Alexandria

More about the book

For centuries, Alexandria Beneath the Mountains served as a crossroads of East and West before it vanished. In 1833, it was rediscovered in Afghanistan by Charles Masson, an unlikely figure: a working-class London boy turned deserter, pilgrim, doctor, archaeologist, and respected scholar. Masson's journey unfolds into one of history's most extraordinary tales, as he shares tea with kings, travels with holy men, and masters a myriad of disguises. He witnesses sights unseen by most Westerners, all while navigating the complexities of the Great Game, an era of imperial rivalry in stunning landscapes. Masson unearthed tens of thousands of artifacts, including the 2,000-year-old Bimaran golden casket, which features the earliest known depiction of the Buddha. He was offered a kingdom and had the power to change the world, yet ultimately faced its destructive forces. This narrative takes readers through nineteenth-century India and Afghanistan, revealing a world filled with espionage, dreamers, and opportunists, alongside extreme violence and unyielding hope. Set against the backdrop of empire, amid deserts and mountains, it tells the story of a centuries-old obsession.