latrun. He led the paratroopers in revenge raids in the 1950s, famously in charge of unit 101. In 1956 he led the paratroopers at Mitle pass in the Sinai and suffered heavy losses. In 1967 he fought a set piece battle at Abu Agheila, defeating the Egyptian army, again in Sinai. In 1973 he famously crossed the canal into Egypt and helped surround the Egyptian third army, but was almost relieved for command for going to far. He helped found the Likud party, combining his own party, ShlomTzion, with Begin's Herut. He was in the agriculture ministry and also in charge of settlements at various times after 1977 and in the 1980s. He was famously discredited as Defense minister for his role in leading the 1982 war in Lebanon and the slaughter at Sabra and Shatilla. In 2000 he returned, Nixon like, from his ranch in the Negev and came to power as the country turned to him, a tough man, to wage war on the Palestinian terrorists then taking dozens of lives weekly. In 2005 he famously led the disengagement from the Gaza strip, reversing years of settlement in the territories. He fell into a coma in the late fall of that year after founding his new Kadima political party.

A fair and good introduction.

Seth J. Frantzman

This book is written by Norman H. Finkelstein the author of thirteen nonfiction books for young readers on history and biography. It is written with elegance and balance, and has a sure narrative flow. The story of Ariel Sharon's life is told against the background of Israeli and Zionist history, the history in the Middle East through the past century.
Finkelstein is eminently fair in his depiction of Sharon, and indicates major mistakes he has made, strong criticism he has received from the outside world. However his approach to Ariel Sharon is by and large a sympathetic one, and he sees him , rightly in my opinion, as primarily a person who dedicated his whole life to the defense and building of Israel.
Born to strongly Zionist parents Sharon was raised with his sister in Kfar Malal, a small dusty farming settlement fifteen miles north of Tel Aviv. As a young man he joined the Haganah and was involved in key battles in the Israeli War of Independence. Critically wounded in the battle of the Kastel he and a friend dragged their way out of the range of enemy fire. He returned to the war afterwards, and continued to contribute to the struggle for Independence. Determination, and strong will would be the central mark of his character.
Finklestein chronicles Sharon's varied contributions to the Israeli Army including the founding of the first commando anti- terror Unit 101. He is not uncritical of Sharon's actions as commander. He shows how Sharon's disregard of orders would characterize his military career throughout. The battles of the Sinai campaign, where an insubordinate Sharon took his men up the Mitla Pass , of the War of Attrition, of the Six Day War, of the Yom Kippur War are all related here summarily, but with accuracy . Finkelstein also tells Sharon's family story including the two great personal tragedies, the death of his first wife, and the accidental shooting death of his oldest son at the age of twelve. Finkelstein however indicates how strong a family person Sharon was, and indicates the major role his second wife Lilly, who was sister of his first, played in his career.
Finkelstein tells the story of Sharon's political career again capsulizing and giving us the highlights in an accurate way. Sharon's joining the Likud becoming a member of the Knesset, the story of his various roles as minister, including Defense Minister in the Lebanon War are also related.His central role in the Settlement movement and the Jewish building in Judea and Samaria is also described. The book closes in the year 2005 as Sharon is about to order the disengagement from Gaza. This prompts Finkelstein to make the point that Sharon was guided always not so much by a fixed program, but as to what he saw would in the situation bring true security to Israel.
Since the book was published Ariel Sharon has had two strokes, the second of which he apparently will never fully recover from.
This book tells his story in a clear, concise and fair way. It indicates that he has been throughout a person of dedication to the survival of Israel and the Jewish people. It shows how he took heroic and courageous actions, time and time again to forward what he saw as the wellbeing of Israel. It indicates clearly where most believe he erred, and gives a realistic evaluation of his life.
I cannot think of a better brief narrative history of a major military and political figure than this small book.

Bibliotheca Iranica must be congratulated in sanctioning the publication in it's Intellectual Traditions Series, a unique and novel study on the Aura of Kings, particularly in reference to Ancient Persian and Iranian Kings by Abolala Soudavar.

Since early antiquity, rulers and kings of various dynasties in varied civilizations have claimed themselves or had their chosen ministers proclaim some kind of divine connection with the Divinity. Claiming a divine connection, makes the task of ruling
and formulating policies much easier as few (if any) would like to defy the ultimate source of all power in this universe. Pre-Achemenid, Achemenid, Parthian and Sassanian Kings of Persia were no exception to this rule. This divine connection, legitimacy and sanction of Persian kings was acheived by the ideological concept of the "khvarnah" or the "Divine Glory" usually, visually symbolized as a circular disk or a ringed circle around the head of the king. In early antiquity it was also iconographed as a winged circular disc above the head of the ruling king. Persian literature and sculptures abound with references to the ruler's "Divine Glory" and past studies often emphasized the centrality of this theme to the topics of authority and power. Yet so far little attention and studies have been devoted to this visual symbolism of the "khvarnah" and it's potential for shedding more light on the understanding of Ancient Iranian history. Abolala Soudavar has attempted in his bold daring and novel publication to develop this wealth of iconographic material available into an essential tool for Ancient Iranian historiography.

Soudavar's study traces back the "khvarnah" symbolism from the Mughal era which gives textual references on the subject of kingly "khvarnah" and it's representation to the Il-Khanid era in which legitimacy symbols of pre-Islamic Iran were revived, to the Sassanian era, where multiple ways of the "khvarnah" representaions were created, back to the Achaemenid era when universal symbols of authority were created to demonstrate divine connectedness.

Readers interested in Ancient Iranian history, art and culture would do well to give this book their undivided attention as it is a novel and bold approach at studying a rare and difficult subject, where the past written words are scarce. The book has an excellent bibliography with many new and "fresh" references in the Persian language. However the black and white plate reproduction at the end of the book is marginally satisfactory. The publisher could have provided coloured plates and the layout more spread out for easy reading and comparison.

The book does open up new avenues for discussion and will serve a good reference source for some time.

This is a very interesting book about legitimacy and divine sanctions in Iranian kingship during different Iranian dynasties, Achaemenid, Sasanian, Mughal, and Il Khanid.
As a Turko-Mongol Muslim ruler, the emperor ruler Akbar encountered problem to get an acceptable legitimate right to rule based on Islamic principle of legitimacy and his Vizir based Akbar's Legitimacy on a more acceptable principle of Farre Izadi (Divine glory) and Kayan Kharra (Kayanid Glory) which had deep roots in Iranian culture.
The book consists of 4 chapters:
Chapter I: Khvarnah symbolism is discussed during different dynasties and its connection to Mithraic symbolism.
Chapter II: Reinterpreting Sasanian reliefs: The author has introduced new ways to analyse Sasanian iconography and has rejected the classical translation of Sasanian regal inscriptions which describes the king as `whose seed is from the gods' and a correct translation is `image of god', Chihr az Yazdan.
In this chapter he has also discussed Apam-Napat/Anahita and Mithra as protector of Khvarnah and how Ahura Mazda rose to prominence, while Mithra and Apam-Napat were demoted to a secondary position during Zoroasrtianism.
Chapter III: Symbols of authority for a nascent empire: he traces back the origins of symbolic winged disc to Egyptian art which represented the sky-god and Assyrians used lotus as regal iconography
And it provided Achaemenids with new ideas of combining the lotus and sunflower for a dual representation of the Khvarnah.
Chapter IV Aspects of Farr duality: he has discussed common roots of Iranian and Roman Mithra
The book is very easy to read and is based on calligraphic, pictorial and textual analysis and last 33 pages provides the reader with helpful images and have fantastic footnotes.
I thank Ahura Mazda for having dedicated people like Mr Soudavar among us and recommend this book to readers with love and passion for Iranian history.

This is the best tour guide for Israel that I have found. The only problem is that the publisher revises it and allows it to go out of print during the process. This time, it have been for well over a year. Is there any way to find out when it will be available again?

My wife and I are going on a tour to Israel in late March and were looking for concise information about the land of Israel. Someone loaned us this book (I have now purchased my own) and it is the best. I have heard many talks, watched my friends slides, attended meetings of former tourists, but nothing has given me better insight into the land, customs, people and sites than the Baedeker book. Our trip is to include an extension into the Sinai peninsula and Mt. Sinai. This book has an excellent description of this area as well as the St. Catherine's Monastary on the mount. The book's pocket size make it excellent for sticking in your day pack. All of the information is arranged in alphabetical form so it is very easy to access. It also includes a fold-out map. Don't miss this one! Fred Brock (fbrock@bbc.edu

This book has just been reprinted by Sefer v' Sefel Publications in Jerusalem. They have made a very attractive book with many pictures of the participants of the battle, and the battlefields themselves.
Rabinovitch interviewed over three- hundred people, traveled all over the country for this work. He is a first- rate journalist and he has a real eye for the battlefield and ear for those who were able to tell their stories of what happened. I have done research on an important figure in the whole story Rabbi Shlomo Goren, and paid special attention to Rabinovitch's account of Rabbi Goren on that day. It was moving, and dramatic, and caught the spirit of the time.
The whole story, the threat to Israel before the 67 war, the build- up of tension with the long - waiting period, the great fear that another Holocaust might be on the way, - all this followed by the dramatic turnaround the startling unexpected victory which had as its penultimate stage the taking and retaking of Jerusalem is chronicled here.
The fact is that there would not have been a battle for Jerusalem had not the Jordanians attacked. Rabinovich tells the story of many of the quiet heroes of the battle, the people from every walk of life who came to defend their homes and found themselves part of the one great moments of modern Jewish history.
This is journalism at the highest level about a great historical event.

In June 1967 the third Arab Israeli war broke out. Although Jerusalem had been but a side show and not a prime objective, it ended up being one of the symbols and one of the most important victories in the war.

Famous scenes of men crying at the Western Wall(the holiest site in Judaism) and Dayan(eye patch included) strolling down the Old city steps. Similar important battles such as Ammunition hill went down in Israeli military history as some of the bloodiest and bravest ever fought.

Of all the books on the six day war, this is by far the best one on the Battle for jerusalem. Many subjects are covered, including the many units involved, the commands, the ordinary soldiers, the UN workers, the Mayor, the Israeli museum, the children and the hospital staff. Few people are left unmentioned in this tour of the battlefield, that puts the reader in the picture. The only downside of this book, like most on the conflict, is an almost total lack of maps and few if any acounts of the jordanian experience. Nevertheless this is the standard on the subject.

Seth J.Frantzman