The Damascus Events

Reviews

Compelling and authoritative, powerful in narrative, and filled with new revelations, this book offers a superb account of the 1860 Damascus massacres—much neglected nowadays but central to the creation of the modern Middle East A surprising and enlightening account of how order was restored to the city after an eruption of violence in 1860... accessible, enlightening and ultimately surprising account of an episode of which most western readers will be unaware In the hands of the distinguished historian and master storyteller Eugene Rogan, an incident of communal violence in Damascus in 1860 is at once an evocation of the vanished world of the Ottoman empire and an ominous foreshadowing of the communal violence tearing apart the Middle East of today A stunning portrait of the Ottoman Empire and of Damascus during a time of crisis. Absolutely riveting This book stands out for its impeccable scholarship, gripping narrative and captivating prose. There is a great deal of new material here that not only brings events alive, but also leads to fresh assessments of one of the most momentous events in modern Arab history. Rogan uses the full panoply of primary sources in French, Ottoman Turkish and Arabic to brilliantly illuminating effect. A remarkable book by a remarkable historian [A] magnificent new book... Rogan’s account highlights just how deadly the combination of inter-communal tensions and incompetent leadership can be, especially in a city as diverse as nineteenth-century Damascus. But he also offers a message of hope and humanity, and a lesson about the capacity of fractured societies to reconcile and rebuild Rogan zooms in and brilliantly captures the tragic outcome of this inter-imperialist struggle [An] exemplary study Expand reviews