North Africa

by Barnaby Rogerson

From the Romans to the Arab Spring North Africa is surrounded by the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and, to the south, the sands of the Sahara. It has seen waves of invasion, from the Carthaginians to the French in the 20th century. Its peoples have assimilated what suits them and remained aloof to what does not. Onto this complex background, Barnaby Rogerson weaves a cast of memorable characters from Dido to Hannibal and St Augustine, alongside local heroes such as the Berber queen Kahina and the horseback Muslim conqueror Oqba Ibn Nafi'. North Africa includes a chronology of major events, a historical gazetteer cross-referenced to the main text, and historical maps.

Genres: History, Africa

434 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2012

About the author

Barnaby Rogerson (1960-) is a British author, television presenter and publisher. He has written extensively about the Muslim world, including a biography of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and numerous travel guides. Rogerson was born in Dunfermline, Scotland, and studied Medieval History at St Andrews University

Reviews

[Brian Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good overall work on the general history of North Africa. At many points, the author also does a great job getting out of the Eurocentric view of the world and sees major topics such as the Greeks, Romans, and Muslims through the point of view of those living in the region.

My only comment was that there are a few details of Islamic history and religious practice that are incorrect. If the author intended to mention these points as it was seen by North Africans than great, but it would have been great to mention it as "this is a departure from mainstream/fundamentalist/literalist Sunni Islam, however this was how Islam was perceived and practiced in the region"