Synopses & Reviews
In 1928, Archibald Hamilton traveled to Iraqi Kurdistan, having been commissioned to build a road that would stretch from Northern Iraq, through the mountains and gorges of Kurdistan and on to the Iranian border. Now called the Hamilton Road, this was, even by today's standards, a considerable feat of engineering and remains one of the most strategically important roads in the region. In this colorful and engaging account, Hamilton describes the four years he spent overcoming immense obstacles disease, ferocious brigands, warring tribes and bureaucratic officials to carve a path through some of the most beautiful but inhospitable landscape in the world.
Road Through Kurdistan is a classic of travel writing and an invaluable portrayal of the Iraqi Kurds themselves, and of the Kurdish regions of Northern Iraq.
Review
"The real attraction of Road through Kurdistan lies in its warm humanity. Hamilton is utterly free of colonial superciliousness, despite the odd reference to the childlike simplicity of the natives. Learning of the Kurdish love for flowers, he sets about building a Kurdish garden of his own, bartering local species for eucalyptus seedlings brought up from Baghdad. He insists that his roadside camp conform to local traditions of hospitality. And, in the depths of winter, he hunts side by side with neighbouring tribesmen." Nicholas Birch, The Times Literary Supplement (read the entire Times Literary Supplement review)
Synopsis
In 1928, Archibald Hamilton traveled to Iraqi Kurdistan, having been commissioned to build a road that would stretch from Northern Iraq, through the mountains and gorges of Kurdistan and on to the Iranian border. Now called the Hamilton Road, this was, even by today's standards, a considerable feat of engineering and remains one of the most strategically important roads in the region. In this colorful and engaging account, Hamilton describes the four years he spent overcoming immense obstacles--disease, ferocious brigands, warring tribes and bureaucratic officials--to carve a path through some of the most beautiful but inhospitable landscape in the world.
Road Through Kurdistan is a classic of travel writing and an invaluable portrayal of the Iraqi Kurds themselves, and of the Kurdish regions of Northern Iraq.
About the Author
Archibald Milne Hamilton was an engineer, born in New Zealand, who worked for many years in the Middle East.
Table of Contents
Land of Eternal Conflict * Diwaniyah * Northward to the Mountains * The Road * Camp on Spilik * The Brigand, Hamada Chin * Gali Ali Beg * Forts on the Frontier * Men of the Middle East * The Depths of the Canyon * All in a Day's Work * A Christmas Eve in Kurdistan * The Snows Melt * The Cave of Kospyspee * The Treasure-Vault of the Ancient Kings * The Conquest of Gali Ali Beg * The Blood-Feud of Rowanduz * The Fate of a Kurdish Chieftan * The Assyrians * The Goal Attained