Book Review: Holiday in Hunza By Jewel Hatcher Henrickson

Holiday in Hunza is a travel piece by a group of Americans who live and work in Karachi. When Muhammad Jamal Khan, the last ruler of Hunza visits Karachi he meets Dr. Nelson. Dr. Nelson the medical director of Karachi hospital invites Jamal to visit his hospital. Jamal Khan gets impressed by the hospital management and invites Nelson and his staff to visit Hunza. The following year the Americans with help from Iskander Mirza’s son travel to Hunza. All of them arrive in a train at Rawalpindi. Later on they move to Gilgit in a Dakota plane with a fight which gets delayed. From Gilgit Jamal Khan arranges a jeep and himself excuses the guests, as he has to attend a meeting with the political agent at Gilgit. Jamal promises to join them later in Hunza. The jeep ride to Hunza has a chapter in the book. Rest at Nomal, Nagar and the arrangements made by the Mir of Hunza have also been mentioned. Furthermore a chapter regarding the Mir’s wife is separately given in the book. Her way of life, children, fashion sense and even minute details such as her smoking cigarette have also been stated. Rani gave birth to eleven children and four of them died. The author mentions that it is suspected that they were poisoned as the circumstances were the same in all the cases. In addition to that those tourists who were doctors setup temporary clinic to facilitate the population. The wife of Jamal requests them to open a temporary clinic especially for the Hunza women. These missionary tourists also perform their religious practices and also frequently setup their Sabbath school. Sightseeing in Hunza is facilitated by Master Sultan Ali especially the trek to Ultar glacier. Other than that the tourists also observe a funeral ceremony. Jamal Khan on his return from Gilgit to Hunza requests the tourists for the construction of a hospital in Hunza. Later on before departure from Hunza gifts are exchanged between the tourists and Jamal Khan’s family.

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Book Review: Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civilization By Jonathan Mark Kenoyer

Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civilization is a book presenting a different perspective on the earliest cities of West India and Pakistan. In the beginning chapters of the book the nature of the cities and its denizens is discussed.  The origins of urban society and the livelihood means of the population are also debated. For construction use of bricks was common. A well-built and well managed drainage system was operating during those times. Water tanks were used for storage which indicates the scarcity of water resources.  There is a general lack of evidence for militarism and control seems to have been through trade and religion. As far as the Indus script is concerned, to this date archeologists have been unable to decipher the Indus script and it still remains a hurdle in understanding various facets of the Indus life. Trade did flourish during that time and Indus valley served as a center point for commercial activity.  The presence of various types of jewelry and relics indicate that the existence of trade relation with other parts of the world. Copper metallurgy also existed in the Indus society and the potter’s wheel which we see today in various parts of Pakistan was also used in the Indus valley. Burial with different ornaments was also common. Some graves had valuable ornaments while others were placed with inferior ones. This indicates a certain kind of class structure which did exist at that time. Religious organization was in place but the exact rituals and practices could not be ascertained. A very basic reason for this is that scripts found can still not be interpreted. In addition to that archeologists believe that games such as ludo and pittu garam have been carried forward from the Indus valley civilization. The scientific evidence of the presence of animals has also been provided. Rhinoceros, elephant, bear and deer are included in the list. Furthermore in the latter part of the book a catalogue is also available for the reader which explains important objects excavated during the twentieth century.

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Book Review: Saladin The Life, The Legend and The Islamic Empire by John Man

This book of history by John Man is related to Saladin, who to date remains one of the key figures of the Islamic empire. Yusuf, son of Ayub, was born in Tikrit and later came to be known as Saladin. Saladin’s rise to power was influenced by various factors. Saladin’s father was a governor, his uncle Shirkuh a military commander and later Saladin also served under Nur- Al din’s command. Nur- Al Din’s death by disease made it easier for Saladin’s rise to power only because conflict had been avoided in his own camp. After consolidating his position Saladin fought against the franks, supported the murder of Vizier Shawar, built a strong army and bullied the young caliph naming him the Vizier.

During that time period the mode of warfare remained very different as compared to that of today. Pigeon-rearing remained an important industry. Pigeons were trained to carry messages which included messages for war preparation, military secrets and spying. Specially trained swimmers broke into enemy lines carrying dinars and messages. It was a risky business but continued to be an essential part of warfare during Saladin’s time. Adding to that Saladin was also a strategist who appointed his family members on key influential positions to keep a check on any form of opposition and to further his power.

Furthermore Saladin had amazing leadership skills. For this he was praised not only by Islamic writers but also from Christian. In the latter half of the book reference is made of Christian writers who have praised Saladin’s generosity and magnanimity. He would not directly go for pillage, death and destruction. For women and children he would offer amnesty and treat them courteously. Some writers went too far and declared him Christian by considering his grandmother a devout Christian. Saladin’s significance was carried into the twentieth century and many of the world leaders especially in the Arab world who tried to imitate his charismatic persona. Despite all his success and failures Saladin is still admired in the world today and still considered as a subject by authors.

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Book Review: The Luminous Life of Dalai Lama Edited by Shyam Dua

 This illustrated biography of Dalai Lama is a small book of less than a hundred pages. Dalai Lama born in Tibet in 1935 and was enthroned at the age five. He started his education at a monastery in Tibet. In this book the list of awards and honorary degrees conferred on him has been enlisted. Dalai Lama believes that Tibet is still under the Chinese oppression. He is of the view that there is an imminent threat to Tibetan religion, culture and environment. The key themes in his various published books are also shortly discussed in this book. Dalai Lama’s lecture on the occasion of receiving the Nobel Peace Prize is also mentioned. Dalai Lama is of the view that people in Tibet are being turned into an insignificant minority by the influx of Chinese immigrants. Prostitution and gambling have been introduced intentionally in the Tibetan society to marginalize the indigenous population. Furthermore he stresses on the need for moral awakening in the world. Both spiritual and material world should go side by side. In addition to that Dalai Lama champions for human rights, democracy and wants Tibet to become a free peaceful zone where Tibet enjoys genuine autonomy within the framework of the People’s Republic of China.

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Book Review: Nisso By Pavel Luknitsky

This historic novel revolves around a girl named Nisso who lives in the mountains of Central Asia. She loses her parents at an early age. Her maternal aunt gives her to Aziz Khon in marriage. Aziz Khon pays her the price. One day Nisso decides to run away from Aziz Khon. She runs away and reaches a valley named Siatang. At Siatang she is under the protection of Sho-pir an ex-red army soldier. Mededev is a comrade and works in Siatang to improvise the life of the local population. Nisso is in love with him, but she does not express her feelings until later. Aziz Khon gets to know about the presence of Nisso at Siatang valley. He prepares a force of basmachi people. One day Aziz Khon attacks on Siatang in Sho-pir’s absence. Aziz Khon’s forces loot, plunder and kill people in Siatang. Khon wants to torture and then brutally kill Nisso. Sho-pir while returning to Siatang hears about the attack of Aziz Khon. He gets enraged and fights against the basmachi. During this fight he gets severely injured. To his rescue the red army men enter Siatang and capture the basmachi along with Aziz Khon. Sho-pir is badly hurt and is in bed. Gulriz’s son Bakhtior had been killed by the basmachi. Gulriz is devastated to see the dead body of her son. Sho-pir later recovers and goes to Volost with Nisso. This novel displays the oppression of the Khans in Central Asia; and shows how the populace was liberated by the soviets and soviet way of life.

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