Designed as the successor to P.M. Holt's classic 1966 book Egypt and the Fertile Crescent, here for the first time in forty years is a comprehensive survey of the Arab Lands under Ottoman rule.

This book is written for students of Middle Eastern and Ottoman history, as well as scholars and general readers looking for historical background on the Arab world. It presents a knowledgeable, unbiasedand insightful guide to the diversity and complexity of society in the Arab lands during the centuries between the region's incorporation into the Ottoman Empire and the wrenching socio-political changes of the 19th century.

Lucidly written, the book introduces the diverse groups who made up Ottoman Arab society government officials, merchants and shopkeepers, peasants, religious scholars, women, ethnic and religious minorities. It shows how their fortunes changed during these pivotal centuries and demonstrates how Ottoman rule transformed the region's political, economic, intellectual and religious life.