Lost Islamic History

Islamic history book by Firas Alkhateeb for readers aged 16+. A narrative of 1400 years of Muslim history, from Arabia to the modern world, covering the Umayyads, Abbasids, Ottomans and more. Paperback.

Islam has been one of the most powerful religious, social and political forces in history. Over the last 1400 years, from its origins in Arabia, a succession of Muslim polities and later empires expanded to control territories and peoples stretching from southern France to East Africa and South East Asia. Yet many contributions of Muslim thinkers, scientists, theologians, rulers, statesmen and soldiers have been occluded. This book rescues some of these personalities and institutions from oblivion and neglect, offering a new narrative of this lost Islamic history.

What is covered

• The Umayyads, Abbasids and Ottomans
• Muslim Spain, the savannah kingdoms of West Africa and the Mughal Empire
• European colonisation of Muslim lands and the development of modern nation-states in the Muslim world

Throughout, the impact of Islamic belief on scientific advancement, social structures and cultural development is given due prominence. The text is complemented by portraits of key personalities, inventions and little-known historical nuggets. The history of Islam and of the world's Muslims brings together diverse peoples, geographies and states, interwoven into one narrative that begins with Muhammad and continues to this day.