In 1839, Muslims attacked the Jews of Meshhed, murdering 36 of them, and forcing the conversion of the rest. While some managed to escape across the Afghan border, and some turned into true believing Muslims, the majority adopted Islam only outwardly, while secretly adhering to their Jewish faith.



Jadid al-Islam is the fascinating story of how this community managed to survive, at the risk of their lives, as crypto-Jews in an inimical Shi'i Muslim environment. Based on unpublished original Persian sources and interviews with members of the existing Meshhed community in...

The Kingdom of Jordan stands strategically amidst the countries of the Near East, bordered by Israel, Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. A small country, poor in resources, it is torn by conflicting tensions and policies and by strife between pro-Western and pro-Soviet elements. This study of Jordan in the English language surveys all aspects of Jordan's life: the land, the people, their history, politics, economy, society, and culture. Mr. Patai fully considers the issue of Westernization versus traditionalism and its probable bearing on Jordan's future.

Originally published in...

In this monumental work, Raphael Patai opens up an entirely new field of cultural history by tracing Jewish alchemy from antiquity to the nineteenth century. Until now there has been little attention given to the significant role that Jews played in the field of alchemy. Here, drawing on an enormous range of previously unexplored sources, Patai reveals that Jews were major players in what was for centuries one of humanity's most compelling intellectual obsessions.

Originally published in 1994.

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