The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East

An essential guide to the making of the modern Middle East from 1900 to the present: a spellbinding history by the New York Times bestselling author of Jerusalem and The Romanovs

Renowned historian Simon Sebag Montefiore wades into the ideological battles and geopolitical tensions of the Middle East with a comprehensive and nuanced chronicle that situates the region in the context of its last one hundred and twenty-five years.

Few understand the real history of the Middle East; fewer still understand its variety and cosmopolitanism, its complexity and interconnectedness. The Cauldron is a fresh and unique survey of the region in all its diversity. Taking the reader on a spectacular journey from the Ottoman sultanate to the Trump presidency, from Morocco to Iran, this is a dazzling panorama of faith and fanaticism, creativity and tolerance, dictatorship and democracy brought to life by an extraordinary cast of kings, warriors, poets, terrorists, and peacemakers.

With his signature style of voice-driven history that made Jerusalem a national bestseller, Montefiore reveals a stunning portrait of the world we have inherited and interrogates the prevailing historical narratives. This is the essential story of how the Middle East of 1900 led to the Middle East of today—and tomorrow.

Simon Sebag Montefiore is the internationally bestselling author of prize-winning history and novels. HIs books are now published in 48 languages.

His latest book is THE WORLD: A FAMILY HISTORY - a history of humanity, unlike any previous world history: it uses family, the one thing all humans have in common, to tell the story. It is genuinely global, spanning all eras and all continents, from the perspective of places as diverse as Haiti, Congo and Cambodia as well as Europe, China and America. From the stone age to the drone age, it features a cast of extraordinary span and diversity: as well as rulers and conquerors there are priests, prophets, charlatans, artists, scientists, doctors, tycoons, gangsters, rockstars, lovers, husbands, wives and children. All human drama is here - all the way to Putin and Zelensky. A dazzling achievement as spellbinding as fiction, The World is both a celebration and an indictment that takes the human story, in a single narrative by a master storyteller.

He is the author of a Russian Quartet on Russian potentates: THE ROMANOVS: the story of the Russian Empire 1613-1918; CATHERINE THE GREAT & POTEMKIN: Love, Power and the Russian Empire; YOUNG STALIN and STALIN: THE COURT OF THE RED TSAR.

His wider history of the Middle East, JERUSALEM: THE BIOGRAPHY, chronicles the Holy City and the region, covering from pre-history to 2020, from King David to today.

He has curated two anthologies of speeches and letters - VOICES OF HISTORY: SPEECHES THAT CHANGED THE WORLD and WRITTEN IN HISTORY: LETTERS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD.

As a novelist, he is the author of the Moscow Trilogy: SASHENKA, ONE NIGHT IN WINTER and Red Sky at Noon.

Montefiore has written a series of childrens’ novels - ROYAL RABBITS OF LONDON - with Santa Montefiore.

Montefiore has won prizes for his works, both non-fiction and fiction. His novel, ONE NIGHT IN WINTER won the Best Political Novel of the Year Prize (UK) and was longlisted for the Orwell Prize. CATHERINE THE GREAT & POTEMKIN was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson, Duff Cooper, and Marsh Biography Prizes (UK). STALIN: THE COURT OF THE RED TSAR won the History Book of the Year Prize at the British Book Awards. YOUNG STALIN won the Costa Biography Award (UK), the LA Times Book Prize for Biography (USA), Le Grand Prix de la Biographie Politique (France) and the Kreisky Prize for Political Literature (Austria). JERUSALEM: THE BIOGRAPHY has now sold over a million cover internationally: it won the Wenjin Book of the Year Prize (awarded by the Library of China, People's Republic of China) and the Book of the Year Prize from the Jewish Book Council (USA). THE ROMANOVS won the Lupicaia del Terriccio Literature Prize (Italy), was chosen as one of Oprah Winfrey's Books of the Year (USA).

Many of his books are now being developed as TV drama series or movies.

Montefiore read history at Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge University where he was awarded his Doctorate of Philosophy. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and Visiting Professor at the University of Buckingham, Dr Montefiore has written and presented fiver BBC TV series including Jerusalem (2011); Rome (2012) and Istanbul/Constantinople - 'Byzantium: a tale of 3 cities' (2013); Spain - 'Blood & Gold' (2015) and Vienna (2016).

Follow the author on twitter: @simonmontefiore. On Instagram: @simonsebag_montefiore

For more information: www.simonsebagmontefiore.com

“The Cauldron chronicles the complex history of the modern Middle East in a way that is accessible and enjoyable to read for a contemporary audience. This is no small feat: spanning Morocco to my own native Iraq, it navigates the tangle of names, dates and events seamlessly so that the reader is not swamped by a narrative overflow of unfamiliar terms. A fascinating, stimulating and balanced history of the modern Middle East.” —Ali Allawi, former Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq, former Finance Minister of Iraq, and author of Faisal I of Iraq

“The Cauldron is a fascinating and compelling history of the modern Middle East from the borders of Hindustan to the shores of the Atlantic. Having been involved in Palestinian politics and negotiations with Israelis since the Seventies, I enjoyed reading this history of a region riddled by conflict and striving for a way through, written in the most lucid of styles; unique, refreshing, nuanced, and balanced. It is an essential read. Its account of empires, rivalries and ambitions is evocative of Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights; a warning against the perils of temptation. Montefiore does not write for historians; hence, the allure of this tome. It is accessible without being pedestrian, intelligent without being overbearing, scholarly without being tedious, erudite without being pretentious, informative without being ideological, perceptive without being didactic, detailed without being dull, personal without being self-indulgent.” —Hussein Agha, former negotiator and co-author of Tomorrow is Yesterday

“A chronicle of the past century and a quarter that turned the Middle East and North Africa into the most conflict-ridden region in the world, delivered with verve, an eye for detail, and balance. A must-have guide for all who seek a better understanding of the Arab world, Iran, Israel and Turkey today.” —Eugene Rogan, professor of Modern Middle Eastern History at the University of Oxford and author of The Arabs

“Masterful. In The Cauldron, Montefiore brings extraordinary narrative power and scholarly depth to the making of the modern Middle East, tracing the region’s turbulent evolution from empire to ideology, and from revolution to war. Ranging from Morocco to Iran, and from 1900 to the present, this is history at its best—richly told, unsentimental, and essential for understanding the forces that continue to shape one of the world’s most consequential regions.” —General (Ret.) David Petraeus, former Commander of US Central Command and Director of the CIA

“I very much enjoyed this. The Cauldron is quite an achievement. It does a great job of detailing the complexity of the entire situation and region. This balanced and authoritative history of the Middle East since 1900 right up to Trump’s bombing the nuclear facilities in 2025 and includes not just Israel-Palestine, Egypt and Syria but also the hugely important Iran—from its shahs—Qajar and Pahlavi—to its ayatollahs, its revolutions and coups. It tells the history through the key characters from Kaiser Wilhelm and Nasser to the Shah, Khomeini and Khamenei. The Cauldron is a gripping read that shows how Iran fits into the entire region today and it is essential reading for anyone interested in the Middle East.” —Ali Ansari, director of Institute for Iranian Studies and professor of Modern History at the University of St Andrews

“Breathtaking, incisive and outstanding, this is the book you need to read right now! Montefiore’s storytelling skill and meticulous research bring to life stories of human tragedies and the hopes of millions of people. The Cauldron marks a turning point in the way we understand the region in world history. In each chapter, one has to ask: will we let the cauldron set the world ablaze or could there have been an alternative history?” —Olivette Otele, Professor of the Legacies and Memory of Slavery, SOAS University of London