The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East

About this book

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER • An essential guide to the making of the modern Middle East from 1900 to the present: a spellbinding history by the New York Times bestselling author of Jerusalem and The Romanovs"Superb. . . . The Cauldron is a triumph of blood-and-thunder narrative history.” —The Wall Street JournalRenowned historian Simon Sebag Montefiore wades into the ideological battles and geopolitical tensions of the Middle East with a comprehensive and nuanced chronicle that situates the region in the context of its last one hundred and twenty-five years.Few understand the real history of the Middle East; fewer still understand its variety and cosmopolitanism, its complexity and interconnectedness. The Cauldron is a fresh and unique survey of the region in all its diversity. Taking the reader on a spectacular journey from the Ottoman sultanate to the Trump presidency, from Morocco to Iran, this is a dazzling panorama of faith and fanaticism, creativity and tolerance, dictatorship and democracy brought to life by an extraordinary cast of kings, warriors, poets, terrorists, and peacemakers.With his signature style of voice-driven history that made Jerusalem a national bestseller, Montefiore reveals a stunning portrait of the world we have inherited and interrogates the prevailing historical narratives. This is the essential story of how the Middle East of 1900 led to the Middle East of today—and tomorrow.

Details

Format

Hardcover

ISBN-13

9780593805053

Publisher

Knopf Publishing Group

Published

September 29, 2026

Pages

528

Weight

25.6 oz

Subject

History