Middle East

01 Jul 2014, Ar Raqqah, Syria --- Militant Islamist fighters wave flags as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province June 30, 2014. The fighters held the parade to celebrate their declaration of an Islamic

The historians’ take on… the future of Iraq

Archaeologist Howard Carter opens the coffin of Tutankhamun. (Photo by Time Life Pictures/Mansell/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

How did Tutankhamun die?

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The long history of the Crusades . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein on trial in December 2008 in Baghdad, Iraq. (Photo by Nikola Solic-Pool/Getty Images)

General Early Modern

The first butcher of Baghdad

Photo of red wine

General prehistory

Q&A Where and when was wine first made?

Illustration of the Zodiac Man

General ancient history

Q&A Why did physicians ‘bleed’ their patients?

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Tragedy of the Templars: The Rise and Fall of the Crusader States

The Battle on the Ice, fought between the men of Novgorod and the Teutonic Knights, was a landmark in European history, says Dominic Sandbrook. (Alamy)

A big day in history: Nevsky’s Russians crush the Teutonic Knights

The call for the First Crusade was initially made by Pope Urban (pictured) in 1095. (Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)

Britain and Islam: a matter of faith

An illustration depicting the battle of Naseby, arguably one of the most significant land battles in British history. (Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)

20 important battles that shaped Britain

A big day in history: The day Pope Urban II exhorted Christians to go on crusade

Major Roy Farran (seated, centre) at a press conference on his return from Palestine, 1947. (Bentley Archive/Popperfoto/Getty Images)

Trouble in Palestine

Jerusalem's magnificent Dome of the Rock was deliberately designed to put a Muslim stamp on what had previously been a Christian city. (Getty Images)

The midwife of Islam

The Siege of Antioch during the First Crusade, c1200. (Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

Why Islam crushed the crusaders

A stone relief depicting men bringing gifts to the king, c500 BC. (Getty Images)

General ancient history

The Persian empire: myth vs reality