About this item

The Sahara: a dream-like, far away landscape of Lawrence of Arabia and Wilfred Thesiger, The English Patient and Star Wars, and home to nomadic communities whose ways of life stretch back millennia. Today it's a teeth-janglingly dangerous destination, where the threat of jihadists lurks just over the horizon. Following in the footsteps of 16th century traveller Leo Africanus, Nicholas Jubber went on a turbulent adventure to the forgotten places of North Africa and the legendary Timbuktu. Once the seat of African civilization and home to the richest man who ever lived, this mythic city is now scarred by terrorist occupation and is so remote its own inhabitants hail you with the greeting, 'Welcome to the middle of nowhere'. From the cattle markets of the Atlas, across the Western Sahara and up the Niger river, Nicholas joins the camps of the Tuareg, Fulani, Berbers, and other communities, to learn about their craft, their values and their place in the world.



About the Author

Nicholas Jubber

Nicholas Jubber is an award-winning travel writer. His journeys have taken him to the Ethiopian highlands, the Afghan lowlands, and the heart of the Sahara. Fascinated by history and its relationship with the present, he explores connections - and mis-connections - across the centuries. In his latest book, this fascination carries him on a turbulent adventure to the forgotten places of North Africa, from the cattle markets of the Atlas to the nomadic camps outside Timbuktu. His first book, 'The Prester Quest' (winner of the Dolman Travel Book Award) narrates an expedition from Venice to the tomb of a medieval African king; and his second book, 'Drinking Arak off an Ayatollah's Beard', recounts his adventures across Iran and Afghanistan. His website is www.nickjubber.com and he is on twitter at @jubberstravels



Read Next Recommendation

Report incorrect product information.