The Man Who Created the Middle East cover art

The Man Who Created the Middle East

A Story of Empire, Conflict and the Sykes-Picot Agreement

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The Man Who Created the Middle East

By: Christopher Simon Sykes
Narrated by: Mike Grady
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About this listen

At the age of only 36, Sir Mark Sykes was signatory to the Sykes-Picot agreement, one of the most reviled treaties of modern times. A century later, Christopher Sykes’ lively biography of his grandfather reassesses his life and work, and the political instability and violence in the Middle East attributed to it.

The Sykes–Picot agreement was drawn by the eponymous
British and French diplomats in 1916 to determine the divide
of the collapsing empire in the event of an allied victory in
World War I. Excluding Arab involvement, it negated their
earlier guarantee of independence made by the British –
and controversy has raged around it ever since.
But who was Mark Sykes?

A century on, Christopher Simon Sykes reveals new facets
of a misremembered diplomatic giant. Using previously
undisclosed family letters and cartoons by his grandfather,
he delivers a comprehensive and humbling account of the man behind one of the most impactful policies in the Middle East.

©2016 Christopher Simon Sykes (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers
Europe Middle East Military & War Politics & Government War Military Imperialism Africa Ottoman Empire Middle Ages England Royalty Latin American Crusade Iran

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Critic reviews

Praise for Christopher Simon Sykes:
"An unusually entertaining, instructive and engaging book...this book is a treat." ( Sunday Telegraph)
"A meticulously researched labour of love." ( Daily Mail)
"Romantic, accessible and absorbing.... I cared passionately for every one of these people and wanted the book to continue indefinitely." ( Daily Telegraph)
"Witty, absorbing and touching...a splendid book." ( Sunday Times)
All stars
Most relevant  
This book offers a unique insight into the current Middle Easy from the historical perspective of a key eminence Gris of the past.

Insightful angle of the present

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