Book Review: From The Holy Mountain. Writer: William Dalrymple.

 

Myth: The ancient era was more religiously dominant than the modern, and that is why there were religion based clashes. 

Fact:  The ancient era was an eclectic mixture of many different religions, and even then people co-existed in peace because of the sustenance of commerce and trade. Hence, the ancient era was more trade dominated and consumer oriented than the modern one. 

Famous for his historical exploration of India through works like 'White Mughals', 'From The Holy Mountain' (1997 book) is Dalrymple's comparatively lesser known work that has a lot to offer, teach and make the reader think about. The book sheds light on the very relevant linkages between the ancient and the modern ways of life and why things are done the way the are, and busts many myths in the process. 

'From The Holy Mountain' is a travelogue where the writer himself travels through and explores Turkey, Armenia, Syria, Israel and a few Middle Eastern nations to assess the influence of Christianity and the state of Christians in Islam dominated nations, and better understand their plight in countries with Theological rather than Democratic forms of governments. If the reader is a complete Dalrymple amateur and does not happen to have read the book titled, 'The City of Djinns' preceding this one does not pose a problem and the reading experience is not hampered in the least. 'From The Holy Mountain' has a lasting and wholesome effect on the reader and does not necessitate the reading of the prequel. 

The book is a cornucopia of emotions and is more than just a plain, banal travelogue where the reader would experience ennui after a certain point of time. Dalrymple's travelogue makes the reader travel with him, take risks with him, feel the relief, the adrenaline rush and overwhelmed. A dash of situational humor in appropriate doses makes the book nothing short of a treat. 

As the reader travels with Dalrymple, he comes across incidents where the Muslims and Christians help each other and live in harmony and he proves with many archaeologically tested facts that Islam and Christianity had an Oriental connection and in the process, busts the myth that Christianity originated in the West. A few methods of worship are also similar in these religions and a few rituals are the same, just the nomenclature is different. The writer brings to light the many incidents where many Muslim couples solicited the blessings of nuns and priests for child-bearing and that is the human element: Be a Muslim or Christian, man will worship any being/ person that/who serves their purposes. An interesting fact that is that the 'Kaaba of Medina' a place of worship for the Muslims, was initially popular as 'the fertility stone', where women of any and all religions would touch the stone with the latent belief that they would bear a child. The reader would conclude that the religions are more hostile and antagonistic towards each other in the current times. 

In an era where travel shows and books are sponsored and the anchors and authors do not explore, but merely sell, Dalrymple's travelogue beams with authenticity and elucidates the axiom that if the content is stellar, you don't have to be a sellout. Another striking feature of the book is that there is no bias towards Christianity from the writer's side or not even the faintest trace or hint of evangelism. Facts are written in an 'as is, where is' format and some extracts are sure to leave the reader in complete surprise. 

As the accounts of the travels progress and go to new levels, the readers can draw the following conclusions regarding religion as a way of life: 

• A person is not his religion:  If religion is to be taken in the wrong sense of the term, a person is not his religion, in the sense that a person who indulges in wrongdoings in the name of religion does not understand his religion at all. Hence, he is not his religion. 

• A person is his religion: If religion is to be understood in a broader sense, it can also include spirituality and a person who understands this is bound to do righteous acts without bothering about the religion of the person he is setting out to help. In such a case, a person is his religion. 

• A person is nothing but his religion: If religion is taken to mean as the only thing a person knows, and not understands, and knows it enough to use it as a weapon to bully or overpower other people, a person is nothing but his religion. 

The fact that Islam and Christianity had ancient linkages and Muslims and Christians were closer than ever is explored so well and the pictorial accounts of the incidents are so bona fide that the reader would conclude that there is more mutual antagonism between religions now than ever. The ancient times were those of conviviality and fostering the feeling of kindness, kinship and productive cultural and commercial exchange. 

The shift of the society and culture from the ancient times, where commercial sustenance was of the utmost importance to the neo-modern cosmopolitan era where there was opulence and love for arts, to the contemporary 'religion-motivated' era where a man's name and surname, and not his character speak for him and the part that the politicization of religion has played in this portrayed without portrayal, i.e subtly. 

The idea of writing the book with the intent of exploring the state of Christians in Islam dominated countries is commendable and noteworthy. The book is addictive, interesting, filled with unknown facts backed by pictorial accounts and has the most important element of a travelogue: simple language. 

Overall, the book is a must read and in creative writing parlance is 'unputdownable'. 

MY TAKE: 8/10. 

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Author: Ms. Radhika Sunil Vaidya. 

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