Listmania!
Background reading on the Arab World
A History of the Arab PeoplesA History of the Arab Peoples by Albert Hourani
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Start here.
The Middle East: 2000 Years Of History From The Birth Of Christia: 2000 Years of History from the Rise of Christianity to the Present DayThe Middle East: 2000 Years Of History From The Birth Of Christia: 2000 Years of History from the Rise of Christianity to the Present Day by Bernard Lewis
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Balance it out with this.
Arabia and the Arabs: From the Bronze Age to the Coming of IslamArabia and the Arabs: From the Bronze Age to the Coming of Islam by Robert G. Hoyland
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Arab history does not start in 570.
A Peace To End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle EastA Peace To End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East by David Fromkin
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Nor does modern Middle Eastern history start in 1948.
OrientalismOrientalism by Edward W. Said
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The opening salvo in a fierce debate...
For Lust of Knowing: The Orientalists and Their EnemiesFor Lust of Knowing: The Orientalists and Their Enemies by Robert Irwin
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and here is an equally pugnacious response.
IslamIslam by Rahman
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The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates: The Islamic Near East from the 6th to the 11th Century (A History of the Near East)The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates: The Islamic Near East from the 6th to the 11th Century (A History of the Near East) by Hugh Kennedy
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When Baghdad Ruled the Muslim World: The Rise and Fall of Islam's Greatest DynastyWhen Baghdad Ruled the Muslim World: The Rise and Fall of Islam's Greatest Dynasty by Hugh Kennedy
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The Crusades Through Arab Eyes (Saqi Essentials)The Crusades Through Arab Eyes (Saqi Essentials)
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Greek Thought, Arabic Culture: The Graeco-Arabic Translation Movement in Baghdad and Early 'Abbasid Society (2nd-4th/8th-10th Century) (Arabic Thought & Culture)Greek Thought, Arabic Culture: The Graeco-Arabic Translation Movement in Baghdad and Early 'Abbasid Society (2nd-4th/8th-10th Century) (Arabic Thought & Culture) by Dimitri Gutas
Buy new: £21.24 / Used from: £26.88
An Introduction to Arabic LiteratureAn Introduction to Arabic Literature by Roger Allen
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The Penguin Anthology of Classical Arabic Literature (Penguin Classics)The Penguin Anthology of Classical Arabic Literature (Penguin Classics) by Robert Irwin
Buy new: £11.19 / Used from: £9.55
The Arabic Role in Medieval Literary History: A Forgotten Heritage (Middle Ages)The Arabic Role in Medieval Literary History: A Forgotten Heritage (Middle Ages) by Maria Rosa Menocal
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The PolymathThe Polymath by Bensalem Himmich
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God's Banquet: Food in Classic Arabic LiteratureGod's Banquet: Food in Classic Arabic Literature by Geert Jan Van Gelder
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An Imam in Paris: Al-Tahtawi's Visit to France (1826-31)An Imam in Paris: Al-Tahtawi's Visit to France (1826-31) by Rifa'a Al-Tahtawi
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Close Relationships: Incest and Inbreeding in Classical Arabic Literature (Library of Middle East History)Close Relationships: Incest and Inbreeding in Classical Arabic Literature (Library of Middle East History) by Jan Van Gelder
Buy new: £48.03 / Used from: £12.00
The Cairo Trilogy: Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, Sugar Street (Everyman's Library Classics & Contemporary Classics)The Cairo Trilogy: Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, Sugar Street (Everyman's Library Classics & Contemporary Classics) by Naguib Mahfouz
Buy new: £17.76 / Used from: £19.52
Season of Migration to the North (Penguin Modern Classics)Season of Migration to the North (Penguin Modern Classics) by Tayeb Salih
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The Yacoubian BuildingThe Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany
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Whatever Happened to the Egyptians?: Changes in Egyptian Society from 1950 to the PresentWhatever Happened to the Egyptians?: Changes in Egyptian Society from 1950 to the Present by Galal Ahmed Amin
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Modern Arabic Fiction: An AnthologyModern Arabic Fiction: An Anthology by S Jayyusi
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The Music of the ArabsThe Music of the Arabs by Habib Hassan Toumar
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