Book Name : Saladin
Author : John Man
Genre : Non-Fiction
What is it about? : Life of Sultan Saladin, focusing mainly on the crusades and the buildup to the Battle of Hattin.
How I came to read it : I had first heard about Saladin while playing the video game "Age of Empires 2" as a kid. It featured a whole level with Saladin as the main character. My interest in him piqued after that but I never actually made an effort to read a book about him. Recently my brother sent me a youtube video clip of the movie "Kingdom of Heaven" which shows a conversation between Saladin and Balien (Defender of Jerusalem) during the Battle of Hattin. This clip roused my interest again and promptly I requested my friend, who is a member of the Vancouver Public Library to get it for me which he did.
Did I like it? : Liked it. But I couldn't help but compare John Man's writing with that of William Dalrymple's. I felt that Dalrymples's writing has a dreamy quality to it which Man's writing lacks. On that note, I would suggest any history fan to definitely give Dalrymples's 'City of Djinns' a read. Delhi will never look the same again after that book.
Why/views/summary :
Author : John Man
Genre : Non-Fiction
What is it about? : Life of Sultan Saladin, focusing mainly on the crusades and the buildup to the Battle of Hattin.
How I came to read it : I had first heard about Saladin while playing the video game "Age of Empires 2" as a kid. It featured a whole level with Saladin as the main character. My interest in him piqued after that but I never actually made an effort to read a book about him. Recently my brother sent me a youtube video clip of the movie "Kingdom of Heaven" which shows a conversation between Saladin and Balien (Defender of Jerusalem) during the Battle of Hattin. This clip roused my interest again and promptly I requested my friend, who is a member of the Vancouver Public Library to get it for me which he did.
Did I like it? : Liked it. But I couldn't help but compare John Man's writing with that of William Dalrymple's. I felt that Dalrymples's writing has a dreamy quality to it which Man's writing lacks. On that note, I would suggest any history fan to definitely give Dalrymples's 'City of Djinns' a read. Delhi will never look the same again after that book.
Why/views/summary :
I am a history fan. That's one of the reasons I picked this book. And John Man beautifully traces the life and times of Saladin nicely.
Before I go further let me just give a brief overview of who Saladin was for those of you who are unaware of his life. Saladin was a king of Egypt and Syria during the 1170s. He was the founder of the Ayyubid Dynasty.
The book starts off with explaining the situation of the lands before the birth of Saladin, then during his childhood and later as a young man. Then the author details how Saladin gained experience of battles and administration. And finally the penultimate chapters details the build up to the Battle of Hattin, which was Saladin's greatest achievement. The last 2 chapters are devoted to explain what made Saladin great and about his leadership qualities.
Why should you read it? :
In these times of religious strife the book gives a better understanding of the dynamics of the Crusades and brings forward the story of one of Islam's most famous and righteous king.
Why should you read it? :
In these times of religious strife the book gives a better understanding of the dynamics of the Crusades and brings forward the story of one of Islam's most famous and righteous king.
No comments:
Post a Comment