Saqi Books

The hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam, is a religious duty to be performed once in a lifetime by all Muslims who are able. The Prophet Muhammad set out the rituals of hajj when he led what became known as the Farewell Hajj in 10 AH (632 AD). This set the seal on Muhammad's career as the founder of a religion and the leader of a political entity based on that religion.

The convergence of the Prophet with the politician infuses the hajj with political, as well as religious, significance. For the caliphs who led the Islamic community after Muhammad's death, leadership of the hajj became a position of enormous political relevance as it presented them with an unrivaled opportunity to proclaim their pious credentials and reinforce their political legitimacy. This unique study analyzes information provided by contemporary sources about the leadership of the Hajj in Islam's formative period, between the seventh and tenth centuries, and assesses the pilgrimage from a political perspective.

A unique study because it collects and analyzes information provided by contemporary sources about the leadership of the Hajj in Islam's formative period, between the seventh and tenth centuries, and uses it to assess the pilgrimage from a political perspective.

Published in advance of a major British Museum exhibition, The Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam, opening in London in January 2012.

M.E. McMillan earned a PhD in Islamic history at the University of St Andrews, and has worked for the UN Security Council as a translator. The author lives in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Can democracy and Islam cohere? Ibrahim Moussawi asserts that Wilayat al-Faqih, or rule by the jurisprudent, the theory upon which the Islamic Republic was constructed, upholds both individual and communal rights, and provides scope for citizens to express their interests. Moussawi argues that in today's Iran, politics and religion are neither rigid nor diametrically opposed.

Ibrahim Moussawi is head of media relations for Hizbullah in Lebanon, and the editor of the party's newspaper al-Intiqad. He has an MA in political science and a doctorate in philosophy of Islamic studies. He frequently appears as a political analyst and commentator on CNN and Sky News.

This long-awaited sequel to the classic Genesis of Arabic Narrative Discourse investigates a number of crucial questions related to the genre’s development. For example, can the study of this genre provide us with wider insights into the culture as a whole? And how have writers in one Arab country influenced those in others?

These are just some of the issues addressed through close reading of authors such as Yusuf Idris, ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sharqawi, and Edwar al-Kharrat, among others.

Sabry Hafez is a professor of modern Arabic and comparative literature at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

Based on the masterful twelfth-century Sufi poem “The Conference of the Birds,” this enchanting poem is accompanied by original illustrations painted on ceramic tiles, typical of the medieval Persian style.

It was one night while soaring in the Chinese sky,
I heard people talk of a great bird that flew by,
Called Simurgh, the greatest bird alive,
Who dwells on Mount Qaf, where he is said to thrive,
Upon a giant mountain unlike any other seen, covered with trees,
Beyond Samarkand, across seven valleys and seven seas.

Hooda Shawa Qaddumi teaches English as a Second Language at Kuwait University.

Vanessa Hodgkinson is the Levy-Plumb Artist in Residence at Christ’s College, Cambridge.

The Druze, who can be traced back to eleventh-century Levant, have long intrigued scholars of the Middle East. Their obscure origins and blending of beliefs from Ismali Shi‘ism, animism, Greek philosophy, Jewish and Christian mysticism, Iranian Gnosticism, and Buddhism have set them apart from their neighbors.

The author reveals the remarkable Druze pantheon of semi-deities and investigates their dogmas and rituals. The book also includes rarely seen extracts from the sacred writings of the Druze.

Philip Khuri Hitti (1886–1978) was born in Lebanon and taught at Princeton University from 1926 to 1954.

“Being a woman in Iran is hard, and working as a woman photographer is even harder.”—Shadi Ghadirian

Shadi Ghadirian is one of Iran’s leading contemporary photographers. Born in Tehran in 1974, she has exhibited widely in Europe and the United States, and her work has been collected by museums worldwide.

She came to the limelight in the late 1990s with her Qajar series, in which she examines the paradoxical position of women in Iran. Women in traditional clothing pose with items such as a mountain bike or a boom box.

Rose Issa is a freelance curator, specializing in contemporary visual arts and films from the Arab world and Iran.

Since the oil boom of the 1970s, the Gulf Cooperation Council States have attempted to achieve economic stability and realize their development goals. Such efforts have so far been in vain, however, as the states' autocratic governments have closed off their political systems with the support of international allies, especially the United States.

In this timely and comprehensive analysis of the political economies of the GCC since the 1970s to the present, Yousef Khalifa Al-Yousef examines the factors responsible for the failure of the states to achieve lasting change in development and security. Focusing on institutional structures where oil wealth has been confined to the few, and the consequences of failed legitimacy at home that has led to dependence on foreign powers, Al-Yousef charts the consistent disparities between governance and the needs of the local population, to the detriment of genuine development.

"The Arab world's greatest living poet."—The New York Times

"Adonis is one of the most important major literary figures of our century. His vision is extraordinary, his poetry sublime . . . a master of our times."—V. S. Naipaul

At first glance, Sufism and Surrealism appear to be as far removed from one another as is possible. Adonis, however, draws convincing parallels between the two, contesting that God, in the traditional sense, does not exist in Surrealism or in Sufism, and that both are engaged in parallel quests for the nature of the Absolute, through "holy madness" and the deregulation of the senses.

This is a remarkable investigation into the common threads of thought that run through seemingly polarised philosophies from East and West, written by a man Edward Said referred to as "the most eloquent spokesman and explorer of Arab modernity."

Adonis is one of the most celebrated poets and essayists of the Arab world. Born in Syria in 1930, he fled political persecution and settled in Lebanon in the 1950s, where he led the modernist movement in Arabic poetry. He has written more than thirty books in Arabic, including the pioneering work An Introduction to Arab Poetics, and was awarded the Goethe Prize in 2011 for his contribution to international literature. His other awards include the Spiros Vergos Prize for Freedom of Expression, the Bjørnson Prize, the International Nâzim Hikmet Poetry Award, and the Syria-Lebanon Best Poet Award.

“Boullata takes the reader close to the struggle of those visionary, obstinate Palestinian artists who create so that their anonymous heroic land with its ancestral olive trees may survive.”—John Berger

“It is rare and exciting to find an art book full of persuasive, urgent visual imagery whose language and strategies are ultimately unfamiliar, whatever their surface appearance, to the complacent western eye. And it is refreshing to sense that the pull of much of the work derives from and points back to Palestinian culture itself, rather than being necessarily part of the self-conscious east-west discourse which so preoccupied Edward Said. As such it represents another advance in international understanding of Palestinian history and aspiration, but determinedly through the artist's eye.”—Guardian UK

This diverse selection features pre-1948 paintings alongside contemporary media works, highlighting the political concerns of Palestinian artists and their unique contributions to modern Arab culture. Works by artists who live in Palestine are examined alongside those of artists from the Palestinian diaspora.

Kamal Boullata is a painter and writer. His writings on Palestinian art have appeared in numerous art and academic periodicals, and he recently edited Belonging and Globalisation: Critical Essays on Contemporary Art and Culture (Saqi Books).

"A detailed and fascinating biography."—The Economist

"A masterpiece of scholarship. . . . [Vassiliev] has managed to bring to life the legacy of one of Saudi Arabia's most interesting and influential figures."—Anoush Ehteshami, Durham University

In 1964 Faisal bin Abdul Aziz became king of a country holding a quarter of the world's oil reserves, also home to Mecca and Medina. He was called "the most powerful Arab ruler in centuries." Eleven years later, in front of television cameras, his nephew shot him at point-blank range.

In this authoritative biography, Alexei Vassiliev tells the story of a pious, cautious and resolute leader who steered Saudi Arabia through a minefield of domestic problems, inter-Arab relations and the decline of Soviet influence in the Middle East. King Faisal maintained ties with both Egypt and the United States through two Arab-Israeli wars and the 1973 Arab oil embargo, which revolutionized the world energy market. Throughout, he staked high hopes on cooperation with the United States, a relationship that is still vital to both countries' interests.

Exhaustively researched and including original documents and interviews in Arabic, Russian, and English, King Faisal of Saudi Arabia offers a unique perspective of this seminal figure and is key to understanding the Arab world today.

Alexei Vassiliev is Honorary President of the Institute for African Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences. He is the author of over forty books, including the acclaimed The History of Saudi Arabia, winner of the Choice Outstanding Academic Book Award, and Central Asia: Political and Economic Challenges in the Post-Soviet Era.

"A unique book. . . . al-Azm sought to strip Arab thought of its belief in fate and folk tales and superstition. . . . He told his people the sort of truths that outsiders are too embarrassed to tell, even when they were themselves able to see these truths."—Fouad Ajami

The 1967 War—which led to the defeat of Syria, Jordan, and Egypt by Israel—felt like an unprecedented and unimaginable disaster for the Arab world at the time. For many, the easiest solution was to shift the blame and to ignore some of the glaring defects of Arab society.

Hailed as one of the foremost Arab intellectuals of recent decades, Sadik al-Azm was one of the few to challenge such a view in his seminal Self-Criticism After the Defeat. In it, he offered a penetrating analysis that probed deep into Arab society, and reasoned that Arabs had to embrace democracy, gender equality, and science to achieve progress.

Self-Criticism After the Defeat represents a milestone in modern Arab intellectual history. It marked a turning point in Arab discourse about society and politics on publication in 1968, and spawned other intellectual ventures into Arab self-criticism. This is the first translation of the work into English.

Born in Damascus in 1934, Sadik al-Azm is professor emeritus of modern European philosophy at the University of Damascus, Syria. He earned his PhD (1961) from Yale University, and was visiting professor in the department of near Eastern studies at Princeton University until 2008.

Renowned art historian Hamid Keshmirshekan explores contemporary art in Iran and considers the relationship between its cultural past, modernism, and the issue of contemporaneity with regard to cultural specificity.

Using over three hundred color illustrations, Keshmirshekan contends that the twentieth century is a crucial period in the culture and art of Iran—when the legacies of tradition and modernism were being critically reviewed and the artistic concerns were indivisible from ideological ones.

Hamid Keshmirshekan is an art historian, critic, visiting fellow at the faculty of Oriental Studies at the University of Oxford, and editor-in-chief of the bilingual quarterly Art Tomorrow.

“Let there be spaces in your togetherness.
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.” Khalil Gibran

Inspired by love poems from the Arab and Muslim world, Hassan Massoudy’s elegant, swirling compositions capture in calligraphy what countless poets have wrought with words. Through broad strokes and vibrant colours, the artist conveys the essence and meaning of love as captured by Rumi, Khalil Gibran, Ibn Zaydoun and Paul Eluard among others.

With over one hundred colour illustrations, Calligraphies of Love is a unique gift book bringing together new works by one of the greatest calligraphers of our time.

Hassan Massoudy was born in 1944 in Najaf, southern Iraq. He moved to Baghdad in 1961 where he learnt the various classical styles of calligraphy, and studied graphic design and fine arts. He then studied at L’École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France, where he was further influenced by the art of Leger, Matisse, Soulages and Picasso. Massoudy’s work has been exhibited throughout Europe and the Middle East, and is in the permanent collections of the British Museum in London and the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, among others. His other publications in English include The Calligrapher’s Garden.

This powerful collection of poems details the harrowing experiences endured by Abani and other political prisoners at the hands of Nigeria’s military regime in the late 1980s.

Born in Qazvin, Iran, in 1944, Koorosh Shishegaran is considered one of the most expressive and emotive artists of the contemporary Iranian art movement.

In a career spanning six decades, he has established himself as an artist of great discipline, social awareness and manual skill, working in a wide array of different media, from graphic design to painting, photography and furniture design.

Drawing inspiration from Iranian visual culture, Shishegaran is best known for his scribble line abstract paintings (Khat-khatis). These dynamic colourful lines, depicting the contemporary human condition, enabled the artist to find a style and language expressive of the modern era.

With contributions from leading experts in the field and featuring over 300 colour plates, Koorosh Shishegaran: The Art of Altruism brings together the life and works of the artist for the first time, showcasing his various artistic phases and outlining his progressive approach to art-making and distribution.

About Koorosh Shishegaran

Koorosh Shishegaran (b. 1944) received a BA in Interior Design from the Tehran Faculty of Decorative Arts in 1973. He has since participated widely in solo and group exhibitions around the world, including Art Dubai (2015); Shirin Gallery, Tehran (2015); Unedited History. Iran 1960–2014, at MAXXI, Rome (2015) and Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (2014); Opera Gallery, London (2012); Beijing Biennial (2003); Barbican Centre, London (2001); Meridian Center exhibitions in the United States (2001–03).

Designed as a reader for intermediate students of Arabic and those who may wish to broaden their appreciation of leading Middle Eastern writers, this collection features stories in both Arabic and English translation. Prefaced by an author biography plus notes on context and background, each story is followed by a glossary and discussion of problematic language points.

Authors include Naguib Mahfouz, Edwar al-Kharrat, Hanan al-Shaykh, Layla al-Uthman, and Mohamed Choukri.

Ronak Husni is a senior lecturer at Heriot-Watt University, teaching Arabic language, literature, and translation.

Daniel L. Newman is the course director of the MA in Arabic/English Translation at the University of Durham and the author of An Imam in Paris (Saqi Books).

Who shot Kamar al-Dawar Alwan? Was it a crime of passion? What was the role of the beautiful peasant girl Rim? Is the mysterious Sheikh Asfur as crazy as he seems? Partly autobiographical, Diary of a Country Prosecutor is an Egyptian comedy of errors. Imbued with the ideals of a European education, the young public prosecutor encounters a world of poverty and backwardness where an imported legal system is both alien and incomprehensible.

Tawfik al-Hakim was born in Alexandria in 1898 and studied law in Paris. He became the Arab world’s leading dramatist, as well as a major short story writer.

“This book addresses one of the great conundrums of the Arab Awakening: the failure of moderate political Islam. A highly timely analysis ... it offers an excellent insight into one of the most acute crises that faces the Islamic world today.”—George Joffé, University of Cambridge

“Alison Pargeter's outstanding book offers a devastating portrait of Muslim Brotherhood groups in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya. Combining strong reporting with level-headed analysis, Return to the Shadows is a must-read account for policymakers and academics alike.”—Eric Trager, Esther K. Wagner Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy

“Over the last five years the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia has undergone dramatic vicissitudes that will shape the future of political Islam. Alison Pargeter retraces these developments with a masterful analysis enriched by access to excellent primary sources.”—Lorenzo Vidino, Director of the Program on Extremism, George Washington University

The Arab Spring heralded a profound shift in the Middle East, bringing to power Islamist movements which had previously been operating in the shadows. The Muslim Brotherhood stormed to victory in Egypt and emerged as a key player in Libya’s nascent political arena. Meanwhile, An-Nahda found itself catapulted into power as the head of Tunisia’s coalition government. For a while, it looked as though the region was entering the dawn of a new Islamist age.

But navigating their respective countries through difficult and painful transitions ultimately proved too challenging for these forces, and, just as suddenly, the Brotherhood was dramatically overthrown in Egypt and left severely weakened in Libya. In Tunisia, An-Nahda managed to pull itself through the crisis, but its failure to articulate and deliver the hopes and aspirations of a large section of Tunisian society damaged its credibility.

In this authoritative account, Alison Pargeter expertly charts the Islamists’ ascent and subsequent fall from power. Based on extensive research and interviews with high ranking members of the Brotherhood and An-Nahda, Pargeter offers a comparative analysis of the movement in North Africa since the Arab Spring, and outlines the consequences of the Brotherhood’s decline on both the region and the wider Islamist political project.

Alison Pargeter is an analyst specialising in the Middle East and North Africa. She has held academic positions at the University of Cambridge and King's College, London, and is now a Senior Research Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI). Her previous publications include The Muslim Brotherhood: From Opposition to Power, The New Frontiers of Jihad: Radical Islam in Europe, and Libya: The Rise and Fall of Gaddafi.

Suleiman's reign as Sultan marked the apogee of Ottoman power. His empire held dominion over three continents, and, populated by more than thirty million inhabitants, prospered under a well-directed and authoritarian economy. In this celebrated book André Clot successfully produces both a life of the man and a stimulating popular history of the Ottoman Empire during this period.

André Clot (1909–2002) was a French historian and journalist. He lived in Turkey and the Middle East for many years and was an expert on Islam.