DEFINITIVE BOOK ON THIS AREA: Beyond the current events of the moment, this book takes a long, deep look at the area and traces the historical, political, and cultural forces that have played out across it. In texts and images, it provides, in the words of one of its authors, "the key to unraveling the enigma" of the Middle East. WRITTEN BY RENOWNED MIDDLE EAST EXPERTS: Respected and wellknown writers and journalists on the Middle East, including David Fromkin, Sandra Mackey, and Milton Viorst, contribute moving essays that bring a deep understanding of the area and peoples in it RENOWNED NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTOGRAPHS: The National Geographic has been documenting the Middle East in photographs for more than a century - in many cases when no other Western journalists were allowed access. Rich archival images along with up-to-the-minute photographs give a comprehensive and dramatic impression of the area. THEMATIC MAPS trace the movements over the long centuries of peoples, empires, and religions as they dominated or influenced the area, making this a timeless reference.