The conquest of Jerusalem, the siege of Acre, the fall of Tripoli, and the echoes of Syrian events in Baghdad; these and other historical facts were faithfully recorded by Arab historians over two centuries of the Crusades. These accounts of the fighting between Muslims and Christians have been translated into multiple European languages, enabling the Western reader to learn about the "other side" in those holy wars.

"Arab Historians of the Crusades" is a book that is both "old" and "modern" at the same time. It is a book about the Crusades penned by historians of the era, yet it is presented in the spirit of our times. In this book, Francesco Gabrieli hypothetically reformulates the themes of his work, balancing, comparing, and merging materials from various works written by historians of that period. He extracted passages from the works of seventeen Muslim historians, some purely historical, some records of cities, regions, and ruling dynasties, and others being biographies or sketches of personalities, or even descriptions that might be considered "pornographic" today of women who volunteered, sailed the seas, and came to entertain the soldiers.

All these passages testify that Arab historians were able to match their Western counterparts in gathering and narrating material and historical information. This is in addition to their characteristic honesty in description, conciseness of expression, and the brilliance with which they portrayed enemy leaders: the cunning of Baldwin II, the martial prowess of Richard the Lionheart, the boldness of Marquis Conrad, and the diplomacy of Frederick II. There is also, of course, a wealth of accounts praising the heroes of the Islamic resistance, especially Saladin al-Ayyubi, who rose above all other leaders to occupy an extraordinary heroic position among them.

This is a book about the Crusades, offering an Arab perspective and a comprehensive, exciting viewpoint on the conflicts. Its publication in Arabic will this time help the Arab reader learn something about the contemporary Western view of that entire era. It is, therefore, a book about the Crusades by Arab historians of that period, but coordinated and organized in a modern, scientific manner by a Westerner who strives to be objective in his vision and work.

It is said that when General Gouraud entered Damascus at the beginning of the French invasion of Syria, he exclaimed before Saladin's tomb: "Rise, Saladin, the Franks have returned." Indeed, our Arab countries are currently witnessing a difficult period not without some extensions of the Frankish invasion that swept through them during the Crusades. Hence the importance of a book like this appearing at this point in history.

Francesco Gabrieli was born in Rome on April 27, 1904. He was an orientalist and Arabist, the son of Giuseppe Gabrieli, librarian of the "Accademia dei Lincei." He learned Arabic from his father before studying classical Arabic literature at the University of Rome, graduating with his thesis on Abu al-Tayyib al-Mutanabbi. Gabrieli worked from 1928-1935 as an editor for the Italian Encyclopedia, then from 1935 to 1938 as a professor at the University of Naples "L'Orientale." In 1938, he became a professor of Arabic language and literature at the University of Rome, a position he held until his retirement in 1979. However, he remained deeply interested in Arab studies until his death in 1996.

• Author: Francesco Gabrieli
• Publishing house: Arab Scientific Publishers/Lebanon
• Number of Pages: 373
• Year of publication: 2014