A Modern Pilgrim in Mecca: And a Siege in Sanaa (Folios Archive Library)

In 1908, Arthur Wavell left England to begin his journey to Mecca, determined to find out more about Arab customs with a view to future adventures into the unexplored interior of Arabia. Due to the suspicion a westerner would arouse, and the fact that unbelievers were forbidden by the authorities to enter Mecca, he undertook his pilgrimage in disguise. His journey to Damascus, Medina, and finally Mecca with his two companions—a Swahili Muslim from Mombasa and an Arab from Aleppo—is detailed in the first part of this reprint, which was originally published in 1912. Additionally, the book describes Wavell's abortive attempt to explore south central Arabia, including his capture and expulsion from Yemen by the Turkish authorities. A Modern Pilgrim in Mecca, now back in print, will be of great value to historians, to scholars of the region or period, and to armchair adventurers.