An Anti-Crusader Memoir…and More

In light of the fact that the epic film Kingdom of Heaven just opened at the box office, I selected An Arab-Syrian Gentleman and Warrior in the Period of the Crusades as my Book-of-the-Month selection for May 2005. I first read this unique and exciting autobiography about ten years ago, and some recent reading I've been doing on the Crusades brought it to mind again.

This memorable book, which has been translated from the original Arabic by Philip K. Hitti, consists of the memoirs of Usamah Ibn Munqidh (born 1095, died 1188), a Syrian nobleman who fought in the Crusades and participated in other imporant events of his day. These memoirs, entitled Kitab al-'Itibar in Arabic, are incredibly thoughtful and well-written, offering a true personal glimpse into life in the Middle East during the Crusader period. Since Usamah Ibn Munqidh was a contemporary of Salah al-Din Yusuf Ibn Ayyub (known as Saladin in the West), it provides some unique information on this great Islamic leader. Additionally, it provides first-hand accounts of everything from encounters with lions to battles with the Franks — which is what the Crusades were generally called.

In short, I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning about what life was like as a Muslim almost 900 years ago. The only other books that I know of in this genre, both of which I also recommend, are The Travels of Ibn Jubayr (born 1145 in Valencia, and died 1217 in Alexandria, Egypt), which also takes place during the Crusader period, and The Travels of Ibn Battuta (born 1304 in Tangier, Morocco, and died 1369 in Morocco), which takes place a couple of centuries later.

As far as useful and well-written histories of the Crusades that are historical rather than personal narratives, I recommend The Crusades Through Arab Eyes, by Amin Maalouf, and Holy War: The Crusades and Their Impact on Today's World, by Karen Armstrong. Even though I'm not a big fan of Karen Armstrong, since I don't see her as being as sympathetic to Islam as some Muslims apparently do, I think that this is a worthwhile book that ranks amongst her better works.

For anyone who just wants to focus in on the period of the Crusades which is covered rather inaccurately (and what else would you expect from Hollywood?) in the recent Kingdom of Heaven film, I recommend Warriors of God: Richard the Lionheart and Saladin in the Third Crusade, since it's an exciting and balanced read.