Gaza: A History

Gaza has become synonymous with conflict and dispute. Though only slightly larger than Omaha, Nebraska at 140 square miles, the small territory of Gaza has been a hot spot for bitter disputes between sparring powers for millennia, from the Ancient Egyptians up until the British Empire and even
today.

Wedged between the Negev and Sinai deserts on one side and the Mediterranean Sea on the other, Gaza was contested by the Pharaohs, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Fatimids, Mamluks, Crusaders, and Ottomans. Then in 1948, 200,000 people sought refuge in Gaza-a marginal area neither
Israel nor Egypt wanted. It is here that Palestinian nationalism grew and sprouted into a dream of statehood, a journey much filled with strife.

Though small in size, Gaza's history is nothing short of monumental. Jean-Pierre Filiu's Gaza is the first complete history of the territory in any language. Beginning with the Hyksos in 18th century BC, Filiu takes readers through modern times and the ongoing disputes of the region, ending with
what may be in store for the future.


Author: Jean-Pierre Filiu
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 09/11/2014
Pages: 440
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.55lbs
Size: 9.20h x 6.50w x 1.40d
ISBN: 9780190201890

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 06/16/2014
Christian Century 10/01/2014 pg. 39
New York Review of Books 11/20/2014 pg. 32
Choice 05/01/2015 pg. 1570

About the Author

Jean-Pierre Filiu is Professor of Middle East Studies at Sciences Po in Paris, and has held visiting professorships at both Columbia University and Georgetown University.

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