Parting The Desert

Author : Zachary Karabell
Publisher : Vintage
ISBN 13 : 0307566072
Total Pages : 320 pages
Book Rating : 4.72/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Parting the Desert written by Zachary Karabell and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2009-08-26 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Award-winning historian Zachary Karabell tells the epic story of the greatest engineering feat of the nineteenth century--the building of the Suez Canal-- and shows how it changed the world. The dream was a waterway that would unite the East and the West, and the ambitious, energetic French diplomat and entrepreneur Ferdinand de Lesseps was the mastermind behind the project. Lesseps saw the project through fifteen years of financial challenges, technical obstacles, and political intrigues. He convinced ordinary French citizens to invest their money, and he won the backing of Napoleon III and of Egypt's prince Muhammad Said. But the triumph was far from perfect: the construction relied heavily on forced labor and technical and diplomatic obstacles constantly threatened completion. The inauguration in 1869 captured the imagination of the world. The Suez Canal was heralded as a symbol of progress that would unite nations, but its legacy is mixed. Parting the Desert is both a transporting narrative and a meditation on the origins of the modern Middle East.

Author : Zachary Karabell
Publisher : Knopf
ISBN 13 : 0375408835
Total Pages : 330 pages
Book Rating : 4.30/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Parting the Desert written by Zachary Karabell and published by Knopf. This book was released on 2003 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The building of the Suez Canal was considered the greatest engineering feat of the nineteenth century, but, as Zachary Karabell shows, it was much more than a marvel of construction. It was a moment when the dreams and hopes of two cultures, several states, and thousands of ordinary people converged to change the face of the earth. Parting the Desert describes an extraordinary meeting between East and West. The Egyptians hoped the canal would lead to a national renaissance and renewed power in the eastern Mediterranean. The French expected the canal to enhance world trade and advance Western civilization. Napoleon Bonaparte first raised the possibility of building a waterway during his occupation of Egypt in the late eighteenth century. The idea was kept alive by the utopian followers of Saint-Simon and was then taken up by Ferdinand de Lesseps, the energetic, ambitious French diplomat who masterminded the project. As Karabell points out, Lesseps was often in the right place at the right time, and he had the good luck of forging a friendship with the young Egyptian prince Muhammad Said. In 1854, Said became the ruler of Egypt and granted Lesseps the concession to cut a hundred-mile-long canal across the isthmus of Suez. It would take fifteen years of ceaseless effort before that dream became reality. A brilliant entrepreneur, Lesseps traveled throughout Europe and the Near East to raise support and money. He convinced thousands of ordinary French citizens to invest in the canal company, and though he never won over the British prime minister, Lord Palmerston, he did convince British merchants and businessmen that the canal would benefit them. During years of careful diplomacy, Lesseps neutralized the Ottoman sultan, and with the help of his cousin the Empress Eugénie, he won the backing of the emperor of France, Napoleon III. By the time the canal was completed, it had become a symbol of progress and a sign that East and West could coexist and cooperate, and Lesseps was lionized throughout Europe as a hero of the industrial age. But it was not smooth sailing all the way: the company relied heavily on forced labor, diplomatic intrigues continued to the very end, and technical and financial obstacles constantly threatened the project’s completion. The creation of the Suez Canal captured the imagination of the world. It was heralded as a symbol of progress that would unite nations, but its legacy is mixed. It was supposed to strengthen the Middle East and bridge cultures; instead the gap widened, and the region remains a flash point for conflict.Parting the Desertis both a transporting narrative and a meditation on the origins of the modern Middle East.

Author : Charles River Charles River Editors
Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN 13 : 9781985580954
Total Pages : 48 pages
Book Rating : 4.50/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book The Suez Canal written by Charles River Charles River Editors and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-02-15 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Includes pictures *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading In 1831, a 26-year old French foreign service official by the name of Ferdinand de Lesseps was sent to Alexandria to serve as vice-consul. While undergoing an obligatory period of quarantine, the French Consul-General, Monsieur Mimaut, sent his new understudy a number of books to help pass the time, and one of these books proved to be a lengthy memorandum composed by French engineer Jacques-Marie le Pere, writing on instructions from Napoleon Bonaparte. The subject was the linking of the Red Sea with the Mediterranean by the construction of a canal. This study made a deep impression on the mind of the young diplomat, and for the remainder of his term of service in Egypt, he applied himself to studying the question. Eventually, he came to believe that it was not only a viable project, but a potentially profitable one too, and, of course, it would be nothing less than a stupendous gift to mankind. As it turned out, the concept of linking the Red Sea with the Mediterranean was not by any means new. In fact, the idea was as old as trade across the isthmus itself. Work on the Canal of the Pharaohs, or Necho's Canal, as it is more commonly known, began during Egypt's Nineteenth Dynasty, under the reign either of Sethi I, or his son, the great Rameses II. The project sought to link the two oceans through an artificial canal of modest length linking a navigable stretch of the Nile to the Bitter Lakes, and then to the Red Sea. The Suez Canal: The History and Legacy of the World's Most Famous Waterway examines the various attempts to create the canal over thousands of years, and how the modern Suez Canal came to be. Along with pictures and a bibliography, you will learn about the Suez Canal like never before.

Author : Andrew Watson
Publisher : Brf
ISBN 13 : 9781841017983
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.81/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book The Way of the Desert written by Andrew Watson and published by Brf. This book was released on 2011-11 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the Bible the desert is a place of punishment and discipline, but also of blessing and love's reawakening. Both Jesus and the people of Israel before him spent time in the desert, learning what it meant to be chosen and loved and holy. Yet while the people of the Exodus frequently got it wrong, providing some cautionary tales for us to learn from, Jesus himself constantly got it right, offering a perfect model for us to follow. In The Way of the Desert Andrew Watson takes us on a Lenten journey from Ash Wednesday to Easter Day, from the parting of the Red Sea to Israel's entry into the promised land. Combining these Old Testament scriptures with insight from the Gospels, he reveals the continuing relevance of the exodus story to all who would seek to follow Christ. The author writes: 'It became the must-have accessory among Christian young people in the 1990s: a rubber wristband cryptically inscribed with the letters WWJD. A hundred years earlier, Charles Sheldon, American pastor and Christian Socialist, had written a book entitled What Would Jesus Do? and the initials on the wristbands picked up just the same question. Whatever situations we face in life - whatever decisions we are called upon to make - the issue of WWJD is vital for the Christian disciple. Jesus' call, after all, is to "follow me."' 'As a church leader at the time when WWJD wristbands were selling by the truckload, I was therefore positive about this simple summons to Christian thinking and discipleship. My only reservation was that WWJD seemed to beg a prior question, and one on which our young people appeared increasingly hazy, namely "What Did Jesus Do?" Short of marketing my own range of WDJD wristbands there were limited means to get my message across, though I mentioned it in the odd sermon at the time. But the danger of asking speculative questions about Jesus without rooting them clearly in the Jesus of the Gospels is a real one. How easy to construct a Jesus of my own making, a pocket Jesus (or idol, to use the Bible's own term), who conveniently seems to share my views on politics, religion, money and relationships, without making me feel uncomfortable or challenged at all!' 'As we approach Lent, the question "What did Jesus do?" yields some interesting answers, for the 40 days of Lent reflect the period that Jesus spent in the wilderness following his baptism and before the start of his public ministry. It's a period briefly mentioned by the Gospel writer Mark (1:12 - 13) and described in greater detail by fellow evangelists Matthew (4:1 - 11) and Luke (4:1 - 13). So what did Jesus do in what we could call the first Lent?'

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 266 pages
Book Rating : 4.79/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book A Parting Gift. [A verse anthology.] written by and published by . This book was released on 1848 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : Zachary Karabell
Publisher : Vintage
ISBN 13 : 0307428869
Total Pages : 322 pages
Book Rating : 4.68/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book The Last Campaign written by Zachary Karabell and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2007-12-18 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Last Campaign, Zachary Karabell rescues the 1948 presidential campaign from the annals of political folklore ("Dewey Defeats Truman," the Chicago Tribune memorably and erroneously heralded), to give us a fresh look at perhaps the last time the American people could truly distinguish what the candidates stood for. In 1948, Harry Truman, the feisty working-class Democratic incumbent was one of the most unpopular presidents the country had ever known. His Republican rival, the aloof Thomas Dewey, was widely thought to be a shoe-in. These two major party candidates were flanked on the far left by the Progressive Henry Wallace, and on the far right by white supremacist Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond. The Last Campaign exposes the fascinating story behind Truman’s legendary victory and turns a probing eye toward a by-gone era of political earnestness, when, for “the last time in this century, an entire spectrum of ideologies was represented,” a time before television fundamentally altered the political landscape.

Author : Adam Hamilton
Publisher : Abingdon Press
ISBN 13 : 1501807897
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.93/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Moses written by Adam Hamilton and published by Abingdon Press. This book was released on 2017-05-02 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Retrace the life of Moses from his modest birth and rescue as a baby to the courts of Pharaoh, from herding flocks in Midian to leading his people out of Egypt. Join Adam Hamilton as he travels from Egypt to Mt. Sinai, the Nile, the Red Sea and the wilderness exploring the sites of Moses' life. Using historical information, archaeological data, and biblical text, Hamilton guides us in the footsteps of this reluctant prophet who grew in his relationship with God and by the end of life had successfully fulfilled the role he was given. Turn your own reluctance into boldness as you examine the significant challenges facing Moses and how God shaped his character and life in powerful ways. Additional components for a six-week study include a comprehensive Leader Guide and a DVD featuring author and pastor Adam Hamilton. For a church-wide study, youth and children resources are also available.

Author : James Cowan
Publisher : Shambhala Publications
ISBN 13 : 1590302370
Total Pages : 255 pages
Book Rating : 4.78/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Desert Father written by James Cowan and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2006-05-30 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The spiritual exploits of Saint Anthony the Great—the prototype of the Christian "Desert Father"—have been immortalized in stories and art since the fourth century. Here is the stunning account of a modern seeker's quest to get beneath the legends that surround Anthony and to determine whether his extreme way of life has something to offer people in today's world. James Cowan's quest takes him to Egypt, to the monastery that still exists near the site of Anthony's hermitage, where he meets the monk who becomes his guide and mentor on the journey. He comes to regard Anthony and the colorful men and women who shared his lifestyle in the fourth through seventh centuries with affection and awe—their departure to the desert a flight from the status quo of the newly Christian empire in order to preserve the radical path to liberation they saw in Christian teaching. Our modern efforts toward liberation may look different from theirs, he concludes, but the ultimate goal is no different, and Anthony remains a luminous model for anyone who passionately seeks to know God.

Author : G. Mark Johnson
Publisher : McGraw Hill Professional
ISBN 13 : 9780071425773
Total Pages : 312 pages
Book Rating : 4.72/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book The Ultimate Desert Handbook written by G. Mark Johnson and published by McGraw Hill Professional. This book was released on 2003-05-06 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover the joys of desert camping, hiking, and travel Harsh, yet hauntingly beautiful; arid, yet teeming with life; inhospitable, yet profoundly peaceful--the earth's deserts beckon the poet and the backpacker, the artist and the adventurer. If you're heading into the desert, however, you should know what to expect, what to look for, and how to withstand extreme desert conditions. Richly illustrated with photographs and drawings, The Ultimate Desert Handbook is your complete guide to hiking, exploration, and survival in fascinating but unforgiving desert terrain. It gives you the crucial information you need to make the most of any desert sojourn, including detailed descriptions of North American deserts, their plants and wildlife, and their distinctive geological features. You'll also find the most comprehensive tutorial on desert navigation ever published and expert advice on equipment, safety, and first-aid techniques. You'll learn how to: Select the perfect desert campsite Manage your water supply Share the landscape with desert wildlife Maintain vehicles in desert conditions Protect yourself with the right clothing and equipment Be at home in a vast and elemental terrain

Author : Ulrich Keller
Publisher : Courier Corporation
ISBN 13 : 0486319253
Total Pages : 132 pages
Book Rating : 4.54/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book The Building of the Panama Canal in Historic Photographs written by Ulrich Keller and published by Courier Corporation. This book was released on 2013-04-09 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This tale of an unprecedented technological advance unfolds in a compelling narrative of risks, hardships, disasters, and triumph. More than 160 historic photographs depict exotic settings, workers' housing, dredging operations, much more.