History Today: On the Spot: Eugene Rogan (Interview)

By History Today’s Editorial Dept. ‘What is the most common misconception about your field? That the Arabs are unusually prone to conspiracy theories to explain political developments.’ Why are you a historian of the Middle East? I spent my school years in Beirut and Cairo, a witness to the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, the Lebanese Civil

History.com: This Day In History (May 15-1941): First Allied jet-propelled aircraft flies

By History.com Editors. On May 15, 1941, the jet-propelled Gloster-Whittle E 28/39 aircraft flies successfully over Cranwell, England, in the first test of an Allied aircraft using jet propulsion. The aircraft’s turbojet engine, which produced a powerful thrust of hot air, was devised by Frank Whittle, an English aviation engineer and pilot generally regarded as

History Today: ‘The Emperor and the Elephant’ by Sam Ottewill-Soulsby review

By Carine van Rhijn. The Emperor and the Elephant: Christians and Muslims in the Age of Charlemagne by Sam Ottewill-Soulsby surfaces Umayyad and Abbasid perspectives on their Frankish frenemies. The elephant in the title of Sam Ottewill-Soulsby’s study of diplomatic relations between Christians and Muslims in the Carolingian period (800-887) is Abul-Abbas, who having arrived

MSN: Hittite Empire’s Enigmatic “Wish Stone” Continues to Puzzle Archaeologists

By Beth Snider. Archaeologists are still grappling with the enigma surrounding a mysterious large green stone discovered at the Temple complex in Hattusa, the capital of the ancient Hittite Empire. Referred to as the “wish stone” by locals, its rich green surface has been polished smooth over centuries by the hands of countless individuals, each

The Jordan Times: About Levantine Bronze Age: Theories on archaic urbanism

By Saeb Rawashdeh. For decades, many scholars have attempted to connect the Bronze Age with urbanism in the Levant and some of the archaeologists and historians have perceived this period as the initial phase of urbanisation. We are referring to the late fourth or early third millennia BC, when similar processes were occurring in Egypt,

History.com: This Day In History (April 30-1997): Big Ben clock stops at 12:11 pm for 54 minutes

By History.com Editors. On April 30, 1997, at exactly 12:11 pm, London’s iconic Big Ben clock stops ticking. For 54 minutes, the most famous clock in the world failed to keep time. Completed in 1859, Big Ben has a long history of technical issues. The first bell cast for the tower cracked before it could

History.com: This Day In History (April 29-1974): President Nixon announces release of Watergate tapes

By History.com Editors. On April 29, 1974, President Richard Nixon announces to the public that he will release transcripts of 46 taped White House conversations in response to a Watergate trial subpoena issued in July 1973. The House Judiciary committee accepted 1,200 pages of transcripts the next day, but insisted that the tapes themselves be

History.com: This Day In History (April 20-1980): Fidel Castro announces Mariel Boatlift, allowing Cubans to emigrate to U.S.

By History.com Editors. On April 20, 1980, the Castro regime announces that all Cubans wishing to emigrate to the U.S. are free to board boats at the port of Mariel west of Havana, launching the Mariel Boatlift. The first of 125,000 Cuban refugees from Mariel reached Florida the next day. The boatlift was precipitated by

The Business Standard: Lebanese food: A cuisine steeped in history and geography

By Nazia Adnin. Lebanese cuisine was heavily influenced by occupying powers and many new dishes were added to the cuisine throughout its history “The secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.” -Mark Twain I first tried Lebanese cuisine at dinner party, which also

Al Mayadeen: Russia’s victory in struggle with collective West will be achieved in Middle East, not Eastern Europe

By Jamal Wakim. Gamal Abdel Nasser announced in 1969 that the battle on the banks of the Suez Canal would decide the fate of the world. This piece explains how. This article discusses the importance of what is happening in the Middle East and the battle taking place there specifically in the region extending from