Unlike most of the cities of Syria, the historic heart of the capital, Damascus, emerged largely unscathed from 14 years of brutal civil war. But amid ongoing sectarian strife, its 4 million citizens remain uncertain of what the future will bring

AN UNSTOPPABLE FORCE?

How England Began: From Roman Britain to the ...

The samurai’s history and legacy, Angela Merkel’s 21st-century military and a new aviation festival

John Tolan Islam A new history from Muhammad to the present 304pp. Princeton University Press. £25 (US $29.95). James McDougall Worlds of Islam A global history 608pp. Allen Lane. £40. Elizabeth Drays

The fall of the Aztec empire in the early 16th century appears to have been one of history’s clearest before-and-after moments. According to the myth, a handful of Spanish conquistadors quickly crushe