“My travel plans never really worked out the way I wanted them to,” says the British-born travel writer William Dalrymple, 47. It seems like a strange claim to make. After all, this is the man who once followed in the footsteps of Marco Polo from Jerusalem to Mongolia (for his debut travelogue In Xanadu), retraced an ancient Byzantine route from Istanbul to Deir el-Muharraq in Egypt, and claims to have travelled through India, his adopted homeland, more than any other living writer.
But he has some justification for being slightly peeved. Where he really wanted to start his travelling life was in Iraq, and, despite having visited dozens of countries and written 10 bestselling travel memoirs and history books, he still hasn’t been.
“I’d always been interested in the Middle East and had arranged for my year off after high school to go and dig in Iraq on an archaeological site,” he recalls, speaking down a crackly telephone line from his farmhouse on the outskirts of Delhi. “It was my first real fantasy as a teenager. I always loved the idea of digging up Assyrian bulls, just like the great archaeologist Sir Henry Layard who excavated Nimrud in northern Iraq.
“But then, because of Saddam Hussein, they closed down the British School of Archaeology and my plans were wrecked two weeks before I was to set off. Instead, I joined a friend who was going to India, so I came to Delhi by default and never really recovered.”
Dalrymple's most famous travel books are based on his extensive journeys in India (City of Djinns and Nine Lives) and the Middle East (From the Holy Mountain). With the exception of Iraq, he's criss-crossed Turkey, Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Palestine.
But his latest book focuses on the trials and tribulations of Afghanistan. Return of a King is a historical account of the first Anglo-Afghan war, from 1839 to 1842. At the time, it was the most catastrophic defeat suffered by the British in the whole course of their empire.
“It tells the story of the 18,000 troops who marched into Afghanistan and, in the retreat from Kabul, only one made it back out to Jalalabad – an entire army was cut up and lost in the snow in the Hindu Kush, ambushed by tribesmen and either captured or slaughtered,” Dalrymple explains.
“It happened at the very peak of the British Empire but they were defeated by one of the poorest nations on Earth. It was a major trauma for the British but for the Afghans, it’s always been the high point of their history: it’s their Waterloo, Hastings, Trafalgar and Battle of Britain rolled into one.”
Does he think readers can learn about modern Afghanistan from his retelling of history?
“This is exactly the point,” he replies. “There are many, many lessons to be learnt and the whole point of this book is to show how foolish it was to invade Afghanistan in the first place, but also to show the complexity of the tribal relations in the country.
“It’s one of the most troubled nations I’ve ever been to but one of the most interesting and fascinating. And one of the great joys of researching this book was spending time there – which many people choose not to do, given the war. I had amazing journeys in Kabul and Herat and came back each time fizzing with excitement.”
Next up for Dalrymple is his desire to tackle another period of world history.
He’d love to write about the end of the Ottoman Empire – the writer sees obvious echoes in Syria right now – but also because he’d love to spend time browsing the archives of the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul.
Or, depending on his whim, he may decide to attempt a sweeping cultural history of India.
“This is the moment in my life to take on a massive project such as this,” he says. “So they are both definitely appealing.”
Last month, Dalrymple took charge of India’s celebrated Jaipur Literary Festival, which ran from January 24 to 28 (he has helped organise it since 2006). Now, he’s keen to embark on an ambitious book tour of -Afghanistan.
“I’m making plans for a big tour,” he says.
“I’d love to go to Mazar-e-Sharif and the north but it’s early days yet. I don’t think there are many people who have done book tours there but, hey, I love the idea of it.”
Maybe only then, after he has cleared his busy 12-month calendar, William Dalrymple, the perpetual traveller, may finally make it to Iraq.
• William Dalrymple’s Return of a King will be out today
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company profile
Company name: Nestrom
Started: 2017
Co-founders: Yousef Wadi, Kanaan Manasrah and Shadi Shalabi
Based: Jordan
Sector: Technology
Initial investment: Close to $100,000
Investors: Propeller, 500 Startups, Wamda Capital, Agrimatico, Techstars and some angel investors
SPECS
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Women%E2%80%99s%20Asia%20Cup
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More on animal trafficking
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Al Jazira's foreign quartet for 2017/18
Romarinho, Brazil
Lassana Diarra, France
Sardor Rashidov, Uzbekistan
Mbark Boussoufa, Morocco
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Naga
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20S23%20ULTRA
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
The%20specs
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
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RESULTS
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.
Company%20profile
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
