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 enlarge | Author: William Dalrymple
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks
Category: Book
List Price: $19.00
Buy Used: $5.99
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Rating:  66 reviews
Sales Rank: 154043
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 496
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.4
ISBN: 0805061770
Dewey Decimal Number: 915
EAN: 9780805061772
ASIN: 0805061770
Publication Date: March 15, 1999
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Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Clean,tight,unmarked.Shiny covers&no spine crease!2 page corners folded over o/w Excellent!We ship M-F w/care&free D.C.!
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| Customer Reviews:
 A lamentation to the extiction of a colour August 20, 2006
7 out of 11 found this review helpful
A journey of six months starting from Holy Mountain Athos in Greece, ending at Kharga in the middle of desert in upper Egypt, passing through Istanbul, Antioch (Antakya), Urfa, Diyarbakir, Mardin, Midyat in Turkey; Hassake, Aleppo, Seidnaya, Serjilla, Al-Barra, Damascus in Syria; Beirut, Baalbeck, Bsharre in Lebanon; West Bank, Jarusalem, Nazareth in Palestine; Alexandria, Cairo, Asyut, Kharga in Egypt.. These are the lands where three big religions emerged and spreaded. And, these were the lands where civilisations rised and declined one after another.
Dalyrimple's narrative is a lamentation to the extinction of multi-ethnic, multi-cultural Middle East. Author's ability to combine history with today's facts, to narrate with the knowledge and beautiful language of history and literature makes this book a feast of reading.
Moschos' Spiritual Meadow was about the decline of Byzantium, this book is about the extinction of what is left from Eastern Christianity and Ottoman multiculturalism.
History and Travel come together July 21, 2006
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
William Dalrymple has given the literary corpus a wonderful book that brings together history and travel writing. Far from being simply anecdotal, the book also moves the readers by the usage of a conversational style. The story of Lucina, the only Armenian in Diyarbakir is the tale of a culture that is being made extinct bacause of human shortsightedness. The book is a saga of the plight of the Middle East, not only that of Christianity, as well as a call to the world to do something, anything to save what we can before it is too late. "Just make sure you tell the outside world what is happening here," says Symeon. William Dalrymple has told the world. Now what are we going to do about it?
Fantastic: not biased at all, but fair and impartial July 18, 2006
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
A very close friend gave me a copy of Dalrymple's "In Xanadu", which I enjoyed. This led me quickly to "From the Holy Mountain".
This is a book that I can recommend unreservedly. It shouldn't be confined to a particular genre such as "travel writing", as it transcends all such classification. It is an example of a book with a very interesting initial conceit, wonderfully executed and beautifully written. Travel, exotic locations, local colour, history and ages-old enmities. I suppose, unfortunately, sex would have not been in keeping with the monasticism...
Based on the peregrinations of two monks in the 6th century around the Mediterranean, Dalrymple weaves an absorbing story set in various exotic locations by synthesizing a mass of fascinating history as well as masterfully describing current political, social and cultural circumstances, and, inevitably modern tensions and disputes. He discusses these issues with a spectrum of locals and his reports of these encounters certainly have the ring of authenticity.
I disagree with other reviewers who have concerns about bias. On the contrary, my lasting impression is that Dalrymple seeks always to be honest, fair and impartial in discussing various contentious matters, invariably presenting many facets of these issues. That he draws his own conclusions and presents opinions is not necessarily an indication of bias, but only Dalrymple fulfilling his authorial duty to his readers to express and defend his opinions.
I have recommended or bought the book for many friends and family. Can't say better than that!
One of my favourites of all time July 12, 2006
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
From the Holy Mountain deserves to be put along side such other classics of the genre as the Road to Oxiana and a Time of Gifts. It is erudite, witty, scholarly & compassionate in its treatment of the subject of Christian Minorities in the Middle East. This book means so much to me as I travelled in the very same areas covered at approximately the same time the research for the book was undertaken. I can confirm the total accuracy of the authors assessments. The book both confirmed and provided illumination as to what I had seen with my own eyes and heard from the communities depicted. This remarkably accomplished work deserves to be read by everyone with an interest in the Middle East. As far as I am concerned, my only quibble is I wish it was twice as long, so as to prolong the enjoyment of what is still the most authoritative and important book about the subject. Do yourself a huge favour and buy this book.
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 With all kindness, but something is missing. March 25, 2006
11 out of 18 found this review helpful
This book is very well-written. I enjoyed Mr. Dalrymple's sense of humor and his ability to get the reader to the places as he describes them, but I feel he is not telling the "whole story." I would like to see the documentation for the facts and figures he quotes and given there is little or none, I do not know what to believe.
I have met the former director of Israel Antiquities Authority and he states, rather firmly that they do not preserve Zionist-only artifacts, that there is not a Zionist plot to drive the rest of the world out of Jerusalem. Marionite christians are not the sole cause of the Lebonon civil war . .
What else?
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