Reviews (47)

a genuine journey of discovery
This is a fascinating book, a well told tale, and a genuine journey of discovery. Stewart combines a physically demanding expedition with cultural exploration and, in the process, achieves genuine insight into lives most of us will never have the faintest conception of. Some reviews of the book (e.g. Washington Post) miss the critical element of the journey that sets it apart from books that are entirely expeditionary in nature (like mountains climbed and rivers rafted) - and that is the Muslim cultural proclivity to welcome / shelter / feed travelers no matter how desperately poor they may be (and most in rural Afghanistan are very poor indeed).A critical talent that allowed Stewart to achieve this (besides his keen wit and prodigous writing skills) is his linguistic diversity, which allowed him to do what he did without getting killed or dying in the process. When the British Special Forces declare him a f'g nutter I found myself smiling along with Stewart at his formidable achievement.

A little shy of cultural insights
I would actually give this book a 3.5, but that's not an option.I think I was expecting a broader range of cultural insights from this book.The first half got a bit tedious and sometimes read more like an itinerary than an elucidating journal.The second half perked up for me; I admit this could be because the actual terrain improved and people themselves were more colorful and friendly.In the end, I did take away something from this book and do have a better idea of what Afghanistan's mountain region is about.I passed the book on to a friend this weekend as a suggested read.But the fact that I did this is a testament to my reaction to the book, for I never give away books that I love.Perhaps one day I'll come to regret it!And I can say, I don't regret having read this book.

Five-star rating for Stewart's experience; three stars for his writing of it
Try as I might, I couldn't quite enjoy "The Places In Between," Rory Stewart's travelogue from his walk across post-Taliban Afghanistan.Stewart is an amazing young man, brilliant and courageous, and his trek is an ambitious, noble effort.But his writing was so dispassionate, so resolutely matter-of-fact, that I quickly stopped caring.
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Subjects:  1. Afghanistan    2. Asia - Central    3. Description And Travel    4. Essays & Travelogues    5. History    6. History: World    7. Middle East - General    8. Middle East - History - 20th Century    9. Modern - 20th Century    10. Social life and customs    11. Stewart, Rory    12. Travel    13. Travel - General    14. Travel / Middle East / General   

Reviews (13)

Brings the politics and lives to the foreground as no professional politician's words could achieve.
The Prince of the Marshes And Other Occupational Hazards of a Year in Iraqprovides an unusual survey of Stewart's time as an interim and deputy governor in Iraq's marsh regions. His THE PLACES IN BETWEEN became a best seller and told of his walk across Afghanistan and encounters with the region's people; here he describes nearly a year in a remote, improvised marsh region in southern Iraq negotiating hostage releases, holding elections, and developing an uncertain government leadership. Any who would understand the peoples and politics of Iraq must read The Prince of Marshes: it brings the politics and lives to the foreground as no professional politician's words could achieve.
Wow*****Now I Understand
I am so glad that I brought this book. I wanted to understand some of the conditions and situations from an unbias view. Mr Stewart tells his story and does it well.If you truly want to learn more about Iraq, prepare yourselves and read this book. I would loved to meet this unique person just to shake his hand and say "well done".

Middle East in a Nutshell!
Rory, just so you know, your book is now a required reading in my conflict analysis and resolution course, at a graduate peace program in Washington DC. Your point well made! THANK YOU! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography And Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. British    7. Description and travel    8. Iraq    9. Iraq - History    10. Middle East - General    11. Military - General    12. Personal Memoirs    13. Social life and customs    14. Travel / Middle East / General   

Reviews (65)

Unchristian
Dalrymple's 1994 reenactment of the 6th century Christian spiritual journey of John Moschos and Sophronios is fascinating, and its author a compelling writer. There, the value of this book ends.
A book transcending itself
A trip through the Middle-East is most of all getting to know the Muslim world. The part of its' history from Byzantine times, meaning the presence and history of Christian settlements,is easily forgotten or at least figures in the background only. After having read this book the Middle-East will never be the same to me again. With the exception of the Armenian genocide,I was hardly aware of all tragedies which happened but most of all: which are today still happeningto the very old Christian communities of these countries. Not only are they in permanent danger of being killed, often with no punishment of the perpetrators from the authorities, and have they already been driven out of places where they lived since a 1500 years, also their ancient buildings, art, manuscripts, possessions of huge historic meaning, are being destroyed. As these communities and their material heritage represent much of the roots of Western civilization, this loss is a huge loss for the history of mankind. What's going on is a complete annihilation of the wonderful mosaic of different civilizations this world once produced. As since many years but now more than ever the Middle-East is the focus of world politics,"From the Holy Mountain" should be read by a much wider group of people than lovers of good travelogues or lovers of these countries only. A most important and readable study, implicating a plea for tolerance and respect, it should be a must-read for all politicians in the world.
Zeal For Ecclesiastical Arcana
Yes! My title nabbed from the Amazon reviewer. Dalrymple's journey through the middle east, retraces the Byzantine traveller-monlk, John Moschos, author of, The Spiritual Meadow'. In the late C6th, accompanied by his pupil, he set to gather the wisdom of the desert fathers from Mt Athos, to Kurdisatan, then south through Syria, the Lebanon, Palestine, and on up the Nile. Dalrymple's trip in the early 90s was frought with tensions which today would cause an angel trepidation. The book was a revelation to me, filling in considerable gaps about the foundation and correlations of so many parties in the fermenting region. Muslim fundamentlists provide stiff opposition to Dalrymple's historical and current enquiries. But they are not unique in this. His evocation of place is crisply poetic and touched with memorable detail. His feel for people is very sympathetic. A work justly applauded. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient - Greece    2. Ancient - Rome    3. History - General History    4. Middle East - General    5. Religion    6. Travel   

Reviews (4)

Eyewitness Travel Guide to Egypt
Very nice -- as I have found most Eyewitness Guides.Well organized, current, accurate as far as I could tell.I agreed with reviews of small number/small sample of restuarants and hotels.Guide enhanced an excellent trip!

Fabulous guide
Comprehensive, pictorial.The guide we always look for when planning a trip.

Highly recommended
I've been highly satisfied with the Eyewitness Travel Guide series, and this Egypt edition does not disappoint.Maps are clear and helpful, photos help to explain all of the rich history and culture of Egypt.We brought the Lonely Planet Egypt book with us as well, but we found the Eyewitness Travel Guide to be clearer and simpler to use.
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Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Egypt    3. Guidebooks    4. Middle East - Egypt    5. Middle East - General    6. Travel    7. Travel - Foreign    8. Travel / Middle East / Egypt   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (77)

A Delightful Journey
The reader will travel with the author throughout the Middle East, following the steps of the patriarchs through the beginnings of the conquest by Joshua, in source of a connection with history and ultimately a divine spark. This author is very easy to read and provides colorful descriptions of his surroundings that allow the reader to be there. Throughout the book is an undercurrent of "Why can't we just all get along!"
A Wonderful Guide to the Lands of the Bible for People of all Faiths
I've been a fan of Bruce Feiler's writing after watching him on C-Span's Book TV talk about his first book about Abraham. This must have been about four or five years ago now. I went out to purchase ABRAHAM and discovered a treasure. Feiler brings many gifts and talents to writing, particularly religious writing. First of all he writes about issues regarding faith from the point of view of one who practices his faith. Like many of his readers, his journey to faith has not been a straight path which seems to give him a good perspective on the questions people are asking. He also has a fluid writing style and is able to weave personal memoir, always interesting and at times moving stories, geography, history, and theology together to create a great read.
Succeeds despite itself...
Walking the Bible is not among the better travel writing I've read primarily because it focuses more on the author than the locations he visited.Feiler did get around:from Turkey to Egypt, from the Negev to the Sinai, from Jerusalem to Jordan, but he minimizes the narrative elements one typically associates with good travel writing for a seemingly endless array of personal epiphanies. Despite it's subtitle, Walking the Bible is more a journey by catharsis through Bruce Feiler's mind than a journey by land through the five books of Moses.Thus, beyond his ubiquitous food metaphors, a descriptive presence is often found wanting.
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Subjects:  1. Antiquities & Archaeology    2. Bible    3. Bible - Study - Old Testament    4. Bible.    5. Description and travel    6. Feiler, Bruce S    7. Feiler, Bruce S.    8. Geography    9. Middle East    10. Middle East - General    11. Museums, Tours, Points of Interest    12. O.T.    13. Pentateuch    14. Religion    15. Travel    16. Travel - General    17. Journeys    18. Religion / Antiquities & Archaeology    19. Essays & Travelogues    20. Judaism - History   

Editorial Review

This colorful and thoughtfully arranged guide provides easy access to Thai history and culture,religion and politics, music, sports, and festivals. From Chiang Mai to Bangkok, Phuket to Ko Samui, themany pleasures, diversions, sites, and activities are detailed in a conveniently usable format. Orchid parksand elephant training centers, wats and Buddhas, beaches, treks, museums, and rainforests--it's all there toperuse and choose. With lists of hotels and restaurants, information on shopping, whitewater rafting, golf,diving, Thai massage, and lots of maps and pictures, Dorling-Kindersley has put together a guide that's bothpractical and beautiful. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

This is simply a gem
This is a good quality book, something you could open and open again.
Traveling To Thailand?
I found Eyewitness Travel Guide for Thailand very informative, and easy to read.It had tons of pictures, facts, FYIs, and did I mention pictures?Like Eyewitness I agree that a picture is worth a thousand words.I also bought Lonely Planet's Travel Guide for Thailand, but liked Eyewitness' much better.Lonely Planet's Travel Guide had a more standard layout for the abundant amount of facts, but was limited on the pictures.The phrase at the bottom of Eyewitness' book holds true, "The Guides That Show You What Others Only Tell You."

Out Of Date
This is a great book with beautiful pictures, maps and nice glossy color pages. The only problem being that it is out of date! Having said that, I would not recommend it for your guide book if travelling to Thailand. Wait for an updated issue.Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Middle East - General    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Travel / Asia / Far East   

Editorial Review

First published in 1934, Freya Stark's classic tale of her travels through Persia has been reprinted once again and is just as much a gem now as when first published. At the age of 37, Stark shocked her fellow Brits by moving to Baghdad, befriending the locals, studying Arabic and the Koran, and then setting out on expeditions to remote and uncharted areas of the Islamic world by foot, donkey, camel, and car. With her fascination for secret Islamic societies, she resolved to travel to the former home of the Cult of the Assassins and locate an ancient fortress described by Marco Polo. (The founder of the cult inspired his recruits to murder through the use of hashish, hence their name Read more

Reviews (4)

Dull, Perhaps, But Groundbreaking
I agree with much of what is said in the reviews below: Stark's travelogues aren't to be read in bed if you have any intention of keeping your eyes open for more than a dozen pages or so. Her writing is clear and concise, but not scintillating by any means.What's of interest in this book is less the style of writing and more the travels themselves. Here was a single woman in the 1930s traveling in an area of the world virtually unknown to Westerners, making the radical choices, for instance, to study the Koran and live with the locals. She was a true radical of her own time who dared to tread places that Marco Polo didn't even approach, despite his (in)famous claims to the contrary.
Surprisingly dull
This book was disappointing, especially considering that some call it a classic. Wonderful Travel Story
Like jeffergray, I wish there were maps and would agree that the title was somewhat misleading.At times, I found myself confused by some of the historical references since they were cursory and seemed to assume a good knowledge of the history of the Middle East.Perhaps I need to go back to school...Read more

Subjects:  1. Assassins (Ismailites)    2. Description And Travel    3. Essays & Travelogues    4. History    5. History: World    6. Iran    7. Iran - History    8. Middle East - General    9. Travel - General    10. History / Middle East    11. Middle East    12. Travel writing   

Reviews (13)

Insights unique outside of the occupying forces.
BABYLON BY BUS is for any counter-culture reader or autobiography fan who wants something different: a kind of Kerouac bus trip extended overseas to Iraq. The two young, directionless American men went to Baghdad in 2003 in search of truth and adventure, giving up their jobs selling 'Yankees Suck' t-shirts at Fenway and becoming volunteers for the U.S. Government Coalition's Provisional Authority. BABYLON BY BUS recounts their eye-opening new duties as volunteers, which allowed them access to the streets of Baghdad and gave them insights unique outside of the occupying forces.
Mildly Entertaining and Somewhat Insightful
This is a mildly entertaining firsthand account of Ray and Jeff's experience in Baghdad, from a period of relative calm when they arrived, to the ensuing chaos a few months later culminated by the clash between U.S. forces and Al Sadr's Mahdi army.In January, 2004, Ray and Jeff traveled to Baghdad via Israel, The West Bank, and Jordan.The two were employed by the CPA in a charity donation organization they built (HAND) and lived in the Green Zone for most of their four month stay in Baghdad.They traveled frequently to the slums of Sadr city to distribute donated goods to the needy.Just when the situation in Iraq began to take a turn for the worse, the two pill popping adventurists managed to get themselves barred from returning to Iraq during a visit to Jordan after a petty altercation with a Jordanian shop owner and his brother which nearly landed them in jail for 11 years if it weren't for Uncle Sam's help.
I actually read the book....
Seems like some of the other reviewers are reviewing the authors' appearances on C-Span and at various Q+A's. Being someone who's never met these guys (although I must admit I come from a similar background and through degrees of seperation may even know people they hung out with in decades past) I feel I can comment on the book itself, not on the writers or any appearances they may have made.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Coalition Provisional Authority    6. Essays & Travelogues    7. Iraq    8. Iraq War, 2003-    9. Middle East - General    10. Military    11. Military History - 1990-    12. Officials and employees    13. Personal narratives, American    14. Postwar reconstruction    15. Travelers    16. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs   

Editorial Review

From Antarctica to Zimbabwe, if you're going there chances are Lonely Planet has been there first. With a pithy and matter-of-fact writing style, these guides are guaranteed to calm the nerves of first-time world travelers, while still listing off-the-beaten-path finds sure to thrill even the most jaded globetrotters. Lonely Planet has been perfecting its guidebooks for nearly 30 years, and as a result has experience and know-how similar to an older sibling's "been there" advice. The original backpacker's bible, the LP series has recently widened its reach.While still giving insights for the low-budget traveler, the books now list a wide range of accommodations and itineraries for those with less time than money.Read more

Reviews (31)

Good, but not as good as other Lonely Planet
As a disclaimer, I am a huge fan of the Lonely Planet travel guides. I like to travel, and have lately traveled to quite a few countries following recommendations from Lonely Planet. Just before going to Turkey, I was in Greece "with Lonely Planet".
Inaccurate and out-of-date
This guide is seriously out of date. This applies not only to prices, and relative prices, but also to critical information about what is available and how to find it. Having used it (Sept., 2006), my advice is not to rely on it without checking independently that what it says is available and how to get there is correct. Otherwise you may find that you have been expensely (in time or in money) misled. Since you should check with other sources, you might as well simply forget this guide, which is one of the worst I have ever used. Its recommendations about what is worth seeing and the state of hotels, while often useful, can also be wildly wrong.

Reliability is 50-50
My wife and I just returned from a two-week trip to the Aegean coast of Turkey.While we were certainly better off with the LP than without it, we found the sections on the Aegean coast to be unreliable.
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Subjects:  1. Europe - Eastern    2. Middle East - General    3. Middle East - Turkey    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign    6. Travel Guides    7. Travel & holiday guides    8. Turkey   

Reviews (3)

Nice book, Great City
I am going back to Istanbul and Turkey for the fourth time. I am buying a copy of this after seeing the library copy.
Lonely Planet Istanbul
This guide is loaded with information about Istanbul.I have found it very useful in planning my trip.i had at first bought another istanbul guide and found it to be really lacking in substance.Mostly pictures, not much text, lots of platitudes designed to dazzle you, and made of heavy paper that is a drag to carry around.the lonely planet guide is lightweight, informative, good maps, and enough pictures to satisfy.

Oversells the city.Functional.
This books makes Istanbul sound better than it is.While the "relative" descriptions were accurate (such as place A is better than place B) I was not nearly as impressed by the city as it was described in the book.
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Subjects:  1. Guidebooks    2. Istanbul (Turkey)    3. Middle East - General    4. Middle East - Turkey    5. Travel    6. Travel - Foreign    7. Travel & holiday guides    8. Turkey   

Reviews (1)

Lonely Planet Jordan
I bought this book after my trip to Jordan.I usually buy my Lonely Books before I make the trip.Even after the trip, the book was very useful.I was able to better understand and appreciate the sights I saw while in Jordan.I have had very good impressions with all the Londly Planet books I have used. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Description And Travel    2. Middle East - General    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Jordan    6. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (2)

Excellent Resource
Gorgeous photos.Fabulous information.It's a shame we can't visit this architecturally historic country.

An absolute "must-read" for any male or female visitor to Iran
Patricia Baker is a lecturer, writer and tour leader specializing in Islamic are and having traveled to Iran over 16 times since her first visit in 1971. She draws from his considerable experience and expertise in Iran: The Bradt Travel Guide to provide the tourist, student, or businessman with guidance on cultural awareness, religious sensitivity, and absolute do's and don'ts as well as a region-by-region guideline to getting around in different areas of Iran with black-and-white maps to follow. An absolute "must-read" for any male or female visitor to Iran, as familiarity with rules and customs could spare one from an unhappy detention; for example, the Iranian prohibition against cards, gambling and backgammon extends to such things as fuzzy car dice, woman must not walk unescorted at night or they will be presumed prostitutes, and no visitor should eat, drink, or smoke during the daylight hours of the Ramadan religious holidays regardless of their personal faith, else the repercussions to themselves and their sponsors will be severe. Yet Iran: The Bradt Travel Guide is far more than a list of proscriptions and warnings; it is also a tour of the cultural and historical wonders of Iran, a glimpse into the recent transformations of the society, and an in-depth guide of where to go and what to experience. Now in an updated second edition, Iran: The Bradt Travel Guide is a "must-have" for visitors who want not only to see the sights of this proud nation, but to understand its character as much as possible.
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Subjects:  1. Middle East - General    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Iran    5. Travel & holiday guides    6. Travel / Middle East / General   

Reviews (3)

2004 Edition
There have been some rumors concerning a previous edition. I have just been to Iran (in September 2006). The 2004 edition is as witty and informative as any Loney Planet book. When compared with two German books for travelers it is a notch above the others. I haven't found any insensitive orbelittling remarks only the usual sarcasm, just as the description of Ahvaz: "Unremitting Iraqi bombing during the Iran-Iraq War didn't beautify it and subsequent redevelopment has faild to offer much inspiration." Some telephone numbers and addresses are however outdated.

I totally agree with the first reviewer(LJ Brouwer ?)
I totally agree with the first person who reviewed the update of the LP Iran. The first edition, written by David St-Vincent was a real masterpiece (not exaggerating there !), but the following updates were made by someone who obviously did not know much about the country and didn't even like it. It was a disaster. It's great that LP has finally commissioned a worthwhile update, getting rid of the not-so-worthy author whose name I will not mention here.

A welcome replacement for the previous edition.
These are some excerpts from the new edition from the section entitled 'The National Psyche':
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Subjects:  1. Middle East - General    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Iran    5. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (4)

Believe the hype!
My '5 stars' are for Dubai. I'm one of the authors and lived in the UAE for almost 8 years. I guess we do believe the hype, because we've lived it. Dubai is an extraordinary city, the country offers one of the best lifestyles in the world, and the Emirati people - Dubai locals in particular - are incredibly dynamic, funny, laidback, hospitable and tolerant. Having travelled all over the world (to over 50 countries) and recently moved to Europe, Dubai remains one of my favorite cities.
Mediocre
Of all the LP books I've read (probably 30 or 40), this is my least favorite.The authors seem to be working way too hard to sound hip and cool and impress their readers to produce an interesting book for travel addicts.Perhaps they've just been into Dubai a bit too long and have bought into the hype...

Interesting facts and figures
This books brings a good overview of the city (although I haven't been there yet) with nice quick tips and facts that usually go unoticed on other travel books.
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Subjects:  1. Middle East - General    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Travel Guides    5. Travel & holiday guides    6. United Arab Emirates   

Reviews (3)

Very useful indeed
This book became a surrogate Bible for my father and me on a recent trip to the UAE, Yeman and Oman. It's a tad out of date as regards the big cities - Dubai, for example, has even more hotels and malls than the book would indicate - but the information was still exceptionally useful.
a useful guide to have along
I recently used "Arabian Peninsula" on a trip to four Gulf countries: Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, and Oman. The only country in which the book led me astray and caused inconvenience was in Qatar. Things are changing so quickly in Qatar that it isn't surprising that the guides are out of date. There's now a city bus service in Doha (which unfortunately goes nowhere near the airport), and a huge Museum of Islamic Art is nearing completion on the Corniche. The book is correct in saying you can get your Qatar visa upon arrival at the airport, but they don't warn you that payment of the visa fee (under US$20) is by credit card only (cash not accepted). In the Doha section, the guide says "some budget hotels are not suitable for, nor will they accept, solo women travellers. The hotels listed below are the exceptions to this rule." Well, that's all fine and dandy, but as a solo male traveler, I'd have liked to have been told which perfectly acceptable (and much cheaper) Doha hotels were available to men. And since politically correct Lonely Planet doesn't care to say, here they are: Doha Hotel, Golden Hotel, and Doha Tower Hotel all behind the Gold Souq, and the Hotel Inter-Diplomat near the National Museum. All these charge about 50 percent less than the cheapest hotel listed in "Arabian Peninsula". And yes, I didn't see women in any of them. I came across another example of Lonely Planet-style bias in Dubai. This book raves about the rather mediocre Jumeira Mosque, but fails to mention the very interesting Dubai Zoo just a 10-minute walk away. Yes, the enclosures are too small, but if that's the problem, why not list the zoo and say so? It's probably the only chance budget travelers will have to see many endangered Arabian animals. Is Lonely Planet trying to pressure the Dubai authorities into moving their zoo to some remote location inaccessible to most of their readers? It grates when a guidebook consciously makes choices like these for its readers. Anyway, I'd like to note here that I felt perfectly safe in all four Gulf countries I visited, and that virtually everyone I met was very friendly and helpful. It's an interesting area, and this handy little book will certainly see you through.

Great for Travel in Yemen and Dubai
It's not easy to write reviews of travel books- they don't lend themselves to the task as well as a good novel. I am not so much judging the quality of the writing as I am the quality of the research. It is doubly hard to write a review of a travel book that covers six different countries. It is hard to visit all the places- being that, with the possible exception of North Korea, some of these countries are the hardest ones in the world to visit. So I am of necessity limiting my review to those countries which I did visit, and thus the review will be unable to cover the entire book.
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Subjects:  1. Middle East - General    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Arabian peninsula    5. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (27)

As an Arab, I recommend this book of "understanding"
I could not find a truer book that this one to describe us, the Arabs in the proper & correct way. The Arabic mentality is fully explained in this book. Although the incidents occurred more than fifty years ago, the true essence of Arab culture today is still mirror image of ancient times, which was described fully in this book.
Why did he do it?
I'll admit I've got a deep suspicion of comfort and convenience, probably because they seem so inexplicably important to a lot of people.Sure, we can like our easy chairs; but without a steady diet of raw experience and unprotected (social) intercourse we lose our edge.Thesiger was addicted to living on the edge, and he was lucky and intrepid enough to capitalize on some sweet opportunities.He had the explorer's instinct to be the first one in, the humility to be accepted most places he went, and the intelligence to understand and record what he experienced.
Vanished world
I feel strongly for an era now gone. It used to be a much simpler world, with different values that developed slowly, and endured longer. Mr.Thesiger belongs to that era of rugged adventure, and I have enjoyed reading this book. There is a connection between people's feelings, and a developed respect, instead of just avarice. Good reading! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1910-    2. Arabian Peninsula    3. Description and travel    4. Europe - Scandinavia    5. Middle East - General    6. Thesiger, Wilfred,    7. Travel    8. Travel - Foreign    9. Middle East    10. Travel / Middle East / General    11. Travel writing