By Desert Ways to Baghdad

In Short

This narrative captures an ambitious turn-of-the-twentieth-century journey undertaken by two independent women through Ottoman-controlled Anatolia, Mesopotamia, and the Syrian Desert. Travelling from Brusa to Diarbekr on horseback, drifting down the Tigris on a sheepskin raft to Baghdad, and crossing the desert to Damascus, the author observes a region undergoing rapid historical transformation. The book retains its appeal through its sharp social observation, quiet humour, and vivid record of landscape and human endurance written at the threshold of the modern era.

The Story

The account opens with two intrepid Englishwomen—the author and her travelling partner, referred to simply as X—setting off from Brusa into the vast, quiet expanses of Asiatic Turkey. Aware of the anxiety their journey causes British officials and local escorts, who fear potential brigands and international ransom incidents, they adopt discreet aliases to travel without unnecessary fanfare.

As they journey east via horse and train through Nicæa and Eskishehr, the narrative explores the inevitable encroachment of modern infrastructure. The coming railway acts as an unstoppable force, slowly undermining centuries of local tradition, changing how communities view time, and replacing traditional craftsmanship with mass-produced European goods. Moving past medieval castles and mountain passes in the Taurus, the party braves severe cold, torrential rains, and mud-clogged riverways. In every town, they are met by local officials, curious villagers, and European rail agents, creating a persistent contrast between ancient custom and incoming industrialization.

Reaching Aintab, the pair encounters a bustling American mission compound before pressing onward to the banks of the Euphrates at Birejik. They navigate dangerous river crossings packed tight with livestock and travel among local tribes, witnessing the fragile political peace maintained between rival Kurdish and Arab leaders. Winter conditions make every night spent in mud huts or canvas tents a test of endurance, where falling plaster and sodden ground are regular occurrences.

On Christmas Day, the party arrives at the black basalt walls of Diarbekr. Here, they trade their horses for a raft built from poplars supported by two hundred and sixty inflated goatskins, drifting down the narrow, swift-flowing Tigris River. Along the way, they face the constant threat of armed Kurdish brigands, navigate internal disputes among their boatmen, and endure harsh weather. Unfazed by these hazards, they treat every confrontation as an adventure, eventually meeting local dignitaries and British officers along the riverbanks.

As the Tigris widens past Mosul and Tekreet, the landscape flattens into marshy stretches inhabited by wild boar and waterfowl. After surviving heavy winds, local disputes, and desert storms, the raft reaches the approach to Baghdad. Leaving the river behind, they ride past the ruins of ancient Babylon, meditating on the fall of empires in the silence of the desert.

The final leg of the journey takes them across the Syrian Desert toward Damascus. Waking before dawn to freeze in the desert air, they ride through ancient trade routes to the monumental ruins of Palmyra. Examining the vast avenues of fallen columns and high tomb-towers standing guard over the desert, they reflect on the impermanence of human ambition. The travelogue concludes as they emerge from the desert pass into Damascus, having successfully completed a challenging crossing across the historic routes of the Near East.

How It Unfolds

The journey begins Setting out from Constantinople and Brusa under assumed names, the travellers navigate past anxious diplomats and local rumors of brigandage. They move steadily inland on horseback, observing how new railway lines begin to disrupt long-standing regional customs and local economies.

Into the mountains Crossing the Taurus range toward Cilicia, the expedition battles persistent downpours, flooded tracks, and drafty shelters. Simple evening entertainments and magic tricks provided by their guides offer brief moments of warmth and levity amidst harsh travelling conditions.

Crossing the Euphrates Reaching Birejik, the travellers press their mounts onto crowded ferryboats alongside herds of livestock. They journey across fertile red soils cultivated by impoverished peasants, visiting tribal leaders and witnessing the delicate political balances that govern local life.

Aboard the goatskin raft Reaching Diarbekr, the party constructs a floating platform supported by hundreds of inflated goatskins to navigate the Tigris. Drifting down river, they handle encounters with armed Kurds, volatile crew members, and unpredictable river currents with steady composure.

Through ancient ruins to Damascus Passing through Mosul and Baghdad, the expedition rides into the open Syrian Desert, visiting the vast fallen columns and funerary towers of Palmyra. The long trek concludes as they leave the solitary desert behind and arrive safely in Damascus.

The People

• Louisa Jebb (The Author): An observant, resilient narrator who seeks to experience the East on its own terms. She approaches physical hardship, changing weather, and political tension with keen interest, practical good sense, and quiet humour.
• X (Victoria): The author's reliable travelling companion whose family name carries immense prestige in the region. She shares the narrator's enthusiasm for adventure, facing down brigand scares, bad weather, and difficult travel with calm resolve.
• Hassan: An intensely loyal escort and servant entrusted with protecting the travellers. He manages the practical logistics of the journey while maintaining a deep curiosity about Western customs and philosophy.
• Onik Dervichian: A resourceful, cheerful companion whose quick wit and sleight-of-hand tricks lighten spirits in drafty shelters during cold, wet evenings on the trail.
• Arten: An Armenian attendant who assists the party with daily chores and language barriers. Though easily intimidated by volatile river men, his unique attempts at English provide warm amusement throughout the journey.

In Its Own Voice

"Slowly, perhaps, but very surely, he undermines with irresistible persistence the customs and habits which from time immemorial have held their own against the religious, educational, or military forces of stronger nations." The author reflects on how the introduction of the railway alters traditional concepts of time and local life in Ottoman Anatolia.

"We are shoved off the mud with long paddles, the cranky old boat lurches and wobbles, and we seem horribly near the water." Describing the precarious river ferry crossing at Birejik on the banks of the Euphrates.

"We forget the golden pillars and all the ruined magnificence; we can think of nothing but these ghostly towers seeing us out, as it were, from this city of the dead." Leaving the towering ancient tombs that mark the exit from the ruined desert city of Palmyra.

What It's Really About

Beneath its narrative of daily travel, the book examines the friction between enduring Eastern traditions and rapid Western industrial expansion. The author repeatedly notes how modern transportation disrupts traditional views of time, labor, and community life. Beyond these modern shifts, the text contemplates the transitory nature of human empires. Walking through the fallen stones of Babylon and the silent tomb-towers of Palmyra, the narrative reflects on how whole civilizations rise, flourish, and ultimately return to the quiet expanse of the desert.

Why Read It Today

This narrative offers a compelling, immediate window into the early twentieth-century Middle East just before the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Modern readers will appreciate the author's unpretentious style, sharp eye for physical detail, and refusal to dramatize genuine hardships into theatrical exploits.

The prose avoids self-congratulation, relying instead on dry wit and clear observation. While readers should expect period-typical transliterations and the occasional distance inherent to early European travel writing, the author's genuine respect for the people she meets and her fascination with the landscape shine through every chapter. It remains an inviting read for anyone drawn to authentic historical travel, solo exploration, and vivid landscape description.