Sketches from Eastern History

This work presents a concise history of the eastern regions by German orientalist Theodor Nöldeke. He begins by providing a general background of the Abbasids, an Arab clan that became the ruling family of the Caliphate and the supreme authorities of the Islamic world. After making the readers familiar with the subject of this remarkable work, he explains the reign of Mansur, the second Abbasid caliph, the dynasty of Yakub the Coppersmith, and many more prominent dynasties of the East. Noldeke's research areas ranged over Old Testament studies, Semitic languages, and Arabic, Persian and Syriac literature. He translated many vital works of oriental literature and was regarded an influential orientalist during his lifetime.