Arabia Before the Dawn: Life, Faith, and Poetry on the Arabian Peninsula

Arabia Before the Dawn: Life, Faith, and Poetry on the Arabian Peninsula

Long before the Qur'an was first recited in Mecca, the Arabian Peninsula already had centuries of history — kingdoms and caravans, poets and pilgrims, gods and grazing lands. Arabia Before the Dawn is an illustrated journey through pre-Islamic Arabia: the deserts and oases that shaped Bedouin and settled life, the ancient kingdoms of Saba, Himyar, and Nabataea, the incense trade that built Mecca's fortune, the crowded pantheon of gods housed in the Kaaba, the poets whose verses are still studied today, and the dramatic Year of the Elephant that closed this era. Complete with original illustrations, a glossary, and a timeline, this book offers a clear, richly detailed introduction to the world Islam was born into.