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Books > History > Asian / Middle Eastern history
By the early 1820s, British policy in the Eastern Mediterranean was
at a crossroads. Historically shaped by the rivalry with France,
the course of Britain's future role in the region was increasingly
affected by concern about the future of the Ottoman Empire and
fears over Russia's ambitions in the Balkans and the Middle East.
The Regency of Tripoli was at this time establishing a new era in
foreign and commercial relations with Europe and the United States.
Among the most important of these relationships was that with
Britain. Using the National Archive records of correspondence of
the British consuls and diplomats from 1795 to 1832, and within the
context of the wider Eastern Question, this book reconstructs the
the Anglo-Tripolitanian relationship and argues that the Regency
played a vital role in Britain's imperial strategy during and after
the Napoleonic Wars. Including the perspective of Tripolitanian
notables and British diplomats, it contends that the activities of
British consuls in Tripoli, and the networks they fostered around
themselves, reshaped the nature and extent of British imperial
activity in the region.
The story of modern Singapore as told through its living heritage
is encapsulated in this handsome book, published to coincide with
the 200th anniversary of Singapore's founding as a city-state.
Today's vibrant, cosmopolitan country developed a singular identity
through the many colourful `ingredients' outlined in this book.
Starting with the founding of modern Singapore by Sir Thomas
Stamford Raffles, we review the many events, people, artefacts,
legends and lifestyles pre- and post-1819 that contributed to make
Singapore the unique city it is today. This is the first book to
encompass all aspects of Singaporean heritage, be it sociological,
environmental or man-made. Historic personages, monuments,
architecture and the arts, cultures and traditions, and flora and
fauna are all covered in their many facets. The book showcases how
much of 1800s and early 1900s Singapore remains today, thereby
presenting a lesser-known side to the city-state - one that is
surprisingly historic and richly evocative, a different face to a
place more often associated with a stark modernity. Insightful,
lively texts by museum director and heritage expert, Kennie Ting,
are accompanied by archival images, contemporary photographs, maps
and more, to present a comprehensive picture of the city-state -
past and present.
In hierdie publikasie word nuwe lig gewerp op die
Qumran-gemeenskap, die struktuur waarin hulle georganiseer was en
hul ultrakonserwatiewe leefwyse. Die wyse waarop hul leiers die
boeke van die Ou Testament geinterpreteer het, blyk uit die
kommentare wat hulle geskryf het. Hierdie publikasie help die leser
om verwysings in die evangelies beter te begryp en bied insig in 'n
gemeenskap wat in dieselfde tyd as die Nuwe-Testamentiese
gemeenskap geleef het en waaraan sommige van Jesus se volgelinge
moontlik behoort het.
Iran and a French Empire of Trade examines the understudied topic
of Franco-Persian relations in the long eighteenth century to
highlight how rising tensions among Eurasian empires and
revolutions in the Atlantic world were profoundly intertwined.
Conflicts between Persia, Turkey, India and Russia, and European
weapons-dealing with these empires occurred against a backdrop of
climate change and food insecurities that destabilized markets.
Takeda shows how the French state relied on "entrepreneurial
imperialism" to extend commercial activities eastwards beyond the
Mediterranean during this time, from Louis XIV's reign to Napoleon
Bonaparte's First Empire. Organized as a collection of
microhistories, her study showcases a colourful set of
characters-rogue merchants from Marseille, a gambling house madam,
a naturalized Greek-French drogman, and a bi-cultural
Genevan-Persian consul, among others-to demonstrate how individuals
on the fringes of French society spearheaded projects to foster
ties between France and Persia. Considering the Enlightenment as a
product of a connected world, Takeda investigates how
trans-imperial adventurers, merchants, consuls, and informants
negotiated treaties, traded commodities and arms, transferred
knowledge, and introduced industrial practices from Asia to Europe.
And she shows the surprising ways in which Enlightenment debates
about regime changes from the Safavid to Qajar dynasties and
Persia's borderland wars shaped French ideas about revolution and
policies related to empire-building.
The ancient Israelites lived among many nations, and knowing about
the people and culture of these nations can enhance understanding
of the Old Testament. Peoples of the Old Testament World provides
up-to-date descriptions of the people groups who interacted with
and influenced ancient Israel.
Detailed accounts by specialists cover each group's origin,
history, rulers, architecture, art, religion, and contacts with
biblical Israel.
'Original and illuminating ... what a good book this is' Jonathan
Dimbleby 'A love letter to the people of the Old City' Jerusalem
Post In Jerusalem, what you see and what is true are two different
things. Maps divide the walled Old City into four quarters, yet
that division doesn't reflect the reality of mixed and diverse
neighbourhoods. Beyond the crush and frenzy of its major religious
sites, much of the Old City remains little known to visitors, its
people overlooked and their stories untold. Nine Quarters of
Jerusalem lets the communities of the Old City speak for
themselves. Ranging through ancient past and political present, it
evokes the city's depth and cultural diversity. Matthew Teller's
highly original 'biography' features the Old City's Palestinian and
Jewish communities, but also spotlights its Indian and African
populations, its Greek and Armenian and Syriac cultures, its
downtrodden Dom Gypsy families and its Sufi mystics. It discusses
the sources of Jerusalem's holiness and the ideas - often
startlingly secular - that have shaped lives within its walls. Nine
Quarters of Jerusalem is an evocation of place through story, led
by the voices of Jerusalemites.
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Parthia
(Hardcover)
George Rawlinson
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R1,072
Discovery Miles 10 720
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Ships in 12 - 19 working days
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From an award-winning journalist for "The Washington Post" and one
of the leading China correspondents of his generation comes an
eloquent and vivid chronicle of the world's most successful
authoritarian state -- a nation undergoing a remarkable
transformation.
Philip P. Pan's groundbreaking book takes us inside the dramatic
battle for China's soul and into the lives of individuals
struggling to come to terms with their nation's past -- the turmoil
and trauma of Mao's rule -- and to take control of its future.
Capitalism has brought prosperity and global respect to China, but
the Communist government continues to resist the demands of its
people for political freedom.
Pan, who reported in China for the "Post" for seven years and
speaks fluent Chinese, eluded the police and succeeded in going
where few Western journalists have dared.
From the rusting factories in the industrial northeast to a
tabloid newsroom in the booming south, from a small-town courtroom
to the plush offices of the nation's wealthiest tycoons, he tells
the gripping stories of ordinary men and women fighting for
political change. An elderly surgeon exposes the government's
cover-up of the SARS epidemic. A filmmaker investigates the
execution of a young woman during the Cultural Revolution. A blind
man is jailed for leading a crusade against forced abortions
carried out under the one-child policy.
The young people who filled Tiananmen Square in the spring of
1989 saw their hopes for a democratic China crushed in a massacre,
but Pan reveals that as older, more pragmatic adults, many continue
to push for justice in different ways. They are survivors whose
families endured one of the world's deadliest famines during the
Great Leap Forward, whose idealism was exploited during the madness
of the Cultural Revolution, and whose values have been tested by
the booming economy and the rush to get rich.
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