Allah's Mountains: The Battle for Chechnya

by Sebastian Smith

Overview

Ancient travellers called the Caucasus the mountain of languages. Greeks, Persians, Romans, Goths, Arabs, Mongols and Turks have all passed through the region; poets and artists have been inspired by its rugged beauty and yet its history is a tragic one - for centuries it has been ravaged by virtually continuous war. Every 50 years, it seems, Russia attempts to take control of this hugely strategic part of the world - sandwiched as it is between Iran, Turkey and Russia and crossed by some of the most valuable oil pipelines in the world. The latest conflict to sweep across the area began when Vladimir Putin invaded Chechnya in 1999. Thousands of Russian soldiers and thousands more Chechens - both rebels and civilians - died and Chechnya's towns and cities were bombed beyond recognition. Sebastian Smith travelled to Chechnya during this period. A mixture of travelogue, history and war journalism, "Allah's Mountains" tells the story of the conflict between this nation of mountain tribes and the might of the Russian army.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781850439790
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	12/27/2005
Series:	Tauris Parke Paperbacks Series
Pages:	328
Product dimensions:	5.06(w) x 7.81(h) x 0.68(d)

About the Author

Sebastian Smith is a prize-winning author and journalist. He has been a correspondent in Washington, Moscow and London for the English-language service of Agence France-Presses. He lives and works in Georgia.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements * Maps * Introduction * Prologue * The Jigsaw * Fires of Liberty * The Jigsaw in Pieces * The Chechen Wolf * The Fury * Chasing Paradise * Bibliography * Index

Editorial Reviews

"Impressive and wide-ranging," The Sunday Times.

"Fluent and persuasive prose ... admirably clear," New Statesman.

"A moving example of how history can be written. Smith's account of the historical background to the conflict reads like a novel, but better, because it also has the intimacy and immediacy of an eyewitness account. He has given us a memorable, well-researched account of a peculiarly horrible war," Literary Review.

"This is a riveting book, written with almost seemless elegance. But Allah's Mountains is not simply a reportage. In a commendable effort to go beyond the present facts, Smith has delved deeply into the broader Caucasian context, steeping himself in the knowledge of its myriad peoples, cultures and languages," International Affairs.

"Sebastian Smith's Allah's Mountains is a riveting battle by battle account," The Tablet.

"Excellent, readable, insightful," Jane's Intelligence Review.

"Smith's book is exceptionally well written, alternating between hard reporting and more personal vignettes that give the flavour and emotional colouring of the area," The Moscow Times.

From the Publisher

Smith's impressive and wide-ranging book shows what a volatile mixture it will all continue to be.

Philip Marsden

This is a riveting book...Written with almost seamless elegance rendering the vicissitudes of the war in sometimes stunning detail.

International Affairs

A correspondent for the English-language service of Agence France- Presse, Sebastian first visited the North Caucasus in the summer of 1994, just after Chechnya had declared unilateral independence. His account is definitely from the perspective of the rebels. He includes a battery of clear maps. The first edition appeared in 1998. Distributed in the US by St. Martin's Press. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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