Geography of Religion: Where God Lives, Where Pilgrims Walk - Hardcover

As violence continues in the Middle East, understanding history - and especially the history of religion - is imperative to understanding our world today. This timely and elegant volume does just that by combining stunning images, maps, and commentary by experts. Geography of Religion is an invitation to understand the great religions of the world. This gorgeously illustrated book is an authoritative text that portrays the great religions of humankind with vivid photographs, tracing each from its ancient roots to its role in modern life. Eminent scholars share the faiths they have lived and studied. For each of 5 major religions, explore the landscapes, areas, and cultures where these faiths took hold and flourished. See them spread around the world, survive conflict, and translate into other enduring faiths based on their geographic location and cultures. Learn what it means to be a Hindu and bathe in the sacred Ganges; for a Buddhist to revere a statue of the Enlightened One; for a Muslim to trek to Mecca; for Christian martyrs to welcome death. Beautiful maps, photographs, and art illuminate the history of each religion.

Susan Tyler Hitchcock, Ph.D. is the author of seven books and is currently at work on an eighth. A longtime student of religion, her doctoral dissertation explored the life and poetry of Percy Bysshe Shelley through modern theories of the psychology of religion. She lives near Charlottesville, Virginia. John L. Esposito, is University Professor of Religion and International Affairs, and of Islamic Studies, at Georgetown University. His more than 25 books include World Religions Today, What Everyone Should Know about Islam: Questions and Answers, Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam, and The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality? He is also Editor-in-Chief of the four-volume Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World.