The "Historical Atlas of the Islamic World" provides a survey of the history of the Islamic world and of Islamic civilisation from the time of the Prophet Mohammed until the consolidation of the Ottoman Empire in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Its abundant maps are accompanied by text explaining the religious, political and cultural circumstances behind Islam's development. The book contains superb photographs of the art, architecture, artifacts, and the regions involved, and many reconstructions of the most important events mentioned in the text. At a time when interest in the Islamic faith is increasing, this book provides a comprehensive description of the religion's long and dynamic history.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Beautiful:
Although obviously intended for high school level, the text presents a great deal of fascinating historical information on the medeival Islamic world (even including the Bulgars, the Timurids, etc.), often rare to find elsewhere; it marks the inadequacy of Islamic studies in English that there are few scholarly books on Islamic history with the same breadth of scope. Although some statements concerning earlier Islamic history run counter to orthodox Muslim belief, the author is undoubtedly one of the best... more info
lovely and impressive:
Being a scholar of comparative religion but feeling lacking in my understanding of the general progress of Islam as a cultural (vice religious) phenomenon, I searched far and wide for a work on Islam akin to those of the Cultural Atlases series. Nicolle's work answered the mail admirably. The work is exceptionally well composed, indicative of a pleasing format and supporting browsing as well as research. Though the work cannot be called profound, factual information of considerable depth is nevertheless... more info
Masterpiece of illustrated history:
This book is overflowing with beautiful maps, fascinating photos and insightful descriptions. I find Nicolle's Historical Atlas of the Islamic World to be one of the best introductions to the history of the Muslim world. The layout is astounding, and puts much pricier atlases, even the Oxford Atlas of World History, to shame. One should note that this is not just a history of the Muslim religion, but a broad description of the history and culture of Muslim countries, covering Spain, Africa, Central... more info
very nice maps:
I bought this book to go along with a History of Islam course at my college, and though this book does not go into the historical details of Islam, and its treatment of it at times is simple, its maps allow me to follow along with the narrative in my class with an illuminated vision of where the action is taking place, in additon to other books, The Historical Atlas of the Islamic World has really helped me to understand my material better.
