During the years he spent among the Marsh Arabs of southern Iraq Wilfred Thesiger came to understand, admire and share a way of life that had endured for many centuries. Travelling from village to village by canoe, he won acceptance by dispensing medicines and treating the sick. In this account of his time there he pays tribute to the hospitality, loyalty, courage and endurance of the people, describes their impressive reed houses, the waterways and lakes teeming with wildlife, the herding of buffalo and hunting of wild boar, moments of tragedy and moments of pure comedy, all in vivid, engaging detail.
Untouched by the modern world until recently, these independent people, their way of life and their surroundings have suffered widespread destruction under the regime of Saddam Hussein. Wilfred Thesiger's magnificent account of his time spent among them is a moving testament to their now threatened culture and the landscape they inhabit.
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Wilfred Thesiger lived among the Marsh Arabs for eight years, sharing a threatened way of life which had lasted for millennia.
There was hardly a village in the Central Marshes – an area covering some 6000 square miles around the junction of the Tigris an the Euphrates – which Thesiger did not visit, however small. This is a landscape of islands, some fo them floating, many of them man-made; of lakes and waterways; where the reed houses are of a unique an impressive architecture; where the economy of the inhabitants is based largely on their herds of water buffalo. They fish, shoot wildfowl and hunt the enormous and dangerous wild pigs that ravage their crops. Travelling from village to village with his medicine boxes and his team of canoemen, Wilfred Thesiger came to know these people and their way of life intimately.
There are times of excitement and hardship, accidents, blood feuds, there are episodes of tragedy and happiness and moments of pure comedy. Not only does Thesiger evoke with great beauty the landscape and its teeming wildlife, but he brings to vivid life the friends he made among the Marsh arabs – the sheikhs, his canoemen and their families. Few travel books have described an area and its inhabitants with such knowledge or such evident sympathy.
"A masterpiece."
H.D. ZIMAN, 'The Daily Telegraph'
"Here is the fascination of a strange land and the power to convey it."
THE TIMES
"The greatest of living explorers."
RAYMOND MORTIMER, 'Sunday Times'
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Book Description Paperback / softback. Condition: New. New copy - Usually dispatched within 4 working days. During the years he spent among the Marsh Arabs of southern Iraq Wilfred Thesiger came to understand, admire and share a way of life that had endured for many centuries. This book provides an account of his time spent among them. It pays tribute to the hospitality, loyalty, courage and endurance of the people. Seller Inventory # B9780141442082
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. New to Black Classics for this Classic Travel Book, with a new introduction by Jon Lee AndersonDuring the years he spent among the Marsh Arabs of southern Iraq Wilfred Thesiger came to understand, admire and share a way of life that had endured for many centuries. Travelling from village to village by canoe, he won acceptance by dispensing medicines and treating the sick. In this account of his time there he pays tribute to the hospitality, loyalty, courage and endurance of the people, describes their impressive reed houses, the waterways and lakes teeming with wildlife, the herding of buffalo and hunting of wild boar, moments of tragedy and moments of pure comedy, all in vivid, engaging detail.Untouched by the modern world until recently, these independent people, their way of life and their surroundings have suffered widespread destruction under the regime of Saddam Hussein. Wilfred Thesiger's magnificent account of his time spent among them is a moving testament to their now threatened culture and the landscape they inhabit. During the years he spent among the Marsh Arabs of southern Iraq Wilfred Thesiger came to understand, admire and share a way of life that had endured for many centuries. This book provides an account of his time spent among them. It pays tribute to the hospitality, loyalty, courage and endurance of the people. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780141442082
Book Description PAP. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Seller Inventory # GB-9780141442082