_'... the best single narrative history of the Kurds ... it certainly belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in the Middle East.'_ - *Washington Post Book World*_x000D__x000D_The division of the Kurdish people among four modern nation states - Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Iran - and their struggle for national rights have been constant themes of recent Middle East history. The Kurdish lands have been contested territory for many centuries. In this detailed history of the Kurds from the 19th century to the present day, McDowall examines the interplay of old and new aspects of the struggle, the im