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This is a great read, bringing to life an area of the world & its history through the spotlight of the historical traditions of a particular people. This is not a 'great revelation' book of the Dan Brown type, nor is it an academic exercise. It is my favorite type of travel book, a real journey which focuses on the people, places and their histories, rather than on the tribulations or heroism of the traveller. And running through it is the thread of a particular interest - why do the Lemba of southern Africa think they are Jews from Arabia? It is giving nothing away to say that we do not get a definitive answer to the question, but we get an intriguing story about possible, probable, movements of people and ideas along ancient trade routes. I find this brings some meaningful structure to an area of the world I find otherwise hard to understand in any historical context. It also raises questions about culture, history and identity. If the Lemba identify themselves as outsiders, as possessing rare semi-magical skills in metalworking & stone building, we think a bit more clearly about the way ancient societies were organized and interacted with each other, with known and the unknown societies. We get hints about how and why civilizations rose and fell unnoticed by written history. This book is that it is a joy to read and hard to put down. ( )

dust jacket, excellent condition

NO OF PAGES: 381 SUB CAT I: Lost Tribes SUB CAT II: Diaspora SUB CAT III: DESCRIPTION: In a mixture of travel, adventure, and scholarship, historian Tudor Parfitt sets out in search of answers to a fascinating ethnological puzzle: is the Lemba tribe of Southern Africa really one of the lost tribes of Israel, descended from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba?

Beginning in the Lemba villages in South Africa, where he witnesses customs such as food taboos and circumcision rites that seem part of Jewish tradition, Parfitt retraces the supposed path of the Lembas' through Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Tanzania, taking in sights like Zanzibar and the remains of the stone city Great Zimbabwe. The story of his eccentric travels, a blend of the ancient allure of King Solomon's mines and Prester John with contemporary Africa in all its beauty and brutality, makes for an irresistible glimpse at a various and rapidly changing continent.

And in a new epilogue, Parfitt discusses recent DNA evidence that, amazingly, lends credence to the Lemba's tribal myth.NOTES: Purchased from the Amazon Marketplace. SUBTITLE: The Search for a Lost Tribe of Israel