A Middle East Mosaic

In times of war and in peace, from the earliest days of the Roman Empire to our own, Westerners have journeyed to the lands of the middle east, bringing back accounts of their adventures and impressions. Yet it was never a one way exchange. From the first Arab embassy to the Vikings in the 9th century to the internet musings of the Taliban, A Middle East Mosaic collects a rich, boisterous literature of cultural exchange. We see the American Revolution through the eyes of a Moroccan Ambassador and the French Revolution through a series of Imperial Ottoman proclamations. We find surprising portraits of Napoleon ("a brigand chief"), TE Lawrence and Ataturk. We learn what George Washington and Machiavelli through t of Turkish politics and hear Flaubert and Thackeray rail against eastern crime and punishment. We peer into Voltaire's business correspondence and follow the footsteps of Mark Twain, Richard Burton, Gertrude Bell and Ibn Battutta, the Marco Polo of the east. Great discoveries are recorded - an Egyptian Ambassador is introduced to electricity and dismisses the spectacle as "frankish trickery;" another pronounces the invention of a secure mail system most useful for assignations. We enter the harem with a 16th century organ maker and emerge with Ottoman reform. It was not until the sixteenth century that the first middle eastern rulers entered into diplomatic relations with European rulers, but trade often precede diplomatic relations. Business men from the days of the crusades against Saladin to the oil prospecting of Samuel Cox and his descendents have seen great possibilities in the markets of the middle east. And throughout the centuries we have been united by war. We witness the outbreak of the Crimean war with Karl Marx and enter Egypt with Napoleon. We observe Arab customs with George Patton and visit Baghdad and Cairo with George F. Kennan in the second world war. When Usama bin Ladin rails against "Jews and crusaders" occupying the holy land, he is rehearsing a grievance with a long history. This symphony of voices, full of wit and wisdom, spite and wonder, suspicion, befuddlement and occasional insight, is ordered and explained by our foremost living historian of the middle east. The fruit of a lifetime of scholarship and erudition, A Middle East Mosaic is a dazzling capstone to a brilliant career. In a spirited reappraisal of western views of the east and eastern views of the west over the last two thousand years, Bernard Lewis gives us a brilliant over-view of 2,000 years of commerce, diplomacy, war and exploration. This book is a delight, a treasury of stories drawn from letters, diaries and histories, but also from unpublished archives and previously untranslated accounts. Diplomats and interpreters, slaves, soldiers, pilgrims and missionaries, princes and spies, businessmen, doctors and priests all pour forth their stories of the people and events that shaped history. A Middle East Mosaic cannot fail to appeal to anyone with an appetite for history and a curiosity about the vagaries of cultural exchange.

A geographical, historical and cultural background of Lebanon, with illustrations, maps, and facts of its people and land.

In the past century, exploration and serendipity have uncovered mosaic after mosaic in the Near East—maps, historical images and religious scenes constituting a treasure of new testimony from antiquity. In them, Bowersock finds historical evidence, illustrations of literary and mythological tradition, religious icons, and monuments to civic pride.

Harris (political science, U. of Otago, New Zealand) outlines the history of the eastern Mediterranean littoral now occupied by Israel, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey. After setting out its strategic geography, he narrates the periods of Rome, Islam, Byzantium, crusaders, Mamluks, and Ottomans. Then he discusses the 20th century. He includes a glossary without pronunciation guides. Only names are indexed. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

Curriculum supplement contains 42 lesson plans on various topics about the Arab world. A list of Middle East Outreach Programs and a bibliography are included. Grades K-4.

Create a culinary mosaic with this Middle Eastern cookbook! When Faith Gorsky married her Syrian husband, she was introduced to a cultural and culinary world that would forever change how she experienced food and cooking. Gorsky's mother-in-law took her under her wing, and in 6 months gave her a thorough course in Middle Eastern cooking that became the basis for her popular website, An Edible Mosaic—and now this book. The growth and success of her website and her growing interest in dishes from the Middle East led to even more trips to the area, where she deepened her knowledge of the food and acquired more recipes to cook and share with her husband and the online community. In this Syrian cookbook, Gorsky shares her favorite recipes from throughout the region: Lamb or Beef Kebab, Several Ways (Mashawi) Creamy Chickpea and Yogurt Casserole (Fetteh) Parsley Salad with Bulgur Wheat (Tabbouleh) Sumac-Spiced Chicken (Musakhan) Pan Seared White Cheese And 75 more, paired with 175 color photographs Her love for the cuisine of her husband's homeland comes across in her enthusiasm for putting together these Syrian recipes, and in the awareness that Middle Eastern cooking is more than just a means of sustenance—it lies at the epicenter of gatherings with family and friends.

In the early 1880's dissension arose among the Muslim and Christian inhabitants of al-Karak, east of the Dead Sea. Up to that time the believers of both religions had lived peacefully together in the city. Problems arose and the Christians decicded to move. They were allowed to settle at Madaba. The government gave permission to build churches, but exclusively on those spots where churches had existed in Antiquity. The immigrants removed the debris from still partially visible foundation walls of the ancient churches. During this work they discovered in 1884 a marvelous mosaic map. It had been part of the floor of a large cathedral. The surviving fragments were roughly repaired and incorporated in the floor of the new St. George's church. It took nearly a hundred years and many admirers to have the map finally restored. This book is an introductory guide and can be a help to different kinds of people, such as visitors, students, and professors teaching first level archaeology, bible, and Umwelt. Numbers on the sketch included in the guide, refer the reader to appropriate information in the booklet. A colour reproduction of the map and a black/white sketch is included.