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Syria then and Now: Revolution and Its Roots in the Past
The Middle East is in chaos. The Egyptian government has collapsed and been replaced by the rule of generals. In Syria, Aleppo is besieged by troops from Damascus. Rival powers fight over Homs and Hama. The ruling family tries desperately to cling to power. This was the Middle East of the 12th century (as captured…
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Map of Syria and the Holy Land
I love my Kindle, but one problem that I have with it is that it shrinks the maps in books to such a minuscule size that they are impossible to decipher. Â So, for the Kindle readers out there, I am posting the map from EAGLE here. Â Click on the small map below for a larger…
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Who are the Copts?
In Cairo, Coptic Christians recently ended a two-week sit-in, held to protest the rising sectarian violence in that country. Since the revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak, there have been attacks on churches, several of which have been closed, and street fights have erupted between Copts and Muslims. The approximately eight million Egyptian Christians – out…
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My 10 Favorite History Books
I read much more history than historical fiction, so I thought I would share my favorite history books. I have endeavored to pick books that are serious works of history introducing new ways of understanding old questions, and which are at the same time entertaining reads. As the list makes clear, my preference in history…
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EAGLE: Beyond the Book #4 – Prayer in the Middle Ages, De-Mystifying the Salat
One of the most distinctive features of Islam is salat, the prayer ritual, which all Muslims are expected to perform five times each day. Movies and news broadcasts have made us familiar with muezzins chanting the call to prayer from minarets and with Muslim worshipers kneeling and prostrating themselves as they pray. But most of…
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Under Siege #26: The Sequel, Part 2
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The Matrix Reloaded. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. What do these movies have in common besides silly titles? They are all sequels, and they are all frustratingly, disappointingly, infuriatingly worse than the original. And the list of failed sequels could go on and on and on. No…
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When Disaster Strikes – Life in the Middle Ages
The images coming out of Japan in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami are awful in both the modern and original senses of the word; they inspire both horror and a biblical, fire and brimstone sort of awe. It is amazing how quickly disaster struck, rocking Tokyo, buckling roads, carrying cars away in…
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Should We Fear Revolution in the Islamic World? Lessons from the Crusades
When the United States brought down Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003, George W. Bush hoped that a newly democratic Iraq might serve as a model for other Middle Eastern states. Of course, this did not stop the United States from continuing its strategic alliance with decidedly non-democratic regimes in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. The…
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EAGLE: Beyond the Book #1 – Conquest and Anarchy, The Harrowing of the North and the Reign of Stephen
John, one of the two main characters of Eagle, is an Englishman. To be more precise, he is a Yorkshireman from the West Riding town of Tatewic (now known as Todwick). He was born in 1132, sixty-six years after Battle of Hastings and the crowning of William as king of England, yet the Conquest cast…
Jack Hight
Writer of history, sci-fi, and more…
