The Southern Gates of Arabia : A Journey in the Hadramaut (John Murray Travel Classics) download epub

by Freya Stark

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Book Source: Digital Library of India Item 2015. scanningcentre: UOD, Delhi d. escription. main: 1 d. tagged: 0 d. totalpages: 276 d. ormat.

Book Source: Digital Library of India Item 2015. library: Central Library, Delhi University d. itle: Southern Gates Of Arabia A Journey In The Hadhramaut.

Dust jacket shows moderate shelf wear and has several tape reinforcements. Bookseller Inventory 778. Ask Seller a Question. Bibliographic Details Publisher: John Murray, London. Publication Date: 1946.

Published August 2003 by John Murray. The Southern Gates of Arabia (Buckram bound). Published 2014 by The Folio Society

Published August 2003 by John Murray. Paperback, 288 pages. Published 2014 by The Folio Society. Buckram bound, 336 pages.

Freya Stark was a remarkable woman who travelled throughout the Middle East in the 1930’s. So when I found this book, I knew I had to read it. The Southern Gates of Arabia was published in 1936, and became an instant bestseller

Freya Stark was a remarkable woman who travelled throughout the Middle East in the 1930’s. She was fluent in Arabic and Arabian history and wrote many popular travel books at a time when women did not travel alone. The Southern Gates of Arabia was published in 1936, and became an instant bestseller. Stark traveled to the Hadhramaut region (now part of Yemen) in 1934 to find the lost city of Shabwa, which is along the ancient frankincense I learned of Freya Stark when I read Bitter Lemons of Cyprus by Lawrence Durrell, when he was the Minister of Information in Cyprus.

Though she journeyed through the canyons and mountains of the Hadhramaut extensively and by any .

Though she journeyed through the canyons and mountains of the Hadhramaut extensively and by any means possible, Stark's goal was never reached, but the ending to her story was nevertheless - and in characteristic fashion - dramatic. Though Shabwa remained elusive, Freya Stark's remarkable journey ensured that her name would forever be associated with Arabia and her travels hailed as intrepid and adventurous as any undertaken by other great explorers of Arabia such as . Lawrence, Richard Burton and Charles Doughty.

a journey in the Hadhramaut. Published June 5, 2003 by John Murray.

The Southern Gates of Arabia (John Murray Travel Classics). Are you sure you want to remove The Southern Gates of Arabia (John Murray Travel Classics) from your list? The Southern Gates of Arabia (John Murray Travel Classics). a journey in the Hadhramaut. Description and travel, Travel, Hadhramaut (Yemen: People's Democratic Republic).

A profusely illustrated record of a journey in a region which has been visited by very few Europeans. MORE BY Foreign Affairs. The Southern Gates of Arabia: a Journey in the Hadramaut. A profusely illustrated record of a journey in a region which has been visited by very few Europeans.

Freya Stark is a writer of incomparable English prose In 1936 she published The Southern Gates of Arabia: A Journey in the Hadhramaut which, as did many of her thirty-odd books, became a best seller.

Freya Stark is a writer of incomparable English prose. All her writing is infused with depth and sensitivity, and completely lacking in the typical bored/sniffy American or European point of view. Fascinating Tale of a Time of Adventure, Lost Forever. Published by Thriftbooks. In 1936 she published The Southern Gates of Arabia: A Journey in the Hadhramaut which, as did many of her thirty-odd books, became a best seller. It is now republished by the Modern Library, and is a welcome reminder of a brave, erudite, and witty explorer.

Shelves: travel, travel-old-texts Sometimes, there is more to be said for an unfinished symphony

Shelves: travel, travel-old-texts. Freya Stark was a remarkable woman who travelled throughout the Middle East in the 1930’s. Sometimes, there is more to be said for an unfinished symphony. Freya Stark's The Southern Gates of Arabia: A Journey in the Hadhramaut ends with its author becoming ill midway on her journey to her ultimate destination, Shabwa, center of the ancient trade in frankincense. Ultimately, Stark is evacuated by the RAF, who send a plane to pick her up from Shibam.

Freya Stark (1893-1993), 'the poet of travel', was the doyenne of middle East travel writers. Her travels earned her the title of dame and huge public acclaim. Her many, now classic, books include Traveller's Prelude, Ionia, The Southern Gates of Arabia, Alexander's Path, Dust in the Lion's Paw, East is West and Valleys of the Assassins. Country of Publication.

Comments: (7)

Ylonean

One of the greatest travel stories ever written. One of my favorite books of all time. Better than most fiction of this type. Poignant, fascinating, absorbing. I was sad that it ended. I look forward to reading it again in a couple of years.

Steelraven

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.

Stark has an eye for detail, as jaundiced as it is with the unavoidable Orientalism of her time and socio-cultural context. This can be forgiven/overlooked, and she's a lot more fair and obliging when describing those she encounters than the majority of her contemporaries. She's at her best when describing the landscapes she is encountering, the stark desert and wadis, the unexpected lushness of the oases and tucked-away mountain crevices where all the shades of green burst forth.

More than anything, what comes through in this book is Stark's grace and abiding respect for the people she meets. She has taken the time to learn their language, and is familiar with their culture, and takes pains to encounter them in terms that will make them comfortable. She does not attempt to bend anyone to a Western European point of view. This is not to say she is subservient or fawning; she most certainly stands up for herself when it is required. But throughout the book and on this journey, her continued success comes from her honesty tinged with her respect for the region and the people with whom she is interacting. This engenders respect for her in return.

I found the three maps in the beginning of the book at first absolutely invaluable as references to Stark's locations and progress. I then found the maps to be absolutely infuriating, due to their black/white printing, the too-small script, the confusing order of the maps, the contradictory scales and place-name differences, etc. I ended up abandoning the book's maps and opening my unabridged atlas to Yemen and tracking her movement there. Editors: if you're going to offer maps in a book like this, make sure the maps are actually worthwhile and readable.

Two scholarly additions to the book are good. Stark's appendix on the "Southern Incense Route of Arabia" is a fascinating account of exactly what she was looking for, and what brought her to the Hadramaut in the first place. It's her indirect formal scholarly statement of motivation. This appendix would have been well-placed as a foreword to this book, serving to establish her motivation and objective. Stark lists her sources, and they're offered as a listed bibliography immediately after the appendix. There is also an index, but for whatever reason, many of the persons and places in the text are not included, and there is no cross-referencing. For example, the names of individual wadis are placed in the index as "Sidun, Wadi," and are not cross-referenced with a "Wadi Sidun" entry.

Bottom line: If you're one of the many readers newly interested in Islam, Arabs and the Middle East, and are looking for some context beyond the latest book on extremism or terrorism, something to add depth to what you think you understand, then this book will do you well. If you're looking for some insight into the cultures and traditions of Islam, this also will move you in that direction. If you're looking for a glimpse into a time when the West and Islam actually got along on a basis of mutual respect, this enjoyable book will tell you about it.

Nahn

I found this book very interesting having recently visited Dubai. It gives an insight into the world of Arabia before it was spoilt by oil.
I was impressed by the bravery of Freya Stark for venturing into this fairly unknown part of the world and am grateful to her for the knowledge.
I am planning to buy another of her books

Marige

This was so interesting. A wonderful story about a little known area of the world. The fact that this was a personal journey made it even more interesting.

Jonariara

As a big fan of Thesiger and Villiers, I've been a little spoiled when it comes to Arabian travel writings. In contrast I found Freya Stark's writing style and journey incredibly boring. Her descriptions of events and people are uniformly vague and shallow. This is especially frustrating when she just glosses over some event or custom that I would have loved to know more about. For example, she mentions the fact that many of the Bedu she meets are dyed indigo to protect themselves from the sun, but never goes into detail about what to me is a very fascinating and little known practice. I haven't been able to find information about Beduin, or any other people, dying their bodies indigo in any other source so I was a big frustrated by this lack of depth. I guess its important to remember that Freya Stark's works are mostly just diaries, they weren't meant to be published as anthropological works, and so might not be very interesting to anyone but herself!!

huckman

Freya is limited with details, introspection, and understanding of the people she visited. She had bureaucratic connections that paved the way for her, and traveled in rather "grande dame' style, considering the areas and era of her travels. She does speak Arabic, but doesn't seem to empathize with people she meets.

Insanity

Great book! Our book club loves Freya books!

The Southern Gates of Arabia : A Journey in the Hadramaut (John Murray Travel Classics) download epub

Asia

Author: Freya Stark
ISBN: 0719563380
Category: Travel
Subcategory: Asia
Language: English
Publisher: John Murray Pubs Ltd (May 31, 2003)
Pages: 288 pages

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