Nomads in the Middle East (Themes in Islamic History)
Cambridge University Press
Edition: New, 12/2/2021
EAN 9780521816298, ISBN10: 0521816297
Hardcover, 294 pages, 23.5 x 15.9 x 2.5 cm
Language: English
Originally published in English
A history of pastoral nomads in the Islamic Middle East from the rise of Islam, through the middle periods when Mongols and Turks ruled most of the region, to the decline of nomadism in the twentieth century. Offering a vivid insight into the impact of nomads on the politics, culture, and ideology of the region, Beatrice Forbes Manz examines and challenges existing perceptions of these nomads, including the popular cyclical model of nomad-settled interaction developed by Ibn Khaldun. Looking at both the Arab Bedouin and the nomads from the Eurasian steppe, Manz demonstrates the significance of Bedouin and Turco-Mongolian contributions to cultural production and political ideology in the Middle East, and shows the central role played by pastoral nomads in war, trade, and state-building throughout history. Nomads provided horses and soldiers for war, the livestock and guidance which made long-distance trade possible, and animal products to provision the region's growing cities.
Preface
Debate between sheep and grain
1. Introduction
2. Nomads in the establishment of the caliphate
3. The rise of new peoples and dynasties
4. Turkic tradition and Seljuqid rule
5. Nomad conquest and rule
6. After the Mongols
Timurids, Turkmen and Ottomans
7. The rise of nomad tribes
1500-1800
8. Nomads in the modern Middle East
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index.