The Arab World in Two Hundred Years: A Search for Identity

Part One: Napoleon’s Cannons and the Awakening of the Arab World
When Napoleon’s cannons began bombarding Alexandria in 1798, Europe the region geographically closest to the Arab world had already undergone profound transformations. The great voyages of discovery had redrawn the map of the world, steam power was beginning to replace the sails of ships, and remarkable advances had been made in artillery and firearms. At the same time, Europe had entered an intellectual renaissance that propelled it toward rationalism, scientific inquiry, and modern political thought.






