Stanley Stewart has a way with words and with horses which is lucky
since he had to use both to cross Outer Mongolia, retracing the
journey made by Friar William, a cleric who left Istanbul in 1253
for the Mongolian capital of Qaraqorum. Seven hundred years later,
Stewart, equipped with maps, saddle and the determination to reach
the modern capital, Ulan Batur, before the winter rains sweep
across the steppes, set off for the legendary birthplace of the
Great Genghis Khan himself. A voyage on a Russian freighter and a
train ride on the Kazakhstan Express follow, but it is when Stewart
is in the saddle that the journey begins. His first mount is truly
a Mongolian horse, so frisky that it takes four men to saddle it.
Naturally, the awesome creature is named Ivan the Terrible: 'Ivan
broke into a rough canter and his nervous energy infected the
others who jostled forward at a full gallop.' From then on, we're
off, rollicking through the grasslands of Mongolia, being
entertained in nomad's tents and stopping at the occasional ovoo -
local locations of spiritual resonance which, conveniently, also
double as pubs. So determined was Genghis Khan that no one should
know his burial place that nearly everyone involved in his last
rites of this ambitious man was immediately put to death. His
birthplace, however, is the small village of Dadal. Here, at
journey's end, Stewart locates the stone slab, its marking - in old
Mongolian script - giving us the date of the old rogue's birth.
This is a journey which takes you deep into the mighty Mongolian
expanse and, with not one word wasted, leaves you breathless. As
soon as you've reached Dadal, you'll want to go back to Istanbul
and start all over again. Reviewed by Mary Russell. Editor's note:
Mary Russell is a travel writer and the author of The Blessings of
a Good Thick Skirt. (Kirkus UK)
'Mongolia looked like God's preliminary sketch for Earth, not so much a country as the ingredients out of which a country is made – grass, rock, water and wind… The only signs of habitation were the occasional encampments of round white tents.'
In this remarkable book Stanley Stewart sets off across the old Mongolian Empire, from Istanbul to the distant homeland of the Mongol Hordes. The heart of his odyssey is a thousand-mile ride, travelling by horse among nomads for whom travel is a way of life, through a trackless land governed by winds and patterns of migration. On a journey full of bizarre characters and unexpected encounters, he crosses the desert and mountains of Central Asia, battles through the High Altay and the fringes of the Gobi, to the wind-swept grasslands of the steppes and the birthplace of Genghis Khan.
Vivid, hilarious and compelling this eagerly-awaited book will take its place among travel classics – a thrilling tale of adventure and an evocative portrait of a medieval land marooned in the modern world.
"Elegantly written."
SARAH WHEELER, DAILY TELEGRAPH
"Entertaining and resourceful."
ANTHONY SATTIN, SUNDAY TIMES
"He has a sharp eye for the incongruous… Stewart's wry sense of humour is never far away."
INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY
"Stewart writes with knowledge and insight."
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