Rivers Of The Sultan

The Tigris and Euphrates rivers run through the heart of the Middle East and merge in the area of Mesopotamia known as the "cradle of civilization." In their long and volatile political history, the sixteenth century ushered in a rare era of stability and integration. A series of military campaigns between the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf brought the entirety of their flow under the institutional control of the Ottoman Empire, then at the peak of its power and wealth. Rivers of the Sultan tells the history of the Tigris and Euphrates during the early modern period. Under the leadership of Sultan Süleyman I, the rivers became Ottoman from mountain to ocean, managed by a political elite that pledged allegiance to a single household, professed a common religion, spoke a lingua franca, and received orders from a central administration based in Istanbul. Faisal Husain details how Ottoman unification institutionalized cooperation among the rivers' dominant users and improved the exploitation of their waters for navigation and food production. Istanbul harnessed the energy and resources of the rivers for its security and economic needs through a complex network of forts, canals, bridges, and shipyards. Above all, the imperial approach to river management rebalanced the natural resource disparity within the Tigris-Euphrates basin. Istanbul regularly organized shipments of grain, metal, and timber from upstream areas of surplus in Anatolia to downstream areas of need in Iraq. Through this policy of natural resource redistribution, the Ottoman Empire strengthened its presence in the eastern borderland region with the Safavid Empire and fended off challenges to its authority. Placing these world historic bodies of water at its center, Rivers of the Sultan reveals intimate bonds between state and society, metropole and periphery, and nature and culture in the early modern world.

"Rivers of the Sultan offers a history of the Ottoman Empire's management of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the early modern period. During the early sixteenth century, a radical political realignment in West Asia placed the reins of the Tigris and Euphrates in the hands of Istanbul. The political unification of the longest rivers in West Asia allowed the Ottoman state to rebalance the natural resource disparity along its eastern frontier. It regularly organized the shipment of grain, metal, and timber from upstream areas of surplus in Anatolia and the Jazira to downstream areas of need in Iraq. This imperial system of waterborne communication, the book argues, created heavily militarized fortresses that anchored the Ottoman presence in Iraq, enabling Istanbul to hold in check foreign and domestic challenges to its authority and to exploit the organic wealth of the Tigris-Euphrates alluvium. From the end of the seventeenth century, the convergence of natural and human disasters transformed the Ottoman Empire's relationship with its twin rivers. A trend toward provincial autonomy ensued that would localize the Ottoman management of the Tigris and Euphrates and shift its command post from Istanbul to the provinces. By placing a river system at the center of analysis, this book reveals intimate bonds between valley and mountain, water and power in the early modern world"--

Discusses the two Fertile Crescent rivers, including their significant role in all periods of the history of the region, their geographical features, and the modern-day environmental and political issues surrounding their use.

The owner of West Indian plantations, McQueen collected extensive information from slaves which led him correctly to the conclusion that the Niger ended in the great delta of the Blight of Benin. First published in 1840.

Volumes for 1828-1934 contain the Proceedings at large of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions.

A Continuation Of The Neshan-I-Hyduri. Translated From Persian By Col. Miles

It is the eighteenth century, and turmoil is brewing all over India. In the country's south, Hyder Ali, an ordinary soldier, rises through the ranks to take over Mysore, a small kingdom that is in danger of being swallowed by the Marathas and the Nizam of the Deccan. Despite overwhelming odds, Hyder Ali forges an empire right under their noses through tact, bravery and unparalleled military strategy. Before long, he holds sway over a kingdom that spans from the dry lands near the Krishna River to the lush forests of the Malabar. But the angry Marathas are thirsting for revenge, and the English are fast gaining ground. Will the Sultan of Mysore be able to crush these formidable enemies? Will his son Tipu come to his aid? Or will he be forced to surrender the vast and powerful kingdom he has so passionately built?