From the Holy Mountain: A Journey in the Shadow of Byzantium by William Dalrymple

William Dalrymple’s From the Holy Mountain: A Journey in the Shadow of Byzantium may quite possibly be my favorite read thus far. His account chronicles his encounters with Christian communities starting from his passage through Greece’s Mt. Athos, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and the Occupied Territories and Egypt. His goal? To walk in the footsteps of Orthodox monk John Moschos, albeit 1400 years later. As Moschos witnessed the increasing threats to the Byzantine Empire (Persian, then Arab Islamic invasions, as well as plagues and diseases), so does Dalrymple explore and highlight the complex situations of today’s Middle Eastern Christians.

There are a few things to note on his account. Despite the apparent contradictions, reading it was heartbreaking, anger-inducing but also hilarious on several occasions. Tears aside, I laughed hysterically for minutes on end, with my favorite moments including the taxi driver at Aleppo (searching for a Syrian Orthodox Cathedral), the man I refer to as the “cat-hunter,” and of course those drunken Egyptians in the taxi cab. Despite the 454 pages, I consider this a complete page-turner, so easy it is to read and hard to put down. For those who don’t know much about Middle East Christians, I’d say this account covers it quite effectively and would be a great place to start. It’s also very useful to read prior to a trip to any/all of the Middle Eastern countries in question due to its substantial historical information.

As sad as it may be to see that the Christian population of the Middle East is steadily declining, it’s also true that it has not entirely disappeared. At least not yet (and who knows? Maybe it never will…?!). 17 years ago, when Dalrymple wrote his account, some of his interviewees were estimating that “no one would be left in 15 years.” I am delighted to say that this is not so. Surely, no one can deny their declining presence, but perhaps my heart also rejoices at the thought that maybe this unfortunate decline is taking its time, that the little that is left is holding on by everything it’s got…

Are Christians deciding to stay no matter what? Is it ‘betrayal’ when/if one chooses to leave and start a life elsewhere? If it was ever an option, would the ones who left ever consider going back? Many are the questions, abounding are the answers.

Depressing aspects aside, one thought lingers steadfastly in my mind: if nothing else, such an account reminds me that some things take much time to disappear, or in fact, never entirely do. +


Amazon.com links (published under 2 similar yet distinct names):

From the Holy Mountain: A Journey in the Shadow of Byzantium

From the Holy Mountain: A Journey among the Christians of the Middle East