Overview

Presenting numerous interconnected insights into life in Greater Syria in the twelfth century, this book covers a wide range of themes relating to Crusader-Muslim relations. Some chapters deal with various literary sources, including little-known Crusader chronicles, a jihad treatise, a lost Muslim history of the Franks, biographies, letters and poems. Other chapters look at material culture, from coins to urban development, internal relations between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims and between Crusader and Oriental Christians, and the role of the Turkmen. New insights into the career of Saladin are revealed, for example through the work of a little-known propagandist at his court, and Saladin's use of gift-giving for political purposes, as well as neglected aspects of the rule of his family dynasty, the Ayyubids, which succeeded him. Special attention is paid to the Christians residing in the Middle East, from Italians to Melkites and Armenians.

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9781474429719

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Reviews

"Emphasising variety in contemporary experiences of living and thought that transcended faith boundaries, this refreshingly rich, eclectic collection of essays releases Syria from misleading stereotypes of binary homogeneous religious, political and cultural confrontation to present a layered and nuanced picture of a region characterised by complex diversity and exchange.--Christopher Tyerman, University of Oxford The book gathers contributions dealing with topics spanning across Medieval Syria and its many constituent societies. It is a stellar line-up including leading scholars working in different specialisms...which have a great deal to offer one another and yet where there has previously been little collaboration.--Nicholas Morton ""al-Masaq"""

Author Information

Carole Hillenbrand, Honorary Professorial Fellow, Professor Emerita, University of Edinburgh.

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