Growing up a Pakistani,the events occurring in Middle East have always been a contentious and a continuous source of debate in our society. Due to the political connections in general and the religious connections in particular, whatever happens throughout Middle East, has considerable reverberations in Pakistan. Despite those close connections, surprisingly, the knowledge of the history of Middle East is not common.
Back in school when we were taught the history of the subcontinent, there was a brief mention of the First World War and how the Treaty of Sevres divided the Ottoman Empire. In response to that, a politically charged Khilafat Movement (for the restoration of the Empire) was initiated throughout British India in 1919. Though the movement failed miserably yet it is considered a very important political event in the history of Pakistan. So naturally, it always intrigued me to know about the region's history as well as the events that made up the present Middle East.
When i took up reading this book, I was aware of the important events in recent history of the Middle East but knew very little about the actual history (the historical make-up) of the region. After reading the book, I can say that every topic, every event that I expected, was mentioned in the book in quite satisfying details.
The fact that I liked most about this book is that the author has delineated the history of the region in a detailed and a professionally unbiased manner. The book explains all the significant historical events in comprehensible details without boring the reader. The way in which all those historical details are shortened-without missing any significant event-is really commendable. After providing the ancient as well contemporary history of the region, the author gives details about the problems that the region faces in present times.
The only regret I have after reading this book is that I did not read it earlier :) ( )