Islam

Diplomat and traveller Hugh Leach draws on his experience of working with Arab tribes to examine T.E. Lawrence’s strategy in the Arab revolt, in anticipation of a new exhibition at the Imperial War Museum.

Robert Johnson puts the decline of a once-great Empire into an international context.

Umej Bhatia discusses Muslim memories of the Crusades and their resonances in Middle Eastern politics today.

Hugh Kennedy examines the life of one of the most powerful men in the world in the eighth century.

Corinne Atkins examines the events in Iraq in the 7th century AD, which precipitated the first and only great division of Islam, the ramifications of which are seen today in Iraq and more widely.

Philip Mansel explores the City of the Sultans from 1453 onwards, and finds it characterised by a vibrant multi-culturalism until the Ottoman demise of 1922.

Richard Fletcher asks to what extent medieval Christians and Muslims sought to move beyond mutual hostility.

Roger Boase looks at a Spanish example of religious and ethnic cleansing.

Akhbar Ahmed argues that the rise of Muslim fundamentalists means that Islamic leaders face a choice between moderation or militancy.

Barber examines the medieval Christian view of Muslims and Islam. Casting Islam and Muslims as the enemy was crucial in the Crusades, and the context of conflict has colored Christian-Islamic relations since.

Robert Irwin on how Islam saw the Christian invaders.

John France recounts the against-the-odds narrative of the capture of the Holy City by the forces of the First Crusade.

Iain Fenlon explores how Catholic Europe's great 16th-century sea victory over the Turk was celebrated and propagandised.