The eye according to Hunayn ibn Ishaq. From a manuscript dated circa 1200.
Alcove 3 of the Main Library Reference area contains dictionaries and encyclopedias on Islamic culture and the Middle East. The Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa, 4 vols., DS43 .E53 2004 is not current on political history, but remains useful for historical and contextual information. Books in the same range, DS35.53 to DS173 .A33 may provide additional or more specific information depending on the topic.