The grisly fate of more than 16,000 soldiers and civilians during the First Anglo-Afghan War serves as a timeless lesson in hubris and bad leadership

The beauty of Lancashire’s Lune valley emerges from ...

By spring 1941, the Afrika Korps was advancing across eastern Libya towards Egypt and the Suez Canal. But a dusty port town lay in their path

The last time most Libyans saw Saif al-Islam Gaddafi alive was in 2021. Muammar Gaddafi’s son, who for some time had been considered his heir apparent, had not been seen for years before, to the exten

Leading historians share the texts that have inspired and informed their work

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