The Cauldron (the Making Of The Modern Middle East - The No.1 Sunday Times Bestseller)

By (author) Montefiore, Simon Sebag
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A history of the Middle East - from Morocco, Yemen and Iran to Sudan, Israel and Turkey - since 1900, from the no.1 bestselling author of JERUSALEM
Description:
''Vivid and monumental . . . Could not be a more essential primer'' SUNDAY TIMES, Book of the Week
''Both zips along and bulges with detail . . . A blockbuster narrative'' TELEGRAPH
''Gripping, dazzingly written . . . A masterpiece - no other word will do'' MATTHEW D''ANCONA, former editor of the SPECTATOR

THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE MAKING OF TODAY''S MIDDLE EAST: A SPELLBINDING HISTORY FROM THE BESTSELLING, PRIZEWINNING HISTORIAN AND MASTER STORYTELLER

How did an elderly cleric overthrow the Shah of Iran and change the world?
Why did Bin Laden attack the USA - and why did the USA destroy Saddam?
How did one extraordinary prince create Saudi Arabia? How did an Ottoman general create Türkiye?
How did Britain and France carve up the Middle East - and why did the Kurds never get their own state?
Can there ever be peace between Israel and Palestine?

The Middle East has forever been the source of religions, prize of empires, spark-wheel of conflicts, well of radicalism and epicentre of our tumultuous world. No other region has such a hold on our imagination nor such a propensity to unleash mayhem. Yet few know its real history; fewer still understand its variety and cosmopolitanism, its complexity and interconnectedness. In The Cauldron, Simon Sebag Montefiore delivers a fresh and unique history of the entire region in all its diversity, from 1900 up to the present day. Taking the reader on a spectacular journey from the Ottoman sultanate to the Trump presidency, from Morocco to Iran, this is a dazzling panorama of faith and fanaticism, creativity and tolerance, dictatorship and democracy brought to life by an extraordinary cast of kings, warriors, poets, terrorists and peacemakers.

This is the essential story of how the Middle East of 1900 became the Middle East of today - and tomorrow.

''An essential read'' HUSSEIN AGHA, Palestinian negotiator with Israel over half a century
''A must-have guide'' EUGENE ROGAN, author of The Arabs
''Captivating and monumental'' EHUD OLMERT, former Prime Minister of Israel
''Masterful . . . history at its best'' GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS, former Director of the CIA

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Simon Sebag Montefiore''s vivid and monumental account explains the historical roots of the region''s permacrisis . . . Montefiore''s monumental history of the modern Middle East, The Cauldron, could not be more timely. Here in one volume . . . is an essential primer on a region of 19 states from Morocco through the Holy Land to Iran and the fringes of central Asia. To make this sprawling multifaceted story into a page-turner he leavens it with pearls of wisdom from Arab and Iranian poets and sages, while ushering extraordinary characters across the stage. It''s a remarkable feat
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A masterful survey of the political rivalries and personal vendettas that have shaped this region. Written with pace and verve . . . essential reading
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Finally, an authoritative, stimulating history of the modern Middle East . . . Exhilarating and accomplished . . . The extent of The Cauldron''s narrative is vast, ranging from Morocco to Afghanistan and from southern Sudan to Azerbaijan. Iran features heavily, which is useful and distinguishes the book from other more Arab-centric accounts . . . This reasonable and genuine effort to present a careful, fact-based and sensitive account of such contentious topics is very valuable indeed and deserves to be widely read
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