Arab history did not begin with the coming of the Prophet in the 7th century; the region had a strong Christian population before the rise of Islam, and it is the story of the first six centuries of Christian Arabia that this book addresses. professed their faith within the traditions of Syriac Christianity, which profoundly influenced culture and history in the ancient Near East. Beginning with a sketch of the Arabs prior to the rise of Christianity, the author goes on to examine the spread of Christianity in Mesopotamia and Babylon, among the nomadic tribes of Northern Arabia and down into central and southern Arabia. It examines the cults and martyrs, ascetics and early monastic movements of the age, weaving together a wide range of scholarship and sources to present this account of the history of the Arabs before the rise of Islam. Arabic Islamic studies feature topics on Arabic and Islamic studies. From a description of the Arabian incense trade, to a sociological study of Islam and its beliefs, this series aims to offer authoritative insights into the history, and contemporary situation, of Arabia.

Long before Muhammed preached the religion of Islam, the inhabitants of his native Arabia had played an important role in world history as both merchants and warriors Arabia and the Arabs provides the only up-to-date, one-volume survey of the region and its peoples, from prehistory to the coming of Islam Using a wide range of sources - inscriptions, poetry, histories, and archaeological evidence - Robert Hoyland explores the main cultural areas of Arabia, from ancient Sheba in the south, to the deserts and oases of the north. He then examines the major themes of *the economy *society *religion *art, architecture and artefacts *language and literature *Arabhood and Arabisation The volume is illustrated with more than 50 photographs, drawings and maps.

Arabs and Empires before Islam collates nearly 250 translated extracts from an extensive array of ancient sources which, from a variety of different perspectives, illuminate the history of the Arabs before the emergence of Islam.