This book discusses the role of Arabs in the Ottoman Empire for the four centuries that they were its subjects. The conventional wisdom was that the Arabs were a subject people who resented or, at best, were indifferent to their Ottoman overlords. This book argues that two social classes - Sunni religious scholars and urban notables - were willing collaborators in the imperial enterprise, and without whose support the Ottoman Empire would not have ruled the Arab lands for as long as they did.

"The Ottomans ruled much of the Arab World for four centuries. Bruce Masters's work surveys this period, emphasizing the cultural and social changes that occurred against the backdrop of the political realities that Arabs experienced as subjects of the Ottoman sultans. The persistence of Ottoman rule over a vast area for several centuries required that some Arabs collaborate in the imperial enterprise. Masters highlights the role of two social classes that made the empire successful: the Sunni Muslim religious scholars, the ulama, and the urban notables, the acyan. Both groups identified with the Ottoman sultanate and were its firmest backers, although for different reasons. The ulama legitimated the Ottoman state as a righteous Muslim sultanate, while the acyan emerged as the dominant political and economic class in most Arab cities due to their connections to the regime. Together, the two helped to maintain the empire"--

The Ottomans ruled much of the Arab World for four centuries. Bruce Masters's work surveys this period, emphasizing the cultural and social changes that occurred against the backdrop of the political realities that Arabs experienced as subjects of the Ottoman sultans. The persistence of Ottoman rule over a vast area for several centuries required that some Arabs collaborate in the imperial enterprise. Masters highlights the role of two social classes that made the empire successful: the Sunni Muslim religious scholars, the ulama, and the urban notables, the acyan. Both groups identified with the Ottoman sultanate and were its firmest backers, although for different reasons. The ulama legitimated the Ottoman state as a righteous Muslim sultanate, while the acyan emerged as the dominant political and economic class in most Arab cities due to their connections to the regime. Together, the two helped to maintain the empire.

From the ancient cultures of the Middle East have sprung three of the world's major religions, outstanding accomplishments in literature and science, and seemingly never-ending conflict - compounded now not only by geopolitics, but by the international hunger for oil and the web of global terrorism. But who are the Arabs, these remarkable people who have accomplished so much and who continue to both fascinate and confront the West? Philip K. Hitti's eloquent short history is an acknowledged classic offering the best and quickest grasp of Arab history and culture. Now with a new introduction by renowned MIT historian, Philip Khoury.

Shaykh Yusuf Yassin (18921962) marked the contemporary history of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in his capacity as a favorite advisor who was the founder monarchs confidential secretary, relentless envoy and chief foreign policy consultant. Born in Latakiyyah, Syria, Yassin earned the confidence of King Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud, and moved to Riyadh even before the Third Saudi Kingdom was inaugurated in 1932. After obtaining citizenship he participated in critical decisions reached by the ruler as regional and international actors honed in on the wealth of the Arabian Peninsula. Over the course of several decades Yusuf Yassin met with and negotiated on behalf of three monarchs, Abdul Aziz and his two successors, Saud and Faysal, with Arab and global leaders. He was present at the creation of the country and suggested that al-Saudiyyah be added to its very nameAl-Mamlakah al-Arabiyyah al-Saudiyyahwhich reflected his personality and political outlook as an Arab nationalist who cherished the founder. Joseph Kechichian has written the first political biography of the statesman, based on original documents [the Yassin Papers] as well as Western diplomatic correspondence. Kechichian provides insights into the Nationalist Al Saud Advisor who left his mark on Saudi Arabia. The volume provides essential background on a man who rose from humble origins in Syria to espouse Arabian values, and walks the reader through nearly five decades of Arab history, including the repercussions of the infamous 1916 SykesPicot Agreement, the creation of the League of Arab States, and various Arab crises. These events, experienced and engaged with by Shaykh Yusuf Yassin at the highest political and diplomatic levels, set the stage that empowered Saudi Arabia, along with other Arab States, with the wherewithal to succeed for their respective peoples.

This book traces the history of conflict and contact between Muslims, Christians, and Jews in the Ottoman Middle East prior to 1914.

Inspired by the “spatial turn,” this volume links for the first time the study of diplomacy and spatiality in the premodern Islamicate world to understand practices and meanings ascribed to territory and realms. Debates on the nature of the sovereign state as a territorially defined political entity are closely linked to discussions of “modernity” and to the development of the field of international relations. While scholars from different disciplinary backgrounds have long questioned the existence of such a concept as a “territorial state,” rarely have they ventured outside the European context. A closer look at the premodern Islamicate world, however, shows that “space” and “territoriality” highly mattered in the conception of interstate contacts and in the conduct and evolution of diplomacy. This volume addresses these issues over the longue durée (thirteenth to nineteenth centuries) and from various approaches and sources, including letters, chancery manuals, notarial records, travelogues, chronicles, and fatwas. The contributors also explore the various diplomatic practices and understandings of spatiality that were present throughout the Islamicate world, from Al-Andalus to the Ottoman realms. The book will be of interest to students and researchers in a range of disciplines, including international relations, diplomatic history, and Islamic studies.

A Commerce of Knowledge tells the story of three generations of Church of England chaplains who worked in Ottoman Aleppo during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. By reconstructing their careers, Simon Mills shows the links between English commercial and diplomatic expansion, and English scholarly and missionary interests.

Syria is a country in turmoil, making headlines almost daily with news about its violent civil war and refugee crisis. This one-volume addition to the Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations series focuses on the events in the history of Syria from ancient times to the present, allowing readers to place current events within the context of the country's history. Following the series format, the book opens with a timeline of key events in Syria's history. An introductory chapter provides a broad overview of life in Syria today. Chronologically arranged chapters follow, beginning with Prehistory to the Byzantine Period. The latter half of the volume focuses on the modern historic events that have occurred since World War II. A glossary of terms, an appendix of notable people, and an annotated bibliography round out the work, making it an ideal resource for high school students, undergraduates, and other general readers who are looking for an introductory text on Syrian history.

This book investigates the intellectual currents among Ottoman and North African scholars of the early modern period.