Italy and the Islamic World: From Caesar to Mussolini

Italy and the Islamic World tells the story of how Italian cities have been centres of international exchange for centuries, linking Europe with the most storied marketplaces of the Middle East and North Africa. From the Ancient Roman period and the Renaissance to the rise of the Italian Republic, Italy has been a global crossroads for more than two millennia. In Ali Humayun Akhtar’s new picture of European history, Italy’s debates about trade with its southern neighbours evoke an earlier era of encounters - one that sheds light on where the EU is heading today.

Ali Humayun Akhtar is the bestselling author of 1368: China and the Making of the Modern World (2022). He is currently an Associate Professor of Global History and Islamic Arts & Humanities at Al Akhawayn University in Morocco, and Scholar-in-Residence at the Hillary Clinton Center for Women’s Empowerment.