A concise history of the Muslim countries. It begins with Rome and Persia and the pre-Islamic Bedouins and ends with the fall of Baghdad to the Mongols (1258), and in the West with the fall of Granada to the Christians (1492). The author seeks to unravel the many motivations and influences that went into the making of Islamic history and to expound and evaluate them. He frequently reminds the reader of economic and cultural developments taking place at the same time as, and often in intimate connection with, the more overtly political events. In her introduction, Jane Hathaway shows the connection between the history of Islamic civilization and world history.

First published by E.J. Brill (The Netherlands) in 1969 as Geschichte der Islamischen Lander, this volume is still one of the few studies to deal -- authoritatively, comprehensively, and clearly to the non-specialist -- with the Mongols. It provides a lucid account of the empires of the two greatest Mongol empire-builders, Jingiz (Genghis) Khan and Timur (Tamerlane), and their successor states in Western Eurasia. Arthur Waldron's new introduction discusses the contribution of the Mongols and other nomadic societies to world history.