The Ancient Road: From Aleppo to Baghdad in the Days of the Ottoman Empire (Kegan Paul Arabia Library)

The ancient road between Aleppo in modern Syria and Baghdad in present-day Iraq connects two great centers of civilization, the Mediterranean world and the mysterious regions of Mesopotamia. In times of peace, caravans loaded with merchandise would ply their goods across the rolling plains; in times of war, armies would battle for control of the route. More potent than merchants or generals, the prophets of new inventions, new ideas and new religions have passed down this road between east and west.