Arabs: A 3,000-Year History of Peoples, Tribes and Empires Kindle Edition

The book is insanely good, I couldn't stop reading it until I got to the last page. With that said as with most best books it's not perfect. It's not a historical book in its strict sense. You will not get a perfect timeline of the events associated with the arab tribes, although you will find a plethora of historical facts inside. While the book structure does follow the historical time flow on the large scale, still almost every chapter might jump from the currently described events to the deep past and from the to the distant future and back. The author created a narrative that could be best described as a love letter to the arab culture expressed by an erudite in the arab-lore.So if you are interested in chronology per se, this should not be the first book you buy.Another thing that attracted and annoyed me at the same time was the author's effort to understand what were the roots of widespread tyranny and corruption in contemporary arab societies. Mr. Macintosh-Smith did it through the dualism of tribal/settled forms of life in the arab culture that he thinks went though all its history. But when he states that the for many arab countries corruption is not the failure of the system, but IS the system I feel like his enchantment played a trick to him since the same can be said about many other parts of all the world, if not most of it. What in author's description is specifically arabic and what could be described as the current state of affairs on the international, global scale?So the book allegedly on the arab history is as much about arab politics and sociology, and because the author is not as well trained in those as in his direct subject, his ideas might appear highly disputable. But it also means that the book is not as detached and descriptive as one might expect from historical study, but displays author's high level of involvement and participating. And that's exactly why this book is so magical - it's not only and not primarily about historical facts, it's about the arab culture(s) and its/they prospects now. Through his book Mr. Mackintosh-Smith managed not only to transmit the historical timeline of arabs, but also express the inner beauty of their cultures (and primarily arabic language!) and reassert the progressive elements that are buried in them under the debris of permanent fighting among themselves. This is the book of hope, not matter how little of it left.To sum up, if you are looking for mere workbook on arab history you should start with some other texts. If you are interested in everything arabic, you will definitely like this book. I highly recommend it!

I certainly empathize with some of the negative comments here — confusing narrative structure, not a "history", and the like. I came to this book knowing absolutely nothing about Arabs, Arabia, Islam, and the Muslim world. I do know a fair bit more about the histories of the empires — Rome, Persia, Byzantine — that have impinged on them, however. Which gave me a place to stand as the author elaborates the essentially linguistic basis of Arabian culture and its emergence in opposition to those other centers of gravity. The author writes beautifully and knowledgeably: he knows where he lives and he lives what he knows. So to those critics who prefer other authors on the topic, all I can say is read him with THAT particular knowledge guiding your understanding. This book, like the author's conception of Arabic, is the product of a profound cultural cross-fertilization.

Genuinely the best book I have read in 2020 and for the past several years. Tim's writing style is stunningly poetic yet balanced with wit and humor. Style and substance meet across the pages as Tim takes you on a journey across time and geography using a very unique thread throughout it all (won't spoil for readers). I had very little exposure to Arab culture and history prior to this but Tim explains it through a birds-eye view as well as on-ground testament and primary resources. Overall, my words can't do this book justice. Though the stunning cover does (judge the book by its cover, it is simply gorgeous.)

One of the very few books that I found so excellent and informative that I had to purchase in hard copy in addition to the Kindle copy I started reading. I worked with linguistics while in the military and found the author's approach, knowledge and treatment of Arab history--through a linguistic prism--captivating and superb. If I had this book back when I was Active Duty, I might well have been inspired to pursue a follow-on career working with mid-eastern languages. By the way, the book stands on its own legs as a fascinating historical read (even without the wealth of language/linguistic information). So good.

Incredibly researched honest look at Arab history that gives Arabic civilization its due without PC efforts to exaggerate the nobility of people who were flawed like us all. Arab nationalists, Islamic extremists and western xenophobes would probably object to some of the content. For example, Islamists won't want to hear about the corruption and political scheming of Arab conquerors in the early centuries of Islam and the pre-Islamic roots of much of Arabic culture. As the book points out, Arab school children are taught that spreading religion was the main goal of conquests that really began as "super raids" in search of booty, in several senses of the word. The book emphasizes how the Arabic language created Arab identity through the centuries and how its calcification by grammarians in the Middle Ages accounts for much of what ails that culture even today, from religious extremism to a fear of modernity.

As a person who has always focused on European history, I approached this book with only sketch knowledge of the subject. I was aware that there was a time during which the Arabs had advanced far beyond the Europeans, only to falter and to stagnate for the next millennium. The author of this book goes by the unlikely name of Tim Mackintosh Smith but apparently has lived in Yemen long enough to be have a very strong command of his subject. After theArab renaissance and enlightenment, Arab disunity set in and according to Tim the main force holding the various people who identify themselves Arabs was the Arabic language which very few of them speak or write fluently. Islam was of course also a factor, but the the author sees it as secondary to their linguistic culture.

Tim Macintosh Smith explains the paradox that is Arab nationalism, identity and Islam. Arab unity was a short lived thing, for a people who are born individualists. Arab historians have always pointed out settled communities will be subject to the predatory actions of nomads. The Prophet Mohammed was the first and only one to unify the Arab Nation. He was the first one to commit the language to a written form in the Koran. But as Tin Macintosh Smith says Classical Arabic has never been the Lingua Franca of any Arab State. Pointing out even a small country, Bahrain has two incompatible Arabic dialects. The unifying benefits of classical Arabic have never been fully realised. Islam and the Prophet Mohammed reconciled the laws governing religious and civil duties. A respect for both religious and civil duties are fundamental to Islamic beliefs. Unfortunately we are human and cannot live up to the duties imposed on us by our religious beliefs. Shame on us!A couple of points after more time to reflect! The information on the Pre-Islamic Arab people is difficult to find and even more difficult to verify. The Author states the history was passed down verbally. With only passing references made about them, by other civilisations. He then claims the Koran was the first book written in the Arabic language. How would this be possible with no written script development, over a considerable period of time?

I have lived and worked in Arab countries and travelled in many others, so I was very excited about an overview of Arabs over 3,000 years. The author comments that he starts in the middle of the story, but more significantly for me is the poor structure of the book.His knowledge is beyond doubt but i did not feel that this was communicated at all well. The rambling, shapeless sentences and digressions within a lack of context merely confused. In my opinion it is very badly written.By contrast I have just read two brilliant books by the historian David Olosoga which are models of clarity, balance , subtlety and elegance. I am sad and frustrated at being unable to get through this book, Arabs, and have now given up, even though I find the subject fascinating . I wish I had never bought it but maybe the Oxfam bookshop will be able to profit .

Tim Mackintosh-Smith has managed the impossible: to write a comprehensive, balanced and unbiased history while wearing his heart on his sleeve. The book also benefits from being lucid, easy to read and scattered with flashes of often mordant wit. In all of its over 500 pages I did not find a single misprint or infelicity of language (something which my previous experience of Yale University Press leads me to attribute to the author's care and abilities, rather than any expertise on the part of the publisher). I cannot recommend this book too highly. It is difficult to imagine it's being supplanted in the foreseeable future as THE book to read on the Arabs.

For Tim Mackintosh-Smith, history isn’t something that is dry nor dusty: it’s happening right outside the window of his house in Yemen. He approaches his subject not just with interest or passion, but with love: it makes his work not just learned but personal. I learned a great deal from it: highly recommended.

Tim's passion and knowledge for the history of the Arab world shines through with every page in this book not only does he explore the histories of the peoples but he also explores the history of the Arabic language which goes hand in hand with its peoples. furthermore as an Arab his modern history observations are on point and quite relatable.I highly recommend this book to all who have any interest in Arab history from the long forgotten past all the way to the present.