Middle East - Anthony Ham [4]
TRavel Literature
In From the Holy Mountain, William Dalrymple skips lightly but engagingly across the region’s landscape of sacred and profane, travelling through Turkey, Syria and Israel and the Palestinian Territories in what could be an emblem for your own journey.
The 8:55 to Baghdad: From London to Iraq on the Trail of Agatha Christie and the Orient Express, by Andrew Eames, is a well-told tale retracing Agatha Christie’s journey from Britain to archaeological digs in Iraq.
Travels with a Tangerine, by Tim Mackintosh-Smith, captures a modern journey in the footsteps of Ibn Battuta, a 13th-century Arab Marco Polo. The book begins in Morocco and takes in several countries of the Middle East.
Syria Through Writers’ Eyes is one in a series of anthologies that brings together the best travel writing about the region down through the centuries. There are similar titles for Egypt, Persia and the Turkish coast.
The famous march to Persia by the Greek army, immortalised in Xenophon’s Anabasis, has been retraced some 2400 years later by Shane Brennan in his fabulous tale, In the Tracks of the Ten Thousand: A Journey on Foot Through Turkey, Syria and Iraq.
Johann Ludwig (also known as Jean Louis) Burckhardt spent many years in the early 19th century travelling extensively through Jordan, Syria and the Holy Land. His scholarly travelogue Travels in Syria and the Holy Land is a great read.
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ONWARD TRAVEL: IRAN, SAUDI ARABIA & THE GULF STATES
If you can’t bear your Middle Eastern journey to end and you’ve got Iran in your sights, pick up a copy of Lonely Planet’s Iran guide. For Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE, Yemen, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, see Oman, UAE & Arabian Peninsula, which features a special chapter for expats headed to the Gulf states. If Africa awaits, Lonely Planet’s Africa covers the entire continent, while Libya and Ethiopia & Eritrea may also appeal.
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Mark Twain’s The Innocents Abroad is still many people’s favourite travel book about the region. Twain’s sharp humour and keen eye make the story still relevant 140 years after the fact.
Other Great Reads
Nine Parts of Desire, by Geraldine Brooks, takes our fascination with the life and role of women in the Middle East and gives it the depth and complexity the subject deserves, but all too rarely receives. It includes interviews with everyone from village women to Queen Noor of Jordan.
In the Land of Israel, by one of Israel’s most acclaimed writers, Amos Oz, introduces you to the people of Israel in all their glorious diversity. Letting ordinary people speak for themselves, Oz paints a rich, nuance-laden portrait of Israelis and the land they inhabit.
Once Upon a Country: A Palestinian Life, by Sari Nusseibeh, was described by the New York Times as ‘a deeply admirable book by a deeply admirable man’. It’s a personal journey through 60 years of history by one of the Palestinians’ most eloquent voices.
You won’t want to carry Robert Fisk’s The Great War for Civilisation in your backpack (it’s a weighty tome), but there has been no finer book written about the region in recent years.
You’ve seen the movie, now read the book – Seven Pillars of Wisdom by TE Lawrence. Not only was Lawrence one of the Middle East’s most picaresque figures, he was also a damn fine writer.
The Thousand and One Nights resonates with all the allure and magic of the Middle East and its appeal remains undiminished centuries after its tales were first told with Cairo, Damascus and Baghdad playing a starring role.
Websites
For specific country overviews, the lowdown on travel in the region and useful links head to Lonely Planet’s website (www.lonelyplanet.com), which includes the Thorn Tree, Lonely Planet’s online bulletin board.
The following websites are an excellent way to get information about the Middle East.
Al-Ahram Weekly (http://weekly.ahram.org.eg) Electronic version of Egypt’s weekly English-language newspaper.
Al-Bab (http://www.al-bab.com) Portal that covers the entire Arab world with links to dozens of news services,