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Index
Title Page
Dedication
Epigraph
Preface
PART I - A Bundle of Prejudices
Introduction
Ancient Prejudices - On Levantine Immigrants in Rome
A Byzantine Misapprehension (Tenth Century)
Sayings Attributed to the Prophet
On National Character: Some Medieval Judgments
A Persian View of the World (Sixth Century?)
An Iraqi View (Early Tenth Century)
View from Jerusalem (Late Tenth Century)
Another Arab View (Late Tenth Century)
Another Persian View (Twelfth–Thirteenth Centuries)
On Subjugation (Fourteenth Century)
A Consumer’s Guide to Servants (Fifteenth-Century Iran)
Some Western Prejudices
Literary Stereotypes
Some Religious Prejudices
And Some Political Judgments
Five British Views of the Arabs
And Some American Prejudices
Dr. Johnson on Orientalism
PART II - Others See Us
Introduction
In Darkest Europe
An Embassy from the Arab Ruler of Cordova to the Vikings (c. 845)
Rome c. 886
The Northern Barbarians (c. 947)
Whaling in the Irish Sea (Tenth Century)
Northerners, Seen from Andalusia (1068)
England and Ireland (1154)
Franks in Syria (Twelfth Century)
The British Isles (Thirteenth Century)
The Land of the Franks (Thirteenth Century)
On European Languages (Early Fourteenth Century)
On European Science (Fourteenth Century)
The State of Nature in Ireland and England (Early Fourteenth Century)
The Mysterious Occident
Emperor Leopold I in Vienna (1665)
Frederick the Great (1763)
A Moroccan Ambassador’s View of Spain (1690–91)
A Turkish Ambassador’s View of Paris (1720)
Parisian Commerce (1777)
Two Revolutions
Revolution in America (1779–88)
The French Revolution: Contemporary Turkish Reactions
The Western Menace
A Visitor’s Guide to Western Europe (c. 1799–1803)
An Egyptian in Paris Discovers Newspapers, the Mails and Advertising (1826–31)
An Egyptian Lady in Paris (c. 1924)
On Causes of the Progress of Europe and the Backwardness of the Orient, Though the Human Race Is One
Western Dancing (1903)
Germans in Turkey (1914–18)
English Women and Men (1918)
A Turkish View of Freedom and Eccentricity (1933)
An Egyptian View of Western Civilization (1933)
Plagued by the West (1961)
Working Women: A View from Afghanistan (1998)
PART III - Migratory Words
Introduction
PART IV - Travelers
Introduction
On Travel (1876)
On Travelers (1717)
Hints to Travelers in the East (1847)
Salute to the Orient (1936)
Looking the Other Way
India and China
An African Adventure (922–23)
The Traveler of Islam (Fourteenth Century)
Quarantine
Contagion (Fourteenth Century)
Symptoms (1369)
Prayer (1348)
Departure from Europe: Crossing the Sava River (1835)
Western Travelers
A Pilgrim (867)
The Misadventures of an Italian Pilgrim (1384)
A Rabbi on the Road (1481)
Time and Space in Sixteenth-Century Turkey (1554)
A Spiritual Exercise (1523)
Letter from a Jesuit Missionary (1700)
Testimony of Two English Slaves (Seventeenth Century)
On the Habits and Character of the Inhabitants of Syria (1782–85)
A Philosopher at Sea (1785)
A French General in Egypt (1798)
A Swiss Pilgrim in Medina (1814)
Kinglake’s Travels (1835)
Damascus (1835)
Persian Jews (1846–55)
Travel Notebook Qusseyr, on the Red Sea Coast of Egypt (1850)
A Pilgrim Arrives in Mecca (1853)
Missionaries (1856)
An Innocent Abroad: The Travels of Mark Twain (1867)
Jerusalem (1877)
Fraternizing with Orientals (1894–96)
In Praise of Gardens (1894)
On Punctuality (1947)
Facing History in Jerusalem (1975)
A Journey to the Islamic Revolution (1981)
Interview with Qaddafi (1986)
PART V - Diplomats
Introduction
Rules Concerning Ambassadors
From an Arabic Manual of Statecraft (Ninth Century)
From a Persian Manual of Statecraft (Eleventh Century)
How to Write a Letter to Europe
Reception and Negotiation
An Offer of Marriage and Friendship, Apparently Unrequited, from a Frankish Queen (Baghdad, 905–6)
A Letter from the Ottoman Grand Vizier Siyavush Pasha to Queen Elizabeth of England (1583)
An Organ for the Sultan (1599)
The Appointment of an Ottoman Ambassador to India (1653)
The Manner of Reception of Foreign Ambassadors Among the Turks, and the Esteem They Have of Them (1667)
The Dangers of Interpreting (1667)
An Orientalist’s View (Eighteenth Century)
Advice on Negotiations (1768)
Interpreting Treaties (1768)
Thoughts on Book Learning and Intelligence, Credulity and Pedantry (1768)
A Turkish Ambassador in Spain (1787)
Petition from a Dragoman (c. 1767)
The Dragoman System in the Levant: A Foreign Office Memorandum
Embassy Etiquette and an Audience with the Sultan (1824–27)
A Lesson in Pride (1833)
Levantine Manners
Reception and Reform (1867)
An English View of an American Consul-General (1844)
Advice to a Vice Consul, from a Friend (1837)
And a Warning from an American Visitor (1856)
Modern Diplomacy
A Persian Mission to England (1838–39)
The Shah in Europe (1873)
Letters from Persia (1925)
Politics in Syria Under the French Mandate (1934)
Diplomacy and War: The Siege of Baghdad (1941)
An American Diplomat in Baghdad (1944)
The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party (Jordan, 1948)
Mosadeq: Portrait of a Prime Minister (Tehran, 1951)
President Nasser and King Hussein: Impressions of a Secretary of State (1969)
PART VI - Women
Introduction
Interpreting Scriptures
Men and Women: A Qur’ānic Verse
Middle Eastern Views
Aphorisms (Eleventh Century)
A Consumer’s Guide (Eleventh Century)
Two Tales (Fourteenth-Century Egypt)
On Beauty (Fifteenth Century)
An Egyptian View of Marriageability (Seventeenth Century)
A Traveler’s Tale from Vienna (1665)
French Influences (Cairo, 1800–1801)
Frenchwomen, and a Note on Ballroom Dancing (1826–31)
The Need to Educate Women (1867)
The Koltuk Ceremony (Early Twentieth Century)
Lessons and Learning (Cairo, Early Twentieth Century)
In Praise of Women
European Views
A Wedding (1384)
A Peek at the Harem (Istanbul, 1599)
In Praise of Polygamy and Concubinage (1656)
Women’s Quarters (Istanbul, c. 1667)
Tales of an English Lady (1717–18)
On the Domestic Life of the Inhabitants of Syria and Why There Is so Little to Envy (1782 –85)
A Physician Visits the Harem, with Notes on Certain Feminine Concerns (1824)
The Price of a Slave (Istanbul, 1824)
The Second Wife (Cairo, 1833 – 3 5 )
Thoughts on Polygamy (1849 –50)
The Superior Sex (1858)
Women in Muslim Law (Turkey, c. 1900)
Behind the Veil (Egypt, 1923)
Four Classical Love Poems
Arabic
Persian
Hebrew
Turkish
Last Word from a Turkish Lady
PART VII - Government
Introduction
The Theory and Practice of Government
Wisdom of the Rabbis
From the Qur’ān
Sayings Attributed to the Prophet
The Severity of Ziyād (Seventh Century)
Cutting Bureaucracy (Eighth Century)
A Letter to Secretaries (Eighth Century)
Maxims on Statecraft (Seventh–Ninth Centuries)
Advice on Government (Ninth–Tenth Centuries)
The Democratic City (Tenth Century)
Three Views of Kingship
A Bureaucratic Parody (Eleventh Century)
On Taxation and Its Effects (Eleventh–Twelfth Centuries)
Decline and Fall
A Connoisseur’s View of Kingship (1532)
Another View, Some Time Later (1786)
An Ottoman Official Offers Advice and a Warning to the Sultan (1630)
Crime and Punishment
Requisites of a Judge (Early Twelfth Century)
Justice in Damascus (1384)
Ottoman Advice on Trust and Fear (Mid–Seventeenth Century)
An English Merchant Reviews Methods of Execution (1600)
Turkish Justice (1650)
Summary Justice in Syria (1782–85)
Comments of a Military Adviser (1785)
The Bastinado (Nubia , 1850)
Disobedience and the Rules of Roguery in Cairo (1844)
Aspects of Reform
Despotism, Democracy and Human Rights: Reflections of an English Conservative (1832)
Politics Here and There (1849–50)
Reform and Emancipation
Two Comments from a Turkish Liberal
An Ottoman View of Ottoman Officials (1872)
Persons and Institutions: a British View (1878)
Education: a Memorandum to the Sultan (1880)
Encounter with Freedom (1878)
A Young Turk’s View of Old Turk Government (1897)
Imperial Sidelights
Britain in Egypt (1883)
The Leisure of a [British] Egyptian Official (1921)
Trouble in Palestine (1920–22)
Glubb Pasha on Arab Prospects (1941)
Intellectuals and the State
Dependence (1978)
Words Versus Deeds (1986)
Reflections of an Egyptian Statesman (1997)
Revolution
Tehran, August 1906
Istanbul, 1908
Three Poems of Revolution
Atatürk on the State of the Union
New Year’s Message (1980)
Turkey and Iran Look at Each Other
PART VIII - War
Introduction
War and Peace
Scriptures
Sayings Attributed to the Prophet
On Suicide
AbuūBakr on the Rules of War
St. Augustine on the Desire for Peace (413)
Two Views on the Origins of the Crusades
Terrorists in the Holy Land
Crusader Encounters with the Assassins (Twelfth–Thirteenth Centuries)
Murder and Paradise (1192)
A Social Call on the Assassins (1198)
Plus Ça Change (1250)
The Proper Use of Spies
The Spies of Moses
The Qur’aānon Privacy
Catching Spies and How to Deal with Them: Two Legal Views (Eighth Century)
A Pilgrim’s Progress (721–27)
Advice to Kings on How to Use Spies
Ottoman Advances and Retreat
The Battle of Lepanto (1571)
Turkish Orders After Lepanto (1571)
The Struggle for the Heart of Europe
Spoils of War (1683)
Modernizing the Ottoman Army: A European View (1757)
General Bonaparte in Egypt (1798–1801)
The French in Cairo: A Contemporary Egyptian View (1799–1801)
The Outbreak of the Crimean War: A Contemporary Marxist View (1854)
Balance of Power in Central Asia: A View from London (1873–74)
The First World War and the Arab Rising
The War in Syria: Impressions of a German General (1918)
The War in Syria: Calculations of the Ottoman Commander (1916–18)
Lawrence Before and After
Reflections After the War (1921–22)
Lawrence and Clemenceau at the Versailles Peace Conference (1919)
The Lawrence Legend: An Arab View (1969)
Mustafa Kemal, Later Surnamed Atatürk, and the Turkish War of Independence (1929)
The Second World War and After
De Gaulle in Cairo (1941)
Ciano’s Diary (1939–43)
Rommel at El-Alamein: An Egyptian View (1942)
An Anglo-French Interlude in Syria (1945)
Declaration of a Jihad (1998)
The Poetry of War, and of War Weariness
PART IX - Commerce and Trafficking
Introduction
Early Islamic Views
Sayings Attributed to the Prophet
A Clear Look at Trade (Ninth Century)
Trafficking with the Enemy
Saladin Defends Constructive Engagement (1174)
An Egyptian Ruler Condemns It (1288)
Contraband of War: A Papal Bull of 1527
The Turkish Trade (1606–7)
Business as Usual
Trade in Damascus (1522)
A Business Letter (June 3, 1586)
An Errant Vice Consul; Some Businessmen Complain (August 4, 1596)
Diplomatic Reports on English Trade in the Levant (Some Illegal) to the King of Spain
Advantages of Free Trade with the Ottoman Empire (Mid–Seventeenth Century)
Business Correspondence from Voltaire (1771)
Trade in Baghdad (Mid–Nineteenth Century)
The Slave Trade
Letter from the Sultan to the Ottoman Governor o f Baghdad (9 Safar 1263 A.H./January 27,1847)
Slavery and Diplomacy (1960)
The Business of Oil
Possibilities of Petroleum: an American Report (1887)
Striking Oil in Persia (1908)
Oil Comes to Kuwait (1937)
The Oilmen Come to Arabia (1984)
PART X - Arts and Sciences
Introduction
Choice of a Profession (Thirteenth Century)
Science and Medicine
A Guide for Physicians (Ninth–Tenth Centuries)
A Syrian View of Crusader Medical Practice (Twelfth Century)
A Hospital and Asylum in Baghdad (1165–73)
Physicians in Constantinople: Customs and Costumes (c. 1551)
The Perils of Printing: Advantages of a Turkish Education (1656)
A Visit to the Observatory (1748)
A View of Western Science (1947)
Music
An Appreciation (Early Tenth Century)
Western Music (Tenth Century)
Turkish Chamber Music (1717)
Paris Opera (1720)
Musical Diplomacy in Spain: A Turkish Ambassador Reports (1787–89)
“If it Had Not Been for Lehar” (1916)
Arts and Letters
A Well-Turned Thought (Ninth Century)
The Power of Poetry (Mid–Twelfth Century)
Lady Mary on Turkish Scholars (1717)
Ancient Arabian Poetry: Four Western Views
Precursors
Conversations in Heaven and Hell with Pious Houris and a Pagan Poet (Early Eleventh Century)
Growing up on a Desert Island (Twelfth Century)
Persian Quatrains
PART XI - Food and Drink
Introduction
Rules
A Medieval Muslim Guide (Eleventh–Twelfth Centuries)
A Modern Guide (1984)
Middle Eastern Views
The Discovery of Rice (Seventh Century)
Tales of a Wine Bibber (Eighth Century)
Warnings (Ninth Century)
In Praise of Wine (Thirteenth Century)
Watching People Eat: A Turk in Paris (1720)
An Egyptian Shaykh Discovers the Restaurant (1826–31)
Western Views
Table Manners in Cairo (1384)
Discovering the Banana in Alexandria (1384)
Street Vendors in Damascus (1384)
Dining in Turkey
Orders from the Sultan (1573–85)
A Turkish Palace Feast, and its Disappointing Menu (1582)
Lady Mary on Spices and Soop (1717)
Dinner-Dance in Istanbul (1785)
Dinner with the Kapudan Pasha (1829–31)
Coffee and Tobacco
A Turkish Cure for Melancholy (1621)
Coffee and Tobacco in Istanbul (c. 1635)
The Sin of Smoking: Arabia (c. 1869)
PART XII - Wit and Wisdom
Introduction
Sayings of the Rabbis (First Century B. C. E.-Third Century C. E.)
A Saying Attributed to the Prophet
Friends and Enemies
Ninth Century
Tenth Century
Eleventh Century
Twelfth Century
Early Fourteenth Century
Classical Arab Wit and Wisdom
Dicts and Sayings (ca. Eleventh Century)
The Wisdom of Al-Watwāṭ (Thirteenth-Fourteenth Centuries)
Thoughts from a Persian Satirist (Fourteenth Century)
Some Maxims
Some Definitions
Servant Problems (Late Fourteenth Century)
Fuad Pasha (1815-69)
PART XIII - Prophecy and Retrospect
Introduction
Prophecy and Empire
The Ottoman Lands (1837)
The Dangers of Balkan Nationalism (1862)
New Zeal (1876)
A Prophecy at the Turn of the Century
Intimations of War (1912–1914)
“The Death-Knell of Ottoman Dominion”
A Turk in Hyde Park (1933)
Prophecy and the Holy Land
Jewish National Home: An Ottoman Prophecy (1917)
Visions of Arab-Jewish Cooperation and Confrontation at Versailles (1919)
Another Opinion (1920)
“We Will Sweep Them into the Sea” (1948)
War and Peace
The Future of King Hussein (1958)
The Coming War (1967)
Cairo: A Visitor Predicts Sadat (1969)
Lebanon’s Future (1975)
The Rising Tide of Discontent (1986)
Saddam Hussein (1991)
There Must Be Something
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Acknowledgements
About the Author
ALSO BY BERNARD LEWIS
WHAT IS YOUR NAME, AND HOW DO YOU SPELL IT?
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Copyright Page
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