For many centuries, the East has drawn the curious gaze of a European, stirring his imagination and mind. Why did the Persian king Xerxes decide to whip the sea? How did the famous Carthaginian commander Hannibal manage to cross the Alps on elephants? Who was Shimon Bar-Kokhba, the leader of the Jews who dared to rise against Roman might? What connected the Mongol khan Kublai with the famous traveler Marco Polo? How did Muhammad Ali of Egypt, the vassal of the Turkish sultan, become the founder of modern Egypt?
In Natalia Basovskaya’s new book “The Mysterious East,” the reader can not only find answers to these questions, but also witness thrilling adventures and the fates of incredible people who once lived under the scorching sun of the East.