Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River

by Alice Albinia

Overview

“Alice Albinia is the most extraordinary traveler of her generation. . . . A journey of astonishing confidence and courage.”—Rory Stewart

One of the largest rivers in the world, the Indus rises in the Tibetan mountains and flows west across northern India and south through Pakistan. It has been worshipped as a god, used as a tool of imperial expansion, and today is the cement of Pakistan’s fractious union. Alice Albinia follows the river upstream, through two thousand miles of geography and back to a time five thousand years ago when a string of sophisticated cities grew on its banks. “This turbulent history, entwined with a superlative travel narrative” (The Guardian) leads us from the ruins of elaborate metropolises, to the bitter divisions of today. Like Rory Stewart’s The Places In Between, Empires of the Indus is an engrossing personal journey and a deeply moving portrait of a river and its people.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393063226
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	04/05/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	368
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Alice Albinia’s honors include a Somerset Maugham Award, the Royal Society of Literature / Jerwood Prize, and the Dolman Travel Prize 2009. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, the Financial Times, and elsewhere. She lives in England.

Table of Contents

Illustrations ix

Map xii

Preface xv

1 Ramzan in Karachi 1

2 Conquering the Classic River 26

3 Ethiopia's First Fruit 52

4 River Saints 79

5 The Guru's Army 109

6 Up the Khyber 130

7 Buddha on the Silk Road 155

8 Alexander at the Outer Ocean 177

9 Indra's Beverage 216

10 Alluvial Cities 243

11 Huntress of the Lithic 261

12 The Disappearing River 284

Glossary 310

Notes 315

Select Bibliography 333

Acknowledgements 350

Index 353

Editorial Reviews

A magnificent book, a triumphant melding of travel and history into a compelling story of adventure and discovery.

Financial Times