In July 2011, Sudan officially ‘became plural’, as the country split in two; the unofficial north-south divide between the Arab-dominated north and the more ethnically African south was made official. The people of Southern Sudan voted overwhelmingly to separate from the rest of the country.
A modern journey from China to Istanbul, through Central Asia, Iran and the Caucasus
Tom Coote
Tearing up the Silk Road is an irreverent travelogue that details a journey along the ancient trade routes from China to Istanbul, through Central Asia, Iran and the Caucasus. As Tom Coote struggles through the often arbitrary borders and bureaucracies of China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Armenia, Georgia and Turkey, it becomes apparent that the next generation will see themselves in a very different light to their predecessors.
And Other Snapshots of Life in Contemporary Egypt
Sanna Negus
What happened to a former Miss Egypt when she took to wearing the veil under her pilot’s cap? Who are the young people posting videos of policemen torturing crime suspects? Where do Coptic Christians celebrate the Holy Family’s journey to Egypt? Why is President Hosni Mubarak still ruling Egypt, virtually uncontested, after more than 25 years in power?
Petra is a symbol of the hidden treasures of the Near East and one of the world’s most spectacular and popular travel destinations. Its famous rose-red cliffs in which its ancient inhabitants carved lavish funeral monuments were hidden for many centuries, until their rediscovery in 1812. This long desertion means that the ruins are well preserved, and the visitor can now enjoy exploring the many hectares covered by the city.
A Journey through the Turkish Baths of Damascus, Aleppo and Beyond
Richard Boggs
Legend has it that Damascus once had 365 hammams or ‘Turkish baths’: one for each day of the year. Originally part of an ancient Roman tradition, hammams were absorbed by Islam to such an extent that many became almost annexes to nearby mosques. For centuries, hammams were an integral part of community life, with some 50 hammams surviving in Damascus until the 1950s. Since then, however, with the onslaught of modernization programmes and home bathrooms, many have been demolished; fewer than 20 Damascene working hammams survive today.
In this book Robin Bidwell tells the story of the great explorers of Arabia. For centuries Arabia was hardly known even to its Turkish overlords, except for the holy cities of Mecca and Medina and the pilgrim routes which let to them. The interior, which was to produce the great family of Ibn Saud and its puritan kingdom, was almost out of reach of Europeans. The exploits of Niebuhr in the 1760s, who was the first European to venture into the interior of southern Arabia, are the starting point for this history of adventures.
To the uninitiated, thoughts of Lebanon conjure up images of conflict and the scarred landscape of war-torn Beirut. Yet there is more to the country than the strife of its recent past as Lebanon is a land of many cultures and hidden charms, infused with the heady scents of the Mediterranean and the Orient. Reconstruction work in Beirut has revealed layer upon layer of archaeological treasures; in the same way the country as a whole is overlaid with the marks of many seams of a varied and colourful history, and is privileged with a wealth of monuments and eclectic architectural styles.
Lebanon, an ancient land re-inventing itself once again in the aftermath of civil war, has much to offer to the inquisitive traveller. At the cross-roads of empires, commerce, civilizations and world religions, you cannot go far in the country without discovering any number of historical monuments. Lebanon also boasts many areas of great natural beauty.
Istanbul, Constantinople, Byzantium – three names for the same city, redolent of its past history as capital of two mighty empires for 1600 years, and still today one of the great cities of the world. Istanbul is extraordinary, East meets West here, the only city in the world located astride two continents. Around it, the waters of the Marmara Sea mingle with those of the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus.
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In July 2011, Sudan officially ‘became plural’, as the country split in two; the unofficial north-south divide between the Arab-dominated north and the more ethnically African south was made official. The people of Southern Sudan voted overwhelmingly to separate from the rest of the country.
