{"product_id":"postal-systems-in-the-pre-modern-islamic-world-paperback-9780521147613","title":"Postal Systems in the Pre-Modern Islamic World (Paperback) 9780521147613","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003ePostal Systems in the Pre-Modern Islamic World\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA fascinating account of the official methods of communication employed in the pre-modern Near East.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eAdam J. Silverstein (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780521147613, Cambridge University Press\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback, published 24 June 2010\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e230 pages\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.2 x 1.3 cm, 0.34 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\"The greatest value of this work to scholars and students interested in the premodern Islamic world is that Silverstein places this detailed description of postal systems into the broader picture of the political traditions of particular dynasties and rulers, notably the pre-Umayyads, Umayyads, Abbasids, Samanids, Chaznavids, Fatimids, Seljuks, Il-Khanids, and Malmuks.\" - The Historian\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eAdam Silverstein's book offers a fascinating account of the official methods of communication employed in the Near East from pre-Islamic times through the Mamluk period. Postal systems were set up by rulers in order to maintain control over vast tracts of land. These systems, invented centuries before steam-engines or cars, enabled the swift circulation of different commodities - from letters, people and horses to exotic fruits and ice. As the correspondence transported often included confidential reports from a ruler's provinces, such postal systems doubled as espionage-networks through which news reached the central authorities quickly enough to allow a timely reaction to events. The book sheds light not only on the role of communications technology in Islamic history, but also on how nomadic culture contributed to empire-building in the Near East. This is a long-awaited contribution to the history of pre-modern communications systems in the Near Eastern world.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eList of maps\u003cbr\u003e Acknowledgements\u003cbr\u003e List of abbreviations\u003cbr\u003e Introduction\u003cbr\u003e Part I. The Pre-Islamic Background: 1. Pre-Islamic postal systems\u003cbr\u003e Part II. Conquest and Centralisation - The Arabs: 2. al-Bar?d: the early Islamic postal system\u003cbr\u003e 3. D?w?n al-Bar?d: the Middle Abbasid period\u003cbr\u003e Part  III. Conquest and Centralisation - The Mongols: 4. The Mongol Y?m and its legacy\u003cbr\u003e 5. The Mamluk Bar?d\u003cbr\u003e Conclusions\u003cbr\u003e Appendix: distances and speeds of the Bar?d\u003cbr\u003e Bibliography\u003cbr\u003e Index.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eSubject Areas: Islamic studies [\u003ca title=\"See our other books on Islamic studies\" href=\"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/search?q=%22Islamic%20studies%20%5BJFSR2%5D%22\"\u003eJFSR2\u003c\/a\u003e], Islam [\u003ca title=\"See our other books on Islam\" href=\"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/search?q=%22Islam%20%5BHRH%5D%22\"\u003eHRH\u003c\/a\u003e], Middle Eastern history [\u003ca title=\"See our other books on Middle Eastern history\" href=\"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/search?q=%22Middle%20Eastern%20history%20%5BHBJF1%5D%22\"\u003eHBJF1\u003c\/a\u003e], General \u0026amp; world history [\u003ca title=\"See our other books on General \u0026amp; world history\" href=\"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/search?q=%22General%20\u0026amp;%20world%20history%20%5BHBG%5D%22\"\u003eHBG\u003c\/a\u003e]\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Cambridge University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46006708470040,"sku":"9780521147613","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0730\/2037\/5320\/products\/9780521858687_3fced574-fb27-4796-85fe-8ae74795715f.jpg?v=1691372483","url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/postal-systems-in-the-pre-modern-islamic-world-paperback-9780521147613","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}