The Bin Ladens are shrouded in secrecy living in one of the most closed unaccountable countries on earth. Little has been known about the world that created Osama. This title reveals a Saudi Arabia torn between religious purity and the temptations of the West telling a story of oil money power patronage and dangerous cultural extremes.

To better understand the cultural issues and paradoxes facing Iranians and Afghans today, the author travels from the underground dance parties of Tehran to the opium...

A great scholar examines how history has shaped the identity of the Middle East.

Provides an understanding the Middle East and its pivotal role in global politics. The author uses his forensic skills to unravel the history of this arena of confrontation and instability. He highlights key issues and maps their global...

A guide to Egypt that takes you on a tour of Egyptian culture, guiding you on a self-initiation into the Egyptian Mysteries. It features guided meditations and visualization exercises, inviting you to explore: shamanism; deities, gods...

Since the early 2000s, Turkey has undergone a remarkable economic recovery, accompanied by urban development and a cultural flowering. Positioned between an expanding EU and an unstable Middle East, Turkey provides a fascinating interface between...

Argues that Arab nationalism took root after World War I and not in the nineteenth century and that it blossomed under the leadership of Egypt's Gamal 'Abd al-Nasir. This book criticizes the failure to distinguish between the cultural phenomenon of 'Arabism' and the political secular desire for a united Arab state that defined Arab nationalism.

Accompanying the Smithsonian Institutions major exhibition this book features more than sixty objects that large embassies diplomatic missions and trade delegations from Ottoman Turkey and Safavid Iran offered to the Tsars of Russia. It explores the reasons why these extraordinary gifts were presented their artistic and cultural impact.

A collection of Yann Arthurs-Bertrand's aerial photographs of Turkey including images of Cappadocia's lunar landscape the hills of Istanbul the cities of Troy and Ephesus and Pamukkale's mineral formations. Janine Trotereau's captions provide geographical cultural and historical information.

This extraordinary and eye-opening four-part series reaches back in time to explore realms that rivaled Egypt buildings as inspiring as medieval cathedrals and art that speaks to us across the centuries. Lost Kingdoms of Africa casts new light on a long-neglected area of the world’s cultural heritage. NubiaStarting in the desert north of Khartoum we journey to the ancient sites of Kerma Jebel Barkal and Meroë to explore a long-lost kingdom that may have fallen victim to climate change. EthiopiaDid the emperors of Ethiopia really descend from the Biblical King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba? We survey Judeo-Christian influences in the land’s art language and change architecture which date back centuries. Great ZimbabweShrouded in mystery the ruins of Great Zimbabwe rise from an unlikely spot in Africa’s interior. We trace an ancient gold-trading route inland from the eastern coast and explore the city that served as its source. West AfricaThe magnificent Benin bronzes in the British Museum inspire a quest for their origin.The search takes us to modern-day Nigeria and Mali where the art of fine metalworking has thrived for generations.Special Features: Dr. Gus Casely-Hayford Biography Picture Galleries Subtitles