"A young Armenian-American goes to Turkey in a 'love thine enemy' experiment that becomes a transformative reflection on how we use--and abuse--our personal histories. Meline Toumani grew up in a close-knit Armenian community in New Jersey where Turkish restaurants were shunned and products made in Turkey were boycotted. The source of this enmity was the Armenian genocide of 1915 at the hands of the Ottoman Turkish government, and Turkey's refusal to acknowledge it. A century onward, Armenian and Turkish lobbies spend hundreds of millions of dollars to convince governments, courts and scholars of their clashing versions of history. Frustrated by her community's all-consuming campaigns for genocide recognition, Toumani leaves a promising job at The New York Times and moves to Istanbul. Instead of demonizing Turks, she sets out to understand them, and in a series of extraordinary encounters over the course of four years, she tries to talk about the Armenian issue, finding her way into conversations that are taboo and sometimes illegal. Along the way, we get a snapshot of Turkish society in the throes of change, and an intimate portrait of a writer coming to terms with the issues that drove her halfway across the world. In this far-reaching quest, told with eloquence and power, Toumani probes universal questions: how to belong to a community without conforming to it, how to acknowledge a tragedy without exploiting it, and most importantly how to remember a genocide without perpetuating the kind of hatred that gave rise to it in the first place"--

"Between 1911 and 1923, a series of wars-- chief among them World War I-- would engulf the Ottoman Empire and its successor states. It is a story we think we know well, but, as Sean McMeekin shows us in this revelatory new history, we know far less than we think. Drawing from his years of ground-breaking research in newly opened Ottoman and Russian archives, 'The Ottoman Endgame' brings to light the entire strategic narrative that led to an unstable new order in postwar Middle East-- much of which is still felt today"--P. [2] of cover.

"An explosive global history that redefines the historical origins of the modern world through the life of Sultan Selim I and his Ottoman Empire. Long neglected in accounts of world history, the Ottoman Empire was a hub of flourishing intellectual fervor, geopolitical power, and enlightened pluralistic rule. At the helm of its ascent was the omnipotent Sultan Selim I (1470-1520), who, with the aid of his extraordinarily gifted mother, Gülbahar, hugely expanded the empire, propelling it onto the world stage. Aware of centuries of European suppression of Islamic history, Alan Mikhail centers Selim's Ottoman Empire and Islam as the very pivots of global history, redefining such world-changing events as Christopher Columbus's voyages--which originated, in fact, as a Catholic jihad that viewed Native Americans as somehow "Moorish"--the Protestant Reformation, the transatlantic slave trade, and the dramatic Ottoman seizure of the Middle East and North Africa. Drawing on previously unexamined sources and written in gripping detail, Mikhail's groundbreaking account vividly recaptures Selim's life and world. An historical masterwork, God's Shadow radically reshapes our understanding of a world we thought we knew"--

"The Mapmaker's Daughter, a historical novel set in the 16th century, is the confession of Nurbanu, born Cecilia Baffo Veniero - the mesmerizing, illegitimate Venetian who became the most powerful woman in the Ottoman Empire at the height of its power under Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent--the bold backstory of the Netflix Series, Magnificent Century. Narrating the spectacular story of her rise to the pinnacle of imperial power, Queen Mother Nurbanu, on her sickbed, is determined to understand how her bond with the greatest of all Ottoman sultans, Suleiman the Magnificent, shaped her destiny -- not only as the wife of his successor but as the appointed enforcer of one of the Empire's most crucial and shocking laws. Nurbanu spares nothing as she dissects the desires and motives that have propelled and harmed her; as she considers her role as devoted and manipulative mother; as she reckons her relations with the women of the Harem; and as she details the fate of the most sophisticated observatory in the world. Nurbanu sets out to "see" the causes and effects of her loves and choices, and she succeeds by means of unflinching candor - right up to the last shattering revelation."-- Provided by publisher.

A narrative chronicle of World War I's Arab Revolt explores the pivotal roles of a small group of adventurers and low-level officers who orchestrated a secret effort to control the Middle East, demonstrating how they instigated jihad against British forces, built an elaborate intelligence ring and forged ties to gain valuable oil concessions. This is a narrative of one of the most epic and consequential periods in 20th century history, the Arab Revolt and the secret "great game " to control the Middle East. The Arab Revolt against the Turks in World War I was, in the words of T.E. Lawrence, "a sideshow of a sideshow." Amidst the slaughter in European trenches, the Western combatants paid scant attention to the Middle Eastern theater. As a result, the conflict was shaped to a remarkable degree by a small handful of adventurers and low-level officers far removed from the corridors of power. Curt Prufer was an effete academic attached to the German embassy in Cairo, whose clandestine role was to foment Islamic jihad against British rule. Aaron Aaronsohn was a renowned agronomist and committed Zionist who gained the trust of the Ottoman governor of Syria. William Yale was the fallen scion of the American aristocracy, who traveled the Ottoman Empire on behalf of Standard Oil, dissembling to the Turks in order to gain valuable oil concessions. At the center of it all was Lawrence. In early 1914 he was an archaeologist excavating ruins in the sands of Syria; by 1917 he was the most romantic figure of World War One, battling both the enemy and his own government to bring about the vision he had for the Arab people. The intertwined paths of these four men, the schemes they put in place, the battles they fought, the betrayals they endured and committed, mirror the grandeur, intrigue and tragedy of the war in the desert. Prufer became Germany's grand spymaster in the Middle East. Aaronsohn constructed an elaborate Jewish spy-ring in Palestine, only to have the anti-Semitic and bureaucratically-inept British first ignore and then misuse his organization, at tragic personal cost. Yale would become the only American intelligence agent in the entire Middle East, while still secretly on the payroll of Standard Oil. And the enigmatic Lawrence rode into legend at the head of an Arab army, even as he waged secret war against his own nation's imperial ambitions. Based on years of intensive primary document research, this work definitively overturns received wisdom on how the modern Middle East was formed. It condemns the destruction wrought by European colonial plots, and captures the way in which the folly of the past creates the anguish of the present. -- From book jacket.

"This is the first comprehensive, single-author history of the eastern Roman empire (or Byzantium) to appear in over a generation. It begins with the foundation of Constantinople in 324 AD and ends with the fall of the empire to the Ottoman Turks in the fifteenth century, covering political and military history as well as all major changes in religion, society, demography, and economy. In recent decades, the study of Byzantium has been revolutionized by new approaches and sophisticated models for how its society and state operated. The book's core is an accessible and lively narrative of events, free of jargon, which incorporates new findings, explains recent models, and presents well-known historical characters and events in new light. Two overarching themes shape the narrative. First, by projecting accountability the Roman state persuaded its subjects that it was working in their interests and thereby forestalled separatist movements. To do so, it had to restrain the tendency of elites to extract ever more resources from the labor-force. Second, the effort to sustain a common identity, both Roman and Christian, was subject to powerful forces of internal division and put under severe strain by western Europeans in the later Middle Ages. The book explains in detail the alternating periods of success and failure in the long history of this polity. It foregrounds the dynamics of Christian identity, asking why it tended to fracture along lines of doctrine, practice, and ultimately over Union with the Catholic West"--

The Age of Empires includes some of the most colorful, ruthless, and restless figures in all of history. During this time Genghis Khan told his troops to "fall upon the enemy like falcons", Ivan the Terrible expelled Mongol invaders from Russia but murdered his own son in a fit of rage, and Babur the Tiger ruled India, combining ferocity on the battlefield with a love of books and poetry. It is a period of extremes: Muslim Turks tolerated Jews and Christians within the Ottoman Empire yet under the Habsburgs the devastating Thirty Years' War pitted Catholics against Protestants. Lithuanian society was remarkably open, granting women the right to own property and decide their religious beliefs while Spanish and Portuguese colonizers enslaved Native Americans and Africans in Peru and Angola. Beautifully illustrated and filled with maps and primary sources, The Age of Empires captures both the historical sweep and vivid details of this transformative period. From Marco Polo's eyewitness account of an opulent Chinese banquet to a missionary's sermon denouncing Spanish atrocities in the Caribbean, these documents bring the era dramatically to life. They show how the spread of empires meant new lands and great wealth for the conquerors, and death, destruction, and slavery for the conquered. But The Age of Empires also shows how, in their relentless outward expansions, imperial rulers brought vastly different peoples into contact, opening new trade routes and stimulating intellectual development, as cultures exchanged both goods and ideas. In these ways as well as others, the Age of Empires is the beginning of our own age.

"Pack your bags! We're headed to Turkey. On this whirlwind tour, you'll learn all about the country's landscape, culture, people, and more. We'll see colorful carpets in Istanbul, explore ancient ruins, and watch Turkish dancers. A special section introduces Turkey's capital, language, population, and flag. Hop on board and take a fun-filled look at your world!" (publisher).

"Türkiye is located at a geographic and cultural crossroads-with part of the nation in Asia and another in Europe. Readers discover how Türkiye's location has affected its history, economy, and culture in this thoroughly updated guide to one of the most unique nations on Earth. Vibrant, full-color photographs present Türkiye's landscapes, cities, artwork, and people in beautiful detail, and maps are also included to aid visual learners. Fact boxes highlight points of interest, the Turkish language, and other fun pieces of information. Recipes inspire readers to get creative, and sidebars inspire them with stories of Turkish global citizens"--

This book discusses what it is like to live in Turkey today. It examines, in accessible language and vivid photographs, many aspects of the culture, including its history, geography, people, and government. This is a book that highlights a unique part of the world, sure to engage the eager young reader.