The Breaking of a Thousand Swords: A History of the Turkish Military of Samarra (A.H. 200-275/815-889 C.E.) Contributor(s): Gordon, Matthew S. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0791447960 ISBN-13: 9780791447963 Publisher: State University of New York Press OUR PRICE: $35.10 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: December 2000 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - History | Middle East - General - History | Military - Wars & Conflicts (other) - History | Europe - Medieval |
Dewey: 956.74 |
LCCN: 00026530 |
Series: Suny Medieval Middle East History |
Physical Information: 0.69" H x 5.92" W x 9" (0.98 lbs) 324 pages |
Themes: - Chronological Period - Medieval (500-1453) - Cultural Region - Middle East |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: The Breaking of a Thousand Swords provides a portrait of the Samarran Turks as members of a community with a specific and complex history in the early medieval Islamic world. It considers: the encounter of the Turks as rough, non-Muslim outsiders, with the sedentary, urbane world of Baghdad; the closely related encounter of the Turks with the Islamic tradition in its urban, scholarly guise; the settlement of the Turks, in Baghdad then in Samarra, through the use of land grants and appointments to office; the impact upon the affairs of the Turkish community of not only a military ranking but of a socio-political hierarchy as well; the construction by the Turkish elite of an elaborate network of patronage and support, both within urban Iraq and throughout the provinces (Egypt in particular); and the emergence, and impact, of factionalism within the community. |