Foundational Reading
The American Druze Foundation (ADF) curates a select list of publications to serve as an introduction to Druze culture, history, and religion for those within the community and the general public. While the ADF does not officially endorse the specific findings and viewpoints contained within these resources, individual members of the ADF Board of Directors have nonetheless deemed them as useful introductory texts that can help build a solid base of knowledge on who the Druze are.
This list may be amended from time to time with new or updated works. We also welcome suggestions for inclusion, whether from academic professionals or the casual reader.
Anthropology and Sociology
Abu-Izzeddin, Nejla M. The Druzes: A New Study of Their History, Faith, and Society. 2nd ed. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1993.
Dana, Nissim. Druze in the Middle East: Their Faith, Leadership, Identity and Status. Liverpool University Press, 2003.
History and Politics
Al-Beainy, Hassan Amin. Lebanon and the Muwahhidoun Druze: From the Abbasid Era to the Ottoman Era, 759–1861. Mediterrania, 2026.
Betts, Robert Brenton. The Druze. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1990.
Firro, Kais M. A History of the Druzes. Handbook of Oriental Studies, Section 1: The Near and Middle East, supplement 9. Brill, 1992.
Firro, Kais M. The Druzes in the Jewish State: A Brief History. Social, Economic and Political Studies of the Middle East and Asia, 64. Brill, 1999.
Parsons, Laila. The Druze between Palestine and Israel, 1947–49. St. Antony’s Series. Palgrave Macmillan, 2000.
Salman, Sami. The History of the Druze: In Lebanon, Syria and Palestine. Independently published, 2025.
Philosophy and Religion
Makarem, Sami Nasib. The Druze Faith. Caravan Books, 1974.
Obeid, Anis I. The Druze and Their Faith in Tawhid. Contemporary Issues in the Middle East. Syracuse University Press, 2006.
Wahab, Omar. A Glimpse of Eden: An Introduction to the Druze Path of Tawhid. Kindle ed., 2015.
Wahab, Omar. The Conceptual Foundations of the Druze Faith. Kindle ed., 2025.
Reference Tools
Swayd, Samy S. Historical Dictionary of the Druzes. 2nd ed. Historical Dictionaries of Peoples and Cultures. Rowman & Littlefield, 2015.