The House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy The House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization ReviewAn excellent story teller, Lyons uses the curiosity, conversations and travels of Adelard of Bath to provide a historic context for Arabic influence on European thought. Traveling to the east from his home in England's West Country, Adelard hoped to increase his knowledge by learning the teachings of the Arabs. As the story of the wandering Adelard unfolds, the reader gleans some knowledge of the dominant beliefs of the middle ages, the philosophical debates of the day, of Church ideology in shaping views of the Muslim world, the crusaders, and the incorporation of Arab innovations by some of the Christian conquerors. Adelard returns home after seven years of travel with knowledge gained about Euclidean geometry, alchemy, and astrology. His publication of "On the Use of the Astrolabe" provides the west with an aid to timekeeping, navigation and measurement of the physical world as well as an introduction to astronomy.
One of the great centers of knowledge dissemination was the House of Wisdom. Located in Baghdad, it housed a library and translation/research center, and brought together from afar scholars as well as a very large collection of Persian, Sanskrit, and Greek texts of science and philosophy which became the bases of further advances in arithmetic, astronomy, medicine. For example, the Hindu "9 number system plus zero", which we use today, was explicated by Al-Khwarizmi, who later wrote "The Book of Restoring and Balancing", a study in algebra.
In like manner, Cordoba in Muslim Spain became an important center for the dissemination of knowledge. Bordering directly on Christian Europe, ideas, poetry, fashions, and foodstuffs flowed from east to west. In al-Andalus, the innovations included sophisticated agronomy and engineering to ensure successful crops of fruits and foods previously unknown in a region and climate quite different from India and Persia. Eventually translators from European countries followed Adelard in pursuing Arab knowledge, returning with their translations and original works to build or enhance universities in Bologna, Paris and Oxford.
This book is very accessible. It is written in so lively a prose the readers will hear Pope Urban II urging his crusaders to overcome the infidel Muslims and later will envision the scholars working together in translating ancient texts!
The House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization OverviewFor centuries following the fall of Rome, Western Europe was a benighted backwater, a world of subsistence farming, minimal literacy, and violent conflict. Meanwhile Arab culture was thriving, dazzling those Europeans fortunate enough to visit cities like Baghdad or Antioch. There, philosophers, mathematicians, and astronomers were steadily advancing the frontiers of knowledge, as well as keeping alive the works of Plato and Aristotle. When the best libraries in Europe held several dozen books, Baghdad's great library, The House of Wisdom, housed four hundred thousand. Jonathan Lyons shows just how much "Western" ideas owe to the Golden Age of Arab civilization.

Want to learn more information about The House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

I SAW RAMALLAH (H) (Modern Arabic Writing) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy I SAW RAMALLAH (H) (Modern Arabic Writing)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on I SAW RAMALLAH (H) (Modern Arabic Writing). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

I SAW RAMALLAH (H) (Modern Arabic Writing) ReviewFor a person with little exposure to conflict in the Mid-East, this is a very good book. He mentions a couple of wars that I'd never known about because of my age, which sparked interest. But more than that, his emphasis is on the HUMAN ASPECT of these conflicts, which current affair venues skim over. Barghouti mentions the conflicts and assassinations he's seen and felt through his life only as a backdrop to the way the people he knows and loves have been affected.
This is not a light read. The author addresses emotionally draining topics. But there was a sense of healing through the journey and resolution of the book, and a universal spirituality that unites humanity. It is a very powerful book.
This book was given to me, and I'm very glad because I would never have sought it out on my own. It is a surprising story which tells of pain and loss, and still offers hope.I SAW RAMALLAH (H) (Modern Arabic Writing) Overview

Want to learn more information about I SAW RAMALLAH (H) (Modern Arabic Writing)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Silent Music Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Silent Music? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Silent Music. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Silent Music ReviewALI is a schoolboy with a yen to play soccer and listen to loud music. Sound familiar? No surprises there. Now consider that Ali is a contemporary Iraqi boy who lives in Baghdad and has everyday acquaintance with most aspects of the war/occupation.

The fearsome noises and sights of war send Ali to take refuge in his practice of calligraphy. James Rumford shows this in a somber 2-page spread while "one war has become another." The author-artist draws images of war from many sources - - yet, if readers open to any page they will ask themselves what writing can be more beautiful?

James Rumford creates a three-generation family we can truly 'connect' with. Warm relationships are evidenced in his drawings. Watch Yasmin's name flow from Ali's pen, making another statement of rhythm and beauty. Experience the love flowing between grandfather or parents, and children.

Ali finds it difficult to make the transition with his pen from the word War/HARB to Peace/SALAM. In Rumford's Persian-style graphic of an interlocking pattern in which birds escape there are suggestions of M. C. Escher's geometric fantasies such as "Dissolving Boundaries." James Rumford has created another song for Freedom.

Art can make strong arguments for Peace, and each fragment of drawing or calligraphy in this splendid book makes me yearn to know and better appreciate this culture. It took only one glance at "SILENT MUSIC" to know it will be the recipient of many accolades
more impressive than these words by mcHaiku.
Silent Music Overview

Want to learn more information about Silent Music?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

From Rags to Riches: A Story of Abu Dhabi (Arabic Edition) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy From Rags to Riches: A Story of Abu Dhabi (Arabic Edition)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on From Rags to Riches: A Story of Abu Dhabi (Arabic Edition). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

From Rags to Riches: A Story of Abu Dhabi (Arabic Edition) ReviewI recently traveled to Abu Dhabi and was given this book as a gift. It was a wonderful surprise. The book covers the history of Abu Dhabi--both the far past and the recent past. It is particularly interesting from the 1950s and beyond. The author, Mohammed Al-Fahim, grew up in Abu Dhabi during this period. The reader experiences the period through the author's eyes. Mr. Al-Fahim's bitterness sometimes comes through--and rightly so. For example, his mother died in childbirth when she was only 30. Her death would have been preventable if proper medical attention were made available. He blames the British for exploiting the region and its people without giving much in return for a long time. But the book is extremely well-balanced. He also blames previous rulers for being reluctant to improve living conditions to the same standards of the rest of the world. However, Mr. Al-Fahim is extremely fond of Sheikh Zayed whom he knew well and who did much to improve the lot of his people. Anyone interested in the Middle East, the politics of oil, and how moderate Islam can live harmoniously with the West should read this book.From Rags to Riches: A Story of Abu Dhabi (Arabic Edition) OverviewThis fast selling book is a controversial account of the struggles that accompanied Abu Dhabi's Development into modern nationhood. History is unfolded to reveal the political intrigues, manipulation, exploitation deception and infighting that preceded today's federation. Frankly narrated Mohammed Al Fahim's Story is also a vivid eye witness account of hunger, hardship and misery of life that prevailed in the emirates a generation ago

Want to learn more information about From Rags to Riches: A Story of Abu Dhabi (Arabic Edition)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Pop Culture Arab World: Media, Arts, and Lifestyle (Popular Culture in the Contemporary World) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Pop Culture Arab World: Media, Arts, and Lifestyle (Popular Culture in the Contemporary World)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Pop Culture Arab World: Media, Arts, and Lifestyle (Popular Culture in the Contemporary World). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Pop Culture Arab World: Media, Arts, and Lifestyle (Popular Culture in the Contemporary World) ReviewWhoa! I am impressed at the breadth and depth of this lucidly written tome. Pop Culture Arab World!-Media, Arts, and Lifestyle by Andrew Hammond offers an brilliant and thorough analysis of the interactions and dynamics that are at the center of events in the Arab world. It explores what people think of the Bush administration's policies, Islam, and the war on terror. Not only that, but it takes a fascinating and insightful look at all aspects of popular culture, from pop music and film to the Arabic language and media, including satellite channels, like Al-Jazeera, which are reshaping the broadcast scene in new and interesting ways. Definitely a must-read for anyone interested in this part of the world.Pop Culture Arab World: Media, Arts, and Lifestyle (Popular Culture in the Contemporary World) Overview

Want to learn more information about Pop Culture Arab World: Media, Arts, and Lifestyle (Popular Culture in the Contemporary World)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Beirut 39: New Writing from the Arab World Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Beirut 39: New Writing from the Arab World? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Beirut 39: New Writing from the Arab World. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Beirut 39: New Writing from the Arab World ReviewBeirut 39 is a collection of short stories, poems, and novel excerpts from Arab writers, all under the age of 39, hailing from Morocco, Yemen, Palestine, Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Saudia Arabia, and other countries. There are also Arab writers living in Europe and elsewhere who have contributed.
It's a lot to pack into 286 pages. The resulting product is sort of like a Whitman's Sampler of writers. For me, some didn't connect, and others connected in a very deep way. Islam Samhan's poem about Gaza moved me to tears. The book as a whole provides a wonderful, engaging overview of the literature emerging from the current generation of Arab writers as it presents a multitude of themes including repression of expression, gender relations, and religious fundamentalism. It provides a good starting point of promising writers to explore, and it's a good way to "try out" authors to see which ones you'd like to read more of.
There were a couple of things with regard to the format of the book that were awkward. There were several pages of endnotes at the end of the book, as well as a list of author biographies. It became cumbersome to flip back and forth each time I came to a new story, to get the author background and endnotes. It would have been more functional to have the author biography at the beginning of that author's contribution, and either endnotes at the end of each story or footnotes.
In the end this proved to be a very worthwhile read. Some of the novel excerpts left me wanting more because I felt I'd just get into the rhythm of the story and it was over. But they did well as stand-alone excerpts too. This is a diverse and engaging look into the world of Arab literature and life. Highly recommended.
Beirut 39: New Writing from the Arab World Overview

Want to learn more information about Beirut 39: New Writing from the Arab World?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

The Sheltered Quarter: A Tale of a Boyhood in Mecca (Modern Middle East Literature in Translation) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy The Sheltered Quarter: A Tale of a Boyhood in Mecca (Modern Middle East Literature in Translation)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Sheltered Quarter: A Tale of a Boyhood in Mecca (Modern Middle East Literature in Translation). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Sheltered Quarter: A Tale of a Boyhood in Mecca (Modern Middle East Literature in Translation) ReviewHamza Bogary's The Sheltered Quarter is a wonderful novel about the days before oil was discovered in Saudi Arabia. It details the life of Muhaisin AL-Baliy, a boy growing up raised only by his mother due to his father's death beofre he was born. The book tells of his trials in school with bullies and the like and that he does very well there and becomes an avid reader, so much so that he reads by a streetlight by night because his house doesn't have a proper light. You learn about Auntie Asma, a friend of his mother's who gives her advice on things concerning Muhaisin. She is also a strange women who believes in many superstitions and practices odd rituals. Other characters encountered are Amm Ustad, a freemason, and Muhaisin's likn to the changing world outside Mecca. Overall The Sheltered Quarter is a funa nad interesting read that can enjoyed by anyone looking for a book with good descripttive language and a fascinating story to tell. I know i sure enjoyed reading this wonderful tale, plus it enlightened me to some of things about the Saudi culture i didn't know.The Sheltered Quarter: A Tale of a Boyhood in Mecca (Modern Middle East Literature in Translation) OverviewHamza Bogary describes a bygone way of life that has now irreversibly disappeared. He speaks of life in Mecca before the advent of oil. Only partly autobiographical, the memoir is nevertheless rich in remembered detail based on Bogary's early observations of life in Mecca. He has transformed his knowledge into art through his sense of humor, empathy, and remarkable understanding of human nature. This work not only entertains; it also informs its readers about the Arabia of the first half of the twentieth century in a graphic and fascinating way. The narrator, young Muhaisin, deals with various aspects of Arabian culture, including education, pilgrimages, styles of clothing, slavery, public executions, the status of women, and religion. Muhaisin is frank in his language and vivid in his humor. The reader quickly comes to love the charming and mischievous boy in this universal tale.

Want to learn more information about The Sheltered Quarter: A Tale of a Boyhood in Mecca (Modern Middle East Literature in Translation)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Peaks of Yemen I Summon: Poetry as Cultural Practice in a North Yemeni Tribe Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Peaks of Yemen I Summon: Poetry as Cultural Practice in a North Yemeni Tribe? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Peaks of Yemen I Summon: Poetry as Cultural Practice in a North Yemeni Tribe. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Peaks of Yemen I Summon: Poetry as Cultural Practice in a North Yemeni Tribe ReviewThe number of books written on Napoleon or the American Civil War exceeds the imagination. Diets, dogs, and data processing are often found on the shelves too. But then there are topics nobody ever thinks of taking up until one brave soul decides to give it a try. Over time, anthropology has moved closer to literature, using literary analysis and discourse. Steven Caton has combined research and thought on disparate, sometimes esoteric topics into a complex and fascinating book on the place of poetry in tribal Yemeni culture. I would be lying if I said it were easy to read. I imagine that the number of people who NEED to read or who WANT to read Caton's book is exceedingly small. Yemen is not even central to the thoughts of most anthropologists in the world. Thus, not only do you need to care about Yemen, but you should also have some expertise in poetry, in aesthetics, in ideas about social construction of self, and in such intellectual exercises as cultural theory and the poetic process. Though I am an anthropologist with an amateur interest in Yemen, I still came to this book lacking most of these things. I found it mighty rough going. Some academics and a few graduate students are probably the majority of Caton's readership. Too bad.
PEAKS OF YEMEN I SUMMON is an extraordinarily interesting work. It's not simply an ethnography of poetry in Yemeni society, though it could be called that; it's an attempt to tackle larger issues about ways of becoming a Yemeni man, about poetry and identity, about poetry and cultural change. Yemeni tribespeople, at least 20 years ago, used poetry as a vital weapon in life's battles---for honor, prestige, and persuasion. At weddings, they used a form called balah to fight word battles, both humorous and real, over issues of prestige, and used the same poems to indicate proper Islamic and Yemeni tribal values to the young man being married. (women live in another sphere of poetry, not accessible to male researchers) Music accompanied balah, the verses were always impromptu and orality supreme, i.e. the poems were never, ever written down. Zamil, a second type of poem, was also chanted on politically-charged occasions, typically when two quarreling groups tried to iron things out. Qasidah, a third kind of poetry, was produced by individual poets alone and could be listened to on tape (in the 1980s), much more like poetry in our own society, but it also often concerned itself with politics. Poets lived precarious lives in a politically unstable society. The central government in San'a strives for control, the tribes struggle to maintain autonomy. Caton spends a lot of time explaining how poetry is intrinsic to political maneuvering and power politics in Yemeni society. "The composition of poetry", he says, "is embedded in an extremely important political process---the dispute mediation---in which power, such as it exists in this system, must be achieved through persuasion." Caton states that he wishes to demonstrate poetry's centrality to the entire sociopolitical and cultural system. He wants to show how poetry in Yemen connects intimately to cultural belief and social practice, unlike in the West. I believe he succeeds brilliantly. You need patience to wade through the detail and the intricate loops of reasoning. If you persevere you will be rewarded with a lot of interesting insights and thought-provoking views. It's a high risk/high gain book. I wonder if anyone in Washington has even heard of it ? "Arbitration of disputes among Arabs" and "values in Islamic societies" are hardly useless topics these days !Peaks of Yemen I Summon: Poetry as Cultural Practice in a North Yemeni Tribe OverviewIn this first full-scale ethnographic study of Yemeni tribal poetry, Steven Caton reveals an astonishingly rich folkloric system where poetry is both a creation of art and a political and social act. Almost always spoken or chanted, Yemeni tribal poetry is cast in an idiom considered colloquial and "ungrammatical," yet admired for its wit and spontaneity. In Yemeni society, the poet has power over people. By eloquence the poet can stir or, if his poetic talents are truly outstanding, motivate an audience to do his bidding. Yemeni tribesmen think, in fact, that poetry's transformative effect is too essential not to use for pressing public issues.Drawing on his three years of field research in North Yemen, Caton illustrates the significance of poetry in Yemeni society by analyzing three verse genres and their use in weddings, war mediations, and political discourse on the state. Moreover, Caton provides the first anthropology of poetics. Challenging Western cultural assumptions that political poetry can rarely rise above doggerel, Caton develops a model of poetry as cultural practice. To compose a poem is to construct oneself as a peacemaker, as a warrior, as a Muslim. Thus the poet engages in constitutive social practice.Because of its highly interdisciplinary approach, this book will interest a wide range of readers including anthropologists, linguists, folklorists, literary critics, and scholars of Middle Eastern society, language, and culture.

Want to learn more information about Peaks of Yemen I Summon: Poetry as Cultural Practice in a North Yemeni Tribe?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Understanding Arabs: A Guide for Modern Times Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Understanding Arabs: A Guide for Modern Times? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Understanding Arabs: A Guide for Modern Times. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Understanding Arabs: A Guide for Modern Times ReviewIf you are interested in a primer on Arab culture, then this book is a great starting point. The author is a scholar, but she does not clutter up her pages with the usual scholarly citations and endless equivocations. Instead, she presents a practical, understandable, readable guide to Arab culture.
Obviously, no one can cover all aspects of Arab culture in such a small book. That is okay. I needed a shorter book for my class on Middle East culture, and this book fit the bill almost perfectly. Students can gain a broad understanding of culture and then pursue other texts with more detailed explanations.
I have only a few small quibbles that prevent me from giving the full five stars. The author is a bit harsh on other authors of Arab culture. I prefer to see the good things in the works of other scholars and build upon their successes. For example, one of her criticisms is that another popular text overemphasizes the Bedouin traditions. Yet, I can see those idealized traditions still coming through in her summaries. Also, the book could benefit from more maps (my students are surprisingly ignorant of basic geography even after the US troop presence of recent years).
Overall, a very good book at a good price. It is an important part of my Middle East Cultures class, which is aimed at the general student rather than a full time Middle East scholar.Understanding Arabs: A Guide for Modern Times OverviewNow more than ever, Margaret Nydell's book Understanding Arabs is a must-read.The fourth edition of this classic introduction to Arab culture has been completely revised and updated to help readers understand the complex issues playing out on the world stage. Understanding Arabs: A Guide for Modern Times is a handbook accessible to everyone. Written by the highly esteemed academic Margaret Nydell, the book promotes understanding between modern-day Arabs and Westerners without pushing a political agenda. Updated to include the complex global issues going on today, new chapters include information about Islamic Fundamentalism, anti-Americanism and an updated and expanded chapter on Arabs and Muslims in the West. Contents A Message From the Authors Map of the Arab World Preface Introduction: Patterns of Change 1 Beliefs and Values 2 Friends and Strangers 3 Emotion and Logic 4 Getting Personal 5 Men and Women 6 Social Formalities and Etiquette 7 The Social Structure 8 The Role of the Family 9 Religion and Society 10 Communicating with Arabs 11 Islamic Fundamentalism (Islamism) 12 Anti-Americanism 13 Arabs and Muslims in the West 14 The Arab Countries: Similarities and Differences Conclusion Appendix: The Arabic Language End Notes Bibliography and References Index About the Author

Want to learn more information about Understanding Arabs: A Guide for Modern Times?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Language, Memory, and Identity in the Middle East: The Case for Lebanon Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Language, Memory, and Identity in the Middle East: The Case for Lebanon? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Language, Memory, and Identity in the Middle East: The Case for Lebanon. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Language, Memory, and Identity in the Middle East: The Case for Lebanon ReviewThe book represents the best study on modern Lebanon and the school of thought of Lebanonism. Dr. Salameh has pulled off a noteworthy feat by producing an accessible yet distictive study of the Middle-East in general and of Lebanon in particular. The book represents a breakthrough touor de force in academic research. It represents the most authoritative and up-to-date analysis of this forgotten and/or neglected group of thinkers.

Dr. Salameh's rich and personal experience adds an enjoyable details to the book. His encounter with Said Akl sheds a direct light on one of the most eloquent and charismatic intellectuals in modern Lebanon.

This book is highly recommended for the policy makers in the West, in particular in the United States, and to academics as well who share the courage of Dr. Salameh to venture into finding real -and fair- solutions to the Middle-East problems (or dilemmas?).

This book presents also a wake-up call to the Lebanese government and the various Lebanese institutions around the world; it provides a framework of necessary and much needed educational material so the Lebanese may learn again the true history of their country and be exposed to some of its greatest thinkers...Language, Memory, and Identity in the Middle East: The Case for Lebanon OverviewSince the West's very early flirtations with the modern Near East, and especially in the past 100 years of East-West relations, there has been considerable difficulty in understanding and defining the Middle East, the Arab world, pan-Arabism, Arab nationalism, and Middle Eastern identities in general. The Western impulse of conflating national identity with language, state, and ethnicity-often subsuming Arabic language into Arab ethnicity-has contributed to this misunderstanding and misreading of the region. For, while the Middle East can be accurately referred to by way of the generic "Arab world" label, the appellation itself is a misleading oversimplification that conceals an inherent diversity and multiplicity of Middle Eastern cultures, ethnicities, languages, and nationalities. And while there is certainly a dominant Arab ethnos, there are also significant numbers of Middle Eastern peoples and nationalities with historical memories and ethno-cultural bonds that challenge the dominant Arabist paradigm. Language Memory and Identity in the Middle East proposes a new reading of modern Middle Eastern history and suggests alternate solutions to the region's problems. The book is an attempt to rehabilitate and bring back to the fore of Middle East Studies the issue of language as a key factor in shaping (and misshaping) the region, with the hope of rediscovering a broader, more honest, and less ideologically tainted discussion on the Middle East. Language Memory and Identity in the Middle East has a special focus on Lebanon, a "Christian homeland," because Lebanon has traditionally acted as the region's template for change and a barometer gauging its problems and charting its progress.

Want to learn more information about Language, Memory, and Identity in the Middle East: The Case for Lebanon?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Birds of Oman (Arabic Edition) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Birds of Oman (Arabic Edition)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Birds of Oman (Arabic Edition). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Birds of Oman (Arabic Edition) ReviewBasics: 1980, hardcover, 310 pages, 120 color plates of 550 species, no range maps
Even after nearly 30 years, this is still the best book available for the birds of Oman. Although the weight and large size (12x9 inches) of the book prevent it from being used as a field guide, it contains excellent illustrations on all the birds of Oman as well as very useful text.
The 120 color plates take advantage of the large pages by showing only 3-4 species per plate. This allows large paintings along with room for multiple plumages. The number of illustrations per plate ranges from 3-11. Some additional plates were added to focus on the shorebirds, gulls, and tern in flight. At first glance, the plates might strike you as more of an artistic effort with the painted backgrounds and large size of the birds; but, closer examination will show these plates to also be accurate for identifying the birds; although, a few groups (shorebirds and warblers) could use a few more illustrations to enhance their abilities for solid identification with the seasonal variations.
The text, which is provided on the left page across from the plate, consists of two paragraphs. This information offers a brief outline of the bird's distribution in the world and its seasonal presence in Oman. Nearly half the text focuses on describing the bird. This information is written a little more generically than the format found in a true field guide. Instead of focusing on the key identification features, the descriptions cover the entire bird. Sometimes, a few notes are added to differentiate it from a similar bird. Several lines address the habitat, behavior, and vocalizations.
This is a very attractive book and, it is also a very useful guide for the birds of Oman. For most birds, these plates are good enough to be shrunk down in size and put directly into a field-guide sized book. Until then, this large book is meant to be studied from the comfort of your desk at home. For traveling to Oman, a smaller guide is more advisable. Those by Porter and by Hollom are very good options. The newer book, Common Birds in Oman, by Eriksen is decent but does not include all the birds. -- (written by Soleglad at Avian Review or Avian Books, October 2008)
I've listed several related books below...
1) Field Guide to the Birds of the Middle East by Porter et.al.
2) Birds of the Middle East and North Africa: A Companion Guide by Hollom et.al.
3) Common Birds in Oman by Eriksen
4) Birdlife in Oman by Eriksen
5) Birds of Al Jabal Al Akhdar (Oman) by Eriksen
6) Birds of Bahrain by Nightingale/Hill
7) The Birds of the State of Kuwait by Gregory
8) The Birds of the United Arab Emirates by Richardson
9) Birds of Southern Arabia by Robinson
10) Birds of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia by Bundy/Connor/Harrison
11) The Birds of Iran by Scott
12) The Birds of Israel by ShirihaiBirds of Oman (Arabic Edition) Overview

Want to learn more information about Birds of Oman (Arabic Edition)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

The Tent (Modern Arabic Writing) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy The Tent (Modern Arabic Writing)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Tent (Modern Arabic Writing). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Tent (Modern Arabic Writing) ReviewI wasn't engaged by the story. There was some value in the book as a window into another culture, but aside from that, I don't recommend it.The Tent (Modern Arabic Writing) OverviewThe Tent is a beautifully written, powerful, and disturbing novel, featuring a host of women characters whose lives are subject to the will of a single, often absent, patriarch and his brutal, foul-mouthed mother. Told through the eyes of a young girl, the lives of the Bedouin and peasant women unfold, revealing the tragedy of the sonless mother and the intolerable heaviness of existence. Set against trackless deserts and star-filled night skies, the story tells of the young girl's relationship with her distant father and a foreign woman who is well-meaning but ultimately motivated by self-interest. It provides an intimate glimpse inside the women's quarters, and chronicles their pastimes and preoccupa tions, their stories and their songs.

Want to learn more information about The Tent (Modern Arabic Writing)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Arabic Historical Thought in the Classical Period (Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Arabic Historical Thought in the Classical Period (Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Arabic Historical Thought in the Classical Period (Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Arabic Historical Thought in the Classical Period (Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization) ReviewKhalidi's thesis is that 4 approaches dominated classical Arabic historiography. In chronological order, they are hadith, adab, hikma and siyasa. The hadith approach focused on judging the authenticity of historical reports by examining the chain of transmission. Adab is often translated as "belles-lettres". This approach focused on the moral and intellectual lessons taught by history. Hikma refers to the secular sciences which inspired a more all encompassing historiographic approach. Finally, siyasa, the science of good government, led to comprehensive histories often designed for bureaucrats.
Khalidi includes many excerpts from the historians he discusses. Since so many of the historians are not well known in the West, this is a useful feature. Whether or not you agree with Khalidi's categorization, this book will teach you a lot about Arabic historiography.Arabic Historical Thought in the Classical Period (Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization) OverviewIn a work that surveys an entire tradition of historical thought and writing across a span of eight-hundred years, Tarif Khalidi examines how Arabic-Islamic culture of the premodern period viewed the past, how it recorded it, and how it sought to answer the many complex questions associated with the discipline of history.

Want to learn more information about Arabic Historical Thought in the Classical Period (Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Arab Culture, Vol. 1: An In-depth Look at Arab Culture Through Cartoons and Popular Art (English and Arabic Edition) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Arab Culture, Vol. 1: An In-depth Look at Arab Culture Through Cartoons and Popular Art (English and Arabic Edition)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Arab Culture, Vol. 1: An In-depth Look at Arab Culture Through Cartoons and Popular Art (English and Arabic Edition). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Arab Culture, Vol. 1: An In-depth Look at Arab Culture Through Cartoons and Popular Art (English and Arabic Edition) ReviewThis book is overdue in the Arabic language learning space. Actually, it's not a language learning book, but, I believe, it's essential for understanding how the Arab culture influences and is a part of the language. I have been learning Arabic for 10 years and often wondered why students of French, Russian, Italian, German, Spanish, Chinese, etc. have access to books that mix more culture into their language learning. Now, with Arab Culture, students can have a context in which to put their language learning. The Arab culture is so rich, it is about time a book provided an introduction. Learning Arabic can be quite confusing, between formal, Modern Standard and all the colloquial dialects. Additionally, the histories of so many Arab countries is quite different -- historically, socially, religiously, etc. It's no wonder most students are confused, and teachers feel overwhelmed in trying to explain all the differences. For this reason, I believe Arab Culture should be "required reading" in university classes dealing with the religions, language, politics, history, etc. in the Arab world. Definitely a necessary companion book to any Arabic language course. I hope future additions will add more color, but, other than that...bravo.Arab Culture, Vol. 1: An In-depth Look at Arab Culture Through Cartoons and Popular Art (English and Arabic Edition) OverviewIn Arab Culture, you will discover a new and illuminating perspective on the Arabic world and its culture. It uses cartoons from Arabic media as windows on the vibrant day-to-day life of Arab countries, showing Arab attitudes, behavior, and mores as they are expressed locally. By presenting the cartoons and then explaining their context, not only does this book teach the essential but all-too-easily overlooked details of culture, but it invites readers to analyze their own assumptions and interpretations, provoking a dynamic engagement with Arabic culture. As the cartoons are fully translated and the discussions are in English, those who are unfamiliar with or just beginning their study of Arabic will be able to engage fully with the cultural lessons. However, the book has additional benefits for advanced Arabic students, as it presents a range of national dialects and idiomatic slang forms that will be unfamiliar to those who know only "classroom" Arabic.

Want to learn more information about Arab Culture, Vol. 1: An In-depth Look at Arab Culture Through Cartoons and Popular Art (English and Arabic Edition)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Beauty in Arabic Culture (Princeton Series on the Middle East) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Beauty in Arabic Culture (Princeton Series on the Middle East)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Beauty in Arabic Culture (Princeton Series on the Middle East). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Beauty in Arabic Culture (Princeton Series on the Middle East) Review"Although beauty, in the premodern Arab world, was enjoyed and promoted almost everywhere and at all times, Islam does not possess a general theory on aesthetics (i.e., art and beauty) or a systematic theory of the arts. The author therefore had to search for her evidence in written statements from a wide variety of sources, such as the Qur'an, legal, religious and Sufi texts, chronicles, biographies, belle-lettres, literary criticism and scientific, geographic and philosophical literature. The result is a compendium of references to beauty in chapters on the Religious Approach, Secular Beauty and Love, Music and Belle-Lettres, and the Visual Arts.
"This approach is informative and provocative. For the generalist, it provides a comparative material for an understanding of the early Arab cultural context. For the specialist, it raises questions of sponsorship and purpose.
"In her look at beauty in Arab culture, Doris Behrens-Abouseif builds on the work and insights of previous scholars of Islamic culture and art. By attempting to develop an explanation or theory from widely scattered sources, however, she broadens and generalizes that inquiry. As such, she has added novel insights to a field of inquiry which is still relatively new, and which is a welcome contribution."
- Middle East Journal
"A succint synthesis of the Arab experience."
--Journal of Palestine Studies
" An excellent introduction to a rich yet under-researched topic, offering a panoramic view of the theme of beauty in the pre-modern Arab-Islamic tradition. Consulting a wide range of original Arabic sources in philosophy, theology, mysticism, history, poetry, and literature, she traces the articulation of the theme in religious and secular Islamic thought. Her concise and comprehensible style makes the text accessible to the general reader, while being particularly useful to both students and scholars of Islamic art and architecture, Arabic literature, and Islamic aesthetics...
--Religious Studies Review 26, no. 4 (October 2000)Beauty in Arabic Culture (Princeton Series on the Middle East) Overview

Want to learn more information about Beauty in Arabic Culture (Princeton Series on the Middle East)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Greek Thought, Arabic Culture: The Graeco-Arabic Translation Movement in Baghdad and Early 'Abbasaid Society (2nd-4th/5th-10th c.) (Arabic Thought & Culture) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Greek Thought, Arabic Culture: The Graeco-Arabic Translation Movement in Baghdad and Early 'Abbasaid Society (2nd-4th/5th-10th c.) (Arabic Thought & Culture)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Greek Thought, Arabic Culture: The Graeco-Arabic Translation Movement in Baghdad and Early 'Abbasaid Society (2nd-4th/5th-10th c.) (Arabic Thought & Culture). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Greek Thought, Arabic Culture: The Graeco-Arabic Translation Movement in Baghdad and Early 'Abbasaid Society (2nd-4th/5th-10th c.) (Arabic Thought & Culture) ReviewA superb review of the subject. I thought I knew a bit about the translation movement into Arabic through Syriac, but Gutas showed me I knew nothing almost. Very deeply researched, by an editor of Brill's Mediaeval Greek and Arabic lexicon. There can be few scholars with such a grasp of Greek-Arabic translation, or of Arabic translations of Greek works. He demolishes some old myths - the idea that Ma'mun's "Bait al-Hikma" in Baghdad was anything other than a library is shown to be baseless speculation, for example - and provides us with a view of the translators that I'd have thought impossible before. The analysis of what was translated was most interesting.
Who knows who "Jake", "Kevin" and the anonomous reader are! I see they - or he, as I suspect - have only done a single review apiece. If "they" are really disappointed by the work, it would be helpful if "they" did a fuller review of the book to let us what in "their" view the book's weaknesses are, supported by the text, if possible. I suspect however that it's Professor Gutas' public protests about the damage to Iraq's cultural heritage resulting from the war in Iraq that's "their" issue.
For more general reading on the adoption of parts of the Classical tradition by the Arabic-speaking world, I can recommend Franz Rosenthal's reader on the subject, "The Classical Heritage in Islam". His introduction is excellent and the texts well-chosen.
I thought the Gutas book interesting enough, by the way, to give a copy to my mediaevalist sister-in-law as a present.Greek Thought, Arabic Culture: The Graeco-Arabic Translation Movement in Baghdad and Early 'Abbasaid Society (2nd-4th/5th-10th c.) (Arabic Thought & Culture) OverviewFrom the middle of the eighth century to the tenth century, almost all non-literary and non-historical secular Greek books, including such diverse topics as astrology, alchemy, physics, botany and medicine, that were not available throughout the eastern Byzantine Empire and the Near East, were translated into Arabic.Greek Thought, Arabic Culture explores the major social, political and ideological factors that occasioned the unprecedented translation movement from Greek into Arabic in Baghdad, the newly founded capital of the Arab dynasty of the 'Abbasids', during the first two centuries of their rule. Dimitri Gutas draws upon the preceding historical and philological scholarship in Greco-Arabic studies and the study of medieval translations of secular Greek works into Arabic and analyses the social and historical reasons for this phenomenon.Dimitri Gutas provides a stimulating, erudite and well-documented survey of this key movement in the transmission of ancient Greek culture to the Middle Ages.

Want to learn more information about Greek Thought, Arabic Culture: The Graeco-Arabic Translation Movement in Baghdad and Early 'Abbasaid Society (2nd-4th/5th-10th c.) (Arabic Thought & Culture)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Arabic Thought in the Liberal Age 1798-1939 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Arabic Thought in the Liberal Age 1798-1939? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Arabic Thought in the Liberal Age 1798-1939. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Arabic Thought in the Liberal Age 1798-1939 ReviewThis book is an extensive version of Hisham Sharabi's Arab Intellectuals. It highlights the reaction of the Arab intellectual circles to the expanding European influence that had reached the Arab world by the early 19th century.
Hourani, however, presents a more thorough description of the life and thought of the most prominent Arab thinkers of the time including Jamaluddine Al-Afghani and Muhammad Abdo among others as opposed to Sharabi's brief account on the life and works of these people.
Despite the academic nature of this work, grasping what's in it is easy and not at all complicated. Hourani's narration is well-researched and elegant while his translation of the original texts is also remarkable. The end result is an accurate account that invites the admiration of the readers.
This book is so much needed for those who are interested to understand the evolution of Arab thought over the past two centuries and how this evolution was interrupted with the discovery of oil and the advent of imperialism.Arabic Thought in the Liberal Age 1798-1939 OverviewArabic Thought in the Liberal Age is the most comprehensive study of the modernizing trend of political and social thought in the Arab Middle East. Albert Hourani studies the way in which ideas about politics and society changed during the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth centuries, in response to the expanding influence of Europe. His main attention is given to the movement of ideas in Egypt and Lebanon. He shows how two streams of thought, the one aiming to restate the social principles of Islam, and the other to justify the separation of religion from politics, flowed into each other to create the Egyptian and Arab nationalisms of the present century. The last chapter of the book surveys the main tendencies of thought in the post-war years. Since its publication in 1962, this book has been regarded as a modern classic of interpretation. It was reissued by the Cambridge University Press in 1983 and has subsequently sold over 8000 copies.

Want to learn more information about Arabic Thought in the Liberal Age 1798-1939?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Arabic Graffiti Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Arabic Graffiti? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Arabic Graffiti. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Arabic Graffiti Reviewa must have for anyone interested in calligraphy and the arts. Very unique one of a kind book with beautiful pictures.Arabic Graffiti OverviewWithout regional borders or constraints, 'Arabic Graffiti' references the use of Arabic script in urban context. It showcases artists, graffiti writers and typographers from the Middle East and around the world who merge Arabic script and calligraphy styles with the art of graffiti writing, street art and urban culture. The project offers many different, diverging and at times contradicting ideas and approaches to treating this sensitive tradition with contemporary vision. To accompany a visual assortment of styles, the book will include several crossover topics, such as classical and contemporary calligraphy, Arabic typography, political graffiti and street art. Curated and authored by Lebanese typographer Pascal Zoghbi and Don M. Zaza aka Stone (Cubabrasil, From Here to Fame Publishing), 'Arabic Graffiti' also features essays by various writers and artists working in this field.

Want to learn more information about Arabic Graffiti?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Cinderella and the Sheikh (Hot Contemporary Romance) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Cinderella and the Sheikh (Hot Contemporary Romance)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Cinderella and the Sheikh (Hot Contemporary Romance). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Cinderella and the Sheikh (Hot Contemporary Romance) ReviewI love a good sheikh book, although sometimes the hyper-alpha male can be a bit much. But this is a really, really good book, with a strong, sexy hero and an engaging heroine who breaks the stereotypes you too often get. Best of both worlds, here. Totally within the conventions of the genre, but with smart writing and a story that is a cut above.Cinderella and the Sheikh (Hot Contemporary Romance) OverviewShe's about to get charmed...Libby Fay's safe little life as a waitress at a posh New York boutique hotel implodes when Sheikh Rasyn Al Jabar, black-eyed and seductive, crashes into her world and swears that he loves her.The powerful sheikh will do anything to prevent becoming the ruler of his North African homeland, including marrying a woman who is inappropriate to be queen. When he sees the beautiful, bubbly waitress, he knows that she is the perfect wife to help him avoid the throne-all he has to do is make her fall in love with him.All her life, Libby has longed for the same loving, equal partnership her parents had-something she couldn't possibly have with a forceful sheikh who ignores all her objections. But Rasyn seems to be able to charm her into anything, including his bed. Soon, she finds herself on a plane to Abbas, transported into a fairy tale come true.Unfortunately for Libby, a Cinderella is the last thing this Prince Charming wants. Word count: 43000Page count: 175****************************************Excerpt****************************************Chapter OneTHE happiness of one woman was a small sacrifice compared to the fate of a country.Sheikh Rasyn ibn Bakr ibn Rahman al Jabar watched her tuck a stray strand of auburn hair behind her ear. Even from across the crowded lobby of Hotel Scheherazade, even separated from her by the glass wall that divided the café from the hotel, she drew his awareness to every move of her lush body. The busy porters and smartly dressed guests bustling around him faded like smoke as he watched her.Even from here, Rasyn could see the gray-haired gentleman sitting at her table was dazzled by her too-wide smile. He snuck a glance down her generous cleavage when she set his meal in front of him, as Rasyn wished to do.Rasyn folded the paper he'd been pretending to read across his knee, taking care not to smudge the ink onto his Alexander McQueen suit. She was lovely, he had to admit, even to his critical gaze. Lovely enough to tempt any man into making a fool of himself. No doubt she thought herself too fat, but who could explain Western standards of beauty, with their skeletal models and anorexic actresses? Her breasts would spill over his hands as he ran his thumbs over her nipples. Her lush backside would press against him as he gathered her to his hardened body.A ripple of guilt threatened his resolve. Of course she had done nothing to deserve what he would do to her. However, for the good of all Abbas, he had to act. His cousin Imaran belonged on the throne, despite Uncle Anwar's inclinations.And it had to be soon. His uncle's illness loomed over Abbas like a shroud. The threat of the country devolving into tribal factions fighting over the succession was very real. Securing Imaran's rise to power meant proving his own unworthiness. If that meant seducing an uninvolved woman, so be it. The alternative meant people would die.He would ensure her pleasure, at least. And when they divorced, enough material compensation to ensure she never had to wait tables again. Perhaps even a degree of celebrity.Across the lobby, she laughed at something the old man said. Her smile transformed her face from mere beauty to that of an exotic houri.She was perfect for his needs. He'd come to Manhattan intending to find an ordinary woman to seduce. But as soon as he'd seen this one, with shining ruby glints in her hair and eyes as green as an oasis, he'd forgotten all thoughts of plain women. He knew that she wasn't immune to him, either. The second they'd locked eyes, nearly a week ago, she'd dropped a tray of drinks, scattering liquid and shards of glass across the floor.That's when he'd chosen her. She was beautiful, tempting, and vulnerable to him. No one would wonder why he fell for her.Yes. He smiled inwardly. She was perfect. Beautiful.And oh-so common.

Want to learn more information about Cinderella and the Sheikh (Hot Contemporary Romance)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...