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Amira K. Bennison
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The Great Caliphs: The Golden Age of the 'Abbasid Empire Paperback – 30 July 2011

by Amira K. Bennison (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 37 ratings
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The flowering of the 'Abbasid caliphate between 750 and 1258 CE is often considered the classical age of Islamic civilization. In the preceding 120 years the Arabs had conquered much of the known world of antiquity and established a vast empire stretching from Spain to China. But was this empire really so very different, as has sometimes been claimed, from what it superseded? The Great Caliphs creatively explores the immense achievements of the 'Abbasid age through the lens of Mediterranean history. When the Umayyad caliphs were replaced by the 'Abbasids in 750, and the Arab capital moved to Baghdad, Iraq quickly became the centre not only of an imperium but also of a culture built on the foundations of the great civilizations of antiquity: Greece, Rome, Byzantium and Persia. Debunking popular misconceptions about the Arab conquests, Amira Bennison shows that, far from seeing themselves as purging the 'occidental' culture of the ancient world with a 'pure' and 'oriental' Islamic doctrine, the 'Abbasids perceived themselves to be as much within the tradition of Mediterranean and Near Eastern empire as any of their predecessors.
Like other outsiders who inherited the Roman Empire, the Arabs had as much interest in preserving as in destroying, even while they were challenged by the paganism of the past. Indebted to that past while building creatively on its foundations, the 'Abbasids and their rulers inculcated and nurtured precisely the 'civilized' values which western civilization so often claims to represent.

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  1. ISBN-10
    1848859767
  2. ISBN-13
    978-1848859760
  3. Publisher
    I B Tauris
  4. Publication date
    30 July 2011
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    15 x 2.2 x 23.2 cm
  7. Print length
    256 pages
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Product description

Review

'An engaging synthesis of much recent scholarship on medieval Islamic society and culture which fills a significant gap in a literature dominated by histories of politics and religion.' - Times Literary Supplement; 'Offers a compelling yet nuanced understanding of the civilization of the 'Abbasid Empire. A wonderful book.' - Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History, Queen Mary, University of London; 'Bennison fashions a smooth, expository narrative, drawing back the curtain on medieval Islamic society by a mix of lively anecdotes, illuminating references to modern practices, striking comparisons with the more familiar medieval West, well-judged and pithy generalizations and gobbets of medieval texts that instantly bring long-dead people to life. There really is something here for everyone.' - Robert Hillenbrand writing in The Middle East in London

Book Description

SHORTLISTED FOR THE LONGMAN - HISTORY TODAY BOOK AWARD 2009. New in paperback. The Great Caliphs creatively explores the immense achievements of the 'Abbasid age through the lens of Mediterranean history.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ I B Tauris
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 30 July 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1848859767
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1848859760
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 420 g
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15 x 2.2 x 23.2 cm
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 37 ratings

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Amira K. Bennison

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4.4 out of 5 stars
37 global ratings

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  • Débora Pinheiro Duarte
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente
    Reviewed in Brazil on 25 November 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Leitura de fácil entendimento e bem detalhado sobre o tema.
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  • S. Nasiri
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Best and Most Informative Book on Islam and Middeleast
    Reviewed in the United States on 9 January 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I really enjoyed reading this book and most likely will read it a second time. I provides a great abstract of the beginning of Islamic history and how it was shaped by it's two great Empires, Byzantine and Persia. Provide a very good picture of the early life in Islamic countries from 600 till end of caliphate by mongols in 1290. It chronicles the openness of Arab Muslim and their patronage of many scientists and artists. Initially from Byzentine during Umayde dynasty to mostly Persians during Abasid Dynasty. Highly recommend reading.
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  • Jeff
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on 14 September 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Thorough, and scholarly.
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  • doc peterson
    4.0 out of 5 stars The details of women in 'Abbysid society alone is worth the read
    Reviewed in the United States on 12 June 2018
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Bennison's short history (it is just over 200 pages in length) of the 'Abbysid dynasty is excellent. In her opening, she states that the book is "more about culture than empire", although her brief discussion of the "Rightly Guided Caliphs" and the 'Umayyad dynasty are models of clarity and brevity. The discussion of the politics on the 'Abbysid caliphs was considerably more detailed, but wholly necessary in order to provide the political context of the remainder of the book.

    Her discussion of the tension and differences between countryside and city was brilliant - while considerably shorter than Hourani's masterpiece A History of the Arab Peoples: With a New Afterword, every bit as good. I read with particular interest her sections on women in 'Abbysid society and the following section on religious minorities - these sections alone are worth reading. The latter chapters on trade and traders and the scientific renaissance, while good, are discussed in more detail (and with more depth) in Lost History: The Enduring Legacy of Muslim Scientists, Thinkers, and Artists and When Baghdad Ruled the Muslim World: The Rise and Fall of Islam's Greatest Dynasty.

    Nonetheless, this is a tremendous resource and a magnificent history. Highly recommended.
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  • Alexander T. Barclay
    3.0 out of 5 stars good introduction to this crucial history
    Reviewed in the United States on 19 November 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Interesting book, good introduction to this crucial history. I would have preferred something more political whereas this included a lot of cultural history as well.
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