Racism, Islamophobia, Sexism. Read to know why this book is problematic. To begin with, I had high expectations, and ever since I was reading Jerusalem I wanted to explore more about the history of the Middle East. William Dalrymple traveled along the footsteps of Marco polo, exploring the silk route in the 80s. As centuries came in between two travelers, the maps got changed, kingdoms got destroyed, cities vanished, people changed. Everything except the snobbishness of a European remained as it is. I just wonder how this didn’t come under the scrutiny of evolution!