The Book of Contemplation Islam and the Crusades

The Crusades as seen through the eyes of Muslims A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION to the understanding of the medieval holy wars between Christians and Muslims, this volume brings together the best and most complete eyewitness account of the Crusades from the perspective of a medieval Muslim writer. Focusing on twelfth-century Arab aristocrat Usama ibn Munqidh’s Book of Contemplationbut also including extracts from The Book of the Staffand Kernels of Refinement, this volume offers a strikingly human portrayal of I slamic perspectives on day-to-day existence, warfare, and the curious European invaders.

Usama ibn Munqidh (1095-û1188) was born in northern Syria and counted among his patrons the mighty sultan Saladin.

Paul M. Cobb is Associate Professor of Arabic and Islamic History at the University of Pennsylvania.