In the 6th century AD, the Near East was divided between two venerable empires: the Persian and the Roman. A hundred years on, and one had vanished forever, while the other seemed almost finished. Ruling in their place were the Arabs: an upheaval so profound that it spelt, in effect, the end of the ancient world. Spanning Constantinople to the Arabian desert, and starring some of the most remarkable rulers who ever lived, In The Shadow of the Sword tells a story vivid with drama, horror and startling achievement.