While the Fourth Crusade is really the archetypal Crusade in many respects—setting off to capture Jerusalem and conquering Constantinople instead really sums up the whole enterprise—the Second Crusade is the one that really set the tone for what the Crusades were capable of becoming. It started off with reasonable goals, fell apart in the planning … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern History: the Siege of Damascus ends (1148)
Tag: middle eastern history
Today in Middle Eastern history: the Battle of Siffin (657)
Today is (give or take) the anniversary of the start of the Battle of Siffin, the key battle of the First Fitna (civil war) in Islamic history, about which you can read more here. The caliph, Ali ibn Abi Talib, led an army of 80,000 men (allegedly) against the governor of Syria, Muʿawiyah, and his 120,000 … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Battle of Siffin (657)
Today in Middle Eastern history: Egypt’s 23 July Revolution (1952)
Today marks the anniversary of one of the most important events in 20th century Middle Eastern history, the overthrow of the Egyptian monarchy by the Free Officers Movement. This was a group of military officers ostensibly led by General Muhammad Naguib, but really led by Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser, who was gracious enough to let … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: Egypt’s 23 July Revolution (1952)
Today in Middle Eastern history: the First Crusade captures Jerusalem (1099)
One thing that sets the First Crusade apart from the rest of the Crusades, apart from it being first, is that it actually succeeded. Without qualification, without changing the conditions in the middle of the campaign, the army of the First Crusade accomplished what it set out to accomplish—it captured Jerusalem. Well, OK, what it … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the First Crusade captures Jerusalem (1099)
Today in Middle Eastern history: the Battle of Hattin (1187)
Today is of course the Fourth of July, or US Independence Day, and best wishes to those who are celebrating that. But this is not a newsletter devoted to American history, so we’re here today to talk instead about the Battle of Hattin, an 1187 clash between the army of the Crusader kingdom of Jerusalem … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Battle of Hattin (1187)
Today in Middle Eastern history: the Ottoman coup of 1807
The May 29, 1807 coup that overthrew Ottoman Sultan Selim III (d. 1808) and replaced him with his cousin, Mustafa IV (also d. 1808, so you can see where this is going to wind up), isn’t a major event in Ottoman history, certainly not on par with what happened on this date in 1453. But … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Ottoman coup of 1807
Today in Middle Eastern history: the Battle of the Zab (750)
Today is the anniversary of the Battle of the Zab, which took place in 750 and was the climactic battle in the Abbasid Revolution that ousted the Umayyad dynasty from the caliphate. Obviously it would be difficult to describe the battle without going over the causes of the revolution, but equally obviously we could be here for … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Battle of the Zab (750)
Columbus and the Islamic World
Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day! As today is the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the “New World,” I thought it appropriate to examine his impact on the Old World—specifically on the part of the Old World controlled by Muslim powers in 1492. This is just a placeholder. If you’d like to read the rest please … Continue reading Columbus and the Islamic World
A Persian Shah in Europe
A website called iroon.com has put together a video of Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar, who ruled Iran (which most people outside Iran then called "Persia") from 1896 until his death in 1907, based on photos, films, and even an audio recording from the three trips he made to Europe while he was Shah: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh1iO5QuJvg The … Continue reading A Persian Shah in Europe
Today in Middle Eastern history: the Battle of Chaldiran (1514)
Today is the anniversary of a battle that had far-reaching implications for the Middle East, but that gets relatively little recognition if you’re not a specialist in either Ottoman or Safavid history. The 1514 Battle of Chaldiran determined, among other things, that the Safavids would not be invading Anatolia, and it established the basic template … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Battle of Chaldiran (1514)
The Foreign Exchanges Companion 