"Dimeo and Hassan seamlessly blend critically important historical, religious, and cultural information about the medieval world together with meticulously planned Arabic grammar and vocabulary lessons. Structured around one of the most important texts of classical Arabic--Ibn Battuta's travels through cosmopolitan Islam of the fourteenth century--this text is the perfect springboard into advanced language study and cultural knowledge."-- Jonathan Smolin, Dartmouth College "DiMeo and Hassan take an exciting and effective approach to repositioning culture at the center of Arabic-language learning. Instructors will find this textbook a useful, enriching, and valuable asset for their students."--Mbaye Bashir Lo, Duke University "This textbook is unique in its sound pedagogically approach, its rich historical background, its smooth transitioning within and across lessons, and its use of a wide variety of text-handling strategies that enhance students' reading and comprehension skills of authentic material." -- Hanada Al-Masri, Denison University "The authentic texts of one of the best known Arabic literary classics combined with a wealth of activities, including vocabulary and writing skill building, comprehension and discussion questions, grammar explanations and exercises, and culture and history notes prepared by two innovative and dedicated teachers make this textbook an indispensable contribution to the field of Arabic language instruction. I will definitely use it in my advanced Arabic classes at Cornell University and I highly recommend it to my colleagues in Arabic-as-a-foreign-language programs." -- Munther Younes, Cornell University.