1. These brief histories of selected countries in the Middle East focus on the people and the events that played a pivotal role in the creation of those nations in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

2. Volumes are generously illustrated with photographs and maps that give the reader a portrait of an age that has now been largely eclipsed. Chelsea House was able to obtain many photos from the archives of the Royal Geographical Society, London, for use in a number of the titles.

3. Each volume discusses the legacy of both the distant and the recent past of that country and will provide students with a good foundation for understanding the conflicts and trends in the Middle East.