Since the earliest times, numbers have exercised a special hold on the human imagination. In this fascinating book, the author, one of the world's foremost authorities on Sufism and Islamic mysticism, explores the symbolism of numbers through the ages, from ancient Mesopotamia up to contemporary European folk cultures. We learn why a particular number has been assigned its symbolic value in a religious or philosophical tradition, and how that symbolism has been expressed in superstitions, proverbs, and figures of speech. The book begins with a historical and thematic overview of the development of counting systems and mathematics and their role in various philosophical and religious systems. After a brief chapter on historical number puzzles, Schimmel proceeds from one symbolic number to the next. The text is enlivened throughout by illustrations showing how numeric symbolism has been represented in art and architecture.