Cabool

by Alexander Burnes

Alexander Burns (1805 - 1841) recounts in his personal memoir his time journeying to and living in Cabool from 1836-38. Burnes took part in the Great Game, a rivalry between the British Empire and Russia for supremacy in Central Asia which began with the Russo-Persian Treaty of 1813 and lasted until the Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907. He left Bombay in 1836 and traveled in and around Afghanistan until 1838. His narrative gave Britain its first in depth study of this area. British curiosity about exotic lands made his book immensely popular.

436 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1842

About the author

Captain Sir Alexander Burnes, FRS was a Scottish traveller and explorer who took part in The Great Game. He was nicknamed Bokhara Burnes for his role in establishing contact with and exploring Bukhara, which made his name. His memoir, Travels into Bokhara, was a bestseller when it was first published in 1835.

He advised Lord Auckland to support Dost Mohammed on the throne of Kabul, but the viceroy preferred to follow the opinion of Sir William Hay Macnaghten and reinstated Shah Shuja, thus leading to the disasters of the First Afghan War. On the restoration of Shah Shuja in 1839, Burnes became regular political agent at Kabul, where he was attacked by the mob and killed in 1841. His Cabool: Being a Personal Narrative of a Journey to, and Residence in that City was published posthumously in 1842.

Reviews

[Mansoor Azam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The travelogue is magnificent to say the least. Sir Alexander Burnes style of writing is luscious. from the start one really gets to know the lay of the land, its people, the politics, economics and the intrigues in the air. as an observer his reports on trade on Indus and state of Sikh empire must have done good to his masters. he did a god job on that account. but the moment he entered Afghanistan his vision eroded him. I ve a feeling that he relaxed and took things for granted in that very treacherous air of Cabool. and might that be the reason of his later down fall in the same place as well as of the British expeditionary force. Its a pity that it contains no entries of his second sojourn to the same place .

Overall a good account for any one who wants to read of these places and times ....

[Qb · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some mistakes in my earliar review which happened to due to some problem with the website.Probably i cant edit my review.One word is missing from the body,Puhtun mainland besides others.The author is no doubt one of those gallant and daring British officers who later on came to be known as 'soldier sahibs',Sahib means officer or gentleman.They were the pioneers and harbingers of British regime in the indian subcontinent now called india and Pakistan.Afghanistan they tried to swallow a few times but ultimately had to get rid of it being un-governable by foreign peoples.The same is also true as of today.....I would like to be corrected in respect of these views by any goodreads friends.It will of good educational value for me.

[Qb · Rating 5 out of 5]

A master piece.