The History of Arabia

The History of Arabia, Ancient and Modern is a two-volume study, first published in 1833, by the Scottish Presbyterian cleric and man of letters Andrew Crichton (1790¿1855). In his preface, Crichton presents his book as a first effort to ¿connect the past with the illustrations of modern discovery so as to exhibit the whole in moderate compass,¿ that is, in only two volumes. He acknowledges the ill-informed and prejudicial views that many readers bring to the subject of Islam, and states that he seeks to create a simple chronological narrative free of the ¿uncharitable rancour¿ of earlier authors. For the most part he succeeds in this task, helped by the ethnographic knowledge supplied by European travelers that was unavailable to earlier writers and by the many newer translations of works by Arab historians. The book covers the pre-Islamic history of Arabia, the mission of Muhammad in the seventh century, the Arab conquests of North Africa and Spain, and the history of the Abbasid caliphs of Baghdad.