Travels Into Bokhara : A Voyage up the Indus to Lahore and a Journey to Cabool, Tartary & Persia by Sir Alexander Burnes

Alexander Burke was a 19th Century British adventurer, diplomat and spy who at the age of 26 was one of the first Europeans to travel into Central Asia in the 1830s at the behest of the British government who were worried about the Russian Empire's encroachment to the north of India. It is crazy to imagine in todays joined up world, where you can jump on plane and get to pretty much anywhere that, only 180 years ago travel to what is now Uzbekistan was only for the most adventurous, adventurers.

If you think travelling in Central Asia is a challenge now, try getting there on camel from India via a series of semi hostile states traversing both deserts and inhospitable himalayan mountain passes and ranges. All of this Burnes documents in fascinating detail, from his encounters with the Sikh warlord Ranjit Singh to being trapped for a month while waiting for a warlord to let him pass through Afghanistan. The description of the trade caravan he ends up travelling and drinking an inordinate amount of tea with, are a fascinating insight into both the mysteries of the silk road at the tail end of its existence and how travelling was done in the Victorian period in Central Asia.

Not much has changed in Bukhara over the last 1000 years, so history aside, this book still functions as an interesting travel guide. It is is still possible to retrace Burnes steps as he guides you through the city.

Despite the age of the writing Burnes' style is fluid and easy to read for the modern reader, only the odd word here and there shows signs of antiquation. It definitely doesn't suffer from the florid writing style that bedevils some Victorian era writing. The book provides a fascinating insight into the difficulties of travelling in the Victorian age and for anyone interested in visiting Central Asia and Bukhara this book is a must (along with that of the next Englishman to make it there Fraser MacClean a century later).