Richard Fidler’s Conversations on ABC Radio has been a reliable source of book recommendations in the past. His own writing makes for a some excellent reads as well. His main area of interest is the rise and fall of long ago civilizations – I have previously reviewed Ghost Empire, whose focus was Constantinople and the Byzantium. This time his focus is Central Asia, and the travelers that crossed the region during Islam’s Golden Age. The Book of Road and Kingdoms is also the name of a traveller account from the same era.
The Book of Road and Kingdoms covers a time and place in history that I don’t really know a lot about. Which is a damned shame, as time between the rise of Muhammed to the rise and decline of the Abbasid Caliphate is absolutely fascinating; this book certainly helps fill in some gaps in my knowledge like a lost jigsaw puzzle. Fidler does go to the effort to show the extent of cultural exchange during this period. I’m sure we’ve all come across Marco Polo making his why to China, and the Mongols have a fair level of recognition in the populate consciousness. but what about Bagdad during the same time? It doesn’t get the focus I feel it deserves.
Someone must have built those roads that got our famous Venetian out so far east.
The book is split into six parts, separated by geography. Most of the accounts are given in a rough chronological order, with a little jumping back and forth. Thankfully, Fidler provides both a timeline and a list of notable names at the start of each section. The first section, The Crossroads of the Universe, for example, describes the rise of the Prophet Muhammad and the phenomenon of “Desert Lightning.” As with many historical events, serendipity played a role; the cultures expanding out of the Arabian Peninsula might not have been nearly as successful if both the Byzantine and Sassanid empires hadn’t been in decline. I was also very taken by the travels north and the Vikings on the Volga! But no matter what direction of the compass we were directed, the chronicles of those traversing the roads was constantly engaging.
There is one notable difference here though between this book and his previous books – Fidler didn’t get the chance to visit the region before writing about it. In Ghost Empire, he visits Istanbul with his son, in Sagaland he crosses Iceland with his friend Kári and in The Golden Maze, he returns to Prague for the first time since the eighties. In each of these instances, he inserts his perspective as a modern writer looking back on history, which added a personal touch. Sadly—especially for a book named after a travel chronicle—Fidler was not able to do so here; the COVID pandemic having put a kibosh on most of his plans, although the current political situation in some of these regions present obstacles of their own. It’s perfectly understandable, but it was an aspect of the previous books that I missed. I think it also shows the difference between reading something off the page—even if it involves an archival deep-dive and the power of Google Maps—and actually experiencing it.
That doesn’t mean that Fidler sticks to the centuries between the rise of the prophet and the fall of Bagdad—serval 20th century figures are mentioned throughout. I don’t have much fondness for Marc Aurel Stein, who comes across as a dirtbag, and I can see why China was upset with him. However the story of the compeer coins found just north of the cost of Australia was surprising and it really did show the long reach of these roads that cross kingdoms.
Like Fidler’s other books, this is a lovely, engrossing and relaxing read – even when dealing with the more tremulous aspects of the time. Now that I’ve had a bit of a primer, it looks like I’ll be looking for other books that cover the history of the region.
I have to point out though – I chose to read the ebook version, because I love a good map and they are less accessible when using audiobooks. But Fidler himself does narrate the audio copy, which is a positive if you want to go down that route.
For cbr16bingo this is Golden: Islam’s Golden Age. Of Course.
And a bingo on the horizontal across the middle row.