num_pages: 320
description: Despite its reputation for religious intolerance the Middle East has long sheltered many distinctive and strange one regards the Greek prophets as incarnations of God another reveres Lucifer in the form of a peacock and yet another believes that their followers are reincarnated beings who have existed in various forms for thousands of years. These religions represent the last vestiges of the magnificent civilizations in ancient Persia Babylon Egypt in the time of the Pharaohs. Their followers have learned how to survive foreign attacks and the perils of assimilation. But today with the Middle East in turmoil they face greater challenges than ever before.In Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms  former diplomat Gerard Russell ventures to the distant nearly impassable regions where these mysterious religions still cling to survival. He lives alongside the Mandaeans and Ezidis of Iraq the Zoroastrians of Iran the Copts of Egypt and others. He learns their histories participates in their rituals and comes to understand the threats to their communities. Historically a tolerant faith Islam has since the early 20th century witnessed the rise of militant extremist sects. This development along with the rippling effects of Western invasion now pose existential threats to these minority faiths. And as more and more of their youth flee to the West in search of greater freedoms and job prospects these religions face the dire possibility of extinction.Drawing on his extensive travels and archival research Russell provides an essential record of the past present and perilous future of these remarkable religions.
language: English
title: Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms: Journeys Into the Disappearing Religions of the Middle East
publisher: Basic Books