Traveller on Horseback in Eastern Turkey and Iran (Ulverscroft Large Print Series) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Christina Dodwell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1990 | Series: Ulverscroft Large Print Series

This is an account of a journey on horseback made by the author through Cappadocia, Iran and into Pakistan. Places visited include Pasargad, Niksh-i-Rustan and Persepolis as well as the valley of the Assassins and Kurdistan. The high point is when she buys a fine grey stallion called Keyif.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An unorthodox and adventurous traveler, Englishwoman Dodwell has used horses, camels, canoes and rafts for transport in Africa and China as well as in Papua New Guinea, where she was prominently featured in BBC-TV's prize-winning film River Journeys , rafting down the River Wahgi ("eater of men"), braving arrest three times and, on one occasion, a pelting with stones. In this book, she tells how her plans for a horseback journey in Eastern Turkey were stymied when she found the mountain passes clogged with snow. Awaiting thaw, Dodwell went by bus to Iran, where she borrowed and hired horses for day-long excursions to historic sites. When her visa for Iran was about to expire, she went to Karachi in Pakistan to renew it. Never missing an opportunity, she visits an Afghan refugee camp in Pakistan and explores Baluchistan. Then, further adventures in Iran and finally into Eastern Turkey, where she buys a gray Arab stallion and sets out to explore the area, from lowland rice paddies to Mount Ararat. Dodwell is interested in people, history, architecture and artifacts, an irresistible combination. Her first-rate travel adventure is in the tradition of fearless globe-trotters like Dame Freya Stark and Devla Murphy. Photos.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Adventure is a monumental understatement when describing Dodwell's exploits in Turkey and Iran. This experienced traveler (e.g., A Traveller in China, LJ 3/15/86), courageous for even attempting the trip as a woman alone, finds herself arrested by zealous Revolutionary Guards in Iran, caught in Turkish rebel gunfire, pelted by nomadic shepherds, and more. The rewards of such peril, however, are immense, as she meets hospitable villagers, visits ancient cities, ruins, and mosques, and rides her horse through eastern Turkey. Though Dodwell's trip is only partially on horseback, she shares her love and knowledge of horses in a part of the world that is known for them. Entertaining and exciting, this gives a first-hand look at a little-known region.
- Melinda Stivers Leach, Precision Editiorial Svces., Wondervu, Col.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Ulverscroft Large Print Books (January 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0708921027
• ISBN-13: 978-0708921029
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,596,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dodging the revolutionary guards, September 9, 2005

By 

Mark Mills (Glen Rose, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Traveller on Horseback (Hardcover)

From the title, one might expect the author to be making a long horseback ride through Turkey and Iran. Actually, the book is about riding buses across the countryside and taking a horseback ride whenever possible. It isn't until the last quarter of the book that an extensive ride, where the author actually purchases a horse, takes place.

This is a little less romantic, but the adventures on the bus are very interesting. The primary theme is dodging Iranian revolutionary guards. The author is arrested in 4 or 5 towns and in each case, she out wits her captors and gets released.

In the meantime, we get to know a wide number of local tribes, a lot of ancient history and a personal insight to places too dangerous for a European male to wander.

If you want to visit Iran and/or Turkey, this isn't a bad way to keep the interest alive without risking your neck (literally)