Middle East

Jesus Mocked by the Soldiers, Édouard Manet, 1865. Art Institute of Chicago. Public Domain.

‘Miracles and Wonder’ by Elaine Pagels review

Miracles and Wonder: The Historical Mystery of Jesus by Elaine Pagels finds that the son of God is more than the sum of his parts.

The Siege of Antioch, from the Chronicle of William of Tyre, 14th century. Heritage Images/TopFoto.

Cannibal Crusaders

Reports from the First Crusade brought tales of victorious Christian soldiers eating dead bodies.

Stone stela of Ashurbanipal inscribed with cuneiform commemorating his building work on the Temple of Marduk in Babylon. Trustees of the British Museum.

The Library of Ashurbanipal

When it was discovered in the 19th century, the Library of Ashurbanipal revealed an ancient Assyrian empire previously known only through myth.

Nabateans illustration © Ben Jones/Heart Agency.

The Nabataeans are Coming

Pre-Islamic history was once taboo in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Will the ‘rediscovery’ of an ancient people – the Nabataeans – encourage international tourism?

The defeat of the caliph of Baghdad, the religious head of Sunni Islam, by the Mongols, Rashid al-Din, c. 1596. Cleveland Museum of Art. Public Domain.

‘The House Divided’ by Barnaby Rogerson review

In The House Divided: Sunni, Shia and the Making of the Middle East Barnaby Rogerson seeks geopolitical answers for ideological conflicts.

Massacre of Christians in Syria, French illustration, late 19th century. Universal History Archive/Getty Images.

‘The Damascus Events’ and ‘Sea of Troubles’ review

Sea of Troubles by Ian Rutledge and The Damascus Events by Eugene Rogan watch as the ‘sick man of Europe’ turns violent.

King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia and President Franklin D. Roosevelt converse on the deck of a U.S. warship in the Great Bitter Lake near Cairo after Roosevelt's attendance at the Yalta conference.

Wahhābism by Cole M. Bunzel review

Wahhābism: The History of a Militant Islamic Movement by Cole M. Bunzel is groundbreaking and deserves to reach as wide an audience as possible.

illustration from Narrative of the Euphrates Expedition carried on by Order of the British Government during the years 1835, 1836, and 1837, by F.R. Chesney, 1868.

The Land Between Rivers

All 19th-century British visitors to Mesopotamia knew that it was the birthplace of civilisation. Could steam power revive ancient greatness while also keeping Russia at bay?

a Haganah fighter dashes across a human bridge formed by two comrades over barbed wire, Tel Aviv, 1948.

The Hebrew Insurgency

Years of armed resistance by four interlinked Zionist militia groups helped end British rule in Palestine, but led to a bitter civil war between Jews and Arabs.

Frieze panel showing triumphant Romans carrying the seven-branched menorah from the Temple of Jerusalem from the Arch of Titus, Rome, by Edizione Brogi, c.1875-1907. Rijksmuseum. Public Domain.

Jerusalem Burning, AD 70

When Roman forces burned the Temple in Jerusalem in AD 70, the Flavian dynasty thought it had defeated the Jewish god in the name of Jupiter. It was mistaken.