European and Arab versions of the Crusades have little in common. For Arabs, the twelfth and thirteenth centuries were years of strenuous efforts to repel a brutal and destructive invasion by barbarian hordes. In "The Crusades Through Arab Eyes", Amin Maalouf has sifted through the works of a score of contemporary Arab chroniclers of the Crusades, eyewitnesses and often participants in the events. He retells their stories in their own vivacious style, giving us a vivid portrait of a society rent by internal conflicts, and shaken by a traumatic encounter with an alien culture. He retraces two critical centuries of Middle Eastern history, and offers fascinating insights into some of the forces that shape Arab and Islamic consciousness today.
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‘A useful and important analysis adding much to existing western histories … worth recommending to George Bush.’ -- London Review of Books
‘A wide readership should enjoy this vivid narrative of stirring events.’ -- The Bookseller
‘An inspiring story ... Very readable ... Well translated ... Warmly recommended.’ -- Times Literary Supplement
‘A wide readership should enjoy this vivid narrative of stirring events.’ -- The Bookseller
‘An inspiring story ... Very readable ... Well translated ... Warmly recommended.’ -- Times Literary Supplement
About the Author
Amin Maalouf is a Lebanese writer and journalist. He is the author of bestselling books, including Leo Africanus, Samakand, On Identity and Ports of Call. He has lived in Paris since 1976.
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31 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Amin Maalouf is a good French-Lebanese writer, and this, a translation from the original French, reads very well.
The occasional reviewer who says that it is one-sided is a bit unfair. It is a history of the Crusades from one point of view, as Maalouf says, and as the title makes clear. In writing the book, he says in the introduction, he has deliberately relied almost exclusively on contemporary Arabic sources. Even so, his account is fairly even-handed in that respect. Sometimes he does write as if he is cheering and jeering at the appropriate places in the story, but all even-handed historians, such as Runciman, make it clear that the Crusaders were on the whole a pretty barbaric bunch. Also although Maalouf describes Crusader-Muslim alliances as "bizarre", he makes it clear that as the Crusader kingdoms become stable, they played a role that often cut across religious lines, and few leaders on either side were consistent allies to their co-religionists, nor consistent enemies to those of another faith.
Also, at the end, after detailing the huge amount that the Europeans learnt in science, technology, art, culture, medicine and so on from the Muslim world, he then considers a few things that the Muslim world even at the time could have learnt from the otherwise less advanced west, if they had wished to.
However, the strength of the book doesn't come from its even-handedness. A good history book can be as biased as the writer wants it to be in tone, so long as it is factually accurate. Maalouf's account substantially agrees with (for example) Runciman's history, but fills it out by explaining the debates, the conflicts and the plans that the Muslims had in response to the invasion.... Read more ›
The occasional reviewer who says that it is one-sided is a bit unfair. It is a history of the Crusades from one point of view, as Maalouf says, and as the title makes clear. In writing the book, he says in the introduction, he has deliberately relied almost exclusively on contemporary Arabic sources. Even so, his account is fairly even-handed in that respect. Sometimes he does write as if he is cheering and jeering at the appropriate places in the story, but all even-handed historians, such as Runciman, make it clear that the Crusaders were on the whole a pretty barbaric bunch. Also although Maalouf describes Crusader-Muslim alliances as "bizarre", he makes it clear that as the Crusader kingdoms become stable, they played a role that often cut across religious lines, and few leaders on either side were consistent allies to their co-religionists, nor consistent enemies to those of another faith.
Also, at the end, after detailing the huge amount that the Europeans learnt in science, technology, art, culture, medicine and so on from the Muslim world, he then considers a few things that the Muslim world even at the time could have learnt from the otherwise less advanced west, if they had wished to.
However, the strength of the book doesn't come from its even-handedness. A good history book can be as biased as the writer wants it to be in tone, so long as it is factually accurate. Maalouf's account substantially agrees with (for example) Runciman's history, but fills it out by explaining the debates, the conflicts and the plans that the Muslims had in response to the invasion.... Read more ›
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Valak
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
As the title clearly indicates, this book is an attempt to depict the experience of the crusades through Arab eyes; in my opinion, it succeeded.
Until I read this title, my two favourite works concerning the crusades were 'The first crusade' by Thomas Asbridge and 'The sword and the scimitar' by Ernle Bradford. This book joins that short list.
One of the many bonuses to this title was that it filled a lot of the gaps in the aftermath of July 1099, such as the attempts by the Fatimids to reconquer Jerusalem, how the crusaders conquered Tripoli, Acre, the impact of the Mongols and the Mamluks on Arab civilisation. You come across interesting characters including Saladin, Zangi, Nur-Al-Din, Baybars, Qutuz, to name a few.
If I have any criticism, it is that some bits of information should not be taken at face value. For instance, the author asserts that Richard the Lionheart had Conrad of Montferrat killed by the Assassins - this is speculation at best.
I really enjoyed reading this and have certainly developed a more informed view of the crusades.
Until I read this title, my two favourite works concerning the crusades were 'The first crusade' by Thomas Asbridge and 'The sword and the scimitar' by Ernle Bradford. This book joins that short list.
One of the many bonuses to this title was that it filled a lot of the gaps in the aftermath of July 1099, such as the attempts by the Fatimids to reconquer Jerusalem, how the crusaders conquered Tripoli, Acre, the impact of the Mongols and the Mamluks on Arab civilisation. You come across interesting characters including Saladin, Zangi, Nur-Al-Din, Baybars, Qutuz, to name a few.
If I have any criticism, it is that some bits of information should not be taken at face value. For instance, the author asserts that Richard the Lionheart had Conrad of Montferrat killed by the Assassins - this is speculation at best.
I really enjoyed reading this and have certainly developed a more informed view of the crusades.
43 of 47 people found the following review helpful
By J A Buchanan
Format:Paperback
Having read the traditional, Latin focussed, accounts of Runciman and others this book revealed a range of new aspects on the history of the crusader states. Rather than neccessarily contradicting these works it grants an extra depth of understanding, both of the Muslim forces of the period and, indeed, of their Latin opponents.
The book explains the twists and turns of politics with the Muslim states, allowing someone to who has read the Christian focussed histories to build the complete story. The work is written in an engaging and easy style, complete with juicy quotes from the Arab sources.
A selected translated collection of these sources would be a welcome companion to this book but as yet there does not seem to be one in print. Likewise this work stresses again the need for an account of the crusades from the viewpoint of Syrian Christians (Orthodox, Jacobite, Maronite etc.).
41 of 45 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This book, apart from being incredibly entertaining, is historically very accurate. It shows the crusades inscribed in the proccess of economic and material expansion (as well as religious) that Medieval Europe was going through. Although I don't agree with what another reviewer said about the crusades being more about money than about religion. Relgion was just as important as material expansion... they went hand in hand. In the same way, the division of the oriental and occidental church in 1054 was about reaffirming Europe's spiritual independance, which, nonetheless, was a cause of the new technology and increase in population. The book also shows the division in the tukish rule of Islam which is an important factor in the medieval expansion of Europe. Not only Islam was divided (in Spain a similar situation occured), but the Byzantine Empire. The book ends dramatically by describing the invasion of Mongols.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By John P. Jones III
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
...To use Blasé Pascal's phrase, a short-hand way of referring to the individuals one's leaders designate to be your enemy. In addition to the voluminous books from the American side in the Vietnam War, there are now several solid accounts from the Vietnamese side, for example: The Sorrow of War: A Novel of North Vietnam and Novel Without a Name. Concerning the current so-called War on Terror, there are no real accounts from the "terrorist's side," but there are some thoughtful works that put forth a Muslim perspective, for example, Ahmed Rashid's Descent Into Chaos: The United States and the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia Amin Maalouf's book is all the more valuable since it was written in 1984, long before 9/11, or the "clash of civilizations" rhetoric. The premise is straightforward: let's present the viewpoint of those who experienced the invasion, which is what the Crusades actually were: A Western, mainly French invasion of the Middle East. And for many Westerners, especially those of a "certain age," what we were taught in school about the Crusades might be a bit fuzzy, but the "reality check" as to their relevance is: Isn't Osama bin Laden's favorite epithet for Westerners "the Crusaders"? It may be hazy in our own memory, but such rhetoric in the Islamic world still resonates. This book explains why.
The Crusades spanned essentially two centuries, from 1096 to 1291. Maalouf's account commences with the fall of Jerusalem to the Crusader forces in 1099.... Read more ›
The Crusades spanned essentially two centuries, from 1096 to 1291. Maalouf's account commences with the fall of Jerusalem to the Crusader forces in 1099.... Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent different perspective.
This book gave a different perspective, and was informative and thought provoking. The invasion of the Franks (or Franj as in this book)is viewed different from the European... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Ms. C. Richmond
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great, accessible book for the amateur historian
A great, accessible book for the amateur historian. My interest in medieval history is purely that of a hobbyist but this book does an excellent job of portraying the formative... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Marc D
5.0 out of 5 stars
An important book for today's world.
With American involvement in two wars in the Islamic world over the past decade, curious readers often look for parallels between our current world and the era of the Levantine... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Brian Todd Carey
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Crusades from a New Perspective
I enjoyed Amin Maalouf's book immensely. I have read several chronicles and histories about parts and the whole of the Crusades. However, there still seemed to be things missing. Read more
Published 14 months ago by JH
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love or hate it you cannot ignore this book
Don't be put off by the negative reviews of this work. It is incredibly-well researched and has become an important contribution to our understanding of the Crusades. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Mark Stokle
2.0 out of 5 stars
A different view, maybe, but not a balanced one
I read this book hoping for some insight into the Muslim side of the struggle that had perhaps not been touched upon in any other history I had read. Read more
Published on 3 Nov 2010 by W. S. Stoddart
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Crusades through Arab Eyes
Fantastic introduction to Medieval Arab world and the vicissitudes of power in the Levant with implications for the Middle East. Read more
Published on 13 Sep 2010 by BruTam
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating View
As someone new to the events of the Crusades, I had a general impression that was left from western tv and movies. Read more
Published on 7 Oct 2009 by The Red Hood
2.0 out of 5 stars
Overated pseudo-history
This book highlights the dangers inherent in journalists writing history. The author has a lively style and the book is ceratinly readable (one previous reviewer even fooled into... Read more
Published on 4 May 2008 by Franco
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not the best account!
I have to disagree with the other reviewers. The idea of the book is a very good one. We're used to reading about the crusades from the western perspective. Read more
Published on 6 Sep 2007 by Grand Dizer
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