The Southern Gates of Arabia

In 1934 Freya Stark travelled alone to the Hadhramaut in what is now Yemen, once the centre of the incense trade. An Arabic speaker, she travelled with tribesmen, accepted hospitality from sultans and Arab chiefs. Here, she gives her first-hand experience of an ancient world that has all but gone.

---

In 1934 Freya Stark travelled alone to the Hadhramaut in what is now Yemen. Then, it was a little-known country torn by tribal warfare, but it had once been the centre of the hugely profitable incense trade. Freya's aim was to trace the old incense road to the coast. An Arabic speaker, she was able to travel with tribesmen, accept hospitality from sultans and Arab chiefs, and even study harem life. Here, she gives us her first-hand experience of an ancient world that has all but gone.;Freya Stark was one of the greatest women travellers of the 20th century, and also one of the finest travel writers. She inspired a whole generation who followed her. In The Southern Gates of Arabia, she combines a sense of adventure with a unique eye for history and landscape.