I’m not really one to do book reviews. Frankly, I’m considered by colleagues to be overly critical. Almost every biography I’ve been asked to review I’ve rejected as shameless hagiography; every theology or comparative religious work incorrectly formatted for the target market (do not discuss the differences between the existentialist theories of Paul Tillich and Soren Kierkegaard or St. Boniface’s Frisian sermons or the nature of Elisha ben Abuyah’s heresy in a book targeted at the general interest market). Every now and then, however, I find a solid work which balances points of view, academic v. popular history, and provides highly detailed source material. I’ve recently been rereading one of the better works on Middle Eastern (a very broad term as in this case it includes SE Europe, southern Russia, North Africa, and Spain) history. Currently in its sixth edition, The Middle East : A History by Sydney Nettleton Fisher (and updated by William Ochsenwald) is one of those rare books that really makes you want to read and re-read it time and time again. Originally published in 1959 and updated by Professor Fisher until his death in 1987, TME is, for the most part, a history of Islam and its various dynasties and empires. The late professor gives an excellent review of the founding of Islam and its early players, plus overlooked information on the roots of Islamic sectarianism. Later, he explains the critical history of the rise and fall of the Ottoman and Safavid Empires, including the much ignored role of the Qizilbash, the Uzbegs, the Kurds, and the Azerbaijanis. The late professor, like all of the best scholars, does not guide the reader to any particular conclusions or judgements. Any biases that he may have possessed are not visible in this work. He merely relates the facts, devoid of editorial analysis, pre-judgement, or strawman arguments. This is the kind of scholarly tradition that I’m afraid has died out in today’s highly politicized academic world.
On a personal level, the re-reading of the history of the Ottoman and Safavid empires reminds me of how great and how terrible some of my countrymen were. It also serves as a pointed reminder of how orthodox, devout Islamic rulers behaved and how that frequently created the basis for successful empires, whereas those who fell victim to pleasures of the flesh (drinking in most cases, but also drug use, indulgence in over-rich foods, or excessive womanizing) and extremism often caused the suffering of not only themselves, but also whole populations. I’ll give a few examples here. Mehmed II (Fatih ["the Conqueror"]) ruled the Ottoman Empire from his father’s official retirement in 1444 or so until 1481. He was a highly educated ruler (he spoke Turkish, Arabic, Persian, Greek, Serbian, and Italian), poet, and artist. He reorganized the Ottoman government and army into modern, effective organizations and promoted scholarship, trade, and, oddly enough, gardening. Although he followed the unfortunate Ottoman tradition established by Bayezid the Thunderbolt of executing his brother, his rule was generally quite pleasant by the standards of the 15th century world. After his capture of Constantinople, he made sure to punish looters after his entrance to the city and prohibited the desecration of public buildings. He appointed Christian officials to rule the city and appointed a notable scholar and philosopher, George Scholarius, as the new Greek Orthodox Patriarch. Mehmed encouraged the Christian and Jewish inhabitants to remain by allowing them free practice of their religion and exemption from taxes. His son, Bayezid II ruled in much the same manner and even rescued the Sephardic Jews of Spain from execution during the Reconquista. Bayezid’s grandson, Suleiman would become the Ottoman Empire’s greatest ruler and would be forever known as Suleiman the Magnificent. I won’t spoil the story for you, though. I will say that this is a great introduction to the complexities of the history and culture of the Middle East and is a highly enjoyable, if slightly textbookish, read. It also introduces several memorable characters including the above mentioned Bayezid the Thunderbolt, Selim the Grim, Timur the Lame (Tamurlane), Shah Suleiman the Drunkard, and, of course, Suleiman the Magnificent. Highly recommended (although not an inexpensive book).
