Empires of the Indus : the story of a river

Describes the turbulent history of the Indus River, one of the largest in the world, presenting a historical narrative of the people and civilizations that have lived along its banks in Tibet, India, and Pakistan through time. Abstract: Describes the turbulent history of the Indus River, one of the largest in the world, presenting a historical narrative of the people and civilizations that have lived along its banks in Tibet, India, and Pakistan through time “Alice Albinia is the most extraordinary traveler of her generation. . . . A journey of astonishing confidence and courage.”—Rory Stewart One of the largest rivers in the world, the Indus rises in the Tibetan mountains and flows west across northern India and south through Pakistan. It has been worshipped as a god, used as a tool of imperial expansion, and today is the cement of Pakistan’s fractious union. Alice Albinia follows the river upstream, through two thousand miles of geography and back to a time five thousand years ago when a string of sophisticated cities grew on its banks. “This turbulent history, entwined with a superlative travel narrative” (The Guardian) leads us from the ruins of elaborate metropolises, to the bitter divisions of today. Like Rory Stewart’s The Places In Between, Empires of the Indus is an engrossing personal journey and a deeply moving portrait of a river and its people. Content: Ramzan in Karachi -- Conquering the classic river -- Ethiopia's first fruit -- River saints -- The guru's army -- Up the Khyber -- Buddha on the Silk Road -- Alexander at the Outer Ocean -- Indra's beverage -- Alluvial cities -- Huntress of the Lithic -- The disappearing river. A mesmerising history of the Indus River's civilizations, emperors and explorers