 First edition (French) | |
| Author | Amin Maalouf |
|---|---|
| Language | French |
| Subject | History |
| Publisher | JC Lattès France Schocken Books United States of America |
Publication date | 1983 1984 English translation |
| Publication place | France |
| ISBN | 0-8052-0898-4 |
| OCLC | 22435105 |
The Crusades Through Arab Eyes (French : Les Croisades vues par les Arabes) is a French language historical essay by Lebanese author Amin Maalouf. [1]
As the name suggests, the book is a narrative retelling of primary sources drawn from various Arab chronicles that seeks to provide an Arab perspective on the Crusades, and especially regarding the Crusaders – the Franj , as the Arabs called them – who were considered cruel, savage, ignorant, and culturally backward. [2]
From the first invasion in the eleventh century through till the general collapse of the Crusades in the thirteenth century, the book constructs a narrative that is the reverse of that common in the Western world, describing the main facts as bellicose and displaying situations of a quaint historic setting, where Western Christians are viewed as "barbarians", and unaware of the most elementary rules of honor, dignity, and social ethics. [3]
