This is absolutely the best type of travel writing – engaging, humorous, vibrant and packed with historical and cultural detail. Many thanks to Rachel Quin for bringing this book to my attention and for sending me a review copy – opinions, as always, are entirely my own.
‘The Slow Road to Tehran’ intrigued me from the very start. Subtitled ‘A Revelatory Bike Ride Through Europe and the Middle East’, I was pulled in on so many levels. Firstly, the chance to ‘visit’ (from my armchair) places I am very ignorant about was appealing – I can’t pretend that I understand the politics of the Middle East so I hoped this book would be enlightening. Secondly, who on earth wants to tackle a solo bike ride across some seriously inhospitable terrain?! I needed to find out.
The answer to my second question was ‘Rebecca Lowe’, a journalist and ‘someone who cycles’ (but ‘not a cyclist’ – in her own words). From the start, I was absolutely bowled over by her determination to ride to Tehran on her own – something that her friends and family advise strongly against on the basis that, ‘We think you’ll probably die’. There is definitely a seriously risky element to this journey, whether it’s taking on inhospitable weather, dangerous fellow road users or the often less-than-liberal attitudes to a solo female traveller.
Lowe attacks it all with good humour and positivity. Even when repairing endless punctures in all weathers, dealing with awkward border police or sleeping in a tent by the roadside – to be honest, the combination of bike and tent would have immediately put me off on its own! Still, she’s a pretty brave adventurer, plus an expert on human rights and the Middle East, so I guess she has much stronger credentials than me for making this journey a success.
The journey begins on the familiar territory of Western Europe, then the Balkans, then Turkey…but soon heads off into the unfamiliar (at least for me) – Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Oman, Iran and, finally, Tehran itself. Each area has a chapter devoted to Lowe’s experiences within its boundaries, all vividly populated with the people Lowe meets along the way and packed with snippets of history, politics and culture.
This book was definitely an eye-opener for me. I’m not going to lie – it took me a long time to read it because there is just so much to take in and think about. It definitely helped me in my wish to understand a bit more about the politics of the Middle East, even if the simple answers and understanding I sought were not so easily found. Turns out Middle East politics is complex and nuanced and has deep historical roots – who knew?!
Instead of crystal-clear political enlightenment (which I now realise isn’t wholly possible!), what I got was a story of human connections. Wherever Lowe travels, it seems she has an existing friend, friend of a friend, acquaintance or stranger willing to help her, even in countries where talking to journalists isn’t the safest thing to do. Although she also meets her fair share of dodgy characters, the overwhelming feeling from the book is one of goodwill and charity as people step up to help Lowe with food, shelter, puncture repairs, advice, companionship and insights into their lives.
There is a section of pictures in the book which I loved – it’s great to see some of the things that Lowe describes and I’d have liked to see even more. My only quibble with the book was that I needed more maps. My geographical knowledge of the area covered was every bit as shaky as my political knowledge and I spent a lot of time trying to make sense of Google maps as I was reading.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys immersive and engaging travel writing – there’s lots here of interest and Lowe is a witty and knowledgeable guide through it all. I defy anyone to read this without being seriously impressed by Lowe! She paints a vivid portrait of the places she visits, the people she meets and the history that has made the places what they are today – and this is no mean feat! It’s a hugely dense, insightful and fascinating book – and one I will definitely come back to again in order to try to absorb more of the detail.
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Header photo by Patrick Hendry on Unsplash.
