The Book Of Islamic Dynasties

An introduction to the many Islamic dynasties that have arisen, shone and faded but have left the Muslim world all the richer.

'The Book of Islamic Dynasties' presents in oneconcise volume an introduction to the many great Islamic dynasties that have arisen, shone and faded - like stars in the firmament - but have left the Muslim world all the richer. The subtitle, 'A Celebration of Islamic History and Culture', reflects the importance of the inspiring cultural legacies bequeathed to us by our Muslim ancestors and the enormous contributions made by Muslims to world civilisation.

Those coming to the study of Islamic history for the first time face a baffling array of rulers and dynasties in the many different areas of Islam. This book provides a comprehensive and reliable reference source for all students of history and culture. It lists by name the rulers of all the principal Islamic dynasties with Hijri and Common Era dates. Each dynastic list is followed by a brief assessment of its historical significance, and by a short bibliography.Fully updated and substantially revised and expanded for a modern audience, this handbook is based upon Bosworth's renowned The Islamic Dynasties, first published in 1967 and revised in 1980. As well as increasing the number of dynasties covered from 82 to 186, innovations in the new edition include much more extensive listings of honorific titles and of filiations, allowing genealogical connections within dynasties to be made.Key Features:Only reliable chronological and genealogical listing availableCovers all the areas of the Islamic world including Afghanistan, the Arabian peninsula, Central Asia, East Africa, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, North Africa, Persia, South East Asia, Spain, Syria, Turkey and West AfricaIncludes 186 dynastiesRecords those rulers who issued coins - of great interest to Islamic numismatics

'Outstanding, illuminating, compelling ... a riveting read' Peter Frankopan, Sunday Times Islamic civilization was once the envy of the world. From a succession of glittering, cosmopolitan capitals, Islamic empires lorded it over the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia and swathes of the Indian subcontinent. For centuries the caliphate was both ascendant on the battlefield and triumphant in the battle of ideas, its cities unrivalled powerhouses of artistic grandeur, commercial power, spiritual sanctity and forward-looking thinking. Islamic Empires is a history of this rich and diverse civilization told through its greatest cities over fifteen centuries, from the beginnings of Islam in Mecca in the seventh century to the astonishing rise of Doha in the twenty-first. It dwells on the most remarkable dynasties ever to lead the Muslim world - the Abbasids of Baghdad, the Umayyads of Damascus and Cordoba, the Merinids of Fez, the Ottomans of Istanbul, the Mughals of India and the Safavids of Isfahan - and some of the most charismatic leaders in Muslim history, from Saladin in Cairo and mighty Tamerlane of Samarkand to the poet-prince Babur in his mountain kingdom of Kabul and the irrepressible Maktoum dynasty of Dubai. It focuses on these fifteen cities at some of the defining moments in Islamic history: from the Prophet Mohammed receiving his divine revelations in Mecca and the First Crusade of 1099 to the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 and the phenomenal creation of the merchant republic of Beirut in the nineteenth century.

This volume contains indepth, comprehensive studies on five such islamic dynasties of great historical importance, namely the Fatimids, the Ayyubids, the Mamluks, the Rasulids and the Zaydis. It is hoped that this illuminating and scholarly work will not only cater to the needs of students and scholars of Arab-Islamic history and culture, but also serve as an authentic reference book on the subject.

Between 1453 and 1526 Muslims founded three major states in the Mediterranean, Iran and South Asia: respectively the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires. By the early seventeenth century their descendants controlled territories that encompassed much of the Muslim world, stretching from the Balkans and North Africa to the Bay of Bengal and including a combined population of between 130 and 160 million people. This book is the first comparative study of the politics, religion, and culture of these three empires between 1300 and 1923. At the heart of the analysis is Islam, and how it impacted on the political and military structures, the economy, language, literature and religious traditions of these great empires. This original and sophisticated study provides an antidote to the modern view of Muslim societies by illustrating the complexity, humanity and vitality of these empires, empires that cannot be reduced simply to religious doctrine.

Islamic Gunpowder Empires provides readers with a history of Islamic civilization in the early modern world through a comparative examination of Islam's three greatest empires: the Ottomans (centered in what is now Turkey), the Safavids (in modern Iran), and the Mughals (ruling the Indian subcontinent). Author Douglas Streusand explains the origins of the three empires; compares the ideological, institutional, military, and economic contributors to their success; and analyzes the causes of their rise, expansion, and ultimate transformation and decline. Streusand depicts the three empires as a part of an integrated international system extending from the Atlantic to the Straits of Malacca, emphasizing both the connections and the conflicts within that system. He presents the empires as complex polities in which Islam is one political and cultural component among many. The treatment of the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires incorporates contemporary scholarship, dispels common misconceptions, and provides an excellent platform for further study.