Danny Bird You open your book by recounting a chance visit to an old mosque in Cyprus. What was so significant about that moment? Tharik Hussain Nothing changed for me on the day itself, because I kne

It was the summer of 1066 and two powerful leaders were rallying their supporters behind them and preparing for war. Their clash would result in political chaos, the spilling of much blood, and one of

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“America is lost! Must we fall beneath the blow? Or have we resources that may repair the mischiefs?” These are the opening words of a memo in the hand of George III in the wake of the 1783 Peace of P

The success of any short history lies in the art of omission. When dealing with a country as historically rich and varied as Japan, the challenge lies in deciding what to summarise broadly, what to co

The poor citizens of Al-Jazira al-Khadra never knew what hit them. In 859, an unfamiliar fleet sailed into the bay separating this Muslim settlement – which later evolved into the city of Algeciras, n