For centuries, Islamic civilization was both ascendant on the battlefield and triumphant in the battle of ideas, while its cities were unrivaled powerhouses of artistic grandeur, commercial power, and spiritual sanctity. Surveying 15 centuries of Islam through these cultural centers, Justin Marozzi discusses such milestones as the Prophet Mohammed receiving his divine revelations in Mecca, the First Crusade of 1099, the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, and the phenomenal creation of the merchant republic of Beirut in the 19th century, and explores how this world is continuing to change today.

"Marozzi is an accomplished and ambitious writer…. He gathers material from every available source—primary texts, both religious and historical, as well as a profusion of secondary ones—and weaves it all together with dexterity."—Wall Street Journal