Middle East

An essential guide to the making of the modern Middle East from 1900 to the present: a spellbinding history by the New York Times bestselling author of Jerusalem and The Romanovs Renowned historian Simon Sebag Montefiore wades into the ideological battles and geopolitical tensions of the Middle...

Judea is one of the most important regions in the modern world. As the center of two of the world’s great religions and extremely important to a third, its history has been littered with wars, insurrections, and religious revolutions. To say that it has had a turbulent past is to understate...

The inside story of the leaders, debates, and decisions that shaped Israel’s longest war. In the War Room is the inside story of the leaders, debates, and decisions that shaped Israel’s longest war—a multifront battle that eventually led Israeli and then US jets to the heart of Iran. This...

A courageous memoir from a prize-winning poet and prisoner of conscience in Iran 'Against the scale of Iran's past, her testimony reinforces the power of individual conscience and endurance as the only way forward.' —Financial Times In March 2008, the Intelligence Bureau of Mashhad summoned...

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning co-author of Billion Dollar Whale and Blood and Oil, and co-host of the Whale Hunting podcast, comes a dazzling true story of how a lost masterpiece came home and of the remarkable, flawed man who made it happen. British art dealer Oliver Hoare had spent his life...

From the New York Times best-selling author, an eye-opening history of the United States’ war on terror across four presidential administrations. 2026 is the twenty-fifth anniversary of 9/11, the most devastating attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. Within days, the United States began...

When scholars study the history of the ancient Near East, several wars that had extremely brutal consequences (at least by modern standards) often stand out. Forced removal of entire populations, sieges that decimated entire cities, and wanton destruction of property were all tactics used by the various peoples of the ancient Near East against each other, but the Assyrians were the first people to make war a science. When the Neo-Assyrians are mentioned, images of war and brutality are among the first that come to mind, despite the fact the Assyrian culture prospered for nearly 2,000 years.

Bloomsbury presents Shadows Over Kabul by Hamdullah Mohib and Tam Hussein, read by Kishore Walker. At the time of the Taliban offensive, Hamdullah Mohib was the Afghan National Security Advisor, the closest man to the Afghan President, Ashraf Ghani. It was Mohib who took the decision to leave...

When journalist Elena González is sent to cover a pro-Palestine protest at Columbia University, she expects another routine story about righteous anger and occupation. What she finds instead is something far more dangerous: a crowd chanting “From the river to the sea,” a Jewish student bleeding on the grass, and a growing chorus insisting that “Palestine has existed for thousands of years.” As Elena digs deeper, she encounters facts that contradict everything she thought she knew. A Roman coin stamped Judaea Capta. Genetic evidence of continuous Jewish presence.

Following Hamas's horrific October 7 attack, Israel launched an offensive of staggering violence in Gaza, saying it targeted militants while regularly striking hospitals, schools, and homes. Critically acclaimed journalist Akbar Shahid Ahmed offers extensive reporting and chilling new details...

Step into the mysterious world of ancient Egypt with Egyptian Magic, E. A. Wallis Budge’s classic exploration of the rituals, beliefs, and supernatural practices that shaped Egyptian life. Drawing on ancient texts and archaeological sources, Budge examines powerful divine names, magical words, amulets, spells, ceremonies, dreams, transformations, and the rites surrounding death and the afterlife. He reveals a culture in which magic and religion were deeply intertwined—and where protection, healing, spiritual power, and immortality could be pursued through sacred knowledge.

A sweeping and revelatory history of the hidden tradition of Jewish thinkers who opposed Zionism, from Pulitzer Prize winner Benjamin Moser. In Anti-Zionism: A Jewish History, Benjamin Moser uncovers a suppressed tradition that has shaped Jewish thought for generations. Through a cast of artists...

Our "American in Cairo" author goes beyond King Tut and tomb-raiders to discover one of the world's oldest civilizations in her fast-paced account across seven millennia Egypt looms large in the popular imagination, bringing to mind images of pyramids, pharaohs, tomb-raiders, and deserts...

The military strategy was clear: stand up as the local forces stood down. But in the most dangerous city in Iraq, there was no one left to stand. In May 2006, the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division ("Ready First") arrived in Ramadi. A city heavily controlled by Al Qaeda in Iraq, who had already declared it the capital of their brutal caliphate. The conventional method of conducting quick patrols from distant bases was failing, creating a dangerous vacuum that the enemy filled the moment American tracks withdrew.

A damning account of how Israel and the US manufactured the case for genocide in Gaza and a devastating regional war in the Middle East, from Tel Aviv to Tehran. In Twelve Days That Shook the Middle East , scholar and Al Jazeera senior political analyst Marwan Bishara offers a clear-eyed account of what happened after October 7, 2023, why it happened, and why it matters. Bishara argues that this conflict has always been an asymmetric, anticolonial struggle. The genocide was not a misstep; it was a blueprint unfolding before the world’s eyes.

Bloomsbury presents Modern Muslim Theology: Engaging God and the World with Faith and Imagination written and read by Martin Nguyen This book aims to bring Muslim theology into the present day. Rather than a purely academic pursuit, Modern Muslim Theology argues that theology is a creative...

Dive into an immersive urban history where medieval Islamic empires clash with modern revolutions under ancient skies. Perfect for your daily commute, this evocative armchair travel experience transports you directly to the vibrant banks of the Nile. Feel the relentless energy of crowded street...

Trace the turbulent rise of a walled settlement into one of the Middle East's most complex and dynamic megacities. Perfect for an educational daily commute, this immersive urban history plunges you directly into the bustling bazaars, sweeping highways, and politically charged squares of the...

As the dust settled on the U.S. military's initial victory in Iraq, the Army found itself mired in a difficult campaign to defeat a growing insurgency and rebuild the war-torn country. Untrained for counterinsurgency and without enough troops to secure the population, the Army responded by creating several new brigades specifically to meet these requirements. It Was What It Was invites listeners into the life of a freshly commissioned lieutenant in one of these units.

A Palestinian journalist's extraordinary account of family, survival, and resilience amid the ongoing genocide. On the morning of October 7, 2023, Rami Abou Jamous is already packed. A respected francophone journalist from Palestine, he quickly grasps what the scale of the Israeli response will...