This is an essential book for understanding the emergence of the modern Middle East from the destruction of the old Ottoman world. How the rule of law was restored to the birthplace ce of Judaism and Christianity, Damascus, after a massacre in 1860s, and the veneration in Island, the eastern littoral of the Mediterranean  Sea,  the most historically burdened place in the world. For centuries this city has drawn in powerful states aspiring to hegemony over the Holy Land, as the minorities sought refuge  from persecution and pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem and Mecca. Russian warships refuel at their … Continue reading Lost world of the Middle East Under Ottoman