History of Syria

Along with Egypt and Mesopotamia, Syria has one of the longest continuous histories, stretching back to the very dawn of human civilisation. This comprehensive book by Eduard Gombár, Petr Charvát and Lukáš Pecha covers the earliest periods, the invasion of the Muslim Arabs, and the era when Damascus was the capital of the vast Umayyad empire, which extended from Spain to Central Asia. The book examines the First World War, after which the historical territory of Bilad al-Sham was divided into several independent states, as well as the turbulent period following the end of the French mandate and the gaining of independence, when parliamentary democracy and military dictatorships alternated in the country. The final chapters are devoted to the Arab Spring, which plunged the country into a devastating civil war, and also cover the revolutionary events at the end of 2024.