Beyond Ararat Book

Bettina Selby's latest journey by bicycle takes her to the cradle of civilization, where the Tigris and the Euphrates rise. It is the corridor of ancient invasion fought over by Persians, Armenians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Turks, Arabs, Kurds and Mongols, with today's inhabitants living uneasily together under Turkish rule. Beginning her journey along the strange and beautiful Black Sea coast of Turkey, Bettina Selby cycles south, up through rugged mountains to the ghost town of Ani and to Mount Ararat, the legendary resting place of Noah's Ark. From this fabled centre of the world, she travels through the supposed site of the Garden of Eden, past robber castles and vast ruined palaces. Only weeks after the end of the Gulf War, she found herself in the turbulence of Kurdistan, close to Iran, Iraq and Syria, where kidnapping was rife, and comforts few. Despite the magnificence of the scenery, Bettina Selby was constantly aware that a lone cyclist in unpredictable territory never knows whether to expect kindness - or stones and bullets. Interweaving her account with insights into the problems of an area re-establishing its position as the bridge between East and West, her journey is a triumphant exploration, bringing alive the historical background so vital for understanding this troubled part of the world.