Percy Sykes was sent by Army Intelligence in the 1890s, first as an explorer and spy, then to open consulates along Persia's eastern borders. His job was to deter Russian expansion towards India. Unpaid, he rode through thousands of miles of the harshest desert, marsh and mountain, often with his indomitable sister. When consul at Meshed during a very turbulent time, he bugged the Russian consulate and, armed only with diplomacy, single-handedly faced down a Russian attempt to annex north-east Persia. During World War, Wassmuss - the German Lawrence - incited the southern tribes of Persia against the British. Sykes, who knew everyone that mattered in Persia, was sent out to raise a regiment of local villagers to keep Persian oil safe for the Royal Navy. Sykes was no blimp. He hunted gazelle with princes, read Persian poetry, sat at the feet of dervish masters and got to the heart of the country. His 25 years in Persia, laced with humour and domestic detail, give an insight into Persia that is still instructive today.

Persia in the Great Game : Sir Percy Sykes - Explorer, Consul, Soldier, Spy

Biographies & Memoirs

Antony Wynn

Historical

John Murray

<p>The story of the Oriental Carpet Manufacturers Company, in its day by far the biggest carpet exporter of all, explores the history of the Near and Middle east in the twentieth century from the point of view of the men and women involved in the carpet trade, and of international companies. Antony Wynn observed carpet weaving first hand when he was the OCM buyer in Hamadan in Iran from 1972-6. This splendid book is a reminder of how carpets connected people and places - and of the dynamism of the merchants who helped make Izmir 'the pearl of the Levant' and the OCM a global company, selling carpets from the entire area between Algeria and Tibet to the rest of the world.</p>

Three Camels to Smyrna

Hali Publications Ltd

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Antony Wynn. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Antony Wynn

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Antony Wynn. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Persia in the Great Game : Sir Percy Sykes - Explorer, Consul, Soldier, Spy

Three Camels to Smyrna