Adam R. Gaiser: Sectarianism in Islam: The Umma Divided (Themes in Islamic History.) xii, 237 pp. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2023. £70. ISBN 9781009325042.

Abstract

Ḥannā to external sources, such as the manuscripts he owned. In the afterword, Horta recognizes Ḥannā’s distinctive contributions to the Arabian Nights collection. He examines the travel account through the lens of these stories told to Galland by Ḥannā. His analysis retrieves Ḥannā’s place and stolen rights as the main player in the orphan tales, rather than Galland. Horta argues how the account of Ḥannā reveals the same characteristics of the stories he supplied to the Arabian Nights. Moreover, Horta evaluates what has been taken for granted in scholarship about the role of Galland in terms of developing the characters in the Nights and modernizing the stories and making them coherent. Comparing the Nights and the travel account, we can surmise that Ḥannā is more likely to have done what is usually attributed to Galland. Although Lucas had written a travel account that never mentions Hanna, the afterword sheds light on many parallels between the two accounts. Readers will appreciate the map of the travels at the beginning of the two volumes. At the same time, they will miss an image of the manuscript to get a sense of it during discussion of its orthography and handwriting, or at least a clear reference to the Vatican website where digital photos are available. It would have been helpful to add subtitles to the edition, or at least to the translation, to distinguish the different sections of the account and the narratives. Overall, the work is significant and brings new insights into the life and travels of an early modern Aleppan Christian.