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‘Few can claim to have produced a wealth of scholarship and achieved mastery over Middle Eastern history, but Roy Mottahedeh's insatiable curiosity for the past has left us with a treasure trove of works. Reading essays that he has written over the past fifty years and collected together in his new book, you get a sense of the past whispering to you in more ways than one… a pleasure to read… In the Shadow of the Prophet offers a wide range of thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating engagement with Middle Eastern, Iranian and Islamic history. It provides anyone who has a passion for history with new horizons to explore and a renewed sense of purpose.’

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Middle East Monitor

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‘The fruit of decades of travel, teaching, research, and deep personal engagement with modern Iran and the Middle East, these articles are as humane as they are learned, and as wise as they are trenchant.’

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Peter Brown, Philip and Beulah Rollins Professor of History, Emeritus, Princeton University

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‘The erudite elegance of his discourse in this remarkable collection is the result of a long, prolific life dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of the many Islams in history.’

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Abbas Milani, Hamid and Christina Moghadam Director of Iranian Studies, Stanford University

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‘This book demonstrates its author’s impressive breadth and insight dealing with diverse aspects of premodern and modern Islamic history, religion, and culture. Roy Mottahedeh shows us the complexity of a civilizational experience over a millennium and highlights the place of Iranians in it. This is a timely contribution at a time when misperceptions abound. His delightful autobiography adds to the book’s appeal.’

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Abbas Amanat, William Graham Sumner Professor of History Emeritus, Yale University