The History of the Muslim World: The Age of the Caliphs. The Mongol Period

Berthold Spuler is a German historian, Orientalist, Turkologist, one of the leading experts on the history of Islam, presenting the history of Islamic civilization - "The Age of the Caliphs" - as a global phenomenon that goes beyond the doctrines of the Muslim religion, including a cultural heritage to which all Muslim circles have contributed, to a greater or lesser extent. Spuler narrates the rise and fall of both the great dynasties of the Umayyads and Abbasids as well as the lesser-known dynasties of the Nasrids, Hafsids, and others. He also pays attention to Spanish Islam, particularly emphasizing its uniqueness. "The Mongol Period" is the history of the Mongols and the countries with which they established contacts and entered into conflicts: the Great Mongol Empire (Genghis Khan and his successors), the Ilkhanate state of Persia, the Mongols in Central Asia, the Mamluk Egypt, Timur, India before and after Timur. The author writes about Muslims in Eastern Europe and on Russian territories. His work is well-structured, interesting, and understandable.