| Postal Systems in the Pre-Modern Islamic World Contributor(s): Silverstein, Adam J. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0521147611 ISBN-13: 9780521147613 Publisher: Cambridge University Press OUR PRICE: $39.89 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: June 2010 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Middle East - General - Business & Economics | Commerce |
| Dewey: 380.956 |
| Series: Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization |
| Physical Information: 0.52" H x 6" W x 9" (0.75 lbs) 230 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Middle East |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Adam Silverstein's book offers a fascinating account of the official methods of communication employed in the Near East from pre-Islamic times through the Mamluk period. Postal systems were set up by rulers in order to maintain control over vast tracts of land. These systems, invented centuries before steam-engines or cars, enabled the swift circulation of different commodities - from letters, people and horses to exotic fruits and ice. As the correspondence transported often included confidential reports from a ruler's provinces, such postal systems doubled as espionage-networks through which news reached the central authorities quickly enough to allow a timely reaction to events. The book sheds light not only on the role of communications technology in Islamic history, but also on how nomadic culture contributed to empire-building in the Near East. This is a long-awaited contribution to the history of pre-modern communications systems in the Near Eastern world. |