The Southern Gates of Arabia: A Journey in the Hadhramaut

In 1934 Freya Stark travelled alone to the Hadhramaut in what is now Yemen. Then, it was a little-known country torn by tribal warfare, but it had once been the centre of the hugely profitable incense trade. Freya's aim was to trace the old incense road to the coast. An Arabic speaker, she was able to travel with tribesmen, accept hospitality from sultans and Arab chiefs, and even study harem life. Here, she gives us her first-hand experience of an ancient world that has all but gone.