In Search of King Solomon's Mines
 Second edition cover | |
| Author | Tahir Shah |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Tahir Shah (photos) |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Ethiopia, folklore |
| Genre | Travel |
| Published | 2002 John Murray |
| Pages | 320 pp. |
| ISBN | 978-1-84511-698-9 |
| OCLC | 228197615 |
| Preceded by | Trail of Feathers |
| Followed by | House of the Tiger King |
In Search of King Solomon's Mines is a travel book by Anglo-Afghan author, Tahir Shah.
Overview
Shah's search began with a map in Jerusalem. The map showed a trail leading to the fabled mines of King Solomon, who built the first temple of Israel out of gold, mined from the land of Ophir.[1] Solomon’s Mines have enthralled and tormented all those who have searched for them and superstition whispers of terrible curses that will befall anyone that finds them. Bewitched by the legends, Tahir Shah decided to take up the quest.
Chasing clues gathered from passed traveler’s tales, and local folklore to the Septuagint, the copper scroll, and the Kebra Negast, Shah was led to Ethiopia, whose empress traces descent from the son born to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, and where gold has been mined for millennia.[2]
In Harar, he fed wild hyenas that are said the guard Solomon’s treasure. With Samson, a miner-turner-taxi driver, he visited an illegal gold mine near Shakiso, where hundreds of men, women and children toiled in "a biblical Hell".
In the Emperor Haile Selassie's jeep, he explored the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, where the gold of Sheba is kept and ventures on to Afar, possibly ancient Ophir. Shah’s desire was to reach the cursed mountain of Tulu Wallel, where decades before an English adventurer called Frank Hayter claimed to have discovered the gold mines of King Solomon.
Reviews
- Review of In Search of King Solomon's Mines in Seeing The World Through Books
- Review of In Search of King Solomon's Mines on HistoryJournal.org
- Review of In Search of King Solomon's Mines on Genrenaut
- Review of In Search of King Solomon's Mines on Mysterious World
- Review of In Search of King Solomon's Mines on Kathika
- Review of In Search of King Solomon's Mines in The New Yorker
- Review of In Search of King Solomon's Mines on Books to Travel With
- Review of In Search of King Solomon's Mines on Book Reviews ONLY
- Review of In Search of King Solomon's Mines on Travel World Guide
- Review of In Search of King Solomon's Mines on TravelBookMix channel in YouTube
- Review of In Search of King Solomon's Mines on A Stripped Armchair blog
- Review of In Search of King Solomon's Mines on Publisher's Weekly
- Review of In Search of King Solomon's Mines on The Jerusalem Post
- Review of In Search of King Solomon's Mines on National Public Radio
References
- ^ Shah, Tahir (2007-02-06). "Excerpt: 'In Search of King Solomon's Mines'". NPR. Retrieved 2013-02-15.
- ^ "Spring 2003: Editorial: Book Review: In Search of King Solomon's Mines". Mysterious World. 1995-01-01. Retrieved 2013-02-15.