by A R Azzam
Studies from Oxford University
and is the author of several books,
including Rumi and the Kingdom
of Joy and The Travels of Ibn
Battuta. His background as an
Islamic scholar, with access to
both original Arabic and western
sources, has given him a uniquely
authoritative perspective on
Saladin and his world.
£ 25.00
A . R . A z z ^ m
Saladin was an outsider with
a life full of paradoxes. Famed
for driving the Crusaders out
of Jerusalem, he became the
most powerful man in the
Islamic Empire. Yet he died
penniless, without enough
money even to line his coffin.
In this groundbreaking new
biography, A. R. Azzam
uncovers the real Saladin
by placing him in historical
context amidst the 10th and
11th century Sunni Revival -
the powerful and sweeping
intellectual renaissance which
would ultimately transform
every field of Islamic thought.
Azzam contends that Saladin
was not the brilliant military
commander of popular
imagination but that his
true greatness lay in his
political and spiritual vision.
This book tells his fascinating
and complex story.
ISBN 978-1-4058-0736-4
Front cover: Portrait of Saladin (1138-93) (colour litho)
(detail of 4623), Arabic School / British Library, London,
UK, © British Library Board. All Rights Reserved /
The Bridgeman Art Library
www.pearson-books.com