Charis Waddy Author

Charis Waddy was born in Australia, and she grew up in Jerusalem in the years that followed World War I. The tensions of that period, and the common heritage of the monotheistic faiths that is manifest in that city, helped to shape her outlook on the world. She was the first woman to study Oriental Languages (Arabic and Hebrew) at Oxford University. For her doctorate at London University she specialized in the history of the Crusades, particularly on the Arab side. She is the author of Baalbec Caravans, Women in Muslim History, and numerous articles on Islamic civilization and its scientific contributions to the world. In March 1990, she was decorated by the government of Pakistan with the Sitara-i-Imtiaz (the Star of Excellence).