ARAB HISTORIANS OF THE CRUSADES pdf download

Arab historians of the Crusades

ARAB HISTORIANS OF THE CRUSADES

During the two centuries of the Crusades, Arab historians meticulously recorded the recapture of Jerusalem, the siege of Acre, the fall of Tripoli, and the impact of events in Syria on Baghdad.

 For the first time, contemporary records of the Muslim-Christian conflict have been translated into English, allowing Western readers to learn “the other side” of the Holy War.

The selections in this book, which are derived from various sorts of historical works, feature seventeen authors.

The quotes come first from generic histories of the Muslim world, then from chronicles of cities, regions, and dynasties, and finally from biographies or records of specific individuals’ activities

. In terms of content and chronological detail, the Arab histories of the Crusades compare favorably to their Christian counterparts.

 Another of their strengths is their accurate depiction, as they demonstrated in the brief but informative profiles of enemy leaders:

Baldwin II’s shrewdness, Richard Coeur de Lion’s military prowess, Conrad of Montferrat’s relentless drive, and Frederick II’s diplomacy.

 Naturally, the chroniclers lavish laud on the major champions of the Muslim struggle, particularly Saladin, who towers over all other leaders in heroic grandeur.

Overall, this book provides a broad and engrossing account of the Crusades as seen through the eyes of Arabs.