Description
Yet Baghdad's inhabitants have also seen many terrible hardships, from epidemics and famines to invasions and devastating floods. And it has also been one of the most violent cities on earth. When U.S. troops entered in 2003, they became the latest participants in a turbulent history stretching back to the city's founding in 762. Over most of its thirteen-century history, Baghdad has endured the rule of brutal strongmen, from capricious caliphs to Saddam Hussein; and it has suffered violent occupations at the hands of its conquerors, from the Mongol Hulagu, grandson of Genghis Khan, to Tamerlane, known as the "Sword Arm of Israel."
Here, in this vivid new history--the first published in English in nearly a century--Justin Marozzi brings to life the whole splendorous and tumultuous story of what was once the greatest capital on earth.
Product Details
| Publisher | Grand Central Publishing |
| Publish Date | November 04, 2014 |
| Pages | 536 |
| Language | English |
| Type |  Hardback |
| EAN/UPC | 9780306823985 |
| Dimensions | 9.1 X 6.0 X 1.8 inches | 1.7 pounds |
About the Author
Reviews
"An epic history"--The Economist
"[An] epic biography of the city... Marozzi feasts his reader in every sumptuous detail."--The Times
"Vivid and compelling...the best account we have in English"--Hugh Kennedy, Literary Review
"A tremendous narrative history... A great achievement: brave, densely researched, authoritative, vivid"--Sunday Times
"Marozzi gets to the unchanging sould of his city."--The Guardian
"Brilliant, evocative, and erudite...a work of love and an homage to the city"--The Spectator
"Superb history...a gripping account"--Daily Telegraph
"Adventurous, sophisticated, respectful...a truly splendid work of erudition, storytelling, and huamnity"--Standpoint
Kirkus Reviews, 10/15/14
"Pertinent, patient study of the tumultuous history of this strategic city since its founding ...a useful, relevant history of a 'relentlessly tempestuous' city."
Booklist, 11/15/14, starred review
"Marozzi pays tribute to the endurance and vibrancy of the city and its citizens...in this fine combination of history and travel genres"
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