Abdullah Ocalan was the most wanted man in Turkey for almost two decades until his kidnapping and arrest in 1999. He has been in prison ever since. This is the first publication of his writings amassed during his imprisonment.

As the founder of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), the group fought for an independent Kurdish state in the south east of Turkey. In a sustained popular uprising, tens of thousands of PKK guerrillas took on the second largest army in NATO.

Since his imprisonment, Ocalan has written extensively on Kurdish history. This book brings together his writings for the first time. Breathtaking in scope, it provides a broad Marxist perspective on ancient Middle Eastern history, incorporating the rise of the major religions (Islam, Christianity and Judaism), and defining the Kurdish position within this, from the ancient Sumerian civilization through the feudal age, the birth of capitalism and beyond.

'Öcalan has penned a monumental history of the ancient Near East that offers a grand vision. His well informed and highly original synthesis has the additional advantage of transcending academic fields. This is the first truly postcolonial history of Mesopotamia, a controversial, intellectually stimulating work' -- Randall H. McGuire, Professor of Anthropology, Binghamton University, Binghamton NY, and author of A Marxist Archaeology
'Once I began reading, I was unable to put the text down ... very informative and perceptive' -- Ghada Talhami, D.K. Pearsons Professor of Politics, Lake Forest College, Illinois

Abdullah Öcalan actively led the Kurdish liberation struggle as the head of the PKK from its foundation in 1978 until his abduction on 15th February 1999. He is a leading strategist and the most important political representative of the Kurdish freedom movement. Under isolation conditions at Imrali Island Prison, he authored a number of books which revolutionised Kurdish politics, including The Political Thought of Abdullah Öcalan, and Prison Writings, Volumes I and II.