The cultural development of the Middle East is a wonderful and rich history. It took me a long time to read this book. At first, I didn't know much about Silk Road, I just knew it was a book about history. Because I am used to reading e-books, it was only after a week of reading that I realized it was an 800-page book.
The ancient Silk Road has a history of intermingling with the East and the West since ancient times. The natural resources and geographical location attracted a great deal of trade in the early days, and as time progressed, it attracted constant intervention from both the West and the East. The interesting thing about the Middle East is that it has absorbed and fused, but has been very determined to produce its own culture. Two of the world's three major religions originated here and have deep roots in the development of many parts of the world.
After reading this book, you will have a much deeper understanding of the Middle East. The story line of this book is very long and has many subplots, after all, history is really so rich. The culture of the Middle East has its own historical path, from ancient Persia to modern Iran. Frankly speaking, we often forget that Iran and Iraq, which is now the scene of many wars, was the ancient Persia, which was a place of academic and commercial development. As the author goes through the path, we can see that the problems of the Middle East do not stem from religion or ethnicity, nor are they as simple as democracy or communism. Early religious factions were rooted in national identity and political demands, respectively. The current Middle Eastern governments have learned to exploit contradictions to their advantage in the midst of great power rivalries, and the vision of freedom, democracy, and communism in the region is not an either-or choice, but rather, it is clear that there are things that people want to pursue more than anything else. Pan-Arabism has taken root as a result of anti-British and anti-American sentiment and international manipulation.
I admire the author's ability to organize the history of the Middle East, and as a Westerner, he tries to present the history from the perspective of the Middle East. Although the Western perspective is still evident in the modern history section, the process of reading this book has helped me to reorganize the little bit of world history that I have learned, expand it, and reconnect it with the present world.
It is to be expected that the political, economic and strategic importance of these regions will continue in the future. The rising power of China is now penetrating the region through the Belt and Road program, and like the US-Russia rivalry in the 20th century, it remains to be seen whether the West or the East, or the Middle Eastern countries themselves, will have a stronger dominant role in the region in the future. However, apart from the change of power, I think it is more valuable to have a deeper understanding of the culture and the thinking of the people in this region.
Article Series
- The Silk Road: A New World History of Human Civilization Spanning Two and a Half Centuries from the Persian Empire to the Contemporary International Scenario (1)
- The Silk Road: A New World History of Human Civilization Spanning Two and a Half Centuries from the Persian Empire to the Contemporary International Scenario (2)
- The Silk Road: A New World History of Human Civilization Spanning Two and a Half Centuries from the Persian Empire to the Contemporary International Scenario (3)
- The Silk Road: A New World History of Human Civilization Spanning Two and a Half Centuries from the Persian Empire to the Contemporary International Scenario (4)
- The Silk Road: A New World History of Human Civilization Spanning Two Thousand Five Hundred Years from the Persian Empire to the Contemporary International Scenario (End)
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