Start with high-confidence middle eastern history books, then narrow by subgenre or adjacent topics.
The Sewing Circles of Herat
Christina Lamb
Shi'ism
Heinz Halm, Janet Watson
Modern Arabic Drama
Salma Khadra Jayyusi, Roger Allen
Unthinkable Revolution in Iran
Charles Kurzman
Modern Palestinian Literature and Culture
Ami Elad-Bouskila
The Crusades Through Arab Eyes
Amin Maalouf
Black Wave
Kim Ghattas
The Life of Ibn Ḥanbal
Ibn al-Jawzī, Michael Cooperson
Shifting Sands
Judith Scheele
Yemen in Crisis
Helen Lackner
Afghanistan
Bijan Omrani, Matthew Leeming
