Subjects:  1. Middle East - General    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Travel Guides    5. Travel & holiday guides    6. United Arab Emirates   

Subjects:  1. Middle East - General    2. Reference - General    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Travel & holiday guides    6. Travel / Middle East / General    7. Turkey   

Editorial Review

In 1934, a 42-year-old Englishwoman named Freya Stark arrived in the British-governed Protectorate of Aden on a singular mission: to locate the fabled, long-lost city of Shabwa.Read more

Reviews (4)

Fascinating Tale of a Time of Adventure, Lost Forever
I found this book absolutely fascinating as it described a time, only 70-odd years ago, when there truly were unexplored reaches, where legend and history still co-existed, and where a culturally sensitive and aware, and properly respectful traveler could find peaceful and fulfilling adventure.This book is even more interesting now, given the changes in the Middle East in the past ten years.Can one imagine making the same kind of journey in Yemen now?Of course not; it would almost be suicide.That time has long since been destroyed, everything about this book but its pure physical setting gone, so this memoir is even more poignant and compelling.
existentialist trek through Hadhramaut
Trekking over the desolate, rocky plateau that lies between the coast and the interior valleys of Hadhramaut, Freya Stark travelled in 1935 with a group of Bedu and a government slave-soldier.The area has been known as Aden Protectorate,the Qu'aiti State of Shihr and Makalla, South Arabia, the People's Democratic Republic of South Yemen, and is now part of united Yemen.She visited several of the interior towns, almost never seen by Europeans at that time (though the RAF did maintain a presence), and has written beautiful descriptions of the unusual physical environment as well as a kind and sympathetic treatment of the people she met.She talked in Arabic with the ladies of the harim as well as with the rulers, scholars, and ordinary men of the communities.Stark aimed to travel to Shabwa, a long-lost ancient city much further in the interior of the Arabian peninsula, to an area then contested between Yemen and Saudi Arabia.Illness prevented her from doing so.This book then, is an account of her curtailed trip.She was evacuated by airplane from the interior, lucky to be alive.I always like travellers who respect the people they visit and who do not condescend.Freya Stark is certainly among them.For a travel book that describes a time long gone and a place still far from the beaten track-do you know many people who have been to Shibam, Makalla, Tarim, or al Qatn ?---you cannot do much better.You might use it as a guide as to how you could get along with people of a very different culture to your own---step number one, don't try to force them to adhere to your value system. a woman adept at cross-cultural encounters
As a Christian worker in China, I had first-hand opportunity to see how we "foreigners" interacted cross-culturally. (Usually, the most successful of us were those who were not on a Mission from God.) Having seen people badly suited to live abroad and admiring those who were very able to do so, the joy of this book by Freya Stark was reading about a woman operating cross-culturally with a world-class ability to encounter persons with a much different backround than her own. Her sheer delight in her Bedouin companions is vicariously enjoyable.Read more

Subjects:  1. Description And Travel    2. Essays & Travelogues    3. History    4. History: World    5. Middle East - General    6. Middle East - History    7. Travel - General    8. Arabian peninsula    9. Classic travel writing    10. History / Middle East    11. Yemen   

Reviews (5)

Jerusalem IS the capital of Israel
A quick correction and a quick review:
How can they make a mistake like this!
Im a history major and naturally i had to get this atlas for one of my classes. I was happy with it at first until i found that they put Jerusalem and not Tel Aviv as Isreal's capital (shocked). Is it really possible that they did this unaware? I found that to be biased and never bought a national geographic book ever again. I even emailed them and told them to make sure all thier capitals are right!! If they can make that clear 'mistake' then they can easily make other less conspicuous ones.

EXCELLENT BUT...
not very complete.The printing,paper and pictures are of the highest quality.The maps,classic "National Geographic" style,are good(Though I'd prefer Bertelsmann maps).But it's "Linguistic Groups Map" is highly inconsistent with "Ethnic Groups Map"(which is generally if not fully authenthic).Read more

Subjects:  1. Atlases    2. Atlases - General    3. Economic conditions    4. Maps    5. Middle East    6. Middle East - General    7. Natural resources    8. Reference    9. Maps, charts & atlases    10. Reference / Atlases   

Subjects:  1. Atlases - General    2. Earth Sciences - Geography    3. Globalization    4. Middle East - General    5. Reference    6. Science    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Science / Geography   

Subjects:  1. General    2. Middle East - General    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Travel Guides    6. Jordan    7. Travel & holiday guides    8. Travel / Middle East / General   

Reviews (2)

Not for the average reader
This is a book you cannot read like a novel; even as a diary, it is hard to understand, because entries are short and there are many unintelligible initials and half-words. It is a book for scholars, not for the average reader.

Very highly recommended reading for women's studies
Gertrude Bell was an English woman who lived an extraordinary life of adventure. She rode with bandits, braved desert shamals, was captured by Bedouins, and sojourned in a harem. The counselor to kings and prime ministers, her illustrious colleagues included Lloyd George and Winston Churchill. Very highly recommended reading for women's studies, and 20th century studies reading lists and library collections, Gertrude Bell: The Arabian Diaries, 1913-1914 is wonderfully illustrated with her photography and exemplifies her elegant, vibrant prose, as well as documenting her on of the 20th Century's most daring, resourceful, independent, and larger-than-life characters. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1868-1926    2. Bell, Gertrude Lowthian,    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Description And Travel    5. Earth Sciences - Geography    6. Essays & Travelogues    7. History: World    8. Middle East - General    9. Saudi Arabia    10. Science    11. Social life and customs    12. Travel    13. Travelers    14. ASIA    15. Biography: general    16. Colonization & independence    17. Middle East    18. Travel writing    19. Women's studies    20. c 1900 - c 1914   

Reviews (5)

Modern slavery, boy soldiers and African Diaspora
This is a fascinating account of how orphaned Sudanese displaced in struggles with northern miltias, found new lives in the US. The volume is particularly useful because it shows the connection between wars of religion and region, the slaving expeditions conducted by janjaweed Islamic militias, and the politics of recruiting for rebel liberation movements in the south. Short on arms, money, soldiers and international sympathy, the southern Sudanese seek international attention to the problems of post-colonial boundaries and rights. They have learned to use the politics of refugee camps to leverage attention and forces. The fortitude of these survivors is amazing, no matter how complicated the story of their displacement turns out to be.

Full review of Bixler's book
The Lost Boys of Sudan: An American Story of the Refugee Experience, by Mark Bixler.The University of Georgia Press, 2005.Pp. 261.
Interesting Reading
Learned a lot about the area of Sudan and trials that a refugee faces cominginto the US when not working with a host family. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    3. Men's Studies - General    4. Middle East - Egypt    5. Social Science    6. Sociology    7. Travelers    8. Modern fiction    9. USA   

Reviews (1)

Worth every cent, every square milimeter
Do not be disappointed by the fact that I am reviewing based on a Portuguese, Brazil published translation based on the third edition of the then called Macmillan Bible Atlas. I know the kind of Bible books I buy from Amazon. The book is worth every cent in its third edition, every square milimeter of visual information you get. How better won't it be on the new fourth?It could only be better (Perfect it would then be!) if based on satellite images like those from the NET Bible (www.bible.org...),the only reason why I do not give it five stars! But for sure, within the scope of it's original project, it is worth! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bible - General    2. Bible - Study - General    3. Bibles    4. Religion    5. Religion - Biblical Studies    6. ASIA    7. Israel    8. Palestine    9. Travel / road maps & atlases   

Reviews (12)

The best you find on the subject
It has been quite a long time; I have not enjoyed a book so much. The author Afshin Molavi, an Iranian-American interviews with 2000 Iranians and visits more than 20 cities. He writes about Iran's journey to democracy.
A Must Read for Every American
Afshin Molavi's compelling book lead me to discover Iran for myself.I recently returned from three weeks in Iran that did not disappoint.The Iranian people were hospitable beyond anything I have experienced, even while G.W.Bush was on the news threatening their country.I feel that The Soul of Iran gave me an insight that I might have otherwise overlooked on my own pilgrimage.

Beautiful Portrait
This book does an amazing job rendering the staggering complexities, subtleties, and apparent contradictions of Iranian society in an intriguing yet understandable way.
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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Description and travel    3. History    4. History: World    5. International Relations - General    6. Iran    7. Iran - History    8. Middle East - General    9. Middle East - Iran    10. Molavi, Afshin    11. Politics / Current Events    12. Social life and customs    13. Travel    14. Current Events / General    15. Travel writing   

Reviews (19)

The Asiatic Facial Features of the Sphinx........
What an astounding read!Author Peter Tompkins has written the one book that can be called 'must read' for anyone wishing to peel back a bit the veil shrouding the Great Pyramids at the Giza Plateau.It has always been my personal conviction, after watching Discovery documentarys about the pyramids in Egypt, that whoever built this singular remaining 7th Wonder of the World were masters of precision and material construction.Most striking to me is that since these mammoth structures are 40 stories tall, once having a limestone polished and near seamless mantle however many eons ago, and are in no way a product of mass work force - not by conventionary (hauling stones by rope and ramp) means anyway.If these pyramids, the great pyramid in particular, are so exact in their layout, then whoever built them must have left a clue as to who they were, where they came from.It is my absolute belief that the sphinx is the answer for several reasons.#1) In ancient Hindu culture there were (still exist?) statues of a mans body having a lions face.Obviously, the sphinx is simply a reversal of this theme.#2) In the Baghavad Gita, it speaks of a Hindu/Indian king travelling to what is now Cairo, establishing a society there, and accomplishing many spectacular feats.#3) Because whoever built these pyramids of Giza were highly advanced, which should be of no debate anymore, they did in fact leave several clues, the most important of which is the Sphinx.Debate has waged for thousands of years, across the globe, as to who were the pyramid builders?Well, in the face of the Sphinx I think there lies a secret, or rather a blatant hint, that being the high cheek bones of the personified once ruler or king, as well as the wonderful symmetry of the eye structure.Because of this symmetry, emphasising as well the astounding symmetry present in the pyramid itself and its many oddities, I cannot think anything other than that the original builders of the Great Pyramid at Giza where of some Asiatic ancestry.Please allow me to excerpt Tompkins Introductory paragraphs, which beyond everything else making this book the only authoritative scientific examination of the pyramids' origin yet published.Here goes, prepared to be puzzled: (the following is close to verbatim)
Very intruiging book
A friend of mine recommended that I read this book, so I picked up a copy from the library and sat down one night to start reading it.I then proceeded to stay up until 6 AM because it was such an interesting book that I didn't want to put it down.If it were not for the vast amounts of evidence that Tompkins provides, I would have dismissed his theory (that the pyramids were designed and built by a very advanced race who existed before the Egyptians) as a wacky conspiracy theory.I am still not completely convinced that he is correct in his theories, but I am doing more research into the subject as a result of this book.Other authors seem to agree with his conclusions (i.e. Graham Hancock, John West, Robert Bauval, etc.), and they provide further evidence, so it is not something you can simply dismiss.Even if you disagree with Tompkin's conclusions, this book will make you think.All of the exceptional properties of the pyramid which Tompkin outlines cannot all be coincidental as conventional Egyptologists claim, so at the very least Tomkins provides a rather stunning blow to contemporary Egyptology.
THE Classic Great Pyramid Book!
Secrets of the Great Pyramids is the original book that first alighted my interest in ancient Egypt, Atlantis, and the mystery of who we really are. Richly illustrated with photographs, engravings, and diagrams, it still inflames my imagination about this only existing wonder of the ancient world.
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Subjects:  1. Essays & Travelogues    2. General    3. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    4. Ancient Egypt    5. Asian / Middle Eastern history: BCE to c 500 CE    6. BCE to c 500 CE   

Reviews (9)

I'd Hoped for More Clarity
"The Yellow Wind" is outdated - already.Also, I was expecting a more objective presentation about the lives of the current generation of Palestinians, as it seemed this would be.I was interested in the book because an Israeli wrote it, reviews said he was patriotic yet sympathetic and that the stories were the human side of Palestinian life -- at least that was my impression and what I'd hoped to read.
A very talented writer and very poor moralist
I remember the sensation this work made when it was first published. The Israeli left , the post- modern anti- Zionist elite waved this work as a flag against Israeli ordinary citizens, soldiers and political leaders.
Worth reading
This is a good book providing good insight into the human dimension of the conflict. Well worth reading. I found two chapters particularly striking. First one is about a Palestinian village divided in two after a Jordanian and Israeli border agreement, and how members of the same family could grow differing identities (and even come to be not so fond of each other) due to such cruel separation for years. Second one is about a terrorist's father. Grossman gives this poor man's account as he told him, without adding his own commentary. Briefly, the son, who was grown up and living in another town away from the father's home, got involved in a terrorist act that took innocent Israeli lives. The father was subsequently picked up from work by the Israeli authorities, and pressured to disclose whereabouts of his son, which he maintained he didn't know (of the son's whereabouts and his alleged terrorist act). Torture and all sorts of humiliation were used, including threats of rape of his wife and daughters. His house was bulldozed to ground on fifteen minute's notice. He lost his work permit, and reduced to wander as a beggar from one village to another, avoiding his own out of shame. He and his family ended up living in one bedroom at a neighbor's house, without kitchen or bathroom. The son was found and killed eventually without the help of any of this effort on the father. After telling this story, Grossman says something like (paraphrasing), "of course, one's heart doesn't go out to this man's suffering and pain" vis-a-vis, I guess, the pain suffered by the Israeli victims of the son's act. And he continues (still paraphrasing), "but I guess, it is such instances where we have to be more rational and measured." Well, maybe this was all my misreading Grossman, but why wouldn't one's heart go out to this man? Mine did. And I thought modern states and tribes would have to differ a bit in such law enforcement and crime investigation matters. What is new about this? Maybe this (i.e., Grossman's slip, as I see it) too is an indication of how tough and convoluted the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has become. Actually, throughout the book, Grossman seems to respect and listen more to those Palestinians who manage to maintain their honor and dignity no matter what, and who therefore arouse curiosity and would impress anyone. Those who are truly wretched seem to barely touch him, if they do at all. I guess such condition of theirs is their own fault, or their parents' or sons' and daughters'. In any event, the book is free from preaching; it's not like the author's value judgments will get in the way of your reading. By all accounts, Grossman did a commendable job, and my little critique is, well, mine only. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1973-1993    2. Arab-Israeli conflict    3. Description and travel    4. General    5. Grossman, David    6. Middle East - General    7. Political Science    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Politics/International Relations    10. Travel    11. West Bank    12. Political Science / General   

Reviews (10)

Good Book
This is a very interesting book. Who could do a better job then Carter at writing a book on King Tutankhamen. I only wish they could have added a few more pictures of the beautiful treasures in the tomb.

One of my favorite books
I have a beloved hard copy that I've owned since sophomore year of high school when I learned about Howard Carter and Tutankhamen in A.P. History class. I was hooked and had to learn more. I've read that the first edition was actually two volumes but I haven't ever come across any copies yet.

Fascinating
If you love Epyptology, you'll love this book. Written like a diary, it will keep you on the edge of your seat, waiting for what's around the corner. A must read! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient - Egypt    2. Egypt    3. Excavations (Archaeology)    4. Excavations (Archeology)    5. General    6. History: World    7. King of Egypt    8. Sociology    9. Special Interest - Adventure    10. Tomb    11. Tutankhamen,    12. African history: BCE to c 500 CE    13. Middle & Near Eastern archaeology    14. Travel / Adventure    15. Tutankhamen   

Reviews (1)

Mediocre, below typical DK Eyewitness Travel Guides
I own about 40 DK Eyewitness Travel Guides and usually take one on my travels to complement a more thoroughly written guidebook like Rough Guide or Lonely Planet.The photos are always excellent, providing a fine visual overview of places.DK Cyprus, though, was perhaps the least useful DK Travel Guide that I have ever used.The descriptions of places were drier than Cyprus' summer weather, and the photos added little to what was in the more compact, less expensive DK Top 10 Cyprus book.Carrying 4 guidebooks (DK, DK Top 10, Lonely Planet, and Rough Guide) for our travels throughout all regions of the island, I soon realized that I could have been perfectly happy if I had only carried Rough Guide and DK Top 10. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Middle East - General    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Travel Guides    6. Travel / Europe / Eastern   

Subjects:  1. 1890-1976    2. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions    3. Exhibition Catalogs    4. Exhibitions    5. Individual Photographer    6. Photo Essays    7. Photography    8. Photography, Artistic    9. Strand, Paul,    10. Egypt    11. Ghana    12. Italy    13. Morocco    14. Photographs: collections    15. Photography / Travel    16. Places & peoples: general interest    17. Romania    18. Scotland   

Reviews (3)

A very innocent time
Bell was one of many "arabists" who traveled throughout the Middle East near the end of the Ottoman empire. This book is really an interesting travelogue and insight into Middle Eastern culture from the view of a privileged English woman who was viewed as curiosity by those she visited and traveled with. In a way, this is a fairly innocent view of that part of the world, but you could do worse than read this book. Much of the clannish nature of the cultures she wrote about is unchanged from her era (and indeed, from centuries before) and is worth the couple of hours it will take to read this book.

Travels in Turkish Syria
Gertrude Bell is probably one of the most interesting women of pre-World War I England. A daughter of privilege and she was educated and curious at a time when women of her class were expected to marry well and have children to police the Empire.Bell broke this mold and was the archetype of the "traveling Englishwoman" of the high British Empire.
Marvelous Book
Having read a current bio about Gertrude Bell (Desert Queen), which I found a bear to get through due to the less than amazing quality of writing, I was curious about Bell's own writings and thrilled to find some still in print. Gertrude Bell could write!! What a wonderful book. Having an interest in archaeology and the history of ancient civilizations, I enjoyed the material she offered. But even if those aren't areas of interest to you, the people she met and talked to give one a better understanding of the midEast and of people in general. This was a hard book to put down. My only desires were that a map had been provided and that all of her wonderful pictures would have been printed on glossy paper so they could have been better appreciated. (I would have paid the extra!) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Description and travel    4. Essays & Travelogues    5. General    6. Middle East - General    7. Social life and customs    8. Syria    9. Travel - General    10. Arid zones, deserts    11. Biography: general    12. Geographical discovery & exploration    13. Middle East    14. Travel writing    15. Women's studies    16. c 1900 - c 1914   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (3)

Tour Guide for Traveling to the Past
This handy little spiral-bound book has thick pages and wonderful photographs of historic sites in Israel. It is a virtual tour book of ancient Israel. The plastic graphic overlays for each page lets you see what the same scene might have looked like in ancient times. This is an excellent study help that allows you to visualize the buildings and places in the time of Jesus. The back of each page provides explanations of the historical and religious significance of the site. The rest of the book includes a glossary, a brief synopsis of ancient history, and maps to pull it all together. Though published by Frommer's, I would suggest that this is wonderful study guide for any student of the Bible, not just travelers to the Middle East. From the fortress at Masada to the church at Kursi, this collection gives you a tour of ancient sites and transports you to that world in a way other books cannot.

Best short pictorial summary of the history of Israel ever
Book uses unique overlay technique that allows the reader to see what a historical site looks like today as well as what it looked like in its prime.Excellent reference material for pilgrims to the Holy Land.Ibought it in Israel and bought three more for friends when I got home.

Outstanding visual reference to famous sites.
Trying to picture the past is often diffcult.This book is an outstanding reference and visual aid for anyone touring or studing Israel.Each of the major sites is shown today and with an overlay of it's former glory. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiquities    2. Guidebooks    3. Historic sites    4. Israel    5. Middle East - Israel    6. Politics/International Relations    7. Travel    8. Travel - Foreign    9. ASIA    10. Travel & holiday guides   

Subjects:  1. Cairo    2. Cairo (Egypt)    3. Egypt    4. Guidebooks    5. Historic sites    6. History    7. Islamic antiquities    8. Middle East - Egypt    9. Reference - Guides (General)    10. Tours    11. Travel    12. Travel - Foreign    13. Walking    14. Architecture    15. Travel writing   

Subjects:  1. Middle East - Israel    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Travel Guides    5. Travel / Middle East / Israel   

Reviews (1)

"Which Way?"The Driver Said and Other Tales
Having needed to help my guide/driver navigate the backroads of Syria a month ago, I can say with total confidence that Neos Guide is an "Absolute Must Have" book along with the Lonely Planet "Syria".The city maps especially are extemely clear and necessary, the cities and historic sites are well described, and the recomended selection of sites to see, is superior to suggestions offered by local guides.Trust your book, your guide's actual travel experiences may be limited.Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southwest    2. Middle East - General    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Jordan    6. Syria    7. Travel & holiday guides