Spies For The Sultan

Translated into English for the first time, this is a fascinating history of intelligence practices and their impact on great power rivalries in the early modern era In the sixteenth century, an intense rivalry between the Ottoman Empire and the Spanish Habsburg Empire and its allies spurred the creation of early modern intelligence. Translated into English for the first time, Emrah Safa Gürkan's Spies for the Sultan reconstructs this history of Ottoman espionage, sabotage, and bribery practices in the Mediterranean world. Then as now, collecting political, naval, military, and economic information was essential to staying one step ahead of your rivals. Porous and shifting borders, the ability to assume multiple identities, and variable allegiances made conditions in this era ripe for espionage around the Mediterranean. The Ottomans used networks of merchants, corsairs, soldiers, and other travelers to move among their enemies and report intelligence from points far and wide. The Ottoman sultans invested in the novel technologies of cryptography and stenography. Ottoman intelligence operatives not only collected information but also used disinformation, bribery, and sabotage to subvert their enemies. This history of early modern intelligence is based on extraordinary archival research in Turkey, Spain, Italy, Austria, and Croatia, and it provides important insights into the origins of modern intelligence.

This is an English translation of a critical portrait of the Ottoman capital of Istanbul during the days of the Sultan Abd al-Hamid.

A classic, they say, is a book, which people praise but do not read. The book is praised because it is supposed to embody the best of human thought. The present series, INDIAN CLASSICS is designed to bring out the best in Indian thought in a form, which makes these great books readable.

In a world of rising tensions between Russia and the United States, the Middle East and Europe, Sunnis and Shiites, Islamism and liberalism, Turkey is at the epicentre. And at the heart of Turkey is its right-wing populist president, Recep Tayyip Erdo?an. Since 2002, Erdo?an has consolidated his hold on domestic politics while using military and diplomatic means to solidify Turkey as a regional power. His crackdown has been brutal and consistent - scores of journalists arrested, academics officially banned from leaving the country, university deans fired and many of the highest-ranking military officers arrested. In some senses, the nefarious and failed 2016 coup has given Erdo?an the licence to make good on his repeated promise to bring order and stability under a 'strongman'. Here, leading Turkish expert Soner Cagaptay will look at Erdo?an's roots in Turkish history, what he believes in and how he has cemented his rule, as well as what this means for the world. The book will also unpick the 'threats' Erdogan has worked to combat - from the liberal Turks to the Gulen movement, from coup plotters to Kurdish nationalists - all of which have culminated in the crisis of modern Turkey.

In 1877, when Russia attacks the Ottoman Empire, Sultan Abduelhamit II must fight a devastating war to preserve his ethnically diverse territories that stretch across three continents. At home, he feels threatened from within by Mithat Pasha, a respected reformer, who has popular support for a constitution that would curb the sultan's authority and give the people a voice in their government. Aware of these challenges, Abduelhamit's Belgian wife, Flora Cordier, hopes to remain his confidante and helpmate as he decides how to govern: the iron-fisted rule of his ancestors, the democracy proposed by Mithat, or the diplomacy that exposes his weakened military power. No matter his choice, he is responsible for the suffering of his people.To Save an Empire explores the impact of religious and ethnic conflict in the Ottoman Empire of the late 19th century on the lives of ordinary people-Muslims, Christians, and Jews. Refugees flee atrocities that incite revenge, but also arouse charity and love. A story of love found and lost, of war and its consequences. Today's Balkans and Middle East emerge from the era's political forces of terrorism, imperialism, nationalism, and religion. It is a modern story.______________________________________________________________________________"e;[Gall]...artfully brings to life the political intrigues of an empire sliding into irrelevance. The Ottoman Empire emerges as a kind of protagonist all its own, eager to become strengthened by its embrace of modernity and the West, but also anxious about surrendering its cultural and religious identity. ... A magnificently researched tale of a troubled empire that's also dramatically captivating."e; - Kirkus reviews "e;Fiction as only history can tell it, all the more moving because we know it is not fiction. ...a compelling story."e; - Bulent Atalay, physicist and author of Math and the Mona Lisa and Leonardo's Universe

The History Of Middle East Is An Attempt To Make An In-Depth Study Of The Subject, Beginning From The Evolution Of Human Civilization To The Present Decade, And To Highlight The Past Glory And Splendour Of Egypt And Mesopotamia, The Origin And Development Of Christianity, Judaism And Islam In This Sacred Place. The Book Extensively Deals With The Split Of Middle East Into Several Countries Like Israel, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Kuwait, Etc. After The First World War. History Of All These Countries Uptil 2004 Has Been Provided In Detail With The Main Emphasis On The Recent Wars Like The Arab-Israel Wars, Attack On Kuwait By The Iraqi Forces Under Saddam Hussain, And The Anglo-American Allied Forces Attacks On Iraq To Liberate It From The Tyranny Of Sadam Hussain. In Addition, The Present Unstable Condition Of Iraq, The Alarming Terrorists Attacks In Iraq, The Ceaseless Efforts Of U.N.O. In Establishing Peace And Democracy In The Region, And The World Pressure On Israel To Give Palestine To Arabs, Are Few Other Major Areas Of The Present Study.The Book, Being Remarkably Informative Of Both The Past And Current Events In The Historical, Political And International Arena, Would Be A Good Addition To One S Collection Of Books. It Is Particularly Recommended To The Scholars Of History And Political Science For Its Comparative And Analytical Approach To The Latest Developments In The Middle East.

Published in 1967: Sudanese Memoirs is a foremost contribution to the ethnological and historical literature of Western Africa. In three volumes, they comprise a large number of translations from Arabic manuscripts whcih were mostly collected in the northern emirates of Nigeria.