Emperors, Soldiers and Cities of the Desert

As a land between empires, Arabia was multi-faceted, intriguing and challenging to dominate. Winged by the Persians in the East and Greeks, later Romans in the West, trust and loyalty were often swayed by political interests and religious adherence for the population of pre-Islamic Arabia. In this study of a centuries old relation between Rome and Arabia, the author takes us through colorful personalities of vassals such as King Arethas of Nabataea and Odenathus of Palmyra, later succeeded by his ambitious and rebellious widow, the enigmatic Zenobia; to Arabs who adorned the imperial robe like Elagabalus, Philippus Arabicus and Septimus Severus. Vassals and kings, emperors and generals played inportant role in the construction of the Fertile Crescent before the advent of Islam from Hejaz, and the eventual dominance of Islam in these lands. They also brought with them to Rome exotic deities with misunderstood rites which later became part and parcel of the mainstream Roman faith. These issues are explored in a work that celebrates the epilogue of Europe's ever enduring fascination of the East.