The Crusades Through Arab Eyes by Amin Maalouf

Published in 1983

John Rothschild Translation

Pages: 266

Genre: Nonfiction, history

“Baghdad, August, 1099

Wearing no turban, his head shaved as a sign of mourning, the venerable qadi Abu Saad al-Harawi burst with a loud cry into the spacious diwan of the caliph al-Mustazhir Billah, a throng of companions, young and old, trailing in his wake.”

The Crusades Through Arab Eyes, by Amin Maalouf, tells the story of the crusades through an Arabic perspective in a narrative format. Running the gamut of the initial invasions by Western crusaders, through the riposte of Saladin’s reign, the book covers all of the intrigue, civil wars, and truces that happened in over two centuries of conflict. The book explores not only the events, but the histories of some of the most interesting people of the age, their motivations, and the way in which people can come together despite differences. Continue reading “The Crusades Through Arab Eyes – Review” →