Journeys in Persia and Kurdistan (volume II)

Isabella Bird

Published by Virago, softcover.

The first volume of Isabella Bird's vivid journal described her challenging journeys through wintry Persia and Kurdistan.

In Volume II, she sets off in the blazing heat of summer, longing for the chili winds, fog and rain of Britain, for several months travelling northwards, through deep valleys and lofty mountain passes, to Trebizond. At the mercy of predatory warring tribes, plagued by robbery and fever, she maintains her keen interest and detailed descriptive power as she tells of the day-to-day customs, beliefs, dress and activities of the people, to whom she continues to minister as a healer, despite appalling difficulties. On her much-loved horse, Boy, she visits cities both spectacular and decayed, traverses fertile plains and scorched landscapes.

She meets proud Kurdish tribesmen and dedicated ladies of the Anglican mission. Despite the vagaries and vicissitudes of her journey, when at last she reaches its end, she reflects: Such is the magic charm of Asia that I would willingly have turned
back at that moment to the snowy plateaux and the savage mountains ..................