The evolution of the Arab empire is a story dazzlingly rich in drama and achievement. Just like the Romans, the Arabs came from nowhere to carve out a vast dominion—except that they achieved their conquests not over the course of centuries, but in a matter of decades. Exploring the momentous encounters of Muslim, Jewish, and Christian cultures, the author of Rubicon traces a transformation of human society that has had incalculable consequences for the world of today.