Der heilige Krieg der Barbaren die Kreuzzüge aus der Sicht der Araber

by Amin Maalouf

Other authorsSigrid Kester (Translator)
Hardcover, 2001

Status

Available

Call number

NM 7600 M111

Collection

Publication

Kreuzlingen [u.a.] Hugendubel 2001

Description

The author has combed the works of contemporary Arab chronicles of the Crusades, eyewitnesses and often participants. He retells their story and offers insights into the historical forces that shape Arab and Islamic consciousness today.

Media reviews

knjigainfo.com
Istovremeno opčinjen i prestrašen tim Franđima koje je doživeo kao varvare, koje je pobedio, ali koji su, u međuvremenu, uspeli da zavladaju kuglom zemaljskom, arapski svet se ne može odlučiti da na krstaške pohode jednostavno gleda kao na epizodu iz nepovratne prošlosti. Često smo
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iznenađeni kad otkrijemo u kojoj je meri držanje Arapa prema Zapadu, i uopšte muslimana, i dan-danas pod uticajem događaja za koje se smatra da su okončani pre sedam vekova.

Ova knjiga pripoveda o krstaškim ratovima, od 1096. do 1291, onako kako su ih doživeli i opisali u „drugom taboru“, to jest na arapskoj strani. Zasniva se na svedočenjima savremenika, arapskih istoričara i hroničara, koji ne govore o krstaškim pohodima, već o franačkim najezdama. Pratimo epopeju slavnih sultana Nurudina, Saladina i Bajbarsa, krstaška pustošenja Jerusalima i Carigrada, samoubilačke atentate sekte asasina, ali i brojne političke igre koje su dovodile do neobičnih sporazuma i čudnovatih bitaka, gde u obe suprotstavljene vojske ratuju rame uz rame Arapi, Turci, Franci, Vizantinci... Autor čarobnih romana, Maluf nam otkriva nepoznate stranice istorije u želji da napiše „istinit roman“ o dva burna veka koji su oblikovali odnose Istoka i Zapada.
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1 more
knjigainfo.com
Istovremeno opčinjen i prestrašen tim Franđima koje je doživeo kao varvare, koje je pobedio, ali koji su, u međuvremenu, uspeli da zavladaju kuglom zemaljskom, arapski svet se ne može odlučiti da na krstaške pohode jednostavno gleda kao na epizodu iz nepovratne prošlosti. Često smo
Show More
iznenađeni kad otkrijemo u kojoj je meri držanje Arapa prema Zapadu, i uopšte muslimana, i dan-danas pod uticajem događaja za koje se smatra da su okončani pre sedam vekova. Ova knjiga pripoveda o krstaškim ratovima, od 1096. do 1291, onako kako su ih doživeli i opisali u „drugom taboru“, to jest na arapskoj strani. Zasniva se na svedočenjima savremenika, arapskih istoričara i hroničara, koji ne govore o krstaškim pohodima, već o franačkim najezdama. Pratimo epopeju slavnih sultana Nurudina, Saladina i Bajbarsa, krstaška pustošenja Jerusalima i Carigrada, samoubilačke atentate sekte asasina, ali i brojne političke igre koje su dovodile do neobičnih sporazuma i čudnovatih bitaka, gde u obe suprotstavljene vojske ratuju rame uz rame Arapi, Turci, Franci, Vizantinci... Autor čarobnih romana, Maluf nam otkriva nepoznate stranice istorije u želji da napiše „istinit roman“ o dva burna veka koji su oblikovali odnose Istoka i Zapada.
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User reviews

LibraryThing member booksngames
An excellent book, specifically written for the layman. I'd heard and read about the Crusades only from the Western view prior to this book, so it was quite interesting to find out what the Arab/Muslim leaders did and how they managed to unite (or not) various military forces.
LibraryThing member khammer99
Very even handed approach to the crusades from the "invaded" point of view. Learned some interesting items about the Arab history, that has not been presented in other Western based Crusader books I have read.
LibraryThing member mattries37315
For those in the West, the Crusades were a series of military expeditions that Western Christians launch against Muslims to reclaim the Holy Land, however for the Arabs and the rest of the Muslim world, the Crusades were a shocking event. “The Crusades through Arab Eyes” is a narrative history
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by Amin Maalouf to give Westerners a glimpse of how the Muslim world in general saw the Crusades as they were happening over two hundred year span.

Maalouf starts his narrative in Anatolia with the beginning of the First Crusade from the perspective of the Seljuk Turk Kilij Arslan defending his kingdom against his neighbors then against what he believed to be “Franj” troops fighting for the Byzantine Empire. However as the Turk sultan was to learn as well as others, these Franj had different plans. Maalouf’s follows the progress of the First Crusade and the subsequent 200 years through the historical writings of Muslim chroniclers and how the Muslim world reacted throughout that period. The vast majority of the book is the history of the Muslim political and religious currents that interacted and reacted with the Franj, who were themselves divided into permanent residents and military adventurers that came and went.

In the Epilogue besides looking at the long-term effects of the Crusaders on the Middle East, Maalouf highlights something that readers will noticed quickly and what I have already alluded to in this review. While the chroniclers were Arabs, the political and military leadership throughout the Crusader era were Turks or Kurds. During the roughly 200 years that the Crusades took place, the native Arabs watched and experienced the forces of two “foreigners” ruling over them which is a very impactful thought to keep in mind while reading this book.

I first read sections of “The Crusades through Arab Eyes” in 2003 for a Middle East history class. Having now read it in full, I can say that seeing it without the Western romantic veneer or viewpoint brings the period into better focus. While not in-depth as some other books might be, this book gives the reader an easy to follow narrative overview of The Crusades “from the other side”.
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LibraryThing member annbury
i learned a thing or two about how the Arabs view the world. A most interesting book by an Arab who lives in France, He writes about the Franj invasions but does not number the crusades That is the only fault in the book which is very fair to the Arabs and the Crusaders both. His epiliogue is worth
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the price of the book; he discusses why the Arabs are so screwed up today and is knowledgeable about them. He also discusses the reasons that the West did so well out of the Crusades.
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LibraryThing member ksmyth
Before I read this book I read Stephen Runciman's first volume on the Crusades. While I found this book useful and instructive, I don't feel that even with prior reading I could create enough of a contrast to western histories to signifcantly inform my view of the crusades. It is a good narrative,
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drawing on Arab sources, but it really helps to be well read on the subject first.
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LibraryThing member jcbrunner
A readable addition to the history of the Crusades from the Muslim viewpoint. The unprovoked incursion of the barbarians and their violence thoroughly shocked the local rulers who took quite some time to first integrate the Christian rulers in local power politics and then evict them. The chronic
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infighting among Muslim rulers allowed the cash- and manpower-strapped Crusaders to hold on to their conquests far longer than expected.
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LibraryThing member jcovington
It's an okay work. I liked getting a different perspective on the Crusades, but I didn't enjoy Maalouf's writing style, making it a more annoying read than I'd anticipated.
LibraryThing member haeesh
The author feels the necessity of doctoring-up the historical record by putting words into dead people's mouths. The object of this is to create a snappy, fast moving story; witness the meanderings of the Turkish King Arsalan. At times I find myself wondering: Is the historical record so dull that
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it needs to be treated like this?
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LibraryThing member Zare
As the name of the book says this is a story told from the viewpoint of Arabs and other nations living in the North Africa. It is a very interesting story (author's style is great) and one that should be read today - echoes of the past seem to resonate with greater strength in modern times (as
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authors explains in the afterword).

Depicted are intrigues in Arab courts, way rulers set their priorities (more important [almost all the time] was inner squabbling than fighting the common enemy), chaotic politics of the time (at one point it was not strange to have a combined crusaders-Arab army fighting another combined crusaders-Arab army in pursuit of wealth and fortune) and relation between native people of North Africa (at the time) with incoming horsemen tribes from the northern parts of Euro-Asia - that will de facto become rulers and/or protectors of the Arab states in years to come.

Very interesting book.Recommended.
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LibraryThing member selfnoise
A very good and relatively easy to read overview of the Arab response to the Franj incursions. Because it is an overview it doesn't give you a very satisfying sense of Arab or muslim culture at the time, and don't expect any kind of coherent detail on what the crusaders were up to. Still, it's a
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good effort.
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LibraryThing member uptownbookwormnyc
The thing that puts this book on my favorites list is the craftsmanship of a story teller. Excellent! Whereas virtually everything I knew of the Crusades was based on western records from the times, I was interested to see what was going on on the other side based on eastern historical
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documentations.
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LibraryThing member DinadansFriend
It's simply not long enough. I'd love to have every city's chronicles, and this isn't as long as Usamah's memoirs. But it's a judicious collection, and the bibliography's useful.
LibraryThing member chrishall57
It's always interesting to view history through the eyes of those we view as 'the other'. I found Amin's book to be very interesting indeed. Having read a number of other books by 'western' authors Amin's complimented my understanding of this fascinating stage of world history.

Perhaps it's me but
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maybe I detected a slight bias. This is something I've noticed when reading other tests - the Crusading era is reported by a self-flagellation or the other extreme the survival of Western Christianity. Amin's book comes across as being very negative to the Franks (Franj), often exposing their brutality and lack of culture whilst praising their courage.

An excellent book and one I'd recommend for anyone interested in this era.
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LibraryThing member Hae-Yu
Excellent, quick-reading book with action and color. The author brings the characters to life while being fair.

Surprisingly, there were no real surprises, except for the epilogue. Anyone reading Crusader history by a Western author with an open mind should not be surprised with the reactions and
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emotions stirred in the Islamic populations of the times. Although the perspective and sources are predominantly Islamic, most of the better general histories cite many of the same sources. Unlike the general histories which strive for balance but dilute the passion, this book, focusing on a narrower perspective, brings more life to the events and people. The epilogue contains a harsh, if fair, analysis of Arab society before, during, and after the Crusades.

The bibliography and notes cites several good sources to look into. The text was fine, with only a couple of minor typos toward the book's end. As an indication of its value, this book is referenced in at least 3 other Crusade histories I have read recently.
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LibraryThing member igorterleg
Good, if not very detailed account of the crusades as seen by Arab historians. There could have been more about the attitudes of Muslims towards the crusaders though.

Language

Original language

French

Original publication date

1984

Physical description

300 p.; 22 cm

ISBN

3896314203 / 9783896314208
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