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Stalins_Moustachio t1_iuta481 wrote

My obvious recommendation would be Islamic Gunpowder Empires: Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals by Douglas Streusand. But for an added in depth look, I recommend the following:

Afghanistan by Jonatahn A. Lee. The books provides a great overview of Afghanistan's rich history from the 15th century to the modern day.

America and Iran: A History, 1720 to the Present whose name is self-explanatory. I enjoyed this one as it overcomes the common, but wrong, perception many have that Washington's historic relationship of interaction with Tehran started only after the Islamic Revolution.

David Fromkin's A Peace to End All Peace, and The Last Muslim Conquest: The Ottoman Empire and Its Wars in Europe by Gàbor Àgoston. The latter provides an in depth and rich look at the Ottoman Empire's socio-economic and military history from the Empire's rise to the Siege of Vienna and beyond. Why I really loved this book was the author's tying in of pertinent events within the Ottoman Empire to those on Europe, such as the rise of the Hapsburgs. Àgoston also does a great job examining key details within the Empire, such as frontier management, intelligence, diplomacy and military structure!

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