A History of the Modern Middle East provides students with a primer on the major historical events that have shaped the Middle East over time. The book integrates environmental considerations throughout the historical narrative and includes material on the Nile Valley Sudan, a region often missing from traditional Middle East texts.

The opening chapter introduces Islam in its historical context, introducing the linguistic groups that forged the early centuries of Muslim history. The following three chapters provide a bridge between that early historical context and roughly 1500 CE. This includes coverage of the Ottoman Empire and the early Iranian Safavi state. Additional chapters maintain the chronological continuity but also focus on political, social, and economic developments, including changes in the interpretations of Islam itself. Students read about the Middle East interacting with the world, including world wars, the production of oil, and the failures of leadership elites, as well as the contrasting disappointments and frustrations of most Middle Eastern people. The final chapter focuses on history as a discipline and suggests possibilities for the present and future.

A History of the Modern Middle East is part of the Cognella History of Asia Series, a collection of books dedicated to helping students explore the exciting, complex, and influential past of Asian countries.