4 comments about In the Shade of the Tree: A Photographic Odyssey Through the Muslim World.

1. Peter Sanders, one of the first non-Muslim's (Before he entered Islam) to take photo's of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, has put together an excellent pictorial journey through specific countries and places.

   While the cover claims, "An Odyssey through the Muslim World", I would choose to call this collection a glimpse into the heart of Peter Sanders.

   Mr. Sanders went through his extensive collection of photographs taken from throughout the World, and picked ones that he felt had something to say. He placed a quick commentary and some words of wisdom together with each photograph, and created this book.

   Some of the pictures are breathtaking, and some are not so breathtaking. Some of the pictures become breathtaking after reading the commentary; Several pictures made me scratch my head in puzzlement. But after reading Mr. Sander's explanation, I found a new appreciation for the pictures.

   I think the book can pass off as an interesting coffee table book. Some people though, will find the photo's and the commentary exceptionaly interesting, and find the book much more then an idle conversation passer.

   Anybody interested in exceptional photography (In my limited appreciation of photography) from North Africa and the Middle East will find this book worth the cost.

   Peter Sanders is an acquantance of Shaikh Hamza Yusuf; for some people, that might be enough reference to purchase the book.




2. This book came as a gift from a dear friend who happens to be a Christian from Britain. His note read "I thought you might appreciate this lovely book." Lovely it is indeed. In many ways. A gift that is a challenge to repay.

   Great photographers' through their works get us to see and comprehend the world surrounding us. A few among great photgraphers are able to translate to us through their images what we miss or are not able to see inside the people arround us.

   Peter Sanders' work gives us glimpses of many insides. It is a look at many parts of the world of Islam. But as you go through the images and the words you see straight into the crevaces of Sanders' yearning. And from his inside you can see much of what it is to be a muslim. A word that means something along the line: one who is willfully submiting in peace, to the Peace.

   In these days of many horrors this work is a gift for those who want to know. A gift for searching hearts.




3. I had the pleasure of stumbling across this book recently and purchasing it through Amazon; it contains striking pictures of Islamic people & places captured by Peter Sanders, a famous English photographer. The associated descriptions and quotes from Islamic sources for each impeccably selected photograph greatly enhance the high production quality.

   In this day and age where the electronic media is replete with images of death, destruction, and violence this book serves as a breath of fresh air, evoking the simplicity and beauty inherent in being near to one's Creator.

   Mr. Sanders has a great gift to see the world through a beautiful lens, and to be able to share it with Muslims and non-Muslims alike. He has a well-crafted web site (which I'll fail to mention, respecting Amazon's review guidelines) that contains a mini-photo gallery - as well as info on his forthcoming books in the series which I hope to see available here soon, inshAllah (God willing).

   If you're still debating whether to buy this book or not, stop and just click the button; trust me, you won't regret this purchase one bit! :)




4. The photography of Peter Sanders takes us into a new world of possibilties and challenges us to humanise the "other". A man who straddles East and West, Sanders captures the spiritual depth and universal message of the lived Muslim experience in a way few others have. Each photograph is the starting point for a narrative that ought to be written by those who view them. A blessed and marvelous work!

No comments about Denatured Africa,.

No comments about Licensed to Guide.

No comments about South Africa (Pocket Classics).

3 comments about Lords of the Atlas: The Rise and Fall of the House of Glaoua, 1893-1956.

1. Lay readers and any with a general interest in history will relish this survey of the rise and fall of the house of Glaoua from 1893-1956: Lords Of The Atlas provides an epic story of Moroccan history which reads almost like fiction but which is packed with facts. Add the unusual attribute of modern color photos of the region throughout and you have an unusually inviting coverage of a little-covered area.



2. This curious book is a cross between a coffee-table book and a real book meant for reading. It is visually stunning -- beautiful layout and magnificent photographs, both historical and current. As a history, the book is patchy. Sometimes it seems pieced together from bits of disconnected information. Large portions are quotations from a 1912 book by Walter Harris, who lived in Morocco and was a friend to sultans. The book relates the rise and fall of the Glaoui family. Two brothers, Madani and T'hami, ruled Marrakesh and southern Morocco as warlords from the early 1900's until 1956. Eventually, T'hami El Glaoui became a tool of the reactionary French colonial powers, until they abandoned him in the face of the inevitable movement toward independence. The book is full of fascinating and odd facts. You'll be able to amaze your friends with little known facts -- why the Jewish quarters of Fez and Marrakesh are called "mellahs," which means "salt;" what anatomical tidbit showed up in a restaurant stew during the massacres in Casablanca in the early 1950s; what Moroccan prostitutes sometimes have tattooed in special places. One negative comment -- the book is very badly proofread -- there are numerous typos from the dust jacket throughout the book. I highly recommend this book -- it's not your usual dry narrative of events.



3. Gavin Maxwell wrote "Lords of the Atlas: The Rise and Fall of the House of Glaoua" in 1966, a decade after Morocco won independence from France. The Glaoui were one of the three principal Caids of the High Atlas, made wealthy by a profitable salt mine, who controlled one of the mountain passes. Their dominion over the tribes of southern Morocco began when the armies of Sultan Moulay Hassan beat a retreat to Marrakesh in 1893 through the pass controlled by the Glaoui, who gave him aid. The Sultan showed his appreciation by making the Glaoui his representatives in the region and giving them modern arms and ammunition with which to expand their domain.
   
   "Lords of the Atlas" is divided into two books. The first traces the rise of the House of Glaoua under Madani El Glaoui, the son of Caid Si Mohammed Ben Hammou and an Ethiopian concubine, who led his family to power by conquering the Berber tribes of the South and by committing himself to the French, who were able to make Morocco a Protectorate in 1912 partly due to Madani's success in uniting the nation through conquest. Book Two follows the reign of Madani's brother T'hami El Glaoui, who inherited his brother's power and politics upon Madani's death in 1918. T'hami was officially the Pasha of Marrakesh but became a man more powerful than the Sultan himself, his status dependent upon the French Protectorate, which ended in 1956.
   
   Gavin Maxwell thinks Madani a more impressive man than T'hami, though he defends T'hami against anti-colonialist propaganda. There is less personal information about Madani than his brother, and Maxwell speaks of his character in broader terms. Maxwell quotes extensively from the 1912 book "Morocco that Was", written by Times correspondent Walter Harris, whose personal acquaintances with several Sultans allowed him to write sharp eye-witness accounts. T'hami became something of a celebrity in Europe and was much spoken-of at the time, so Maxwell is able to comment extensively on the character, lifestyle, and rule of this man who was clever enough to subjugate the French to his ambitions but not enough to foresee their betrayal.
   
   Lest I give the impression that this book is a character study, "Lords of the Atlas" is mostly a blow-by-blow account of the Glaouis' rise to power and eventual fall from it, including the intrigues of the French to dominate, then to extricate themselves from Morocco, betraying their own Resident-General and the T'hami. This is quite dry at times and fascinating at others. I read the Illustrated Edition published by Lyons Press in 2000. The long line length occasioned by the larger format makes the detailed and dry text more difficult to read. I would have preferred a standard format with pictures inserted in the middle. The Appendices are worth reading and include Walter Harris' hilarious account of negotiations between the French and ex-Sultan Moulay Hafid in 1912 and a rebuttal to the 1932 polemic "Son Excellence" that libeled T'hami El Glaoui.

5 comments about East Along the Equator: A Journey up the Congo and into Zaire (Traveler / Atlantic Monthly Press).

1. This book is a rarity. I have read histories of Africa and I've read travelogues set in Africa and on other continents. But never have I read such a readable and illuminating mix of the two. If you're interested in Africa, read this book. If you like fine writing, get this book.



2. "East Along the Equator: A Journey Up the Congo and into Zaire" is an excellent account of a journey across Central Africa (in what was then Zaire) in the early 1980s. Winternitz and her companion traveled by river barge along the entire navigable portion of the Congo river, from Kinshasa to Kisangani. The Congo river barges are legendary among 'extreme' travelers. The end of Belgian colonization of the Congo meant the end of roads, making the river the only practical way to travel between Kinshasa and Kisangani. These river barges are (were?) floating villages, complete with markets and nightclubs populated by traders who make their livelihood onboard, as well as travelers going from place to place. From Kisangani the journey continues overland, to an eventual return to Kinshasa by air. In Kinshasa the pair are arrested and interrogated by the secret police after interviewing a politician opposed to president Moubutu. Winternitz gives an even-handed and interesting account of the journey, along with relevant history and background information. The book contains a good bibliography. This book was journalism when it was first published, and it is still worth reading today, as a document of the Congo under Moubutu.



3. "East Along the Equator: A Journey Up the Congo and into Zaire" is an excellent account of a journey across Central Africa (in what was then Zaire) in the early 1980s. Winternitz and her companion traveled by river barge along the entire navigable portion of the Congo river, from Kinshasa to Kisangani. The Congo river barges are legendary among 'extreme' travelers. The end of Belgian colonization of the Congo meant the end of roads, making the river the only practical way to travel between Kinshasa and Kisangani. These river barges are (were?) floating villages, complete with markets and nightclubs populated by traders who make their livelihood onboard, as well as travelers going from place to place. From Kisangani the journey continues overland, to an eventual return to Kinshasa by air. In Kinshasa the pair are arrested and interrogated by the secret police after interviewing a politician opposed to president Moubutu. Winternitz gives an even-handed and interesting account of the journey, along with relevant history and background information. The book contains a good bibliography. This book was journalism when it was first published, and it is still worth reading today, as a document of the Congo under Moubutu.



4. This book was truly fascinating. I read it shortly after reading The Poisonwood Bible, which had sparked my curiousity about central Africa. The author and her boyfriend set out on a trip across Zaire with no real idea of how they would get to their destination, and ended up dealing with situations that were so far beyond my frame of reference that I could scarcely imagine them. The author generally writes well and conveys a good sense of the tribulations and frustrations - as well as some moments of optimism - they encountered along the way as they got an unusually close-up view of the people and culture of the country. My only quibble with the book has to do with the inordinate number of typos.



5. Zaire isn't easy to get through, but the author certainly gave it her all making the trek. As a travel piece, I'd give it five stars. However, I'm deducting a couple of points for the politics. I disagree strongly with the author's conclusions/assessments. She and her partner shouldn't have been so surprised by their "arrest" just before leaving; while others were left to rot in jail, tortured, etc. they were able to feast at the embassador's residence under a sort of "house arrest" until Mobutu finally got sick of toying with them and gave their passports back.

No comments about Living in the Heart of Africa (Young Discovery Library).

No comments about The Berbers of Morocco (Elmtree Africana).

No comments about Records of Captain Clapperton's last expedition to Africa Vol 2.

No comments about Records Of Captain Clapperton's Last Expedition To Africa V1.