Category Archives: Book Review

Afghan Hinterland

Posted on July 19, 2009 by Muller

The country is 30 years at war, more or less continuously. Landlocked Afghanistan is not really Central Asia, and definitely not the Middle East. It has always been in-between. Its history may be described as a series of failed attempts … Continue reading →

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In East Anatolia

Posted on July 8, 2009 by Muller

Rebel Land [1] is the story about the ethnic and religious conflicts in East Anatolia in the 20th century. It is remarkable as it blends known and largely unknown historical facts with personal experiences of an investigative journalist and very … Continue reading →

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Najasat-e Ahl-e Kitab

Posted on March 12, 2009 by Muller

Daniel Tsadik. Between Foreigners and Shi’is. Nineteenth-Century Iran and its Jewish Minority. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California 2007, 295 pages. When Cyrus the Great freed the Jews from Babylonian Captivity in 539 BCE, some of them did not return to … Continue reading →

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Islamic Geometric Patterns

Posted on November 16, 2008 by Muller

The English translation of Eric Broug’s nice booklet on Islamic geometric patterns has just been published by Thames and Hudson. Islamic geometric patterns may contribute to the impression of a haven of tranquility and relaxation in paradise gardens or may … Continue reading →

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From Aradan

Posted on September 16, 2008 by Muller

    Kasra Naji. Ahmadinejad: The Secret History of Iran’s Radical Leader. University of California Press, Berkeley 2008, 312 pages.  There is an urgent need for an unbiased and more detailed analysis of the origins of this son of a … Continue reading →

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