The contents of this publication have, almost without exception, been selected from primary sources, such as the correspondence of rulers, diplomats and leading authorities on Islamic history and philosophy. On the one hand there are extracts from Varthema, Burckhardt, Richard Burton and other travellers; on the other, huge quantities of highly interesting despatches and memoranda prepared by diplomats and agents sent to the area to monitor events and promote their Government's interests. Of outstanding value are the lengthy comprehensive Pilgrimage Reports that were, until the 1950s, prepared annually by British political staff assisted by Muslims sent specially to Mecca as observers. These have been reproduced in their entirety. The Editor has also made careful selections from recent publications and combined them with media coverage including the text of important broadcasts from Riyadh and Tehran.
