Amira K. Bennison is Reader in the History and Culture of the Maghrib at the University of Cambridge and a fellow of Magdalene College. Her research interests include the medieval Islamic West (Islamic Iberia and Morocco), Maghribi modes of legitimation and cultures of power, and 18th-19th century Muslim religio-political discourse and engagement with modernity. In addition, Amira is an experienced cultural tour lecturer who has led numerous trips to Morocco, southern Spain, Syria and Egypt. She also contributes regularly to television programmes on Islamic history and is a frequent guest on BBC Radio 4's 'In Our Time'. Her publications include The Great Caliphs: the Golden Age of the 'Abbasid Empire, (London: I. B. Tauris, 2009); Cities in the Premodern Islamic World: the urban impact of religion, state and society, edited with Alison L. Gascoigne, (London: RoutledgeCurzon, 2007); Jihad and its Interpretations in Pre-Colonial Morocco, (London: Curzon, 2002), as well as numerous articles.