A Traveller's History of North Africa - Softcover

Written with the goal of providing modern-day travelers with accessible historical background, this account of Morocco, Algeria, Libya, and Tunisia succeeds in being both detailed and quite manageable as a quick, on-the-ground read. Rogerson has edited several traditional guidebooks to the region (e.g., Cadogan Guide to Morocco, 1989), and here is further proof of his knowledge of the Maghreb. He clearly presents North Africa's history, from the days of Carthage and the Punic Wars to the days of the Romans and the rise and fall of Christianity, the Arab conquest, the Ottoman Empire, and on to the ancestors of today's rulers. Rogerson describes the area as an island, isolated by three seas and quite apart from Europe and continental Africa. It borders land only to the east, from which have come the area's three cultural transformations--the Neolithic revolution, the Iron Age, and the arrival of Islam. The text overall is an easy-to-read and enjoyable history of a most fascinating area, complemented by handsome maps and illustrations. David Cline