Saracen Strongholds AD 630-1050: The Middle East and Central Asia (Fortress) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

As a big fan of Prof.David Nicolle's writings, I was disappointed in this book.

I had assumed it would be a book looking at various major and important fortresses and fortified castles in the Islamic world, and the kind of technologies they used for defense, and defensive/offensive weapons and tactics.

Instead the book was mostly a hodge-podge of scattered facts about building materials and gate/wall designs of various cities (big and small) across the region.

At one paragraph we'd get details (too much actually) about baked mud brick walls of some minor Ummayad desert palace, then in the next paragraph we'd jump to tower designs of some obscure Central Asian city walls. It all gets redundant and boring quite quickly.

There is no over-arching lay-out, nor any sense of how these cities were defended/assaulted. Nor any analysis of the innovations and progress of building technology and designs.

Equally disappointing were the illustrations by the otherwise-excellent Adam Hook. Rather than re-creations of the castles/fortresses discussed, instead we get a painting of some historic figures/warriors standing in front of a section of a wall/gate/tower, without any sense of postion or context.

I sense this is a book Prof.Nicolle wrote in a hurry and without much thought or passion. Big disappointment.

This is a knowledgeable account of the subject, but not for idle browsers, only for those really interested in the subject.

From the Introduction -
"The histories of most of those peoples and states that would be conquered by Islamic armies are better documented. However, the story of their military architecture is not always as clear cut, and was certainly not a story of straightforward technological and architectural `progress'. While there is compelling evidence that Romano-Byzantine military architecture had a profound influence upon that of the early Islamic period, it was not alone. It also tended to the localised and was much more important during the Umayyad Caliphate (AD 661-759) than in later centuries."

"During the pre-Islamic period the frontier zone, or `limes' between Romano-Byzantine-ruled Syria-Jordan and the Arabian steppes or deserts included strongly-fortified towns that mainly served as trading centres, By the 5th and 6th centuries they were similarly dotted with monasteries, many in what had been Roman frontier forts, especially under Ghassanid Arab rule when the frontier was prosperous and largely peaceful. Following the Arab-Islamic takeover this was no longer a frontier zone, but instead lay at the heart of an expanding empire."

"Fortified cities and towns were important from the very start of Islamic history, the first Muslim armies having to take such places in order to win and maintain control. The invaders not only captured siege equipment, but proved fully capable of using it, and of then defending the fortifications they thus won. Muslim Arab garrisons were soon installed in conquered forts while existing or newly founded towns served as garrison bases for further campaigns. For example, the huge fortified city of Marw on what had been the north-eastern frontier of the Sassanian Empire served just one purpose, especially as the Arabs now faced stiffer resistance from the militarily powerful principalities of Central Asia and Afghanistan... Meanwhile back in Iraq, Basra was an even more important military base, but being near the centre of the rapidly expanding Islamic empire, was not thought to require fortification."

The Contents are -
P04: Introduction
.The historical context
P12: Design and Development
.The early Caliphate and the Umayyad Empire; The `Abbasid golden age; Fragmentation and Fortification
P40: The Living Sites
.The fortified cities
P48: The Sites at War
.Offensive bases; Castles under siege; Cities under siege and civil conflict
P57: Aftermath
P59: The Sites Today
P61: Bibliography P63: Glossary
P64: Index

The Colour Plates
P06: Map - The Fertile Crescent, Egypt and Arabia
P07: Map - Iran and the Caucasus
P10: Map - The Eastern Frontier from Central Asia to India
P15: Colour Plate - The smaller enclosure at Quasr al-Hagr al-Sharqi. This shows a wall and decorated gate with figures and camels in the foreground.
P22-23: Colour Plate - One of the main gate complexes of the round city of Baghdad. A  birds-eye view, with a small plan and side view.
P35: Colour Plate - The `Abassid Desert-Palace of Ukhaidir ("combines poor masonry with scientific design").This is a ground-level view of an internal courtyard with figures and a peacock; along with vertical sections through the walls.
P43: Colour Plate - The Jawsaq al-Khaqari Palace at Sammara. This is a distant view of the still-standing `monumental' three-arched main entrance, with five figures in the foreground and tiny fighting figures in the distance; with an inset plan.
P47: Colour Plate - The Carved Gate of the Citadel at Harran. A  view from above, with 12 figures on the battlements and even more at ground level attacking the gate.
P51: Colour Plate - The Repairing of Haruniye Castle, AD 967. This shows 10 figures in various poses in the covered gallery.
P59: Colour Plate - The Surrender of Quala' I-I Kakhakha in AD 999. This is a frontal view of this small citadel set in the wall of the city of Bunjikath with 5 figures and 3 horses busy surrendering among themselves.

There are copious colour and monochrome illustrations supporting the text.

Judging from the state of these strongholds, it looks like the Saracens took out adjustable rate mortgages and then flew the coop when they couldn't keep up the payments.