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Conflict and Conquest in the Islamic World

A Historical Encyclopedia
by Alexander Mikaberidze
Conflict and Conquest in the Islamic World: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. 2011. 1042p. ed. by Alexander Mikaberidze. photogs. maps. index. ISBN 9781598843361. $195. Online: ABC-CLIO eBook Collection REF
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With this survey, Mikaberidze (history, Louisiana State Univ.; The Battle of Borodino; The A to Z of Georgia) adds considerable depth to available resources about the Muslim world's military history. There are approximately 625 articles on significant battles, campaigns, figures, armies, weapons, treaties, and other topics related to 254 conflicts from the Battle of Badr (623 C.E.) to the current civil strife in Syria and Libya. Alphabetically arranged articles range in scope from "Great Game" and "al Qaeda in Iraq" to six separate "Constantinople, Treaty of" entries and a career profile of the 18th-century pirate Hajji Husein Pasha. Each covers its topic in clear, nontechnical prose, using the Gregorian calendar for dating and versions of names that are relatively free of diacritical marks. Each also closes with cross-references and source citations for further (English-language) reading. The first volume opens with alphabetical and topical lists of articles; the second closes with an extensive glossary and a comprehensive index. Maps are rare, and the only illustrations are a few small and usually murky black-and-white photos. Though the main focus is on events in the Middle East and North Africa, several articles—notably nine pages for "Mongols" and nearly four for "military medicine, medieval Islamic"—look further afield. Many conceptual essays at least try to present judicious discussions, e.g., in "jihad," "suicide bombings," and others on similar hot-button topics. Current enough to include mention of Osama bin Laden's demise, this set will be equally valuable as an adjunct to John L. Esposito's Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World (2009) or an extension of Juan E. Campo's shorter Encyclopedia of Islam (Facts On File, 2009). BOTTOM LINE Despite the paucity of maps and other illustrations, Mikaberidze's work will provide high school and college-level researchers with generous measures of hard-to-find information on a (sadly) enduring theme.—John Peters, formerly with NYPL
Gr 10 Up—As Mikaberidze indicates in the preface, it is impossible to cover all aspects of Islamic military and political history in two volumes. However, he and numerous contributors have accomplished a major feat with this set in which selective reading provides a great deal of understanding of the situations in the Islamic world today. The signed, alphabetically arranged entries, listed thematically in the front matter of both volumes, vary in length from half a page to three or four pages and are followed by cross references and further-reading recommendations. They are current enough to include reference to Osama bin Laden's death. The boldfaced heading of each entry includes, if appropriate, the inclusive dates of the topic. Unfortunately, the numerous captioned black-and-white photos are of low quality, the maps are too few for an audience that is likely to be unfamiliar with this area of the world, and there are a few minor verbal glitches. Though not an essential purchase, this set will be valuable where current events and Islamic studies are major parts of the curriculum.—Eldon Younce, Anthony Public Library, KS
Reviewed by Eldon Younce , Oct 15, 2011
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