Middle Eastern Millitary/General discussion post Islam.

Well there are always some people that translate and share for free, and I hope there were more as I still haven't found a free version of Tactica.

Also, this will be a bit off topic and I hope you don't mind, do you know of any decent source about the Taifa period? I'm interested in their interactions with the Christian Kingdoms of Iberia but I don't find anything other than the interactions during the Kingdom of Asturias period.

I wouldn't know, al-Andalus is not my area of expertise.
 
Also, this will be a bit off topic and I hope you don't mind, do you know of any decent source about the Taifa period? I'm interested in their interactions with the Christian Kingdoms of Iberia but I don't find anything other than the interactions during the Kingdom of Asturias period.

I suppose you meant the First Taifa period, right?
If it's the case, I think that most of history textbooks focusing on al-Andalusian history would describe it in at least one chapter. I doubt portuguese or english books are vastly different on this matter than french books. I mean virtually every textbook on medieval Spain that I went into did : If really you can't find any, I could try to scan what I have but it would be in French, but I was under the impression that Portuguese studies hold well their own when it came to describing Arabo-Andalusian history.

As a primary source, is a bit passionated, Kitab al-Muqtabis fi tarikh al-Andalus, or Kitab al-Matin (lost but recorded by Ibn Hassam), by Ibn Hayyan is probably the best primary source.

t if you want a specialized book, there's one that I think is particularily good, but in my knowledge wasn't translated in english or portuguese (but was in spanish, so if you can read it, go for it) : Les Royaumes des Taifas by Pierre Guichard, who is one of the leading authorities in Arabo-Andalusian studies.

But, really, a trustworthy textbook on medieval Spain will or should include a significant part on descriving taifas.
 
I suppose you meant the First Taifa period, right?
If it's the case, I think that most of history textbooks focusing on al-Andalusian history would describe it in at least one chapter. I doubt portuguese or english books are vastly different on this matter than french books. I mean virtually every textbook on medieval Spain that I went into did : If really you can't find any, I could try to scan what I have but it would be in French, but I was under the impression that Portuguese studies hold well their own when it came to describing Arabo-Andalusian history.

As a primary source, is a bit passionated, Kitab al-Muqtabis fi tarikh al-Andalus, or Kitab al-Matin (lost but recorded by Ibn Hassam), by Ibn Hayyan is probably the best primary source.

t if you want a specialized book, there's one that I think is particularily good, but in my knowledge wasn't translated in english or portuguese (but was in spanish, so if you can read it, go for it) : Les Royaumes des Taifas by Pierre Guichard, who is one of the leading authorities in Arabo-Andalusian studies.

But, really, a trustworthy textbook on medieval Spain will or should include a significant part on descriving taifas.

Portuguese textbooks (don't know about the Uni ones) tend to be very selective...we don't like to speak about conflict so we just go independence-feudal period-finish reconquista-explanations.

We also skip the war part of the Napoleonic wars, the war of 1640, we never speak about our involvement in the seven years war, speaking about the conflicts in India during the 16th 17 th century is overlooked (with some exceptions on the Dutch war), etc...

Our history textbooks focus more on the society of the time in question and the economy.

Funny enough while studying to my exam on the 12th grade I knew more about English and French economical protectionist measures than I knew about what with did in the 17th century.
 
Portuguese textbooks (don't know about the Uni ones) tend to be very selective...we don't like to speak about conflict so we just go independence-feudal period-finish reconquista-explanations.
Go for university-level textbooks : they're generally a good generalized description and first secondary sources immediatly avaible in any important enough university library.

Funny enough while studying to my exam on the 12th grade I knew more about English and French economical protectionist measures than I knew about what with did in the 17th century.
Well, secondary grades 'History classes tend to go for a broader view on History in most of Europe : french lycées History classes for what matter ancient world, are mostly focused on Mediterranean and North Sea basin rather than just France for instance.

But I digress : go for uni textbooks or uni-level books, and you'd have generally good introductions on the topic you're interested in. Don't hesitate going to universitary librairies and ask for guidance, even if you're not a student there.
 
@LSCatilina thanks for the help man really appreciate that.

Regarding going to a Uni library, my University doesn't has a History Course, we are a science focus university, so no history books but when I in Porto next time I will do that.
 
Portuguese textbooks (don't know about the Uni ones) tend to be very selective...we don't like to speak about conflict so we just go independence-feudal period-finish reconquista-explanations.

We also skip the war part of the Napoleonic wars, the war of 1640, we never speak about our involvement in the seven years war, speaking about the conflicts in India during the 16th 17 th century is overlooked (with some exceptions on the Dutch war), etc...

Our history textbooks focus more on the society of the time in question and the economy.

Funny enough while studying to my exam on the 12th grade I knew more about English and French economical protectionist measures than I knew about what with did in the 17th century.

Apparently there are translations of Tarikh Tabari and other Abbasid period works, so I would imagine that there would be English translations of similar Qurtubah and Taifah works, though I am not sure.

I certainly would not know where to find Portuguese works of any kind.
 
I'd like to have informations about the general relationship of Nubian kingdoms and the various Arabo-Islamic provinces or states established in Egypt between the Xth and the XVIth.
I'm under the impression it different from Nigerian basin states, as Nubians weren't islamized and more prone to be attacked by emiral/caliphal authorities than peripherical peoples.

I'd be especially interested on the Mameluk and the early Ottoman periods from one hand, and from the nature of Islamization of the lower Nile region : was it coming mostly from Egypt, or did Arabian entities played a role?
 
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