Winds of the Steppe

Winds of the Steppe
Author :
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Total Pages : 312
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781510746923
ISBN-13 : 1510746927
Rating : 4/5 (23 Downloads)

Synopsis Winds of the Steppe by : Bernard Ollivier

Bernard Ollivier pushes onward in his attempt to become the first person to walk the entire length of the Great Silk Road. “A gripping account. More than just a travel story—this is a quest for the Other.”—Alexis Liebaert, L’Événement Picking up where Walking to Samarkand left off, Winds of the Steppe continues the astonishing tale of journalist Bernard Ollivier’s 7,200-mile walk from Turkey to China along the Silk Road, the longest and most mythical trade route of all time. Taking readers from the snows of the Pamir Mountains to the backstreets of Kashgar—a Central Asian city that could be the setting for One Thousand and One Nights—to the Tian Shan Mountains to the endless Taklamakan and Gobi Deserts of China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Bernard Ollivier continues his epic foot journey along the Great Silk Road hoping to make his way to Han China and reach, at long last, the legendary city of Xi’an. After traveling through a region dotted with former Buddhist shrines, Ollivier finds himself craving the warm welcome of Islamic lands, where, regardless of their culture or nationality, travelers are often treated as esteemed guests. Beyond the occasional vestige of the old Silk Road, Ollivier comes face to face with sites of religious significance, China’s Great Wall, and of course thousands of everyday people along the way. As Ollivier tries to make sense of his journey and find connections between these people’s daily lives and the so-called “modern” world, he does so with a sense of humility that transforms his personal journey into a universal quest.

Walking to Samarkand

Walking to Samarkand
Author :
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Total Pages : 356
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781510746916
ISBN-13 : 1510746919
Rating : 4/5 (16 Downloads)

Synopsis Walking to Samarkand by : Bernard Ollivier

Acclaimed journalist Bernard Ollivier continues his epic journey across Persia and Central Asia as he walks the length of the Great Silk Road. Walking to Samarkand is journalist Bernard Ollivier’s stunning account of the second leg of his 7,200-mile walk from Istanbul, Turkey, to Xi’an, China, along the Silk Road--the longest and perhaps most mythical trade route of all time. Picking up where Out of Istanbul left off, Ollivier heads out of the Middle East and into Central Asia, grappling not only with his own will to continue but with new, unforeseen dangers. After crossing the final mountain passes of Turkish Kurdistan, Ollivier sets foot in Iran, keen on locating vestiges of the silk trade as he passes through Persia’s modern cities and traditional villages, including Tabriz, Tehran, Nishapur, and the holy city of Mashhad. Beyond urban areas lie deserts: first Iran’s Great Salt Desert, then Turkmenistan’s forbidding Karakum, whose relentless sun, snakes, and scorpions pose continuous challenges to Ollivier’s goal of reaching Uzbekistan. Setting his own fears aside, he travels on, wonderstruck at every turn, borne by a childhood dream: to see for himself the golden domes and turquoise skies of Samarkand, one of Central Asia’s most ancient cities. But what Ollivier enjoys most are the people along the way: Askar, the hospitable gardener; the pilgrims of Mashhad; and his knights in shining armor, Mehdi and Monir. For, despite setting out alone, he comes to find that walking itself—through a kind of alchemy—surrounds him with friends and fosters fellowship. From the authoritarian mullahs of revolutionary Iran to the warm welcome of everyday Iranians—custodians of age-old, cordial Persian culture; from the stark realities of former Soviet republics to the region’s legendary bazaars—veritable feasts for the senses—readers discover, through the eyes of a veteran journalist, the rich history and contemporary culture of these amazing lands.

Out of Istanbul

Out of Istanbul
Author :
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Total Pages : 339
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781510743762
ISBN-13 : 1510743766
Rating : 4/5 (62 Downloads)

Synopsis Out of Istanbul by : Bernard Ollivier

Acclaimed journalist Bernard Ollivier begins his epic journey on foot across the Silk Road. Upon retirement at the age of sixty-two, and grieving his deceased wife, renowned journalist Bernard Ollivier felt a sense of profound emptiness: What do I do now? While some see retirement as a chance to cash in their chips and settle into a comfy armchair, Ollivier still longed for more. Searching for inspiration, he strapped on his gear, donned his hat, and headed out the front door to hike the Way of St. James, a 1400-mile journey from Paris to Compostela, Spain. At the end of that road, with more questions than answers, he decided to spend the next few years hiking another of history’s great routes: the Silk Road. Out of Istanbul is Ollivier’s stunning account of the first part of that 7,200-mile journey. The longest and perhaps most mythical trade route of all time, the Silk Road is in fact a network of routes across Europe and Asia, some going back to prehistoric times. During the Middle Ages, the transcribed travelogue of one Silk Road explorer, Marco Polo, helped spread the fame of the Orient throughout Europe. Heading east out of Istanbul, Ollivier takes readers step by step across Anatolia and Kurdistan, bound for Tehran. Along the way, we meet a colorful array of real-life characters: Selim, the philosophical woodsman; old Behçet, elated to practice English after years of self-study; Krishna, manager of the Lora Pansiyon in Polonez, a village of Polish immigrants; the hospitable Kurdish women of Dogutepe, and many more. We accompany Ollivier as he explores bazaars, mosques, and caravansaries—true vestiges of the Silk Road itself—and through these encounters and experiences, gains insight into the complex political and social issues facing modern-day Turkey. Ollivier’s journey, far from bragging about some tremendous achievement, humbly takes the reader on a colossal adventure of human proportions, one in which walking itself, through a kind of alchemy, fosters friendships and fellowship.

The Plough that Broke the Steppes

The Plough that Broke the Steppes
Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages : 340
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780199556434
ISBN-13 : 0199556431
Rating : 4/5 (34 Downloads)

Synopsis The Plough that Broke the Steppes by : David Moon

This is the first environmental history of Russia's steppes. David Moon focuses on the settlement of migrants from central Russia, Ukraine, and central Europe, and analyses how naturalists and scientists came to understand the steppe environment, including the origins of the fertile black earth.

Where the Wild Winds Are

Where the Wild Winds Are
Author :
Publisher : Nicholas Brealey
Total Pages : 331
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781473658806
ISBN-13 : 1473658802
Rating : 4/5 (06 Downloads)

Synopsis Where the Wild Winds Are by : Nick Hunt

Selected as a Book of the Year by the Financial Times, the Daily Telegraph and the Spectator "Travel writing in excelsis." -Jan Morris, author of Venice "A thrilling and gorgeous tale, packed with meteorological wonder." -Amy Liptrot, author of The Outrun Nick Hunt sets off on an unlikely quest: to follow four of Europe's winds across the continent. His wind-walks begin on Cross Fell, the highest point of the Pennines, as he chases the roaring Helm - the only named wind in Britain.In southern Europe he follows the Bora - a bitter northerly that blows from Trieste through Slovenia and down the Croatian coast. His hunt for the "snow-eating" Foehn becomes a meandering journey of exhilaration and despair through the Alpine valleys of Switzerland, and his final walk traces an ancient pilgrims' path in the south of France on the trail of the Mistral - the "wind of madness," which animated and tormented Vincent Van Gogh. These are journeys into wild wind, but also into wild landscapes and the people who inhabit them - a cast of meteorologists, storm chasers, mountain men, eccentric wind enthusiasts, sailors and shepherds. Soon Nick finds himself borne along by the very forces he is pursuing, through rain, blizzards, howling gales, and back through time itself. For, where the wild winds are, there are also myths and legends, history and hearsay, science and superstition - and occasionally remote mountain cabins packed with pickles, cured meats and homemade alcohol. Where the Wild Winds Are is a beautiful, unconventional travelogue that makes the invisible visible.

Thunder on the Steppe

Thunder on the Steppe
Author :
Publisher :
Total Pages : 326
Release :
ISBN-10 : IND:30000042886691
ISBN-13 :
Rating : 4/5 (91 Downloads)

Synopsis Thunder on the Steppe by : Timothy J. Kloberdanz

Folklore, social life and customs of ethnic Germans who returned to former settlements near the Lower Volga River in Russia following the Second World War.

Soviet Forest Industries

Soviet Forest Industries
Author :
Publisher : Routledge
Total Pages : 305
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781000240627
ISBN-13 : 1000240622
Rating : 4/5 (27 Downloads)

Synopsis Soviet Forest Industries by : Peter Blandon

Forest industries represent an important segment of the Soviet economy, accounting for five percent of the total industrial output and providing essential materials for other key industries. This book, the first in-depth study of Soviet forestry in the English language, looks at the organizational, planning, economic, and technological aspects of the industry. Mr. Blandon first discusses labor force trends and geographical features of the country's forest resources, then assesses the forest industry's modernization program. He analyzes the past performance of capital investment in the industry and makes projections about the effects of future investments in order to estimate the Soviet Union's future timber output. Throughout the book considerable attention is devoted to the Soviet planning system and its influence on decision making.

Agroforestry in Irrigated Lands

Agroforestry in Irrigated Lands
Author :
Publisher : M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd.
Total Pages : 228
Release :
ISBN-10 : 8185880123
ISBN-13 : 9788185880129
Rating : 4/5 (23 Downloads)

Synopsis Agroforestry in Irrigated Lands by : A. M. Stepanov

The book Agroforestry in Irrigated Lands by A.M. Stepanov investigates the impact of narrow shelterbelts on aerodynamic, agromeoterological factors and yields of farm crops. Soil conservation and hydrological role of shelterbelts as a factor of biological drainage and general improvement of reclamation conditions of irrigated lands, prevention of salinization and waterlogging are shown. Instructions are given to design and locate shelterbelts in irrigated areas, depending on irrigation methods and technology.

OTS.

OTS.
Author :
Publisher :
Total Pages : 422
Release :
ISBN-10 : UOM:39015073321971
ISBN-13 :
Rating : 4/5 (71 Downloads)

Synopsis OTS. by : United States. Department of Commerce. Office of Technical Services