History

In the early 16th century the mere rumor of spotting Ottoman ships off the coast of an enemy city would send shivers down other empires. During this time and at several other points in history, the Ottoman Empire was arguably the world’s most powerful empire, distinguished by its vast territorial extent, military might, economic strength, and extraordinary cultural achievement. One person most responsible for this was Sultan Selim who ruled from 1512 to 1520. This book traces his life, his conquests, the prevailing conditions in Europe and the New World before and during his reign and how the equations between Muslims and Christians played out from the world-changing events of the 1490s.

Mecca is the most important religious place for Muslims all over the world. It is, as the author mentions, the heart of Islam. It’s the direction Muslims face when they pray and the site of the annual pilgrimage of Haj, which is performed by almost 2 Million people every year. It’s not for nothing that the word ‘Mecca’ has entered the English language meaning “a place regarded as a center for a specific group, activity, or interest” (Merriam-Webster). This book details the history of the city from pre Islamic times to the modern era. Filled with insights dealing with both religious and non-religious aspects, this books examines the social, physical and cultural points that makes Mecca one of the most influential cities on Earth.

I once did a train journey across Canada from one end to another, which was around 4500 kms and took 5 days to cover. This shows how huge Canada is. In A History of Canada in Ten Maps, Adam shows how this huge country was mapped by courageous explorers and adventurers. As the name suggests, Adam takes 10 famous maps of Canada starting from the 1500s till 1820s and takes us behind to the stories and journeys of exploration which resulted in these maps.