First published more than thirty years ago, Paul Theroux's strange, unique, and hugely entertaining railway odyssey has become a modern classic of travel literature. Here Theroux recounts his early adventures on an unusual grand continental tour. Asia's fabled trains -- the Orient Express, the Khyber Pass Local, the Frontier Mail, the Golden Arrow to Kuala Lumpur, the Mandalay Express, the Trans-Siberian Express -- are the stars of a journey that takes him on a loop eastbound from London's Victoria Station to Tokyo Central, then back from Japan on the Trans-Siberian. Brimming with Theroux's signature humor and wry observations, this engrossing chronicle is essential reading for both the ardent adventurer and the armchair traveler.

There was never one Silk Road -- but several. The route chosen by Colin Thubron passes through China, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey, taking in the most sterile desert on earth (the Taklamakan) and the strife-torn mountain valleys of today's conflicts, as he travels from the tomb of the Yellow Emperor (the mythic progenitor of the Chinese people) to the ancient port of Antioch, by local bus, truck, car -- occasionally Landrover, horse or camel. He covers 7,000 miles in 8 months, and confesses that it is the most difficult, complex and ambitious journey he has undertaken in 40 years of travel.The Silk Road is a huge network of arteries and veins, splitting and converging across the breadth of Asia. Chinese silk has turned up in the hair of a 10th-century-BC Egyptian mummy; equally, the tartan plaids of 3000-year-old mummies in the Chinese desert echo those of early Celts. To be travelling the Silk Road, writes Colin Thubron, is to be travelling the history of the world: tracing the passage not just of trade and armies, but of ideas, religions and inventions. Yet -- despite the lure of the history -- this book is as much about Asia today. Its themes include different Islams (oppressed in China; fervent in Afghanistan and Iran; cautiously monitored in Uzbekistan); contrast (no cities could be more different than ancient Samarkand and modern Teheran); and the way that today's borders are meaningless because the true boundaries are made by tribe, ethnicity, language and religion.Shadow of the Silk Road is a brilliant account of an ancient world in modern ferment.From the Hardcover edition.

Lonely Planet knows the magic of Israel and the Palestinian Territories. We've walked the lively alleyways in Nazareth and Jerusalem, explored biblical ruins, slept under the starry Negev skies and floated weightless in the Dead Sea. Take your own unforgettable journey with our guidebook's 6th edition. Lonely Planet guides are written by experts who get to the heart of every destination they visit. This fully updated edition is packed with accurate, practical and honest advice, designed to give you the information you need to make the most of your trip. In This Guide: Day Trips to Petra in Jordan&Sinai in EgyptColor feature with locals' tips on the best sights and foodGreen Index makes responsible travel easier

"The process of gathering these images reminded me of the Bible's effortless ability to reinvent itself for each generation and each new way of searching." —Bruce Feiler Its stories may be the best known in the world, but its locations have long been a mystery. Where did Noah's ark land? Where did Moses receive the Ten Commandments? Where are the lost cities of Sodom and Gomorrah? Now, in Walking the Bible: A Photographic Journey, New York Times bestselling author Bruce Feiler offers an unprecedented heart-stirring adventure through the landscape of some of history's most storied events. Featuring Bruce Feiler's own photography as well as his selections from professional collections, Walking the Bible: A Photographic Journey brings together breathtaking vistas, intimate portraits, and fascinating panoramas, providing firsthand access to the inscrutable land where three of the world's great religions were born—and finally puts a face on the stories that have long inspired the human spirit. Over several years, Feiler traveled nearly ten thousand miles through the deserts of the Middle East, which led first to his runaway national bestseller Walking the Bible. This new illustrated book follows his route, offering a thrilling photographic voyage through the actual places of some of the Bible's most memorable events—from the heights of Mount Ararat, where Noah's ark landed, to the desert outpost in Turkey, where Abraham first heard the words of God, to the summit where Moses overlooked the Promised Land. Walking the Bible: A Photographic Journey chronicles a landscape that nurtured the relationship between humans and the divine, breathing new meaning into stories that have been a timeless source of inspiration.

Streetwise Jerusalem Map - Laminated City Center Street Map of Jerusalem, Israel - Folding pocket size travel mapThis map covers the following areas:Main Jerusalem Map 1:17,000Old City Map 1:7,000Traveling to Jerusalem Israel can be the experience of a lifetime. It’s hard not to feel the depth of history and atmosphere of the Holy Land in this concentrated labyrinth of tiny alleyways and small streets crowded with residents, merchants, tourists and pilgrims from around the world, same as it has been for thousands of years.To help the traveler experience the richness of this ancient capital, the STREETWISE® Jerusalem Map includes the intricately laid out street grid of the Old City and features an abundance of tourist sites such as hotels, museums, religious holy sites, parks, and government locations.Jerusalem is a walking city, particularly The Old City. A special inset map of the Old City enables you to discover that all the religious sites you visit are not just displays of antiquity, but rather still serve the same higher purpose they have for centuries.The city surrounding the Old City is clearly depicted including Mount Scopus, Yad Vashem, and areas South and North of the city.Our pocket size map of Jerusalem is laminated for durability and accordion folding for effortless use. The STREETWISE® Jerusalem map is one of many detailed and easy-to-read city street maps designed and published by STREETWISE®. Buy your STREETWISE® Jerusalem map today and you too can navigate Jerusalem, Israel like a native. For a larger selection of our detailed travel maps simply type STREETWISE MAPS into the Amazon search bar.

Innocents Abroad began as a series of travel letters written by Mark Twain mainly for the Alta California, a San Francisco paper that sponsored his participation in the trip to Europe and the Holy Land in 1867 aboard the steamship Quaker City. On the excursion from New York to Palestine they traveled a distance of over 20,000 miles by land and sea through France, Spain, Italy, Morocco, Russia, Turkey and Egypt. Through his humorous and insightful writings, Twain describes countries, nations, incidents and his amazing adventures.

Discover the wonders of ancient Egypt through a fascinating journal from a lost expedition — a treasure trove of fact and fantasy featuring a novelty element on every spread.Who can resist the allure of ancient Egypt — and the thrill of uncovering mysteries that have lain hidden for thousands of years? Not the feisty Miss Emily Sands, who in 1926, four years after the discovery of King Tut's tomb, led an expedition up the Nile in search of the tomb of the god Osiris. Alas, Miss Sands and crew soon vanished into the desert, never to be seen again. But luckily, her keen observations live on in the form of a lovingly kept journal, full of drawings, photographs, booklets, foldout maps, postcards, and many other intriguing samples. Here are just a few of EGYPTOLOGY's special features:— an extravagantly gilded cover, featuring a raised Horus hawk pendant with three encrusted gems— a playable game of Senet — ancient Egyptian checkers — including board, pieces, original-style dice, and rules— a souvenir booklet showing how to read simple hieroglyphs— a scrap of textured "mummy cloth"— a facsimile of the gilded mummy mask of King Tut— a gilded eye-of-Horus amulet with a "jewel" at the endRich with information about life in ancient Egypt and peppered with Miss Sands's lively narration, EGYPTOLOGY concludes with a letter from the former Keeper of Antiquities at the British Museum, explaining which parts of this unique tale may be accepted as fact, which are guided by legend, and which reflect the author's delightful sense of fancy.

Arabian Sands is Wilfred Thesiger's record of his extraordinary journey through the parched "Empty Quarter" of Arabia. Educated at Eton and Oxford, Thesiger was repulsed by the softness and rigidity of Western life-"the machines, the calling cards, the meticulously aligned streets." In the spirit of T. E. Lawrence, he set out to explore the deserts of Arabia, traveling among peoples who had never seen a European and considered it their duty to kill Christian infidels. His now-classic account is invaluable to understanding the modern Middle East.

Expanded Coverage: Istanbul‘s hot hotel and restaurant scene gets ample attention, with best bets for different price categories and experiences. A new section covers the Asian side of the city, too. Illustrated Features:  Magazine-style color features explore quintessential Turkey, including archaeological and historical sites such as Topkapi, Ephesus, and the churches of Cappadocia. Also highlighted are cultural experiences such as shopping for carpets and spices, sampling mezes and street food, and seeing the whirling dervishes.  Indispensable Trip Planning Tools: Setting up a great trip is easy using Top Attractions, Top Experiences, and Great Itineraries. Convenient overviews show each region and its highlights, and chapter planning sections have savvy advice for making the most of your time and for getting around Istanbul and the rest of the country. Discerning Recommendations: Fodor’s Turkey offers savvy advice and recommendations from local writers to help travelers make the most of their time. Fodor’s Choice designates our best picks, from hotels to nightlife. “Word of Mouth” quotes from fellow travelers provide valuable insights.