Shah Abbas
Subtitle: the ruthless king who became an Iranian legend
By: David Blow.
Publisher: I.B. Tauris; Distributed in the U.S. by Palgrave Macmillan
Published: 2009
Place of publication: London; New York; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 274
ISBN-13: 9781845119898
Subjects: ʻAbbās -- I, -- Shah of Iran, -- 1571-1629; Iran -- Kings and rulers -- Biography; Iran -- History -- Ṣafavid dynasty, 1501-1736
Genres: Biography
Description: "Can Sudan, one of Africa's most diverse countries, function as an Islamic state? Mahmud Muhammad Taha posed an original answer to this question. Taha was the charismatic leader of the 'Republican Brothers and Sisters', a small group of Sudanese nationalists who called for a mystical, inclusive reinterpretation of Islam that ended traditional legal discriminations against women and non-Muslims. Taha's followers pitched his sometimes controversial mix of law and mysticism on Sudanese street corners in the 1970s. Sudanese Islamist politicians, who used a more divisive interpretation of Islam, opposed him vigorously. When they gained control of the state in the chaotic 1980s, Taha was executed. In Taha's first biography, Edward Thomas explores the life and ideas of an important Sudanese reformer who has become a symbol for resistance, tolerance and human rights."--Bloomsbury publishing.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 259-268) and index.
Table of contents: title: Shah Abbas's inheritance : the birth of a Shi'i state; title: A turbulent childhood and the seizure of power; title: Abbas takes control; title: The recovery of Khurasan from the Uzbeks; title: English adventurers at the service of Shah Abbas; title: Maintaining the offensive : Khurasan, the Persian Gulf, and a challenge to the Ottomans; title: Abbas expels the Ottomans; title: The search for European allies; title: Pressure on the Gulf, mass deportations, and the murder of a son; title: An Anglo-Iranian victory : the capture of Hormuz; title: Final triumphs : the capture of Qandahar and Baghdad; title: A conflict of envoys; title: The English envoys and the death of Abbas; title: Abbas, the man and the king; title: The court of Shah Abbas; title: The throne and mosque alliance; title: The city that was half the world; title: The merchant king; title: Shah Abbas and the arts; title: The later Safavids; title: Conclusion.