Islam and the Arab World

Book excerpt: In this book thirteen eminent authorities provide a long-overdue and highly rewarding survey of Islamic culture and history, from the days of the Prophet Muhammad to modern times. The names of the contributors and their academic affiliations appear on the back of this book jacket. Their specific subjects cover: the faith of Islam and the people who embraced it; Islamic art and architecture; the growth and culture of urban Islam; the mystic path of the Sufi tradition; Islamic literature; Islamic music--its philosophy theory, and practice; Islamic contributions to the development of science; strategy, tactics, and weapons in Islamic warfare; the golden age of Cordoba and Granada; the flowering of Iranian civilization; the rise and fall of Turkish domination; Muslim India; problems and prospects of the 19th and 20th centuries. The comprehensive text is supplemented with close to 500 illustrations, 160 of them in color.