GODS OF THE STONES

A New Zealand Journalist’s Voyage

Through the Middle East

"Religious tensions are the manifestation of non-religious rivalries, so people are more ready to fight for than live their religion," Peter Riordan, September 2011.

In 2009 Wellington journalist, Peter Riordan set off on a four-month journey through the Middle East following the footsteps of famed English travel writer, H.V. Morton.

Riordan travelled to the great religious and historical sites throughout Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Cyprus and Greece. While much has changed, his attention was captured by how things remained fundamentally the same since Morton’s trips more than 80 years ago.

"Morton found the Jewish-Arab rivalries detestable - and Israel did not exist then. I cannot imagine what he would make of today's hateful stalemate."

H.V. Morton’s series of journeys in the 1930s to the Middle East were highly influential. His focus was the beginnings of Christianity, but he also observed the daily lives and traditions of the people he met along the way. The three books that emerged from these travels cemented his reputation as one of the greats of his genre and are still in print today.

In Gods of the Stones, Peter Riordan traces the remnants of Christianity and explores the religious, cultural and political pressures shaping the region today.

About the author:

Peter Riordan has worked as a journalist in New Zealand and Australia. He is currently a freelance editor and writer in Wellington, New Zealand. His first book, Motorcycle Masala, won the City of Brisbane/Singapore Airlines Prize for Asia-Pacific Travel Writing in 2000. He has also written Strangers in my Sleeper, an award-winning account of his travels by rail on the Indian subcontinent.


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