The Arab Conquests
by Justin Marozzi
Apollo, £18.99, 256 pages
Between 634 and 750 AD, Arabs created an empire larger than those of Alexander the Great or Rome, stretching from the Pyrenees to the Himalayas. This global turning point is brilliantly narrated by Justin Marozzi in his latest book, with over 100 illustrations. A suitable successor to Marozzi’s previous works on Tamerlane, Islamic Cities and Baghdad, it is written with similar erudition and panache, although readers may be mystified by his comparison of Umayyad palaces with Playboy mansions.















