Job Discussion Forums

[Foo_Fighters_Dave]

Hi,

Could anyone recommend any books about the history of Saudi Arabia or the Middle East?

[sicklyman]

the best book by far that I've read about the moden ME history is Robert Fisk's Great War for Civilisation. It's brilliant.

My review here: http://arukiyomi.com/?p=4400

If you're wanting to go back a bit, you'd not do badly to pick up copies of both The Seven Pillars of Wisdom by Lawrence and Arabian Sands by Thesiger.

[Mikalina]

Totally agree with sicklyman re: Robert Fisk's book.

I found Robert Lacey's The Kingdom informative for the very beginnings of the Sa'ud dynasty and the development of the country. Stops in 1980 but definitely 'sets the scene'.

[ayatollah]

OK. The book is a terrific insight into ME affairs, but Bob is renowned for making stuff up.

[Mikalina]

'Axes to grind' - one of my favourite idioms......

[1st Sgt Welsh]

[sicklyman]

[Sheik Yerbuti]

The Bin Ladens. If you can find on kindle quite the read. Mostly about the
patriarch of the clan who founded the family business and his odyssey from
Yemen to Arabia.

[Gulezar]

https://www.amazon.com/Gertrude-Bell-Desert-Nations-American/dp/0374161623/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations (First American Edition) Hardcover – April 17, 2007 by Georgina Howell

Ms. Bell's writings must have been studied for the screenplay for Alec Guinness' entrance into Damascus as Prince Faisal in Lawrence of Arabia.

[BajaLaJaula]

House of Saud - a bit outdated but still a good history of the Saud mafia and how they were able to cobble together what is now the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

[wailing_imam]

The Fisk tome mentioned above is fantastic and comes in at second place on my list. However, there can only be one book in first place...

Arabian Sands by Wilfred Thesiger

[hash]

For a deeper understanding of the Middle East, one will have to read beyond the journalistic/explorer type of narrative. Those mentioned so far are
good at relating what happened......WHY things happened has to be found elsewhere. The field, by the way, is enormous so it's difficult to be "comprehensive" without citing at least 20 books. I will cite two:

1- Any of the Bernard LEWIS books is worth reading. For beginners, I particularly recommend "WHAT WENT WRONG" - Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response (2002). The famed Princeton scholar (retired) presents his arguments in clear readable text for the general public.

2- "ORIENTALISM" (1978) by Edward SAID. (pronounced SA EED....stress on the 2nd syllable....means "happy" in Arabic).
A foundational text for any serious study of the Middle East. Also at the center of the "Culture Wars" still raging in academia. The Columbia U. professor
(d. 2003) claimed Western intellectuals have, for centuries, completely misrepresented the Middle East in an effort to dominate the area. Makes for sometimes tedious reading and assumes a certain level of background in western literary studies, but indispensable for a solid understanding of the region.

It's interesting to note that Lewis/Said were bitter academic rivals. They can both be seen extensively on youtube.


,

[nomad soul]

[AGoodStory]

I'll second the recommendation of Thesiger's Arabian Sands, as well as Great War for Civilisation by the more controversial Robert Fisk. Fisk is a talented writer, and one who doesn't hesitate to communicate his own point of view. Both are well worth reading.

.

[sicklyman]

it's a fairly dry read but you could also try A Line in the Sand for an understanding of the impact of western imperialism dividing up the Middle East into nations that simply didn't work out. Not a page turner though.