That Untravell'd World: Seven Journeys Through Turkey

Nicholas Dylan Ray traveled from France to Tibet, through Turkey, and then throughout Turkey again in middle age. He reflects on his adventures, the archaeology and history of the places visited, and the people met along the way, sharing his deep knowledge of Islamic religion, culture, and history. He also considers the concept of charity in Islam, the textual foundations of jihadism in Islamic law, genocide, the monastic urge in religion, fasting during Ramadan, and the battlefields of Troy and Gallipoli.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 292 pages
Publication date: 04 April 2019
Publisher: Signal Books Ltd

Nicholas Dylan Ray, raised in the vicinity of an American national park, found solace in the mountains and forests that surrounded him. As a young man, he embarked on a six-month journey from France to Tibet, traversing through Turkey. This remarkable expedition serves as the opening chapter of this book, paving the way for a career in the Middle East. In the later stages of his life, the author returned to the road, exploring Turkey extensively. The subsequent six chapters, one for each journey, recount his adventures, delve into the archaeology and history of the visited places, and introduce the people he encountered along the way. In Konya, he is captivated by the beauty of an Arabic quotation from the Qur'an inscribed on Rumi's tomb. In Istanbul, amidst Syrian refugees, he explores the concept of charity in Islam. In Antalya, following the Islamic State terrorist attack in his home country of France, he analyzes the textual foundations of jihadism in Islamic law. Amidst the shelling in Syria, he contemplates genocide and climbs Musa Dagh mountain, the last redoubt of the Armenians who fought the Ottoman troops in 1915. In the coastal region of the Black Sea, he examines the monastic urge in religion and experiments with fasting during Ramadan. Finally, on the north-western Mediterranean coast, he visits two battlefields, Troy and Gallipoli, before returning to Istanbul for a final visit to Sultanahmet, the center of the Islamic world for five centuries. Throughout these wanderings, Nicholas Dylan Ray generously shares his profound knowledge of Islamic religion, culture, and history, discussing the foundational texts and their relevance in current events in the Middle East. He also pays tribute to those who have traversed these lands before him, reflecting on the mixed experiences of travel.

Weight: 462g
Dimension: 143 x 216 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781909930766