East 2016 & 2017

M A RT I N R A N D A L L T R AV E L

EAST

2016 & 2017

India • China • Japan

Martin Randall Travel Ltd Voysey House Barley Mow Passage London W4 4GF United Kingdom Tel +44 (0)20 8742 3355 Fax +44 (0)20 8742 7766 info@mar tinrandall.co.uk www.martinrandall.com Martin Randall Australasia PO Box 1024 Indooroopilly QLD 4068 Australia Tel 1300 55 95 95 New Zealand 0800 877 622 Fax +61 (0)7 3371 8288 anz@mar tinrandall.com.au Canada Telephone (647) 382 1644 Fax (416) 925 2670 canada@mar tinrandall.ca USA Telephone 1 800 988 6168 (connects to the London office)

This brochure was produced in house. The text was written by various members of Martin Randall Travel staff. Lecturers also contributed.

It was designed by Jo Murray.

Below: Hindu Temple near Hyderabad, lithograph c. 1850.

All of the illustrations in this brochure are from the MRT collection.

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M A RT I N R A N D A L L T R AV E L

EAST

2016 & 2017 India • China • Japan

Our aim: the finest cultural and historical tours

Innovative itineraries, meticulously planned

Founded in 1988, Martin Randall Travel is Britain’s leading specialist in cultural tours and one of the most respected specialist travel companies in the world.

MRT is famed for the superb quality of its itineraries – original, imaginative, meticulously planned and considerate.

They rest on the bedrock of relentless attention to detail, and are the fruits of deep knowledge of the destination and its culture.

Our aim is to create the most enjoyable and memorable cultural tours available – the best designed, the best led, the most informative and illuminating.

In large ways and small, we lift the experience for our clients above standards which are regarded as normal for tourists.

Special arrangements for admission to places not generally open to travellers and less visited, more out-of-the-way places are features of nearly all the tours.

As the number of tours has increased, so has our geographical reach. Our eastward expansion has been such that we now need an additional brochure.

Welcome to MRT East.

There are a number of things we do differently which distinguish our tours from both mainstream and specialist alternatives.

Learn from leading experts

Our tours have a full programme of visits, but we are careful not to cram too much into the day. More time is spent in places than on conventional tours, allowing opportunity to explore more thoroughly and assimilate at leisure.

All the tours are accompanied by expert lecturers – academics, writers, curators, broadcasters and researchers.

They are selected not only for their knowledge but also for their ability to communicate their learning in ways that are engaging and stimulating. They are also good travelling companions.

Nearly all the tours are also accompanied by a trained tour manager – someone from our office or one of a number of freelance professionals who work for us regularly.

Do less, see more

We strive to avert the overload and exhaustion which frequently characterises travelling in long-haul destinations. There are few early starts, and one-night stays are rare. Less time is spent travelling than is the norm.

National guides also make a large contribution. We try to select the best available and give them guidance and instruction concerning the special nature of our clients.

Travelling in comfort All the hotels we have selected are comfortable, many are luxurious.

Usually they are the best in the vicinity.

In remoter destinations the hotels may be relatively simple, but base-level criteria include cleanliness, en suite facilities and air conditioning.

Similarly we use the best and most modern coaches available. And when travelling by train, we book the highest class available. Nearly all intercontinental and domestic flights are day-time services.

Value for money, and no surcharges The price includes nearly everything, not only the major ingredients such as flights, hotels, transport and the tour leaders but also many lesser charges such as tips and drinks with meals.

We do not levy surcharges for fuel price increases, exchange rate changes, additional taxes or for any other reason.

The price published in this brochure is the price you pay.

(Note that bookings paid for by credit card will have 2% added to cover processing charges.

This brings us into line with standard travel industry practice. It does not apply to other forms of payment.)

We also cover some of our tours to the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia in this brochure (pages 32–35). To see their full details, please contact us or visit our website, www.martinrandall.com.

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china

middle east & north africa

Essential India.................................................. 4

Essential China.............................................. 21

Bengal by River................................................ 7

China’s Silk Road Cities................................ 23

Persia, Oman, Israel & Palestine, Palestine, Ancient & Islamic Tunisia...32–33

The Indian Mutiny........................................... 9

Sacred China • NEW for 16/17................. 25

central asia

japan

Istanbul, Ottoman Turkey, Insider’s Istanbul, Central Anatolia, Samarkand & Silk Road Cities..............34–35

Mughals & Rajputs........................................ 11 Gastronomic Kerala...................................... 13 Architecture of the British Raj.................... 14 Temples of Tamil Nadu................................. 15

The Heart of Japan • NEW for 16/17........ 27 Art in Japan.................................................... 29

Kingdoms of the Deccan.............................. 17 Indian Summer.............................................. 19

Further practicalities.................................... 36

Booking form & conditions...................37–39

Essential India

Hindu temples, Rajput palaces & Mughal tombs EAST 2016 & 2017 Agra, the Taj Mahal, mid-19th-century German engraving.

26 February–11 March 2016 (mc 580) 15 days • £5,760 Lecturer: Dr Giles Tillotson 14–28 November 2016 (md 946) 15 days • £5,780 Lecturer: Dr Anna-Maria Misra 27 February–13 Mar. 2017 (md 160) 15 days • £5,780 Lecturer: Dr Giles Tillotson Includes some of India’s most celebrated sites and also lesser-known but quintessential places. Arrangements for special access are a feature.

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Spends more time at the centres visited than most mainstream tours, and free time is allowed for rest or independent exploration.

Varanasi, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, and the most sacred in India; the Hindu temples of Khajuraho; Rajput and Mughal forts, palaces and funerary monuments.

No fewer than seven unesco World Heritage Sites are visited.

In November, led by Dr Anna-Maria, a specialist on Indian history and the British Empire. In February, led by Dr Giles Tillotson, a leading expert in Mughal and Rajput history and architecture.

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The rich and fertile riverine plains of northern India have long formed a corridor allowing migrations and invasions to spread across the Subcontinent. The result is an area of fascinating cultural diversity.

Like the Ganges and the Yamuna, the sacred rivers of Hindu lore, this tour runs through the modern state of Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring Madhya Pradesh. But these geo-political boundaries do not restrict it thematically. Participants are treated to a comprehensive overview of the history of the Subcontinent, from the emergence of Hinduism and Buddhism to the decline of the Mughal Empire, the last Islamic power before the British Raj of the nineteenth century.

Located on the banks of the Ganges, Varanasi is India’s most sacred place and claims to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. Founded by Lord Shiva, the city is mentioned in scriptures dating from the early Vedic period, in the second millennium bc. It was known as Kashi, the Luminous, during the life of the Buddha who visited on several occasions on his way to Sarnath nearby where he preached his first sermon. Pilgrims still flock here to wash away their sins in the holy Ganges. The modern Varanasi is also a place of learning and culture, with the first Hindu university in India.

The Chandelas of Khajuraho and the Bundelas of Orchha are two Rajput clans tracing lineage to the Lunar Dynasty from Varanasi, a commonly used device to claim political authority. The eleventh-century Chandelas built intricately carved temples in Khajuraho, today celebrated (and often

book online at www.martinrandall.com

misunderstood) for their sensual carvings.

They are superb examples of the Nagara or northern style of sacred architecture, with its linear succession of halls leading to the sanctum, topped by a Sikhara, or mountainpeak tower.

Later Bundela Rajputs built impressive palaces and temple-like cenotaphs in the lush landscape of northern Madhya Pradesh. Their palaces bring together elements borrowed from both the Rajput and Mughal traditions, while their funerary architecture asserts their dynastic authority.

The buildings and arts of the Mughals in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries are often regarded as the apex of India’s artistic achievements, a prestige due no doubt in no small part to its best-known representative, the Taj Mahal, a creation which hovers somewhere between architecture, jewellery and myth. White marble is typical of the late period, while earlier buildings are of red sandstone – the deserted capital of Akbar at Fatehpur Sikri, and the Red Forts of Agra and Delhi.

Delhi is among a rare elite of the world’s cities which have been capital of several successive regimes. With most new ruling powers establishing their headquarters on a site adjacent to its predecessors, the architectural legacy ranges from a monumental thirteenth-century minaret to the majestic expansiveness of Lutyens’ New Delhi. Empire succeeds empire; eighteen years after the Viceroy took up residence in Government House it was handed over to an independent India.

Day 1: London to Delhi. Fly from London Heathrow (British Airways) at c. 11.00am and after a 5½ hour time change reach the hotel in New Delhi at c. 3.00am on Day 2. Those not taking our group flights can check in from 2.00pm on Day 1.

Day 2: Delhi. Free morning, lunch in the hotel.

The severely beautiful 15th-century tombs of the Sayyid and Lodi dynasties are located in the serene Lodi Gardens, close to the hotel.

Humayun’s striking tomb, with its high-arched façades set in a walled garden, is an important example of early Mughal architecture.

Overnight Delhi.

Day 3: Delhi. Visit the imposing Red Fort, founded in 1639 under Shah Jahan. Exquisite pietra dura work remains intact in the throne pavilion. Together with the fort, the Jami Masjid, India’s largest mosque, dominates Old Delhi with its minarets and domes. Rickshaw through the labyrinthine streets near Chandni Chowk. After lunch, visit the Qutb Minar, site of the first Islamic city of Delhi, established in 1193 on the grounds of a defeated Rajput fort.

The towering minaret and its mosque survive as testament to the might of the invaders.

Overnight Delhi.

Day 4: Delhi to Varanasi. Fly from Delhi to Varanasi (Jet Airways) at c. 10.30am. After lunch in the hotel, walk in the old town, visiting hidden shrines and experiencing the busy life along the river. Ends near Dasaswamedha Ghat, named after the ancient ten horse sacrifice which took place here in mythical time. A boat ride along the Ganges ends with the evening river blessing ceremony (Aarti), a ritual going back to the Vedic Age. First of two nights in Varanasi.

Temple contains excellent carvings of Vishnu.

In the afternoon, visit the eastern and southern groups of temples. Overnight Khajuraho.

Day 8: Khajuraho. Free day in Khajuraho.

Day 9: Khajuraho to Orchha. Drive to Orchha. Located close to the Betwa River on dramatic rocky terrain, Orchha’s former glory as capital of the Bundela kings is evident in the multi-chambered Jehangir Mahal with lapis lazuli tiles and ornate gateways. The Raj Mahal palace contains some beautiful murals with religious and secular themes. Elegant Royal Chhatris (cenotaphs) line the ghats of the Betwa. Overnight Orchha.

Day 12: Gwalior, Agra. Drive to Agra and in the afternoon visit the Itimad ud Daula (c.

1628), an exquisite garden tomb and the first Mughal building clad in white marble inlaid with pietra dura. A stroll in Mehtab Bagh, a former Mughal garden by the Yamuna river, is rewarded with a view of the Taj Mahal; any anxiety about it failing to live up to it reputation for sublime beauty is misplaced.

Overnight Agra.

Day 10: Orchha. A walk in the old town includes a visit to the high-ceilinged Chaturbhuj Temple; the cross plan represents the four-armed Vishnu. The Lakshmi Temple incorporates fortress elements and its 19th-century frescoes depict scenes of the 1857 Mutiny. Afternoon journey from Jhansi to Gwalior by train. First of two nights in Gwalior.

Day 13: Agra, Fatehpur Sikri.

Rise early to visit the Taj Mahal in the first light of day. It was commissioned by Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, and completed in 1648.

Breakfast at the hotel. The magnificent Red Fort was built by Akbar and is the best preserved of the palaces built during his reign. Drive out to Fatehpur Sikri, a new capital built by Akbar (1570) but abandoned after a mere 15 years. The palace complex consists of a series of courtyards and beautifully wrought red sandstone pavilions.

Overnight Agra.

Day 11: Gwalior. Athwart a steep-sided hill, the formidable Gwalior Fort is lavishly embellished with cupolas and blue tiles; inside are superb 9th- and 11th-century temples. The afternoon is at leisure with the option of a visit to a nearby palace. Overnight Gwalior.

Day 14: Sikandra, Delhi. Drive to Delhi via Akbar’s mausoleum at Sikandra, built on his death in 1605. Set in a traditional char-bagh, it has no central dome unlike other Mughal mausolea. Visit New Delhi where Lutyens, Baker and other British

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Day 5: Sarnath, Varanasi. Begin the day with a boat ride at sunrise, followed by breakfast and a morning walk through the alleys of the old city. Buddha preached his first sermon at Sarnath and the site remains an active Buddhist centre. The Dhamek stupa in the Deer Park marks the spot where the Buddha sat to preach. The museum houses the 3rdcentury bc lion capital which has become the symbol of modern India since independence.

Overnight Varanasi.

EAST 2016 & 2017

Itinerary

Day 6: Varanasi to Khajuraho. Fly to Khajuraho (Jet Airways) in the morning. After lunch, visit the Jain temples in the eastern group. The Parasnath Temple is conspicuous for its absence of erotic depictions. First of three nights in Khajuraho.

Day 7: Khajuraho. In the morning, visit the spectacular western group of temples built during the Chandela Rajput dynasty, famous for the beautifully carved erotic scenes. The awe-inspiring 11th-cent. Kandariya Mahadev Temple is one of the finest examples of North Indian temple architecture, richly embellished with sensuous sculptures depicting the god’s heavenly abodes. Nearby, the Jagadambi

Watercolour

by Mortimer Menpes from Peeps at Many Lands, India, publ. 1910.

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architects created a grand city with unique designs. Baker’s Secretariat buildings on the Raisina hill are Classical buildings at first glance but closer attention reveals Mughal motifs. Subject to special permission, it may be possible to visit the manicured gardens and interior of the vast Rashtrapati Bhavan, the former Viceroy’s residence.

Overnight Delhi.

Day 15: Delhi. Fly from Delhi in the morning, arriving in London Heathrow at c. 3.15pm.

Practicalities Price (26 February–11 March 2016) – per person. Two sharing: £5,760 or £5,090 without international flights. Single occupancy: £6,620 or £5,950 without international flights.

Price (14–28 November 2016 & 27 February–13 March 2017) – per person. Two sharing: £5,780 or £5,130 without international flights.

Single occupancy: £6,690 or £6,040 without international flights.

Included meals: 11 lunches and 9 dinners with wine or beer.

Accommodation. Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi (tajhotels.com): modern, comfortable hotel with an attractive garden and swimming pool; well-situated in the heart of Lutyens’s Delhi and caters for both the business and leisure traveller. Taj Gateway Ganges Hotel, Varanasi (tajhotels.com): comfortable 4-star hotel outside city centre. Lalit Temple View Hotel, Khajuraho (thelalit.com): modern hotel located within walking distance of the main sites. Hotel Amar Mahal, Orchha (amarmahal.com): the most basic of the hotels on the tour, this 3-star equivalent is conveniently located and adequately equipped.

Usha Kiran Palace Hotel, Gwalior (tajhotels. com): former palace converted into a charming hotel. Trident Hotel, Agra (tridenthotels.com): comfortable, well-run, modern 4-star close to the main sites with a spacious garden. The Leela, Gurgaon (theleela.com): 5-star hotel conveniently close to the airport.

How strenuous? See page 36 for general fitness requirements. There are three 3-hour long coach journeys where facilities are limited.

There are some fairly steep ascents to forts and palaces. Steps to temples and palaces can be steep and slippery. Unruly traffic and the busy streets of Delhi also require vigilance. Average distance by coach per day: 45 miles.

Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

Combine this tour with The Indian Mutiny, 25 October–7 November 2016 (see page 9).

Lecturers Dr Giles Tillotson. Writer and lecturer on Indian architecture, art and history. His books include Taj Mahal, Jaipur Nama: Tales from the Pink City, and the novel, Return to Bhanupur. He is a Fellow, and the former Director, of the Royal Asiatic Society and was Chair of Art & Archaeology at SOAS.

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Dr Anna-Maria Misra.

Lecturer in Modern History at Oxford University and a specialist on Indian history and the British Empire. She has published widely including Vishnu’s Crowded Temple: India Since the Great Rebellion and she wrote and presented Channel 4 series An Indian Affair.

Left: Delhi, the Qutb Minar (Gate of Alladeen), wood engraving c. 1880.

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For further practicalities including visas and a list of what our prices include, see page 36. book online at www.martinrandall.com

Bengal by River

Calcutta & a week’s cruise along the Hooghly

25 March–7 April 2017 (md 195) 14 days • £5,230 Lecturer: Dr Anna-Maria Misra

EAST 2016 & 2017

Calcutta, from Calcutta, An Artist’s Impression by Desmond Doig.

12–25 March 2016 (mc 585) 14 days • £5,130 Lecturer: Dr Rosie Llewellyn-Jones

Four days in Calcutta, Bengal’s capital, and a week visiting places along the River Hooghly on an exclusively chartered cruiser.

Bengal, an outpost of the Mughal Empire and the first region to come under the control of the East India Company.

Islamic architecture in Murshidabad and Gaur, Hindu temples in Baranagar and Kalna, Georgian and Victorian buildings of the Raj. Sailing along the banks of the Hooghly gives a unique insight into unspoilt village life.

In 2016, led by Dr Rosie Llewellyn-Jones, an authority on colonial India. In 2017, the lecturer is Dr Anna-Maria Misra, an Oxford academic who researches the history of India and the British Empire.

adds a new dimension to India for those who already know it, and for those who are yet to encounter it.

Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, and Christianity are all practised in Bengal and each faith has built buildings to its gods and goddesses. The town of Kalna is named after a manifestation of the dreaded goddess Kali, the destroyer who lives in cremation grounds and wears a necklace of skulls. By contrast the Jain temples in the village of Baranagar are a peaceful anthem in carved brick to non-violence and harmony. Bengal contains the largest imambaras in India, buildings associated with the Shi’a strand of Islam, not quite mausolea, although burials are frequently found in them, more gathering places for the devout.

Serampore, the Danish settlement, is known for its eighteenth-century church.

Had the British under Clive not defeated the Nawab Siraj-ud-daula at the Battle of Plassey in 1757, the history of India would have been very different. The French, established at Chandernagore and allies of the Nawab, would have seized their opportunity, supported by Francophone rulers elsewhere in India who wanted to counterbalance the pervasive British presence.

But it was from their base in Bengal that the British steadily extended their rule through the subcontinent.

The cruiser chartered for this tour is fairly new (built in Calcutta in 2013). By the standards of vessels on European rivers it is not luxurious, but it is comfortable, has great charm and the crew are welcoming and efficient.

Lounging on the top deck after a fulfilling day of sightseeing with a gin & tonic (of which a quota is included in the price), watching rural life on the banks as dusk falls, comes pretty close to a perfect Indian experience.

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When George V announced in 1911 that the capital of British India was to be transferred from Calcutta to Delhi, there was disbelief and horror in Bengal. It seemed to overturn the natural order of things. Founded by Job Charnock in 1690 on the banks of the mighty Hooghly River, Calcutta (now Kolkata) had been the headquarters of British rule in India ever since. Today the city is home to over fifteen million, but the central district remains largely as it was during the Raj. Buildings of all sorts – political, economic, educational, religious, residential – formed the British city. Their styles, Classical and Gothic, are bizarrely familiar, and their size is startling, often exceeding their equivalents in Britain. A walk through the South Park Street Cemetery shows the high price that many Britons paid for coming to Calcutta in search of wealth. ‘Power on silt!’ wrote Kipling of the city. ‘Death in my hands, but Gold!’

West Bengal is the land of lost capitals and fading grandeur. Calcutta was only the latest city whose power was snatched away by changing political events. Hindus, Muslims, Portuguese, Dutch, Danish and French all founded settlements on the dreamy, fertile banks of the Hooghly.

For a time Bengal was the richest province in India, not only because everything seemed to grow in its lush soil but from the industry of its people too. Indigo, opium and rice were cash crops, but textiles first attracted European traders in the seventeenth century. Beautiful silk and muslin fabrics were known as ‘woven wind’ because they were so fine. The river was a natural highway. Apart from the Grand Trunk Road of the Mughals, there was no other way to travel.

Steeped in history but still very much off the conventional tourist route, this tour

Itinerary This version of the itinerary applies only to the 2017 departure of this tour. Visit our website for the itinerary in 2016 or contact us.

Days 1 & 2: London to Calcutta (Kolkata), via Dubai. Fly at c. 1.30pm from London Heathrow to Calcutta via Dubai (Emirates) where there is a 2-hour stop. Reach the hotel at c. 9.00am (time difference from UK is 5½ hours) on Day 2. Those not taking our group flights can check in from 2.00pm on Day 1.

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Day 2: Calcutta. The morning is free. In the afternoon visit the South Park Street Cemetery, where tombs of the early British settlers are of a monumental classicism without parallel in Britain. First of four nights in Calcutta.

Practicalities Price in 2016 – per person. Two sharing: £5,130 or £4,410 without international flights.

Single occupancy: £6,020 or £5,300 without international flights.

Day 3: Calcutta. The Anglican cathedral of St Paul, completed in 1847 in Gothic style, has many fine memorials and a window by BurneJones, one of his best. Completed in 1921, the Victoria Memorial is the most imposing building in Calcutta. It houses a collection of European paintings and a display on the history of the city. The Indian Museum, built

by Granville to house the collection from the Asiatic Society, is India’s most important collection of sculpture. Overnight Calcutta.

Day 4: Calcutta. This morning’s walk provides a survey of the civic buildings from the late 18th-century. St John’s Church, which dates back to 1784, is loosely modelled on St Martin-in-the-Fields in London (like hundreds throughout the globe). In the grounds, the mausoleum of Job Charnock, the founder of Calcutta, is the earliest British building in India. Overnight Calcutta.

Day 5: Calcutta. The Maghen David Synagogue (1884) and the Armenian Church (1707) are reminders of the variety of religions which thrived in Calcutta prior to Independence. The Home of Rabindranath Tagore, the Bengali poet and philosopher who received the Nobel Prize for literature in 1913, provides an insight into the Bengali Intellectual Renaissance which in turn led to the Independentist movement. In the evening visit Srijit Tagore’s Residence for a private Bharatanatyam performance by world acclaimed dancer, Souraja Tagore.

Overnight Calcutta.

Day 6: Serampore. Board the RV Rajmahal in Calcutta and sail to the former Danish colony of Serampore. It came under British rule in 1845. First of seven nights on board the RV Rajmahal.

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at c. 9.45am. After a 2-hour stopover in Dubai, the flight arrives in Heathrow at c. 8.00pm.

Day 7: Chandernagore, Chinsura, Hooghly.

In the morning, sail upstream to the former French colony of Chandernagore, established in 1673. Visit the remaining churches and cemeteries as well as Governor Joseph François Dupleix’s House. Sail to Chinsura to visit the 17th-century Dutch cemetery before continuing by cycle-rickshaw to Hooghly where the 19th-century Shi’a Imambara of Hazi Mohammed Mohasin contains fine marble inlay. Overnight RV Rajmahal.

Day 8: Kalna, Nabadwip, Mayapur.

At Kalna, visit the series of fine 18thcentury terracotta temples and the unique Shiva temple with concentric rings comprising 108 double-vaulted shrines.

Sail to the pilgrimage centre of Nabadwip, where the river ghats are lined with active temples for a leisurely walk in the bazaar.

The skyline of Mayapur on the opposite bank is dominated by a vast new temple. Overnight RV Rajmahal.

Price in 2017 – per person. Two sharing: £5,230 or £4,630 without international flights.

Single occupancy: £6,040 or £5,440 without international flights.

Included meals: 11 lunches (including 1 packed) and 12 dinners with wine or beer.

An illustration in The Times of India Annual 1935.

Day 9: Matiari, Plassey. Visit the village of Matiari where brass is worked using traditional methods. After sailing further, there is an excursion to the site of the battle of Plassey, where Robert Clive’s 1757 victory over the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daulah was the prelude to consolidation and extension of the East India Company’s power in Bengal and beyond. Overnight on the RV Rajmahal at Murshidabad.

Day 10: Murshidabad. The Mughal Khushbagh is a peaceful walled pleasuregarden containing the Tomb of Siraj-udDaulah and family. A magnificent example of Greek Revival architecture, the Hazarduari Palace was built by Duncan McLeod in 1837 as a guest house for the Nawab. The museum holds a respectable collection of European paintings, sculpture and arms. The imposing Katra Mosque (1724) is modelled on the great mosque at Mecca. Visit the Nashipara and Katgola palaces, 18th-century homes of rich Jain merchants in classical Georgian style.

Overnight RV Rajmahal.

Day 11: Baranagar. Sail to the village of Baranagar and walk through fields to visit three miniature carved-brick Jain temples. Sail in the afternoon through a stretch of charming waterway that weaves past banks lush with mango groves and mustard crops. Overnight RV Rajmahal at Jangipur.

Day 12: Gaur, Farakka. Drive from Jangipur to the quiet city of Gaur, the ancient capital of Bengal. Situated within easy reach of the black basalt Rajmahal hills, Gaur is filled with elegant Muslim ruins. The many mosques, palaces and gateways stand as testament to a prosperous past and gifted stonemasons.

Overnight RV Rajmahal.

Accommodation: Oberoi Grand, Calcutta (oberoihotels.com): a long-established luxury hotel conveniently located in the city centre. RV Rajmahal, River Cruiser (assambengalnavigation.com): built in 2013, not luxurious but an adequately comfortable boat, with great charm.

Changes to the itinerary: circumstances might arise which prevent us operating the tour as advertised. On the river, the ebb and flow of the tide and shifting silt levels might mean we omit one or more ports of call. We would try and devise a satisfactory alternative.

How strenuous? See page 36 for general fitness requirements. Sure-footedness is essential to get on and off the ship; the riverbanks may be slippery. Unruly traffic and the busy streets of Calcutta also require vigilance. There are a few fairly steep ascents to hilltop forts and temples.

There is a 4-hour train journey where facilities may be limited.

Group size: between 10 and 24 participants.

Combine this tour with: Indian Summer 13–25 March 2017 (see page 19).

Lecturers Dr Rosie Llewellyn-Jones mbe.

An authority on colonial India.

Among many publications, her book Mutiny, The Great Uprising in India: Untold stories, Indian & British won critical praise. She lectures for the Asian Arts course at the V&A. She was awarded the mbe in 2015 for services to the British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia and to British Indian Studies.

Day 13: Disembark Farakka. Calcutta.

At Farakka, disembark the RV Rajmahal in the morning and transfer to the station to board a train for Calcutta (a journey of c. 4 hours). The rest of the day is at leisure. One more night in Calcutta.

Dr Anna-Maria Misra.

Lecturer in Modern History at Oxford University and a specialist on Indian history and the British Empire. She has published widely including Vishnu’s Crowded Temple: India Since the Great Rebellion and she wrote and presented Channel 4 series An Indian Affair.

Day 14: Calcutta to London, via Dubai.

Drive to the airport to board a flight departing

For further practicalities including visas and a list of what our prices include, see page 36.

book online at www.martinrandall.com

The Indian Mutiny

Delhi, Meerut, Lucknow, Gwalior, Agra

A study of the single most important and controversial set of events in the history of the British in India, a turning point for the Subcontinent and also for Victorian Britain.

A tour of intense interest for military, imperial and Indian history.

Special arrangements for exclusive access.

Led by military historian Patrick Mercer.

The First War of Indian Independence or an ill-planned and illegitimate rebellion?

The death-throes of a traditional society slipping beneath the waves of progress or an historic advance towards the emancipation of peoples oppressed by colonialism? The Indian Mutiny, to use the name given by the British upon its outbreak in 1857, has been subject to many interpretations. This tour aims to present a clear-sighted understanding of the events and their meaning, and a moving study of conflict and reconciliation.

In 1857 the Bengal Army, one of the Honourable East India Company’s locally raised armies, turned on its British officers, murdered them and their families or drove them away, and attempted to establish their own authority in Delhi. Newly issued

cartridges greased with pig and cow fat, thus alienating both Muslims and Hindus, though rapidly withdrawn, may have precipitated the Mutiny; that it spread so rapidly and enjoyed widespread support reveals deep underlying discontent.

Challenged by westernisation, Indian society, rarely at peace with itself anyway, was becoming disorientated and disenchanted.

There followed the most serious challenge to Queen Victoria’s authority of her entire reign. The rebellion sucked in thousands of loyal native troops as well as British regiments – some of them fresh from the Crimea – and plunged the Empire into chaos. The battles were bitter, the destruction enormous and the whole episode complicated by unprecedented inter-tribal and religious violence that looked to the outsider like civil war.

The imperial forces displayed extraordinary endurance and skill, but there were atrocities on both sides as well as acts of great gallantry. Many of Victoria’s military heroes made their names in the Mutiny as the press reported every move of rebels and loyal troops alike. The horror of Wheeler’s Entrenchment at Cawnpore, the dogged defence of the Residency at Lucknow and the storming of the Kashmiri Gate at Delhi still echo through the years.

There are remarkable traces of military engagement surviving in places, and memorials and monuments commemorate the events. Fortuitously, the rebellion spread

across some of the most beautiful parts of the country, and the tour provides an excellent overview of Indian landscapes, culture and architecture.

We also follow the path of the most glamorous of rebels, the warrior queen Rani Lakshmibai, from her own Kingdom of Jhansi to the remote and spectacular fortress of Gwalior. She caused the entire Central India Field Force to be pitted against her and only with her death was the fire of unrest finally dampened down.

EAST 2016 & 2017

25 October–7 Nov. 2016 (md 926) 14 days • £4,980 Lecturer: Patrick Mercer

Itinerary Day 1: London to Delhi. Fly from London Heathrow (British Airways) at c. 11.00am, and after a 5½ hour time change, reach the hotel in Delhi at c. 3.00am on Day 2. Those not taking our group flights can check in from 2.00pm on Day 1.

Day 2: Old Delhi, the heart of the uprising.

Nothing is planned before a pre-lunch talk. In May 1857 rebellious sepoys flocked to Delhi to establish it as the capital of their newly freed nation. The Mutiny Memorial commemorating those killed in action is a neo-Gothic spire with elements of Indian design, built in the local sandstone in 1863. Overnight Old Delhi.

Day 3: Old Delhi. By early September the besiegers were strong enough to attack and after a week’s vicious fighting Delhi once more came under British control. Visit the sites of

‘The Storming of Delhi – the Cashmere Gate’, from The Illustrated London News 1857.

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some of the battles, including the much-shelled Kashmiri Gate and the British magazine.

Walk the route of General Nicholson’s advance (he died while storming the Lahore Gate).

Visit the imposing Red Fort, entering via the Lahore Gate where King Bahadur Shah Zafar reluctantly accommodated the Meerut sepoys.

Overnight Old Delhi.

Day 4: Meerut, the start of the Mutiny.

Inspired by an incident near Calcutta, on Sunday 10th May sepoys in the garrison at Meerut began an open revolt. From here the virus spread. Visit St John’s garrison church and the cemetery with graves of that day’s victims. Lunch at a private home. Overnight Old Delhi.

Day 5: Old and New Delhi. The beautiful garden tomb of Humayun, an important example of Mughal architecture, was where Zafar was eventually captured. The Mutiny eventually led to the birth of the Raj. Its new capital was established in 1911 and designed

by Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker, integrating some Mughal, Hindu and Buddhist elements into the monumental classical buildings of the Viceroy’s House and the Secretariats. Fly to Lucknow; first of three nights at Lucknow.

Day 6: Kanpur (Cawnpore), betrayal and horror. The garrison commander at Cawnpore, Gen. Wheeler, was besieged by his own native troops in a hastily constructed fort known as Wheeler’s Entrenchment. A visit to this barren, walled area and All Soul’s Memorial Church evokes the dreadful conditions endured by soldiers, civilians, women and children until the rebel leader called a ceasefire.

Visit Satichaura Ghat on the Ganges, where Europeans and loyal Indians were permitted to board boats but were promptly fired upon in one of the worst scenes in the Mutiny.

Overnight Lucknow.

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Day 7: Lucknow, where the Mutiny ebbed and flowed. The battered Residency at Lucknow: a monument to the fortunes of war. In July 1857 a tiny garrison of British and Indian troops was besieged here until, in September, Sir Henry Havelock forced his way through and, in turn, was assailed. In November Sir Colin Campbell drove the mutineers aside and evacuated the defenders. In March 1858 he returned and finally recaptured the city. See Havelock’s Memorial and the battle-scarred Alambagh Palace, alternately occupied by the rebels and the British. Sikandar Bagh, a pleasure garden of the nawabs, served as a sepoy stronghold. Overnight Lucknow.

Day 8: Lucknow. Before leaving Lucknow, there is a special visit to La Martinière Boys’ School, a flamboyant hybrid building of 1796.

The principal, masters and boys of the college successfully defended the perimeter of the grounds in 1857. Dilkusha Hunting Lodge still stands nearby despite shelling during the siege.

Havelock died here. Board a noon train and travel 5 hours to Jhansi and by coach for 15

miles to Orchha. Spend the first of two nights in Orchha.

Day 9: Orchha. Located close to the Betwa River on dramatic rocky terrain, Orchha’s former glory as capital of the Bundela kings is evident in the multi-chambered Jehangir Mahal with lapis lazuli tiles and ornate gateways. The Lakshmi Temple contains 19th-cent. frescoes depicting the defence of Jhansi Fort. Most of the afternoon is free.

Overnight Orchha.

Day 10: Jhansi, scene of massacre and duplicity. The debate still rages over whether Rani Lakshmibai, Queen of Jhansi, knew that the tiny European garrison to whom she guaranteed safe passage were going to be attacked. Their murder, however, led the British to send troops to crush her. Walk along the concentric walls of Shankar Fort where the Rani battled hard against her British opponents in March 1858 before avoiding capture on horseback and riding to Gwalior, a route we travel by train. Overnight Gwalior.

Day 11: Gwalior, the Mutiny’s dénouement.

Situated on a hill, the formidable fort at Gwalior is lavishly embellished with cupolas and blue tiles; inside are superb 9th- and 11th-cent. temples. Here Rani Lakshmibai held strong with fellow rebel Tatya Tope, until, leading a cavalry patrol, she was surprised at Kotah-ki-Serai in June 1858 (where fortifications are still visible) and killed while the British closed in on the fort from east and west simultaneously. Tatya’s forces disintegrated as the citadel fell – the last battle of the uprising. Overnight Gwalior.

Day 12: Agra, a decisive engagement.

Drive from Gwalior to Agra, a route marked by the dramatic ravines of the Chambal River. Lunch is at a former royal residence at Dholpur. In August 1857 Col Greathead marched with 3,000 men from Delhi to Agra to recapture the besieged city. The mutineers had been reinforced after Delhi’s fall, but the successful assault prevented the sepoys from linking their forces from central India with those from the rest of Bengal. An evening stroll by the Yamuna river is rewarded by a view of the Taj Mahal. Overnight Agra.

Day 13: Agra to Delhi. Rise early to visit the Taj Mahal in the first light of the day.

After breakfast, visit the magnificent Fort.

Permanent reminders of the events of 1857 scar this formidable defensive structure – a cannon ball mark on the Sheesh Mahal (Mirror Palace) and the somewhat incongruous but poignant tomb of Col John Russell, Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Provinces, who died here in 1857. Drive to Delhi. Overnight near the airport.

Practicalities Price – per person. Two sharing: £4,980 or £4,270 without international flights.

Single occupancy: £5,700 or £4,990 without international flights.

Included meals: 11 lunches (including 2 packed) and 8 dinners with wine or beer.

Accommodation. Oberoi Maidens, Old Delhi (maidenshotel.com): dating to the early 1900s, the Maidens retains colonial charm and is ideally located in the heart of the old city and has an attractive garden. Vivanta Gomti Nagar, Lucknow (vivantabytaj.com): very comfortable 4-star with spacious public areas and rooms with all modern amenities, surrounded by an extensive garden. Amar Mahal, Orchha (amarmahal.com): though the rooms are adequately equipped and have air conditioning, this 4-star is the most basic of the hotels on this tour. It is located very near the main sites and has a garden. Taj Usha Kiran Palace, Gwalior (tajhotels.com): this charming 4-star hotel, set in 9 acres of land, was formerly a private palace. Rooms combine traditional decor with modern features and are large, light and bright. Trident Hotel, Agra (tridenthotels.com): comfortable, well-run, modern 4-star close to the main sites with a spacious garden. The Leela, Gurgaon (theleela. com): ideally located near the international airport, this modern 5-star hotel has comfortable rooms.

How strenuous? See page 36 for general fitness requirements. There are some long coach journeys during which facilities are limited and may be of poor quality. Most sites have some shade but the Indian sun is strong, even in the cooler seasons. Average distance by coach per day: 43 miles.

Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

Combine this tour with Essential India, 14–28 November 2016 (see page 4).

Lecturer Patrick Mercer obe. Military historian. He read History at Oxford and then spent 25 years in the army, achieving the rank of colonel, and subsequently worked for BBC Radio 4 as Defence Correspondent and as a journalist.

He was MP for Newark from 2001 to 2014 and is the author of two books on the Battle of Inkerman.

Day 14: Delhi to London. Fly from Delhi in the morning, arriving at London Heathrow at c. 3.15pm.

book online at www.martinrandall.com

For further practicalities including visas and a list of what our prices include, see page 36.

Mughals & Rajputs Delhi, Agra & Rajasthan

EAST 2016 & 2017

Sikandra, Akbar’s mausoleum, steel engraving c. 1850.

29 October–11 Nov. 2016 (md 927) 14 days • £5,830 Lecturer: Dr Giles Tillotson One of the world’s greatest schools of architecture and decoration, rooted in several traditions but becoming an original, harmonious and beautiful synthesis.

Architecture, art and history amid the enthralling landscapes and beautiful cities, forts and palaces of north-west India.

The tour includes less visited places as well as major ones, spends more time at each place and includes a number of special arrangements.

The Mughals, the last and most refined of India’s Muslim dynasties, originated in Central Asia and Afghanistan, being descendants of both Timur (Tamerlaine) and Genghis Khan. Babur conquered the Kingdom of Delhi in 1527, and his successors extended the empire to include at its peak all the Subcontinent except for its southernmost tip. They remained rulers until 1857, though after the death of the emperor Aurangzeb in 1707 their power and territories withered rapidly. During their period of glory, the dynasty ruled one of the great empires in history and the body of architecture bequeathed by emperors and empresses, warlords and administrators, nobles and governors, ranks among the world’s finest.

from the Vedic age which enjoyed a revival under the Hindu rulers of Rajputana in the eighteenth century. Including the most famous sites and some less known ones, the tour also visits the best museums, public and private.

A distinguishing feature is that longer is spent at the sites than is the norm for tours to Agra and Rajasthan, resulting in a much deeper understanding and appreciation of this extraordinarily rich episode of artistic and architectural creation.

Itinerary Day 1: London to Delhi. Fly from London Heathrow (British Airways) at c. 11.00am and after a 5½ hour time change reach the hotel in Delhi at c. 3.00am on Day 2. Those not taking our group flights can check in from 2.00pm on Day 1.

Day 2: Delhi. Nothing is planned before a pre-lunch talk. The first Islamic city of Delhi was established in 1193 by the conquering ruler Muhammed of Ghur; the afternoon outing is to the earliest Islamic buildings in India, the towering 12th-century minaret of Qutb Minar and its mosque, built using masonry from plundered Hindu temples. A stroll in the serene Lodi Gardens takes in the 15th-century tombs of the Sayyid and Lodi dynasties, relatively simple but beguiling in design.

Overnight Delhi.

Day 3: Delhi. The Red Fort and the Friday Mosque, major monuments of Mughal rule, dominate Old Delhi. As we shall so often see, the formidable bulk of the fortress shelters exquisite delicacy (pietra dura work of Shah Te l e p h o n e + 4 4 ( 0 ) 2 0 8 7 4 2 3 3 5 5

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Led by Dr Giles Tillotson, expert in Rajput and Mughal history and architecture.

The Rajputs, rulers of large tracts of northern India, trace their origins to the sixth century ad or earlier. They built some of India’s greatest temples, established a sophisticated court culture and, all too ready to put into practice a chivalric and militaristic ethos, became the main bulwark of resistance to Islamic invasion.

It is ironic therefore that Rajputs and Mughals came to an accommodation.

Rajput maharajas served as imperial commanders and as regional governors, while at home, in the fortified cities of Rajasthan, they developed a courtly culture in tandem with that of their imperial overlords but drawing too on older traditions.

This composite courtly culture is among India’s best known and most admired phenomena, permeating a range of arts from painting and textiles to jewellery and precious artefacts. The proper setting for all these arts were the courtyards and pavilions of their palaces, which rank among the world’s most striking and beautiful works of secular architecture. Their appearance is further enhanced by their setting in the dramatic landscape of Rajasthan, which encompasses both desert plains (in the north-west), and rugged hills and ravines (in the south-east).

This tour covers many of the finest forts, palaces, gardens and cities built by the Mughals in Delhi and Agra and the Rajputs in Rajasthan. Agra is of course much visited, but the tour allows time to explore the city’s other great monuments that place the Taj Mahal in context. Jaipur, the celebrated capital of Rajasthan, was built according to the Vastu Shastra, the architectural treatise

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Mughals & Rajputs continued

Jaipur, watercolour by Mortimer Menpes, publ. 1910.

EAST 2016 & 2017

Day 12: Jodhpur. The visit to Mehrangarh Fort examines the painting tradition of the Marwari Rajputs, with special admission to the gallery led by the curator. The buildings of the lively Old City are painted in a variety of blues, originally the colour denoting the homes of Brahmins and a convenient insect repellent.

Overnight Jodhpur.

Day 13: Jodhpur, Delhi. In the afternoon, fly to Delhi. Overnight Delhi (Gurgaon).

Day 14: Delhi to London. Fly from Delhi, arriving London Heathrow at c. 3.15pm.

Practicalities

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Jahan’s 1640 throne pavilion). The Jami Masjid is India’s largest mosque. Then by autorickshaw through the labyrinthine streets near Chandni Chowk. The Purana Qila, the Old Fort, marks the site of Emperor Humayun’s 16th-century capital. His tomb is a pioneering example of Mughal architecture and garden design. Overnight Delhi.

17th-century Amber Palace conceal fine craftsmanship – mirrored chambers, latticed windows, carved alabaster. The former duckhunting lodge Jal Mahal is situated in the middle of a lake (visit by special permission).

The Nahargarh (Tiger) Fort houses the lavish 19th-century Madhavendra palace built for the Maharaja’s nine wives. Overnight Jaipur.

Day 4: Delhi, Sikandra, Agra. In the morning, drive to Agra. Akbar’s mausoleum (1613) at Sikandra on the outskirts of the town, far surpasses that of his father, Humayun, in size and elaboration, being set in a traditional charbagh nearly 1 km2 and encrusted with domed marble kiosks. It has no central dome unlike other Mughal mausolea. Set in a pleasure garden on the banks of the River Yamuna in Agra, the exquisite tomb of Itimad ud Daula (1628) is a pioneer of intricate marble inlay work. First of two nights in Agra.

Day 8: Jaipur. Founded in the 18th century by the prominent Rajput ruler Sawai Jai Singh, the grid design of Jaipur demonstrates its creator’s obsession with mathematics and science.

The City Palace contains an unsurpassed collection of textiles and arms. The Jantar Mantar, the 1730s observatory, is equipped with massive astronomical instruments that are astonishingly accurate. A walk takes in the many-windowed façade of the pink sandstone Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) and attractive havelis. Overnight Jaipur.

Day 5: Agra. The Taj Mahal (1631–47) was famously built by Shah Jahan as the tomb of his favourite wife. Rise early to see it in the first light of day; despite inevitable scepticism, it is likely that you will indeed conclude that this is the most beautiful building in the world. Return to the hotel for breakfast before visiting the Red Fort, first constructed by Akbar (1565–73) and added to by Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb. Among the highlights are Akbar’s Jehangiri Mahal, with high-quality sandstone carvings of Hindu influence; the Sheesh Mahal, with its mirrormosaic interiors; and the elaborately decorated Musamman Burj pavilion. The rest of the day is free. Overnight Agra.

Day 9: Jaipur, Nagaur. In the morning, drive through the desert to Nagaur, one of the earliest Rajput settlements and an important Sufi centre (4 hours). The vast Ahichhatragarh Fort was founded in the 4th century, built in the 11th and developed and embellished in the 18th. From its ramparts, the tapering minarets of the Akbari Mosque are visible in the distance. First of two nights in Nagaur.

Day 6: Fatehpur Sikri, Jaipur. Fourteen years after its inception in 1571 Akbar abandoned his new capital at Fatehpur Sikri, but the most important elements of the city had been constructed. The palace complex consists of beautifully carved red sandstone pavilions amid a series of courtyards. In the Diwan-iKhas (private assembly hall) the central pillar fuses a spectrum of architectural styles and religious symbols. Continue to Jaipur for the first of three nights.

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Day 7: Jaipur. Athwart a natural ridge below, the magnificent yellow walls of the

Day 10: Nagaur. Pre-Mughal and Mughal architecture is well preserved in the palace chambers (linked to the hotel by a corridor); the Akbari Mahal, built to commemorate the visit of the Emperor Akbar in 1570, has some original floral murals, while the Hadi Rani Mahal houses some 16th-century murals in shades of green depicting daily and courtly scenes. The rest of the day is at leisure.

Overnight Nagaur.

Day 11: Nagaur, Jodhpur. Drive through the desert to Jodhpur. The capital of one the largest Rajput states in western Rajasthan is presided over by the magnificent Mehrangarh Fort.

Described by Kipling as the ‘work of angels, fairies and giants’, it was built in 1459 and has some of the most imposing fortifications in the world. The afternoon visit is followed by a private dinner in the fort’s garden. First of two nights in Jodhpur.

book online at www.martinrandall.com

Price – per person. Two sharing: £5,830 or £5,190 without international flights.

Single occupancy: £6,740 or £6,100 without international flights.

Inlcuded meals: 10 lunches and 11 dinners with wine or beer.

Accommodation. The Imperial, New Delhi (theimperialindia.com): an iconic 5-star hotel with an attractive garden and swimming pool. The hotel is well-situated in the heart of Lutyens’s Delhi. Trident Hotel, Agra (tridenthotels.com): comfortable, well-run, modern 4-star close to the main sites with a spacious garden. Trident Hotel, Jaipur (tridenthotels.com): modern 4-star hotel on the outskirts of the city. Ranvas, Nagaur (ranvasnagaur.com): 17th-century palace converted into a luxury hotel. There are no twin-bedded rooms. Raas, Jodhpur (raasjodhpur.com): boutique hotel combining modern and traditional design. The Leela, Gurgaon (theleela.com): 5-star hotel conveniently close to the airport.

How strenuous? See page 36 for general fitness requirements. There are some fairly steep ascents to forts and palaces. Unruly traffic and the busy streets of Delhi, Jaipur and Jodhpur also require vigilance. There are four 4-hour long coach journeys where facilities may be limited.

Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

Combine this tour with Gastronomic Kerala, 12–22 November 2016 (see opposite).

Lecturer Dr Giles Tillotson. Writer and lecturer on Indian architecture, art and history. His books include Taj Mahal, Jaipur Nama: Tales from the Pink City, and the novel, Return to Bhanupur. He is a Fellow, and the former Director, of the Royal Asiatic Society and was Chair of Art & Archaeology at SOAS.

For further practicalities including visas and a list of what our prices include, see page 36.

Gastronomic Kerala

Traders, spices & churches of the Malabar Coast

Surveys the history and distinctive culture of the region through its cuisine: Jewish, Muslim, Christian.

Three nights in Fort Cochin, the spice trade centre of the Arabian Sea. From tea and spice plantations to lush backwaters, a leisurely paced tour amid varied scenery.

Three cooking demonstrations followed by lunch and two privately hosted lunches.

Eco-friendly hotels with natural surroundings.

Kerala has supplied the world with spices since antiquity. Roman ships sailed to the Malabar Coast laden with sacks of gold to trade for their favourite spice, black pepper. Modern Kerala is still a major producer of black pepper and this tour follows in the footsteps of Chinese, Persian, Jewish, Arab and European merchants who have been coming here ever since in search of spices.

The warm but cloudy climate of the Western Ghats provides the perfect conditions for cultivating pepper vines that wither in strong sunlight. On the distinctively-shaped knolls, pepper plants straggle among the fronds of cardamom trees while large tracts of the hills are covered by neat rows of bright green tea bushes.

When the Portuguese discovered the sea route to India in the fifteenth century they

stumbled into the most intense commercial zone in the world. Kerala’s spice markets attracted merchants trading African slaves, gold and ivory, precious stones, dyes and rugs from the Persian Gulf, Chinese silks and porcelain, nutmeg and cloves from the Indonesian archipelago. The Portuguese quickly established a trading base at Fort Cochin and within thirty years of their arrival on the scene dominated Indian Ocean trade until they were superseded by the Dutch in the seventeenth century; their churches are a testimony to their determination to demonstrate their religious hegemony as well as their military might.

The Paradesi synagogue in the Jewish quarter is almost the last trace of Kerala’s Jewish community (most of Cochin Jews have now emigrated to Israel). However, the community have left behind a cookery tradition influenced by the Middle Eastern and Spanish origins of the Indian Jews.

Kerala’s Syrian Christian community is also thought to have been founded as long ago as the first century ad. St Thomas the Apostle is said to have made a number of converts to Christianity while on a proselytising mission to South India. This Nesrani community is famous for its appam, soft rice breads, fluffy in the centre and crispy on the edge, perfect for dipping in the stews which characterise their cuisine. A fragrant biryani is the best-known contribution of the Arab spice traders to the Keralan culinary repertoire. The Portuguese introduced creamy custards and pastries as well as an array of foods which they had only just discovered themselves in the Americas: the chilli pepper eventually came to dominate

Indian cookery, ousting black pepper from its position as the hottest spice. The Portuguese also introduced cassava (tapioca), now widely eaten in Kerala.

Tea cultivation was introduced to India by the British and one of the Raj’s most enduring legacies was to persuade Indians to drink tea after a concerted campaign in the late nineteenth century.

The hallmark of Keralan, and Indian, cuisine is that it has absorbed influences from each wave of visitors, from early Christians and medieval Muslim Sultans to the English bureaucrats of the Raj. Food, then, is one of the best vehicles to explore India’s colourful history and Kerala’s cuisine is no exception.

Cooking demonstrations and privately hosted lunches allow participants to revel in Kerala’s rich and delicious culinary history, while gentle walks in tea and spice plantations provide some insight in the production of these once luxurious goods.

EAST 2016 & 2017

12–22 November 2016 (md 944) 11 days • £4,860 Lecturer: Dr Elizabeth Collingham

Itinerary Days 1 & 2: London to Cochin (Kochi), via Dubai. Fly at c. 2.15pm from London Heathrow to Cochin via Dubai (Emirates) where there is a 2-hour stop. Reach the hotel c.

11.30am (time difference from UK is 5½ hours) on Day 2. Those not taking our group flights can check in from 2.00pm on Day 1.

Day 2: Cochin. The morning is free. Later in the afternoon, visit the Mattancherry Palace. First built by the Portuguese in 1557, it was rebuilt by the Dutch in 1663. The murals in the king’s bedroom which depict mythical

Kottayam, engraving 1851.

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EAST 2016 & 2017

scenes from the Raas Leela and the Ramayana are a masterpiece of Keralan paintings.

Dinner in the hotel restaurant explores the rich culinary heritage of this trading centre.

Overnight Cochin.

Day 3: Cochin. A morning walk around Fort Cochin includes the Chinese fishing nets, which have been in use since the 14th century and St Francis Church (c. 1510), one of the earliest Catholic churches in India and the temporary resting place of Vasco da Gama. A cooking demonstration focusing on the Mopilah (Muslim) culinary tradition of northern Kerala precedes a private lunch.

Muslim traders may have settled on the Malabar Coast as early as in the 7th century and have since developed a cuisine with distinctive flavours. Afternoon at leisure.

Overnight Cochin.

Day 4: Fort Cochin. Jewish merchants and Christian settlers arrived in Kerala with St Thomas the Apostle in ad 52. The Paradesi Synagogue, built in 1568 by European Jews, is tucked away in the heart of the Jewish Quarter. Its airy interior is enhanced by hand painted Chinese floor tiles and European glass chandeliers. A cooking demonstration is followed by a Christian lunch in a private home. Opened in 2009, the Folklore Museum houses a private collection of Keralan artefacts and is the venue for a Kathakali dance performance. Overnight Cochin.

Day 5: Cochin, Munnar. In the morning, drive through the coconut palms and spice plantations of the low- and midlands to Munnar, the centre of Kerala’s tea industry.

Located at an altitude of 1,600 metres, this hill station was discovered by Scottish planters in the 19th century and was once the British Summer capital of south India. Tea

tasting session in the afternoon. First of two nights in Munnar.

Day 6: Munnar. Drive around the rolling hills to one of the 30 tea estates in the area. After a walk around the plantation witnessing pickers at work, visit the processing factory. The Tamil lunch in the estate’s bungalow reflects the tea workers’ origin from the neighbouring state.

Overnight Munnar.

Day 7: Munnar to Thekkady. Leaving the tea growing region of the high altitudes, drive through thick forests of teak and rosewood to reach Thekkady. Afternoon walk around a spice plantation to explore the growing process and the complex network of correlations between species. In the evening, dinner focuses on locally farmed produce.

Overnight Thekkady.

Day 8: Thekkady to Kumarakom. Drive to a planter’s home for a privately hosted Britishinfluenced lunch. Afternoon drive to the backwaters, a network of lakes, lagoons and canals with its unique ecosystem. First of three nights in Kumarakom.

Day 9: Kumarakom. Morning walk around Alappuzha (Allepey), the first planned city in Kerala, dating from 1776.

The dilapidated mansions of the Gujarati spice merchants are easily recognisable with their intricately carved wooden gates. After the final cooking demonstration, lunch is sadhya, the Keralan banquet consisting of a variety of vegetarian dishes and traditionally served on a banana leaf. Return to the hotel by boat. Overnight Kumarakom.

Day 10: Kumarakom. In Kottayam, the 450-year old Cheria Palli – ‘Small’ St Mary’s Church – displays unusual symbols on its façade. The original murals inside were

Architecture of the British Raj Evolution of styles in Bombay, Calcutta & Delhi india

23 January–4 Feb. 2016 (mc 565) 13 days • £5,640 Lecturer: Professor Gavin Stamp Visits the major centres of British power, still India’s leading cities – Bombay (Mumbai), Calcutta (Kolkata) and Delhi.

Extraordinary wealth of European-style architecture from the eighteenth century to the middle of the twentieth.

painted using natural pigments. Nearby, the Valia Palli – ‘Big’ St Mary’s Church – houses 2 Nestorian crosses, one of which may be the oldest Christian artefact in India. The hosted lunch highlights the distinctive culture of the region and is followed by a walk around the farm. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure.

Overnight Kumarakom.

Day 11: Cochin to London, via Dubai. Drive to Cochin International Airport to board a flight departing at c. 9.45am. After a 2-hour stopover in Dubai, arrive at Heathrow c. 6.00pm.

Practicalities Price – per person. Two sharing: £4,860 or £4,250 without international flights.

Single occupancy: £5,730 or £5,120 without international flights.

Included meals: 9 lunches and 7 dinners with wine or beer (not all restaurants serve alcohol).

Accommodation. Brunton Boatyard Hotel, Cochin (cghearth.com): sea-front property, ideally located within the heritage area of Fort Cochin. Windermere Estate, Munnar (windermeremunnar.com): familyrun property offering stunning views of the surrounding plantations. Spice Village Hotel, Kumily (cghearth.com): eco-friendly hotel set in the lush landscape of the Western Ghats. Hotel Coconut Lagoon, Kumarakom (cghearth.com): comfortable bungalows in natural lake-side settings.

How strenuous? See page 36 for general fitness requirements. Surefootedness is essential for boarding and disembarking the boats; jetties may be slippery. Walks in the tea and spice plantations are over uneven ground and there are some uphill climbs. There are two coach journeys of 4 hours or more where facilities may be limited. Average distance by coach per day: 35 miles.

Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

Combine this tour with Mughals & Rajputs, 29 October–11 November 2016 (see page 11).

Lecturer Dr Elizabeth Collingham.

Food historian and writer. She obtained her PhD at Cambridge University. After teaching at the University of Warwick she became a Research Fellow at Jesus College, Cambridge. Her books include Imperial Bodies: the Physical Experience of the Raj. c. 1800–1947, and she is currently writing a history of food and the British Empire.

Little-visited treasures as well as the major ones included, with private visits and special access a feature of the tour.

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An archetypical case of the MRT policy of travelling less and seeing more, with four days in each of the cities and free time. book online at www.martinrandall.com

For further practicalities including visas and a list of what our prices include, see page 36.

Temples of Tamil Nadu Architecture, sculpture & ancient rituals

EAST 2016 & 2017

23 January–5 Feb. 2017 (md 126) 14 days • £4,960 Lecturer: Asoka Pugal The art and architecture of Hinduism, and its chronological development, in the southernmost state of the Subcontinent.

Includes Mamallapuram, Thanjavur, Srirangam and Madurai.

The tour looks at other aspects of India in Pondicherry, the Chettinad region and elsewhere.

Lush tropical landscapes, rice paddies, sugar cane, coconut groves, neat colourful villages.

The Shore Temple at Mamallapuram, engraving after William Daniell c. 1820.

Temple complexes became powerful economic units, housing a multiplicity of functions – ritual, administrative, artistic, musical, educational and charitable.

The tour covers several of these later complexes, each of them still thronging with life as a thriving cult centre. To wander in the streets of temple towns such as Chidambaram and Srirangam reveals how the temple determines the nature of the whole settlement, both in its formal layout and in the ritual and processional activities that punctuate the religious calendar.

As well as the dazzling range of sculpture that forms an inseparable part of South Indian temple architecture, there are rare remnants of early Indian painting which developed in parallel. The tour enables participants to examine traces of painting from the Pallava period, the unique eighth-century murals in the Jain cave temple at Sittanavasal, and the wonderful Chola murals in the Brihadishvara, Thanjavur, as well as works of the Nayaka period and the later Tanjore school.

Other aspects of the tour complement the focus on temples. The courtyard houses of Chettinad were the homes of Chettiar merchants, a community whose patronage of temples in the colonial period helped to ensure the continuation of the Dravida tradition. The former French colony of Pondicherry contains interesting architectural examples of crosscultural interaction.

Itinerary Days 1 & 2: London to Chennai (Madras).

Fly from London Heathrow at c. 1.00pm direct to Chennai, and after a 5½ hour time change, reach the hotel at c. 5.30am on Day 2. Those not taking our group flights can check in from 2.00pm on Day 1.

Day 2: Chennai. Nothing is planned before lunch. In the afternoon, visit the bronze collection of the Government Museum.

Overnight Chennai.

Day 3: Chennai, Mamallapuram. Drive to Mamallapuram, in the morning. After lunch, visit the 7th-century cave temples with mythological relief panels, including the extraordinarily dynamic Mahishasuramardini (Durga slaying the buffalo demon) and the great Arjuna’s penance relief (Descent of the Ganges). Overnight Mamallapuram.

Day 4: Mamallapuram. The elegant Shore Temple combines shrines to Shiva and Vishnu. The 7th-century monolithic shrines, including the so-called five rathas (chariots), are a veritable catalogue of the architectural possibilities inherent in the Dravida tradition at this early stage, which clearly evolved out of the early wooden architectural tradition.

Overnight Mamallapuram.

Day 5: Kanchipuram. Once the Pallava capital and still an important holy city, Kanchipuram is full of ancient temples. The Kailasanatha Temple, the cosmic mountain of Pallava ruler Rajasimha (c. 700–728) dedicated to Shiva, is within a walled compound and girdled with shrines. The rarely visited Vaikunta Perumal Temple has a sculptural programme depicting the origin and history of the Pallava kings. The Ekambareshvara Temple, with its towering gopurams of the Vijayanagara period (16th-century), gives a first taste of a large temple complex still very much in use. Overnight Mamallapuram.

Day 6: Pondicherry. Pondicherry (two hours by coach) is a former French enclave acquired in 1674 which retains much of its colonial charm. Two respective walks in the French Quarter and the Tamil Quarter highlights the Te l e p h o n e + 4 4 ( 0 ) 2 0 8 7 4 2 3 3 5 5

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Since its formative phase in the seventh century ad, the southern or Dravida tradition of Indian temple architecture has shown an extraordinary continuity up to the present day, reflecting the continuity of religious practices it has framed. This tour traces the development of that tradition throughout its history, offering an experience of its whole range of expression, from sensuous intimacy to monumental grandeur.

Like the architectural tradition, the tour begins with the seventh-century temples of the Pallava dynasty at their seaport of Mamallapuram: rock-cut cave sanctuaries where mythological moments are presented in overwhelming relief carvings, and monolithic shrines conceived as palaces of the gods. The famous shore temple belongs to the eighth century. By this time the Pallava rulers could aspire to the status of universal monarch, and Rajasimha, at his capital Kanchipuram, built the great Kailasanatha (Lord of Mount Kailasa), a ‘temple mountain’ that represents the entire cosmos, linking the human world with the heavens.

Smaller temples were the rule, however, erected in villages and at sacred sites as agriculture and Hindu society expanded across the region. The tour includes examples from the Chola period (ninth to thirteenth centuries) in the Cauvery basin, noted for their exquisite sculpture in granite. From this fertile heartland the cultural influence of the Chola realm spread across the seas to Southeast Asia.

In complete contrast to the human scale of local shrines, the imperial Chola temples of the eleventh and twelfth centuries are India’s most colossal religious monuments. With its 60m-high tower, the Brihadishvara temple at Thanjavur (Tanjore) uses forty times as much stone as the average Chola temple. Assigned to this establishment were no fewer than four hundred dancing girls.

The later Chola temples initiated the trend towards ever larger temple complexes, with concentric enclosures entered through towering gopurams (gateways). These ‘templecities’ reached their apogee under the Nayaka rulers (sixteenth and seventeenth centuries), enclosures and gopurams being added on an increasingly monumental scale, the precincts including water tanks and great pillared halls.

15

Temples of Tamil Nadu continued

EAST 2016 & 2017

dual cultural heritage of this pleasant seaside town. Overnight Pondicherry.

Day 7: Chidambaram, Gangaikondacholapuram. The temple town of Chidambaram is planned on the mandala principle around the 12th-century Nataraja Temple. Home to Shiva as the cosmic dancer, there is sculpture depicting classical dance and lively 17thcentury narrative ceiling paintings. Continue to Gangaikondacholapuram, the ‘City of the Chola who conquered the Ganges’: the Brihadishvara is a gigantic imperial Chola temple erected by Rajendra I (1012–44).

The composition of the tower is subtle and complex. First of two nights in Veppathur, near Kumbakonam.

Day 8: Kumbakonam, Darasuram, Swamimalai. Kumbakonam is a thriving town with numerous temples from the Chola period and later, including the Nageshvara which has some of the finest early Chola sculpture. The Mahamakam tank (17th-century) is said to unite the waters of all India’s sacred rivers. At Darasuram, the Airavateshvara temple (12thcentury) is a late Chola masterpiece (1146-72), beguilingly sensuous and architecturally lucid.

The Sthala Puranam Temple at Swamimalai, dedicated to Lord Murugan (son of Shiva), is on a hill with city views. Overnight Veppathur.

Day 9: Thanjavur. Drive to Thanjavur to visit the Brihadishvara, Rajaraja I’s colossal imperial temple (c. 1010). The compound is entered via the earliest of the truly monumental gopurams and also contains a variety of subsidiary shrines, including the finely chiselled Subrahmanya (17th-century).

The museum in the Nayaka palace houses a fine collection of Chola sculpture, including bronzes. Lunch is at a resort on the attractive banks of the Cauvery River. In the afternoon, drive to the Chettinad region for the first of two nights in Kanadukathan.

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Day 10: Srirangam, Nattarmalai, Sittanavasal.

Srirangam is a classic temple town dominated by the concentric enclosures of the huge Ranganatha temple complex (13th century onwards). Among the numerous structures is the Rangavilasa Mandapa with columns teeming with sculpture. The 9th-century Vijayalaya-Cholishvara temple is set in a beautiful hilly landscape at Nattarmalai.

Continue through enchanting countryside to the Arivar Koil cave temple (8th-century) containing vibrant mural paintings evoking the abundance of nature. Overnight Kanadukathan, near Karaikudi.

Day 11: Alagarkovil, Madurai.

A relaxing morning walk through the small Chettinad town of Kanadukathan. Visit a family mansion, a fine example of shared accommodation according to the Chettiar tradition. In the afternoon drive to Madurai, via Alagarkovil, a hilltop temple dedicated to Kallalagar, a form of Vishnu. First of two nights in Madurai.

Day 12: Madurai. The vast Meenakshi Temple complex, mostly erected in the 17th century under the Nayaka rulers when Madurai was an independent kingdom, is the epitome of a South Indian ‘temple-city’.

Its towering gateways, swathed in coloured figures, rise up to 60m. The Pudu mandapa is an open hall with huge and exuberant sculpted piers with portrait sculptures of Nayaka kings and ministers. The grand pillared Celestial Pavilion is all that remains of the 17th-century Thirumalai Nayaka Palace.

Overnight Madurai.

Day 13: Thiruparankundram, Chennai.

The 8th-century Pandyan Temple at Thiruparankundram, cut into a granite hill, is considered one of the sacred abodes of Murugan. The shrine contains depictions of Durga and Ganesh and is approached by a series of mandapas (17th- and 18th-cents.).

Afternoon flight Madurai to Chennai; overnight Chennai.

Day 14: Chennai to London. The only direct flight from Chennai leaves at c. 7.30am and arrives at London Heathrow at c. 1.00pm.

Practicalities

(cghearth.com): attractively restored 18thcentury mansion in the heart of the French Quarter. Each room is elegantly decorated with vintage furniture and all modern amenities. Mantra Resort, Veppathur, near Kumbakonam (mantraveppathur.com): set in a peaceful, rural location, immersed in a garden of coconut palms with a pool. The cottage rooms are simple but comfortable, traditional in style, with outside seating on a porch. Visalam, Kanadukathan, near Karaikudi (cghearth.com): attractive and sensitively restored mid 20th-century Chettinad mansion in the heart of a small town. Rooms are large with period touches, and some open out on to the surrounding garden, where there is a pool. Taj Gateway, Madurai (thegatewayhotels.com): set in 60 acres of lush garden on Pasumalai Hill, this comfortable hotel has well-equipped rooms furnished in colonial style. Trident Hotel, Chennai (tridenthotels.com): well-run 4-star hotel conveniently located close to the airport.

How strenuous? See page 36 for general fitness requirements. Uneven ground and irregular paving are standard. There are some fairly steep ascents to temples. There are some long coach journeys during which facilities are limited and may be of poor quality. Most sites have some shade but the Indian sun is strong, even in the cooler seasons.

Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

Combine this tour with Kingdoms of the Deccan, 10–23 February 2017 (see opposite).

Lecturer Asoka Pugal. Historian and lecturer. Born in Tamil Nadu, he graduated from the University of Madras followed by postgraduate studies at Madras Law College. He has worked in the tourist industry for many years and has produced TV documentaries. In 2001, he joined the Board of studies in Ancient History and Archaeology at the University of Madras.

Price – per person. Two sharing: £4,960 or £4,250 without international flights.

Single occupancy: £5,720 or £5,010 without international flights.

Included meals: 11 lunches (including 2 packed) and 9 dinners with wine or beer.

Accommodation. Taj Coromandel, Chennai (tajhotels.com): comfortable heritage hotel catering for both the business and leisure traveller. The Art Deco rooms are wellappointed and bathrooms have bathtubs and separate showers. Radisson Blu Temple Bay, Mamallapuram (radissonblu.com): seafront resort with direct access to the beach. Rooms are spacious and neat. There are several dining options on site. Palais de Mahé, Pondicherry

book online at www.martinrandall.com

Illustration, above centre: Madurai, watercolour

by W.S. Bagdatopulos, publ. 1935.

For further practicalities including visas and a list of what our prices include, see page 36.

Kingdoms of the Deccan

Art & architecture, sixth to eighteenth centuries

Islamic architecture in the four cities of the Bahmani sultanate founded in the 14th and 15th centuries (Gulbarga, Bidar, Bijapur, Golconda).

Hindu architecture of the Chalukyas from the 6th to the 12th centuries (Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal).

The Islamic state of Hyderabad was one of India’s largest princedoms and retains a rich artistic heritage.

Hampi was capital of the leading Hindu power from the 14th to 16th centuries, a most beautiful and fascinating centre.

The Deccan plateau has distinctive, dramatic, rocky landscapes.

Vijayanagara, the City of Victory, was founded in 1336 and its eponymous empire ruled the Deccan until its defeat by the Islamic forces at the battle of Talikota in 1565. This political entity is often regarded by historians as the last Hindu power of the region. It marks the transition between the early Hindu kingdoms, such as the Chalukyas who ruled from the sixth century to the twelfth, and the Muslim sultanates which succeeded them and

continued to rule until Independence in 1947.

The Chalukyas’ architectural tradition developed from the early rock-cut caves at Aihole and Badami to the free-standing structural Hindu temples in Pattadakal.

This evolution is clearly confined to sacred architecture. By contrast, the Vijayanagara empire, while further developing and standardising the sacred architecture of Hinduism, also developed an imperial idiom, mixing sacred and vernacular elements and gradually integrating Islamic elements borrowed from the emerging sultanates.

From the fourteenth century onwards, the Deccan saw a sequence of four Islamic sultanates, each with its own capital. In 1347, Ala-ud-Din Bahman founded his capital in Gulbarga after declaring his independence from the Delhi sultans. The capital was later shifted to Bidar in 1425. Bijapur and Golconda later gained importance following the demise of Bidar.

The foundation of every new capital gave impetus to the local building traditions. Unlike in north India where most Islamic centres were built on existing Hindu cities, the Deccan sultanates built their capitals anew and a distinct Islamic architecture developed.

A feature of the tour is time spent visiting places where very few tourists venture.

This involves some long coach journeys and two overnight stays in fairly simple accommodation, but the reward is the thrill of

deserted citadels with their superb palaces and mosques and impressive fortifications.

Itinerary Days 1 & 2: London to Hyderabad. Fly from London Heathrow at c. 2.45pm direct to Hyderabad, and after a 5½ hour time change reach the hotel in Hyderabad at c. 7.15am on Day 2. Those not taking our group flights can check in from 2.00pm on Day 1.

EAST 2016 & 2017

10–23 February 2017 (md 143) 14 days • £5,210 Lecturer: Asoka Pugal

Day 2: Hyderabad. The morning is free. In the afternoon walk in Lal Bazaar, the centre of the historical city; see the Char Minar, the monumental gateway to the new 16th-century palace complex. Overnight Hyderabad.

Day 3: Golconda. Now within Hyderabad, Golconda was the first Islamic settlement in the area. The citadel of the Qutb Shahis, protected by three concentric walls built 1512– 1687, is an excellent example of the Bahmani military architecture. Nearby are grand royal tombs, with bulbous domes and elaborate stucco, and the Badshahi Ashurkhana is a very fine example of the Shia architectural tradition. Lunch today is in the former Nizam’s palace. Overnight Hyderabad.

Day 4: Hyderabad. Today’s visits focus on Hyderabad after it was annexed by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1687 and subsequently ruled by the Nizam. The Chaumahalla Palace

Hampi, Dutch wood engraving c. 1880.

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Kingdoms of the Deccan continued

‘The Welcome of Hyderabad’, watercolour by Donald Maxwell c. 1930.

EAST 2016 & 2017

Day 14: Mumbai. Drive to the airport to board a flight departing at c. 1.15pm. Arrive at London Heathrow at c. 5.45pm.

Practicalities Price per person. Two sharing: £5,210 or £4,490 without international flights.

Single occupancy: £5,750 or £5,030 without international flights.

Included meals. 12 lunches (including 3 packed) and 12 dinners with wine or beer.

was completed in 1750 and comprises four mansions set around a garden. The Durbar Hall (public meeting space) with its Belgian crystal chandeliers is an indication of the Nizam’s wealth and taste for things European.

The day ends with a special visit to a private collection of Indian paintings and textiles.

Overnight Hyderabad.

Day 5: Bidar. A four-hour drive to Bidar, the capital of the Bahmani Sultanate from 1425 until its annexation to the kingdom of Bijapur in 1619. Of particular interest are the 16-pillared mosque and the Rangeen Mahal, the Palace of Colours, so called because of the wall tiles and mother-of-pearl inlays.

Following a visit to the Royal Tombs at Ashtur, continue to Gulbarga. Overnight Gulbarga.

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Day 6: Gulbarga, Bijapur. The small town of Gulbarga is of major historical importance.

The first Bahmani capital in the Deccan, it was founded in 1347 before being abandoned in 1424 in favour of Bidar. The Jami Masjid (Friday Mosque), similar to the Cordoba Mezquita in form and dimensions, is unique in south India as it is fully covered and has no minarets; one theory claims it was built as a palace. A five-hour drive to Bijapur, arriving in time to visit the Gol Gumbaz, a monumental domed tomb, before sunset. Overnight Bijapur.

Day 7: Bijapur, Badami. In the morning there is a walk through the old town to see the many historic buildings. The walk continues around the city walls and gates. The Ibrahim Rauza tomb complex consists of two intricately carved twin buildings finished in 1626, the tomb of Ibrahim Adil Shah II and the mosque.

In the afternoon we leave the Islamic region and drive for four hours to the centre of the former Hindu Chalukya kingdom. First of three nights in Badami.

Day 8: Aihole, Pattadakal. Numerous Jain and Hindu temples are scattered around the village of Aihole, a clear sign of its religious significance from the 6th to the 12th centuries.

The sculptures of the Durga temple are among

the finest of the Chalukya period. The World Heritage Site of Pattadakal nearby is celebrated for embodying the last stage of Chalukyan architecture, 8th–9th centuries. This is a unique site where the three distinct styles of Indian religious architecture are found in close proximity. Overnight Badami.

Day 9: Badami. The capital of the early Chalukyas from the 6th to the 8th centuries, Badami has superb examples of early sacred architecture, both rock-cut and free-standing.

Moreover, the sculptural programme of the cave temples provides a fascinating insight into the Hindu iconographic development of this period. Overnight Badami.

Day 10: Badami. Free morning in Badami, now a charming small town beside a lake overlooked by rugged red sandstone cliffs. In the afternoon there is a five-hour drive through remote and rural countryside to Hospet, our base to visit the World Heritage Site of Hampi.

First of three nights here.

Day 11: Hospet, Hampi. The ruins of the Vijayanagara capital, 1336–1565, lie in a remarkable landscape strewn with granite boulders and spread along the Tunghabhadra river. The extensive site is organised around two main areas, the Sacred Centre with its concentration of temples and shrines, and the Royal Centre. The Sacred Centre is close to the river and includes the Virupaksha Temple in the middle of the village and Hemakuta Hill with its numerous shrines and commanding views of the area. Overnight Hospet.

Day 12: Hampi. Following a visit to the Vitthala temple, today focuses on the Royal Centre and its secular buildings. Most striking is the Lotus Mahal in the Zenana enclosure with its cusped arches and pyramidal towers, a superb example of the syncretic architecture of Vijayanagara. Overnight Hospet.

Day 13: Hospet, Belgaum. Depart in the early morning to drive to Belgaum airport for a midday flight to Mumbai (Bombay). The afternoon is free. Overnight Mumbai.

book online at www.martinrandall.com

Accommodation. Some of the hotels on this tour are less than luxurious, but they are adequately clean and comfortable and all the rooms have en suite bathrooms. Taj Krishna, Hyderabad (tajhotels.com): grand, comfortable 5-star hotel, modern if a little dated. Lumbinis Grand Hotel, Gulbarga (lumbinisgrandhotel. com): fairly simple though the best in town; clean and not uncomfortable, rooms are spacious and have en suite facilities.

Madhuvan International, Bijapur: basic but friendly hotel, similar to Gulbarga. Badami Court, Badami (hotelbadamicourt.com): pleasant hotel with willing service around a garden with a small pool. Heritage Resort, Hampi (heritageresorthampi.com): the newest and best in town, located 6 km from Vijayanagara World Heritage Site. The Leela, Mumbai (theleela.com): conveniently located 5-star hotel with all modern amenities.

How strenuous? See page 36 for general fitness requirements. Uneven ground and irregular paving are standard. Unruly traffic and the busy streets of larger cities require some vigilance. There are fairly steep ascents to hilltop forts and temples and long coach journeys during which facilities are limited and may be of poor quality. Most sites have some shade but the Indian sun is strong, even in the cooler seasons. Average distance by coach per day: 56 miles.

Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

Combine this tour with Temples of Tamil Nadu, 23 January–5 February 2017 (see page 15) or Essential India, 27 February–13 March 2017 (see page 4).

Lecturer Asoka Pugal. Historian and lecturer. Born in Tamil Nadu, he graduated from the University of Madras followed by postgraduate studies at Madras Law College. He has worked in the tourist industry for many years and has produced TV documentaries. In 2001, he joined the Board of studies in Ancient History and Archaeology at the University of Madras.

For further practicalities including visas and a list of what our prices include, see page 36.

Indian Summer

Delhi, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Shimla

A fascinating selection of places which have the common feature of relating to the last years of the Raj. Led by Raaja Bhasin, historian, author, lecturer and Shimla resident.

Shimla, the grandest hill station, the buildings a hotch-potch of bastardised European styles.

Reached by the famous mountain ‘toy train’.

Chandigarh, the modern ideal city built by Le Corbusier.

Both the high noon of the British Empire in India and its closing years were played out in the city of Delhi and in the ‘summer capital’, Simla (now Shimla), dubbed by many the grandest outpost of the Pax Britannica.

Tracing the ebb and flow of the Raj in two imperial capitals, this tour covers architecture, events, lifestyles, and landscapes of the Western Himalaya and numerous stories of places and people. Amritsar is part of this story, and Chandigarh provides a glimpse into Indian Utopia after Independence.

Built, destroyed and rebuilt a dozen times, Delhi is one of the oldest cities in the world,

and also one of the most multilayered. It is home to some fifteen million people and its heterogeneous population has genetic strands that span the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia and several other parts of the world.

Today, towers of chrome and steel stand side by side with centuries-old monuments built by the Mughal rulers. Between the two, the immense architectural momentum of the Raj culminated in the creation of New Delhi, still the core of this fast-expanding city.

Up in the hills of the Western Himalaya, Simla was the summer capital of British India, the grandest of the British hill stations. For around a century, a fifth of the human race was ruled from its heights for the better part of every year. The architecture is practically a gazetteer of western styles, but often with a twist, a nod to the heritage of the subcontinent.

The town created an enigmatic way of life and the steamier side of its social world gave inspiration to Rudyard Kipling, who as a young correspondent spent some summers amidst the cedars. Many decisions that shaped India and the region were made within sight of the snow-clad Himalayas. Today it is the capital of the state of Himachal Pradesh and many of the grander buildings, bungalows and streets still evoke the heyday of a past age.

West of it lies the fertile ‘Land of Five Rivers’, the Punjab. Here is the sacred city of Amritsar, site of the Golden Temple, the

most sacred shrine of the Sikh faith. This was also where the Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place in 1919, when a crowd of unarmed civilians was fired upon. The event totally altered the face of Indian nationalism. Even Winston Churchill was moved enough to remark, ‘It is an extraordinary event, an event which stands in singular and sinister isolation’.

The border with Pakistan is close to Amritsar, and with belligerence which is almost histrionic, the sundown ceremony of lowering the flags and closing the gates is played out daily. Nearby is the former princely state of Kapurthala where the Francophile ruler, Jagatjit Singh, completed a palace in 1908, loosely modelled on Versailles. He tried to introduce French as his court language.

When the Punjab was divided between India and Pakistan in 1947 the state capital Lahore was replaced in the Indian portion by a brand new city, Chandigarh. Its building in the 1950s was a deliberate break with the past. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru called it ‘a new city of free India, totally fresh and wholly responsive to the future generations of this great country.’ Led by Le Corbusier, the city design and urban elements were unabashedly modern and western. Still admired and criticized in equal measure by planners, architects and urban historians, it is yet rated as among the best cities in India in which to live.

EAST 2016 & 2017

13–25 March 2017 (md 171) 13 days • £5,240 Lecturer: Raaja Bhasin

Shimla, steel engraving 1845.

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Indian Summer continued

EAST 2016 & 2017

Day 12: Chandigarh to Delhi. In the morning, fly to Delhi. Coronation Park in north Delhi was the location of the 1911 Durbar, at which George V announced the shift of the British capital from Calcutta. Following Independence, it became the resting place of the statues of kings and officials of the British Raj. Overnight Delhi.

Itinerary Day 1: London to Delhi. Fly from London Heathrow (British Airways) at c. 11.00am and after a 5½ hour time change reach the hotel in New Delhi at c. 3.00am on Day 2. Those not taking our group flights can check in from 2.00pm on Day 1.

Day 2: Delhi. Nothing is planned before a prelunch talk. In the afternoon, visit Old Delhi for a short walk on The Ridge, taking in Flagstaff Tower, a safe haven for the British during the Mutiny of 1857. The Mutiny Memorial commemorating those killed in action is a Neo-Gothic spire with elements of Indian design. First of three nights in Delhi.

Day 3: Delhi. New Delhi was created 1912–31

by Lutyens, Baker and others as a uniquely grand and spacious city. The Secretariat buildings on Raisina Hill are Classical at first glance, but closer inspection reveals Buddhist and Mughal motifs. Subject to special permission, it may be possible to visit the interior of the vast Rashtrapati Bhavan, the former Viceroy’s residence. The fortresslike garrison church of St Martin, designed

by Arthur Shoosmith (1930), has been called one of the great buildings of the 20th century.

Overnight Delhi.

Day 4: Delhi to Amritsar. The Teen Murthi Bhavan was built in Classical style in the 1930s as Flagstaff House before becoming the home of the first Indian prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Today, it is a museum dedicated to one of the fathers of modern India. Fly from Delhi to Amritsar at c. 12.30pm. First of two nights in Amritsar.

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Day 5: Amritsar, Wagah. Amritsar was founded by the 4th Sikh guru in 1579 and is home to Sikhism’s holiest shrine, the Golden Temple. The sacred lake surrounding the temple dates from this period but the current form of the temple is 18th century, and the gilt early 19th century. Jallianwala Bagh was the scene of the massacre of demonstrators against British rule in 1919 and now is a moving memorial garden. In the afternoon, drive to Wagah for the theatrical sunset closing ceremony of the border with Pakistan.

Overnight Amritsar.

Day 6: Kapurthala, Chandigarh. In the morning, drive to Kapurthala, where the local ruler, an ardent francophile, built his palace (1900–1908) loosely modelled on the palace of Versailles and the chateau of Fontainebleau. Now a boys’ school, the interior is lavish, while the gardens are embellished by fountains and statuary in the traditional French style. Continue to Chandigarh to arrive at the hotel in time for dinner. First of two nights in Chandigarh.

Day 7: Chandigarh. The joint capital of the states of Haryana and Punjab emerged from the partition of the Punjab in 1947. Conceived

by Le Corbusier and Maxwell Fry following the principles of the International Modern

Day 13: Delhi to London. Fly from Delhi in the morning, arriving in London Heathrow at c. 3.15pm.

Practicalities Price – per person. Two sharing: £5,240 or £4,510 without international flights.

Single occupancy: £6,030 or £5,300 without international flights.

Included meals: 8 lunches (including 1 packed lunch) and 8 dinners with wine or beer.

movement, it is laid out on the grid principle.

The Capital Complex is the home of the administrative buildings, the ‘head’ of the city and some of Le Corbusier’s most ambitious planning. Overnight Chandigarh.

Day 8: Chandigarh, Shimla. Transfer to Kalka in the foothills of the Himalayas to board the ‘toy train’ to Shimla. The Kalka–Shimla Railway has been operating daily since 1903 and is a remarkable feat of engineering. After a 5-hour ride through stunning scenery, transfer to the hotel. First of three nights in Shimla.

Day 9: Shimla, Mashobra. The former summer capital of British India, Shimla is set in the lush pine and cedar forests of the Himalayan foothills. Its impressive colonial architecture is best admired through walks along the Mall. Viceregal Lodge, the summer residence of the British viceroy is probably Shimla’s best-known building. Built in 1888, the grey sandstone structure retains the British royal coat of arms on its façade. After lunch at Wildflower Hall, visit Bishop Cotton School, Shimla’s oldest educational institution, founded in 1859. Overnight Shimla.

Day 10: Shimla. Walk eastward along The Mall towards Christ Church. The Gaiety Theatre was built in 1887 as the original Town Hall.

The Gothic building has been the centre of Shimla’s social life for over a century. The tower of Christ Church (1857) dominates Shimla’s skyline from the Ridge, above the town. Time for independent exploration in the afternoon. Overnight Shimla.

Day 11: Kasauli, Chandigarh. Morning drive to Kasauli via Dagshai, scene of the Connaught Rangers’ Mutiny in 1920.

The Central Jail (1849) is where the executions took place. The pretty hill station of Kasauli has some interesting 19th-century buildings such as Christ Church and the Kasauli Club. Afternoon drive to Chandigarh.

Overnight Chandigarh.

book online at www.martinrandall.com

Accommodation. Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi (tajhotels.com): a modern and comfortable hotel with an attractive garden and swimming pool. The hotel is well-situated in the heart of Lutyens’s Delhi and caters for both the business and leisure traveller. Ranjit Svaasa, Amritsar (svaasa.com): an attractive colonial mansion converted into a characterful 4-star boutique hotel down a narrow alley off the main road. Taj Chandigarh, Chandigarh (tajhotels.com): a modern 5-star hotel with elegantly furnished and well-appointed rooms.

The Oberoi Cecil, Shimla (oberoihotels.com): a landmark 19th-century 5-star heritage hotel converted into a luxury hotel in the 1930s.

How strenuous? See page 36 for general fitness requirements. There is a 5-hour train journey during which facilities are limited and may be of poor quality. Most sites have some shade but the Indian sun is strong, even in the cooler seasons. Average distance by coach per day: 33 miles.

Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

Combine this tour with Bengal by River, 25 March–7 April 2017 (see page 7).

Lecturer Raaja Bhasin. Author, historian and journalist. He has published several books on the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh and its capital Shimla and is a recognised authority on both. He is the state Co-convenor of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage.

Illustration, centre: Amritsar, the Porcelain Dome, watercolour by Mortimer Menpes, publ. 1910.

For further practicalities including visas and a list of what our prices include, see page 36.

Essential China

A selection of the most celebrated sights in China EAST 2016 & 2017

Beijing, Summer Palace, steel engraving c. 1840.

5–18 April 2016 (mc 620) 14 days/ 12 nights • £5,930 Lecturer: Dr James Greenbaum 18–31 October 2016 (md 916) 14 days/ 12 nights • £5,930 Lecturer: Dr Rose Kerr Planned as an introduction to China featuring many of China’s most fascinating places. Six unesco World Heritage Sites are included.

Led by Dr James Greenbaum, Beijing-based sinologist and Dr Rose Kerr, leading sinologist and expert in Chinese porcelain.

For the average westerner, learning about China’s past is a progressively more astonishing journey, and a humbling one.

Much that we regard as constituting the fundamentals of civilization were prevalent in China two or even three millennia ago: skills artistic and technological, laws and governance humane and commonsensical, mastery of the arts of war and the arts of peace, building and engineering projects of staggering magnitude, and the possibility, for some, of a life devoted to the pursuit of beauty and intellectual refinement. And then there is the fascination

rise with the foreign settlements that followed the first opium war in the mid-nineteenth century. A capitalist machine, it has also been the home of much political radicalism and was where the Chinese Communist Party came into being. These sometime conflicting and irreconcilable roles give Shanghai a vibrancy and timbre like no other Chinese city.

Itinerary Day 1: London to Beijing. Fly at 4.30pm from London Heathrow to Beijing (British Airways, c. 10 hours).

Day 2: Beijing. Arrive at Beijing Airport at c. 9.30am and drive to the hotel for lunch.

Visit the Capital Museum, a striking modern building containing a selection of art and artefacts including wonderful ancient Buddhist statues and an exceptionally fine collection of porcelain. First of four nights in Beijing.

Day 3: Beijing. The Forbidden City is at once enthralling and imposing; past the formidable walls and moat are vast courtyards punctuated with terraced pavilions, palaces and gardens.

Marble paving and bridges and finely-carved balustrades mark the imperial way along which lie three ceremonial halls; beyond these are the comparatively closeted living quarters. There is special access (subject to confirmation) to the Shufang Zhai, where banquets and operas were held. Afternoon visits include the 17th-cent.

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Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai: more time in these three main centres than on most tours, and a selection of small-town and rural sites.

of present-day China, likely soon to be the world’s largest economy and destined to have an impact on all of our lives.

The most important Chinese capitals have always been in the north. Xi’an is where the imperial story began, and for centuries it was the capital of the great empire in the east, hosting the grandiose designs of the first emperor with his terracotta warriors and later anchoring one end of the Silk Road.

Beijing has been the grandest city on the planet for much of the past 800 years since Khubilai Khan made it the capital of his China-centric empire. When the Mongols were finally expelled by the Chinese Ming dynasty, Beijing soon became the most perfectly planned cosmological capital, one that would serve the Ming and Manchurian Qing dynasties for over 500 years.

Hangzhou brings us to the lands of rice and fish, where the climate is gentle and the land generous. The Yangtse Valley breadbasket first supported numerous northern governments and later bestowed its cultural riches and leisure activities throughout the entire empire.

Marco Polo was enchanted by the grace and charm of Hangzhou, and in the surrounding hills monks developed some of the finest tea plantations in China. Hangzhou lives on today as a locus of relaxation and culture with profound cultural resonances for the Chinese.

Shanghai, by contrast, is a law unto itself: originally a small fishing village, it began its

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Essential China continued

EAST 2016 & 2017

Day 4: Greater Beijing. The Ming Tombs in countryside outside the city are the final resting place of 13 of the 16 Ming emperors.

The tomb of Emperor Yongle (1402–1424) consists of a 7-km Sacred Way flanked by stone animals and courtiers, a succession of courts with ceremonial gateways and a man-made hill concealing the tomb itself. Lunch by the Summer Palace, a peaceful setting popular with the emperors since the Jin, periodically enlarged and embellished; after its destruction in 1860 Empress Dowager Cixi expended vast sums in constructing her pleasure palace here.

Overnight Beijing.

Day 5: Jinshanling, Beijing. Morning excursion to a particularly spectacular (though relatively little visited) stretch of the Great Wall at Jinshanling. Walk along a section where it climbs and plunges over hilly terrain. Return to Beijing in the afternoon for some free time.

Overnight Beijing.

Day 6: Beijing, Xi’an. The massive National Museum in Tiananmen Square has superb collections of early Chinese artefacts, Zhou bronzes, painting and the whole range of porcelain from Tang (ad 618–907) to Qing (ended 1911). Fly in the afternoon (Air China) to Xi’an. First of four nights in Xi’an.

Day 7: Xi’an. Full day excursion east and north of the city. The tomb of the first emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, is yet to be excavated but his legacy was secured in 1974 when farmers digging a well discovered his terracotta army of infantry, cavalry and civil servants. There may be 20,000 of them, over 1.5 metres tall; only a relatively small part of the site has been uncovered, but it is nevertheless one of the most spectacular archaeological finds of all time. The pottery warriors at the later tomb of the fourth Han emperor, Liu Qi, display striking attention to detail; some eunuch figures have been found here, providing the earliest known evidence of this phenomenon in China. Overnight Xi’an.

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Lecturers

Lama Temple, formerly an imperial residence before its conversion to a Buddhist place of worship, and a Confucian temple founded during the Yuan dynasty. Overnight Beijing.

Day 8: Xi’an. The Shaanxi History Museum explains the history and culture of the province, the heartland of ancient Chinese civilisation. The Beilin Museum displays a collection of stone stelae, engraved with classic texts and masterpieces of calligraphy, and a fine collection of Buddhist statues. The day ends with a walk through the winding streets of the city’s Muslim Quarter.

The Great Mosque, one of the largest in China, was originally built in ad 742 although the present fabric dates from the Qing Dynasty.

Overnight Xi’an.

Day 9: Luoyang. Day trip by high-speed train to Luoyang to see the Longmen Caves, an extraordinary collection of statuary carved into the hillside that runs along the western bank of the Yi River. Begun by the Buddhist

Dr Jamie Greenbaum.

Historian specialising in Ming dynasty cultural history. He is a Visiting Fellow in the School of Culture, History & Language at the Australian National University and lectures at the Renmin University, Beijing. He has published books on the late-Ming literary world and the early 20th-century political figure Qu Qiubai.

Northern Wei rulers (ad 386–534) and added to during the later Sui and Tang dynasties.

There are over 100,000 statues clustered in 2,000 caves and crevices. Overnight Xi’an.

Day 10: Xi’an, Hangzhou. Adjacent to the hotel stands the Great Goose Pagoda, first built in ad 452 for the monk Xuanzang to house the sutra he brought back from his pilgrimage to India. Fly to Hangzhou (Hainan Airlines), capital of the Southern Song Dynasty 1138–1279. First of two nights in Hangzhou.

Day 11: Hangzhou. Start the day at the Lingyin Temple, one of China’s largest though now much reduced. Just outside the complex are dozens of Buddhist sculptures carved into the rock face, many dating back to the 10th century. Drive out of the city to Longjing (Dragon Well) Village, source of one of China’s most famous varieties of green tea. The scenic tranquillity of the West Lake has been immortalised by countless poets and painters over the centuries. Overnight Hangzhou.

Day 12: Hangzhou to Shanghai. By train to Shanghai (luggage is sent separately by van).

For its density, vibrancy and extent, both horizontal and vertical, Shanghai is the city of cities. Despite frenetic building activity, enclaves of low-rise structures remain in the centre, though there is little here that is more than a hundred years old. Visit the Shanghai Museum, outstanding for porcelain, jade, furniture and, in particular, Shang and Zhou bronzes. Overnight Shanghai.

Day 13: Shanghai. Walk along the Bund, Shanghai’s iconic riverside stretch of Art Deco and Neoclassical buildings, symbolic of the city’s burgeoning wealth in the 1920s and 1930s. See also the city’s finest traditional garden. The Long Museum showcases an enormous private collection of Chinese art in a variety of media, Northern Song to Qing, Communist era and modern – China is a world leader for contemporary art. Overnight Shanghai.

Day 14: Shanghai to London. Fly at 11.00am from Shanghai to London, arriving at c.

4.30pm (c. 12.5 hours).

book online at www.martinrandall.com

Dr Rose Kerr. Honorary Associate of the Needham Research Institute in Cambridge, having retired as Keeper of the Far Eastern Department at the V&A. She graduated in Chinese studies and spent a year as a student in China during the last year of the Cultural Revolution, 1975–6. In 2014 she became an Honorary Citizen of Jingdezhen.

Practicalities Price – per person. Two sharing: £5,930 or £5,220 without international flights.

Single occupancy: £6,740 or £6,030 without international flights.

Included meals: 10 lunches and 7 dinners with wine or beer.

Accommodation. Waldorf Astoria, Beijing (waldorfastoria.hilton.com): recently-opened, 5-star luxury hotel in the city centre. Westin Hotel, Xi’an (starwoodhotels.com/westin): modern, comfortable and well-run 4-star hotel, located in the south of the city. Sofitel West Lake Hotel, Hangzhou (sofitel.com): 4-star hotel, located on the east side of the West Lake (rooms do not have lake views). Yangtze Boutique Hotel, Shanghai (theyangtzehotel. com): 4-star, Art Deco hotel ideally situated close to the Shanghai Museum. Single rooms are doubles for sole use throughout.

How strenuous? See page 36 for general fitness requirements. A good level of fitness is essential. Unless you enjoy entirely unimpaired mobility, cope with everyday walking and stair-climbing without difficulty and are reliably sure-footed, this tour is not for you.

Uneven ground and irregular paving are standard. There are some long coach journeys during which facilities are limited and may be of poor quality. Average distance by coach per day: 48 miles.

Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

Illustration, above centre: Chinese porcelain, from The Magazine of Art Vo.V, 1882.

For further practicalities including visas and a list of what our prices include, see page 36.

China’s Silk Road Cities

The Northern Route through Shaanxi, Gansu & Xinjiang

Retraces the ancient trading routes from the Chinese heartland to the vast desert region of Xinjiang province.

Three days in the ancient imperial capital Xi’an, once the easternmost departure point for the Silk Road and home to the spectacular terracotta warriors.

Wonderfully vivid Buddhist paintings at the Mogao Caves, a unesco World Heritage Site.

Led by Dr Jamie Greenbaum, Beijing-based sinologist and author.

In the second century bc, imperial envoy Zhang Qian was sent on a mission to the West, beyond the outer limits of ancient China, to obtain some of the legendary Ferghana horses for Han emperor Wudi’s cavalry. On the equine front the mission was a failure, but Zhang Qian returned to Chang’an (today’s Xi’an) with stories of the riches he saw and this soon led to the development of trade between China and the alien world beyond its western frontier.

Myriad commodities – as well as religious beliefs and cultural attitudes – traversed the land from China, through Central Asia and Persia to the Mediterranean. The formidable

Taklamakan Desert, an arid wasteland of shifting sand dunes, posed one of the biggest threats to travellers, who skirted its northern and southern edges, finding respite in the many thriving oasis towns.

The instability brought about by the fall of empires and by the establishment of sea routes saw the decline of these trading corridors and the region disappeared into obscurity until the end of the nineteenth century, when tales of lost cities filled with treasure drew foreign explorers into an international race of rediscovery.

Today, evocative ruins, chaotic markets and Buddhist cave paintings remain to be seen, while the museums are filled with the many artefacts and mummified remains unearthed along the route. Despite relentless modernisation cities such as Kashgar retain their ancient charm, while the enormity of these perilous journeys is conveyed by sight of the vast expanses of landscape that make up China’s last great wilderness.

Itinerary Day 1: London to Beijing. Fly at 4.30pm from London Heathrow to Beijing (British Airways, c. 10 hours).

Day 2: Beijing. Arrive at Beijing Airport at c. 9.30am and drive to the hotel for lunch. The imposing National Museum in Tianamen Square has superb collections of

early Chinese artefacts, Zhou bronzes and the whole range of porcelain from Song to Qing.

Overnight Beijing.

Day 3: Beijing to Xi’an. Fly at c. 10.30am from Beijing to Xi’an, arriving at 12.30pm. After a late lunch, there is a walk through the winding streets of the city’s Muslim Quarter. The Great Mosque, one of the largest in China, was originally built in ad 742 although the present fabric dates from the Qing Dynasty. First of two nights in Xi’an.

EAST 2016 & 2017

14–27 September 2016 (md 838) 14 days/ 12 nights • £6,040 Lecturer: Dr Jamie Greenbaum

Day 4: Xi’an. The Shaanxi History Museum explains the history and culture of the province, the heartland of ancient Chinese civilisation. There is a special visit to the museum’s collection of Tang-dynasty tomb murals. After lunch, visit the Beilin Museum, which houses a collection of stone stelae, engraved with classic texts and masterpieces of calligraphy, as well as a fine collection of Buddhist statues.

Day 5: Xi’an. Full-day excursion east and north of the city. The tomb of the first emperor, Qin Shihuangdi, is yet to be excavated but his legacy was secured in 1974 when farmers digging a well discovered his terracotta army of infantry, cavalry and civil servants. There may be 20,000 of them, over 1.5 metres tall; only a relatively small part of the site has been uncovered, but it is nevertheless one of the most spectacular archaeological finds of all time. The pottery warriors at the later tomb

Beijing, Gate of Heaven, after a photograph c. 1890.

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China’s Silk Road Cities continued

Watercolour by Mortimer Menpes in China, publ. 1909.

EAST 2016 & 2017

Day 13: Kashgar to Beijing. Fly at 10.15am from Kashgar to Beijing, via Urumqi, arriving at c. 4.30pm. Spend the night in a hotel near Beijing airport.

Day 14: Beijing to London. Fly at 11.15am from Beijing to London, arriving at c. 3.15pm (c. 11 hours).

Practicalities Price – per person. Two sharing: £6,040 or £5,300 without international flights.

Single occupancy: £6,760 or £6,020 without international flights.

Included meals: 10 lunches and 7 dinners with wine or beer.

of the fourth Han emperor, Liu Qi, display striking attention to detail; some eunuch figures have been found here, providing the earliest known evidence of this phenomenon in China.

Day 6: Xi’an to Dunhuang. Fly to Dunhuang at c. 1.30pm, arriving at c. 3.45pm and transfer to the hotel. Dunhuang is a small oasis town with low-rise buildings along wide avenues, flanked to one side by colossal sand dunes.

First of two nights in Dunhuang.

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Day 7: Dunhuang. The Mogao Caves are a highlight of the Silk Road in China and one of the most important sites of early Chinese Buddhist cave paintings. Once a strategic stop-off point for pilgrims travelling to India, it developed in to a major Buddhist centre of art and learning. Despite the controversial carting off of paintings, sculptures and manuscripts by foreign archaeologists in the 19th century, there is still very fine artwork to be seen. The Western Caves, set by an attractive river valley, are fewer in number but also contain exquisite paintings.

Day 8: Dunhuang to Turpan. The Dunhuang Museum houses important artefacts unearthed at the Mogao Caves, including rare Tibetan sutras. Travel by train at c. 3.00pm to Turpan (luggage is sent separately), arriving at c.

7.00pm. First of two nights in Turpan.

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Day 9: Turpan. At Gaochang see the extensive ruins of an ancient walled trading city. On the north-east rim of the Taklamakan Desert in a gorge in the Flaming Mountains, lies the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves. The caves once formed part of a Buddhist monastery

between 6th and 14th centuries. After lunch drive out to Jiaohe. The most visually rewarding of all the sites around Turpan, this ancient city is located on a high platform above two rivers. Among the ruins, the layout of the city is still clear: the residential district, the palace, the monastery complex.

Accommodation. Waldorf Astoria, Beijing (waldorfastoria.hilton.com): recently-opened, 5-star luxury hotel in the city centre. Westin Hotel, Xi’an (starwoodhotels.com/westin): modern, comfortable and well-run 4-star hotel, located in the south of the city. Silk Road Hotel, Dunhuang (dunhuangresort.com): large hotel situated close to the Mingsha Sand Dunes, rated locally as 4-star. Huozhou Hotel, Turpan: centrally located hotel rated locally as 4-star. Chini Bagh Hotel, Kashgar: large and brash but one of the most recently renovated hotels in the city, rated locally as 5 star. Single rooms are doubles for sole use throughout.

How strenuous? See page 36 for general fitness requirements. Uneven ground and irregular paving are standard. There are some long coach journeys during which facilities are limited and may be of poor quality. Average distance by coach per day: 50 miles

Day 10: Turpan to Kashgar. Transfer to Urumqi (a journey of approx. 3 hours) for a late afternoon flight to Kashgar, arriving at c.

6.15pm. First of three nights in Kashgar.

Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

Day 11: Kashgar. The former British Consulate was the home for 26 years of the most famous of British India’s representatives in Kashgar; Sir George Macartney and his wife hosted some of the most prominent Silk Road travellers, including Sir Aurel Stein and Albert von Le Coq. Nikolai Petrovsky’s former Russian Consulate is nearby. The dilapidated buildings belie their historic significance as erstwhile outposts for two rival powers in the Great Game. After lunch, visit the Id-kah Mosque. This is the largest mosque in Xinjiang and was founded in c. 1738, though the current structure dates back only as far as 1838, and suffered much damage during the Cultural Revolution.

Dr Jamie Greenbaum.

Historian specialising in Ming dynasty cultural history. He is a Visiting Fellow in the School of Culture, History & Language at the Australian National University and lectures at the Renmin University, Beijing. He has published books on the late-Ming literary world and the early 20th-century political figure Qu Qiubai.

Day 12: Kashgar. Goods and livestock have been traded at Kashgar’s Sunday market for more than 2000 years. The scene today is still a riot of colour sounds and smells as animals, carts and vehicles traverse this vast site. Though the old city is gradually being razed by local authorities to make way for modern development, it retains much of its ancient charm.

book online at www.martinrandall.com

Lecturer

For further practicalities including visas and a list of what our prices include, see page 36.

Sacred China

City palaces, mountain temples & desert grottoes

A unique itinerary that takes in many of China’s most remarkable religious sites, from ancient temples in Beijing to the sacred mountains of Wutaishan.

Visit the Mogao Caves, the most fascinating repository of Buddhist art in China.

Several unesco World Heritage Sites including the temple and cemetery of Qufu, birthplace of Confucius, and the Yungang Grottoes in Datong.

Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism – the ‘three teachings’, are all represented.

Led by Jon Cannon, expert in Chinese classic architecture and religious buildings worldwide.

From ancient temples to sacred mountain tops, China’s religious heritage is unique.

Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Islam, Christianity and Judaism have all had a significant presence in the country for a millennium and more.

The first three of these – two of which are indigenous to China – comprised the ‘three

teachings’ supported by Imperial policy, and historically their influence reached into every aspect of Chinese daily life; the buildings, sculptures and artworks that resulted are astonishing. Indeed, spiritual, artistic and architectural traditions developed by Chinese religious cultures spread throughout east Asia, and in spite of the vicissitudes of recent history remain alive to this day.

This tour starts in Beijing, which is still recognisably a sacred city laid out by the emperors on cosmological lines – arguably the most significant example of that phenomenon in the world. Such structures as the Temple of Heaven (Tiantan), the Lama Temple and the Confucius Temple, all cornerstones of Imperial religious life and ritual, form a fitting introduction to the richness and variety of Chinese religion.

Highlights include the holy mountain of Wutaishan, where there is a significant Tibetan presence in the heart of traditional China, and a collection of ancient Buddhist temples packed with modern pilgrims. By contrast the exquisite Foguang Temple (ad 857) stands in a beguilingly peaceful rural setting. Here is one of the oldest wooden structures on the planet, its original sculpture and painted decoration astonishingly intact.

At Datong’s Yungang caves and the ancient desert monastery of Dunhuang, by

contrast, the cosmopolitan roots of Chinese Buddhism took hold. The spread of this Indian faith across the country in the first centuries of the Common Era transformed China’s religious life and brought to the country its first permanent stone religious building, the pagoda. There are fine examples of what is effectively an elongated and orientalised Buddhist stupa at Xi’an and Yingxian.

The architecture of the pagoda, as well as the great painted and sculpted caves and cliffs of early Chinese Buddhist monasteries, are vivid reminders of this era of dramatic cultural change, their artistic styles still visibly infused with ideas from India, Central Asia and even the Classical West, all on the cusp of becoming something new and distinctively Chinese.

Chinese religious culture is at once precociously humanist and testimony to a society in which spirituality infused every aspect of daily life. In the course of this remarkable series of sites, we will come face to face with the exceptional achievements that resulted.

EAST 2016 & 2017

10–24 October 2016 (md 890) 15 days, 13 nights • £5,610 Lecturer: Jon Cannon

Itinerary Day 1: London to Beijing. Fly at c. 4.30pm from London Heathrow to Beijing (British Airways, c. 10 hours).

Beijing, Confucian Temple, wood engraving from Le Tour du Monde, 1864.

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Sacred China continued

EAST 2016 & 2017

Day 2: Beijing. Arrive at Beijing Airport at c. 9.30am and drive to the hotel for lunch.

The Temple of Heaven (Tiantan) complex, effectively a sacred park set with platforms for Imperial rites, forms both a fitting antidote to jet lag and a memorable introduction to the unique qualities of Chinese sacred sites. First of two nights in Beijing.

Day 14: Dunhuang to Beijing. Fly to Beijing (Air China) departing c. 12 noon and arriving mid-afternoon, leaving time for a concluding lecture and dinner before the homeward journey. Overnight Beijing.

Day 3: Beijing. The morning is dedicated to the Forbidden City, at once enthralling and imposing with its formidable walls, moat, vast courtyards and works of art.

The delightful Jinshanling hill behind it provides a unique perspective on what is, with its imperial altars, temples and central palace for a divinely mandated emperor, arguably the world’s finest surviving example of a planned ‘sacred city’.

Practicalities

Day 4: Beijing to Qufu. The massive National Museum in Tiananmen Square displays extraordinary ritual bronzes of ancient China.

In the afternoon, visit Beijing’s most important lamaistic and Confucian places of worship, positioned close together near the edge of the old city. Travel south by high speed train to Qufu in the Shandong province. First of two nights in Qufu.

Day 5: Qufu. Spend the day in the town where Confucius was born, a place that combines the atmosphere of a pleasant backwater with the all-dominant presence of China’s one truly enormous religious complex: the temple, house and cemetery of the great philosopher and his descendants. The roots of this remarkable series of sites palpably stretch back to late prehistory.

Day 6: Taishan, Taiyuan. Leave early to drive to Taishan, the most significant in a network of Taoist sacred mountains, characteristic of this faith of oneness with nature. Climb (by coach and cable car) to the Jade Emperor peak, site of imperial sacrifices for a deeper encounter with Taoism. In the afternoon, fly (Shandong Airlines) north-west to Shanxi province, an area that contains the greatest concentration of historic buildings in China. Overnight Taiyuan.

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Day 7: Taiyuan, Wutaishan. Drive to the foothills of Wutaishan to visit the eighth-century Foguangsi and Nanchansi Buddhist temples, that may between them be the best-preserved and oldest complex timber structures in the world, all the more memorable for their rural setting and for having much statuary and other features intact. First of two nights in Wutaishan.

Day 8: Wutaishan. Conditions permitting, there is a morning excursion to one of China’s most important Buddhist holy mountains, the Wutai (five-terrace) peak, visiting the historic temples at its heart with their strong Tibetan influence and memorable historic fittings and artefacts. (If Wutaishan cannot be accessed, there will be an alternative visit to the remarkable Jin Ci ancestral hall and Taoist shrine complex.)

Day 15. Fly at c. 11am from Beijing to London, arriving at c. 3pm.

Price – per person. Two sharing: £5,610 or £4,930 without international flights.

Single occupancy: £6,290 or £5,610 without international flights.

Included meals: 10 lunches and 7 dinners with wine or beer.

Day 9. Yingxian, Mt Hengshan, Datong.

Drive north to Datong, visiting a succession of remarkable sites: the Yingxian pagoda, one of the most artistically impressive examples of this Chinese take on the Buddhist stupa; the picturesque Hanging Temple, clinging vertiginously to its cliffside site. First of two nights in Datong, home to one of China’s greatest displays of monumental Buddhist cliff-sculpture.

Day 10: Datong. The Yungang caves were begun in the sixth century by a dynasty with its cultural roots in Buddhist Central Asia.

Nearby the Huayan temple is an extraordinary storehouse of Buddhist art, including the spectacular timber sutra library.

Day 11: Datong to Xi’an. In the morning, fly (China Southern Airlines) to Xi’an. There visit one of China’s most atmospheric historic mosques, originally built in ad 742 and a memorable example of how oriental culture responded to the challenge of the western monotheisms. The Baxian An is a busy example of a modern urban Taoist temple.

Overnight Xi’an.

Day 12: Xi’an to Dunhuang. Adjacent to the hotel stands the Great Goose Pagoda, a living monument to the Indian and Central Asian roots of Chinese Buddhism, a theme which will start to dominate as we move west into the desert setting of Dunhuang. In the early afternoon, fly to Dunhuang (China Eastern Airlines). Dunhuang is a small oasis town with low-rise buildings along wide avenues, flanked to one side by colossal sand dunes. First of two nights in Dunhuang.

Day 13: Dunhuang. The Mogao caves at Dunhuang, with their rich sculpture and extraordinary survivals of ancient painting, are one of the world’s most memorable sights, and a testament to the sophisticated and cosmopolitan cultures that thrived along the famed Silk Road.

The museum contains important artefacts unearthed at the caves, including rare Tibetan sutras. The Western Caves, set by an attractive river valley, are fewer in number but also contain exquisite paintings.

book online at www.martinrandall.com

Accommodation. Waldorf Astoria, Beijing (waldorfastoria.hilton.com): recently-opened, 5-star luxury hotel in the city centre. Shangrila, Qufu (shangri-la.com/qufu): modern 4-star in the historical centre, with large rooms and a swimming pool. Kempinski, Taiyuan (kempinski.com): a 5-star luxury hotel located in the commercial district. Marriott Wutain Mountain, Wutaishan (marriott.com): 5-star and located in the foothills of Wutaishan.

Rooms have mountain views and there is a health club. Yungang Meigao, Datong (yungangmghotel.com): opened in 2011, a 4-star glass tower construction with goodsized rooms, close to the city centre. Westin Hotel, Xi’an (starwoodhotels.com/westin): modern, stylish and well-run 4-star hotel, located in the south of the city. Silk Road Hotel, Dunhuang (dunhuangresort.com): large hotel situated close to the Mingsha Sand Dunes, rated locally as 4-star. Single rooms are doubles for sole use throughout.

How strenuous? See page 36 for general fitness requirements. Uneven ground and irregular paving are standard. There are some long coach journeys during which facilities are limited and may be of poor quality. Average distance by coach per day: 48 miles.

Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

Lecturer Jon Cannon. Writer, lecturer and broadcaster, and specialist in historic religious architecture. He teaches in the Art History department at Bristol University and cowrote and presented the BBC’s How to Build a Cathedral. He has also travelled extensively in China and has published on the country in the London Review of Books and in his The Secret Language of Sacred Spaces.

Illustration, above centre: Chinese temple decoration, engraving in The Graphic, 1882.

For further practicalities including visas and a list of what our prices include, see page 36.

The Hear t of Japan

Art & crafts, history, religion & traditions EAST 2016 & 2017 Wood engraving c. 1880.

9–22 May 2016 (mc 673) This tour is currently full New departure: 17–30 October 2016 (md 912) 14 days • £6,230 Lecturers: Phillida Purvis mbe & Christopher Purvis cbe Modern architecture in Tokyo and the contrasting traditional buildings in Shirakawa and Takayama.

Stunning Buddhist temples, Imperial villas and gardens in Kyoto, and the legendary, ancient shrine at Izumo.

Traditional arts and crafts in Kanazawa.

An exploration of the Japanese character – in history and today.

One of the joys of exploring Japan is discovering its many different facets. It is a country of exquisite ancient beauty; but it is also at the cutting edge of modern design and creativity. Its people are said to be homogeneous; but nevertheless colourfully different characters constantly stride out both in history – such as Minamoto no Yorimoto, the founder of the shogunate – and today in the young pink haired punks and Cosplay followers of Tokyo’s Shibuya. Japan is well known for adapting ideas discovered elsewhere; but it has also always produced art and ideas of wonderful originality.

Beginning in Tokyo, where there is an abundance of modern architecture, fashion and design, and returning from Osaka airport – an extraordinary engineering feat on reclaimed land in the middle of Osaka Bay – the tour promises to be a remarkable opportunity to engage with many aspects of this multi-layered country, made all the more vivid with the insight of a pair of longstanding Japanophiles.

Itinerary Day 1: London to Tokyo. Fly at c. 1.30pm (British Airways) from London Heathrow to Tokyo (time in the air c. 11½ hours). Those not taking our flights can check in from 2.00pm.

Day 2: Tokyo. Arrive at Tokyo Narita Airport at c. 9.00am and drive to the hotel. Rooms will be ready before lunch. There is an afternoon walk in the dynamic and design-conscious Tokyo Midtown. First of two nights in Tokyo.

Day 3: Tokyo. Nezu Kaichiro’s collection of Japanese arts is well presented in the eponymous museum, which also has a delightful garden. There is time to explore the Omotesando area where architecture meets fashion. By contrast, the Asakusa Kannon Temple in shitamachi (literally ‘downtown’) is surrounded by busy street stalls. Take a local boat on the river back to Hamarikyu gardens close to the hotel.

Day 4: Kanazawa. Bullet train to Kanazawa (luggage by road), an attractive city which retains much of its old character. After lunch, visit the Kenrokuen, one of Japan’s finest strolling landscape gardens, and traditional Seisonkaku villa. Nearby the D.T Suzuki Museum, designed by Taniguchi Yoshio, Te l e p h o n e + 4 4 ( 0 ) 2 0 8 7 4 2 3 3 5 5

japan

Led by Phillida Purvis, a former diplomat in Japan and founder of the NGO Links Japan and Christopher Purvis, formerly Chairman of the Japan Society.

This tour has been designed to take us to the heart of Japan – to explore the many aspects of the country and its people: its stunning natural beauty and heritage, the continuing work of craftspeople, art and architecture both old and new, its history and relations with neighbours, and modern Japan and its position in the world.

In the sixth century Buddhism arrived in Japan from China. Kyoto, founded as the new capital in 794, perfectly displays this history through its gardens and Buddhist temples, many of which are to be found on the hillsides around the city. Even when the seat of power moved to Kamakura and later in 1603 to Tokyo, Kyoto remained at the heart of Japan. A visit to an Imperial villa offers a special insight as does an exploration of the work of Kyoto’s traditional craftspeople.

The long tradition of craft skills is also found in Kanazawa, which is well known for its Kutani pottery, lacquer and gold leaf. It is one of the few cities where tea houses and geisha are still in evidence. In the mountains not far away is Takayama with its old merchants’ houses, and Shirakawa’s traditional gassho zukuri farmhouses.

In 1868 at the Meiji Restoration the emperor moved from Kyoto to Tokyo and Japan opened its doors to foreigners.

The tour takes in Matsue where Lafcadio Hearn worked on his studies of so-called ‘strange things’ – Japanese ghost stories and superstitions – in 1890, as well as the medieval Matsue castle. Ancient myths tell of the creation of Japan through the story of the sun goddess Amaterasu. When she threw her brother Susanoo out of heaven he came to Izumo, home to the great Shinto shrine, whose origins reach back before the Heian period.

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The Hear t of Japan continued

EAST 2016 & 2017

Day 14: Osaka to London. Drive to Kansai International Airport and fly at c. 10.45am to London, via Helsinki, arriving at Heathrow at c. 6.30pm (Finnair & British Airways, time in the air c. 13 hours).

Practicalities Price – per person. Two sharing: £6,230 or £5,450 without international flights.

Single occupancy: £7,100 or £6,320 without international flights.

Included meals: 10 lunches and 8 dinners with wine or beer.

After a drawing by Mortimer Menpes in World Pictures, 1903.

commemorates the ideas of a leading Zen Buddhist philosopher. The circular, glass and steel form of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art is striking. First of three nights in Kanazawa.

Day 5: Kanazawa. In the Nagamachi area there remain many old samurai houses.

Visit the Nomura House and a museum of kimono dyed using the Kagayuzen technique.

In the afternoon there is a private lacquer maker’s studio visit (by special arrangement).

The intriguing Myoryu-ji temple includes hidden tunnels and secret rooms, traps, and a labyrinth of corridors designed as defence for the castle, once standing alongside.

Day 6: Kanazawa. Morning walk to include Terajima Kurando’s house, a geisha quarter with its charming latticed wooden houses, a gold leaf museum and the Utatsu Shrine. The rest of the day is free for exploration of the market or the Prefectural Museum to see Kutani pottery for which Kanazawa is famous.

japan

Day 7: Shirakawa-go, Takayama.

Drive through Japan’s central Alps to visit Shirakawa-go famous for its gassho-zukuri houses with their distinctive thatched roofs and visit the folk museum. In Takayama, a small town with streets lined with heritage wooden merchant houses, visit Takayama Jinya, the seat of the Edo-period government in the region. Overnight in a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn (sleeping in futon on tatami mats).

Day 8: Takayama, Matsue. An early morning walk along the Miyagawa river to visit the market and nearby temples before driving to Nagoya Airport. Fly to Izumo (Japan Airlines), arriving mid-afternoon. First of two nights at Matsue, beside Lake Shinji, in an onsen hotel. Onsen are natural hot springs and onsen bathing (optional) is a much-loved Japanese form of relaxation.

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Day 9: Izumo, Matsue. Ancient myths about the origin of Japan tell of Izumo and the Izumo Taisha, dating back before the Heian period, as

well as the Kamosu and Yaegaki Shrines, are all dedicated to early gods. Matsue Castle (25 miles from Izumo) is one of the few remaining medieval castles. Lafcadio Hearn, a Victorian writer on Japan, lived in Matsue in 1891 and met his wife Koizumi Setsu there. His home gives a flavour of his life.

Day 10: Yasugi, Bizen, Kyoto. The Adachi Museum, created by Adachi Zenko in 1980, has a spectacular landscape garden as well as his collection of paintings by Yokoyama Taikan, a leader of the Nihonga school in the 1930s. Drive south passing Mount Daisen to Bizen, famous for its brownish natural glaze earthenware pottery, to visit a kiln. First of four nights in Kyoto.

Day 11: Kyoto. A day in the eastern foothills.

From Shugakuin Imperial Villa (subject to special permission), with its shakkei (borrowed scenery) landscape to Ginkakuji, the temple of the silver pavilion built by Ashikaga Yoshimasa in the 15th century. In the Zen temple complex Nanzen-ji there is a famous tiger garden and fine 17th-century painted screens by Kano Tan’yu. Nearby is the intimate sub-temple Konchi-in.

Day 12: Kyoto. Ryoan-ji’s dry garden is perhaps Kyoto’s most famous stone garden.

The large walled temple compound of Daitoku-ji, established in the 14th century, is an important foundation of Japanese Zen Buddhism. Its many sub-temples contain dry landscape gardens; one of the finest (and smallest) is in the Daisen-in. In the afternoon visit two exemplary gardens: the Saiho-ji with its enchanting dappled moss garden and the Katsura Rikyu Imperial Villa (subject to special permission).

Day 13: Kyoto. Morning excursion to Uji, the location of the last few chapters of The Tale of Genji. The Byodo-in temple was a villa made into a temple by Fujiwara no Yorimichi (of the Heian period power-holding family) in 1052. Its Phoenix Hall appears to spread its wings in front of the lake. Visit traditional crafts studios.

book online at www.martinrandall.com

Accommodation. Royal Park Shiodome, Tokyo (rph-the.co.jp/shiodome): 4-star hotel in the redeveloped district of Shiodome with well-appointed but small rooms. Hotel Nikko, Kanazawa (hnkanazawa.jp): centrally located, comfortable business hotel. Tanabe Ryokan (tanabe-ryokan.jp) or Honjin, Takayama (honjinhiranoya.co.jp): centrally located traditional ryokans (futon beds on tatami mats) with private bathrooms. Ichibata, Matsue (ichibata.co.jp): an onsen (hot-spring spa) hotel with views over Lake Shinji; bland decor but it is the best option in town with western and traditional rooms. Westin Miyako, Kyoto (miyakohotels.ne.jp): 5-star hotel located in the temple district of the eastern hills with an excellent garden.

How strenuous? See page 36 for general fitness requirements. You may be on your feet for lengthy stretches of time. Uneven ground and irregular paving are standard. Average distance by coach per day: 38 miles.

Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

Lecturers Phillida Purvis mbe. Former diplomat who has spent the last 20 years working with the civil society sector in Japan.

She studied Japanese at SOAS, University of London, and Japanese foreign policy at Tokyo University.

She founded and runs Links Japan and is a trustee of several Japan-related and other international NGOs. Christopher Purvis cbe.

Former investment banker once based in Tokyo. He organised Japan 2001, a cultural festival in the UK and has served as Chairman of the Japan Society. He was appointed CBE in 2002 for services to UK–Japan relations, and has received the Order of the Rising Sun from the Emperor of Japan.

For further practicalities including visas and a list of what our prices include, see page 36.

Ar t in Japan

Art, craft, architecture & design 30 October–12 Nov. 2016 (md 928) 14 days • £6,040 Lecturer: Dr Monika Hinkel Many of the finest collections of Japanese art, in museums and in situ in temples and shrines.

World Heritage sites at Nikko, Kyoto, Nara and Horyu-ji, and the art island of Naoshima.

Outstanding museum buildings by Tadao Ando, I.M. Pei and other leading architects.

Also other aspects of Japanese culture, past and present, including gastronomy and gardens.

In May, led by Timon Screech, Professor of History of Art at SOAS, London University. In October, led by Monika Hinkel, lecturer and curator in the field of Japanese art.

Japan has one of the richest and most continuously active art traditions in Asia, perhaps anywhere. Some of the earliest known ceramics have been found here, as is the world’s oldest standing wooden building. But Japanese contemporary art also ranks with the best in the world and is eagerly imitated and avidly collected.

Between those chronological poles is a wealth of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines from all periods, and some impressive military architecture. National, regional and private collections are to be found in great profusion throughout the country; Japan has a long and impressive lineage of art-historical scholarship and connoisseurship. To this in recent times have been added a network of conservation and restoration labs and the latest technology for archaeological investigation. In short, despite the large number of wars and natural disasters that have periodically overwhelmed the country, Japanese arts are to be enjoyed in extraordinary abundance. The great majority of important pieces remain in the country.

Throughout history, Japan has tended to make a less emphatic division between art and craft than is the case in Western countries. Of equal rank alongside the ‘fine arts’ of painting and sculpture there are outstanding examples of ceramic, textile and metalwork, as well as uniquely beautiful gardens and a special aesthetic of food and eating.

This tour exposes participants to Japan across the ages, sampling excellent works from many periods, genres and styles. As a deeply hierarchical society until modern times, there is ‘high’ art and ‘low’ art, from royal and shogunal works to that of the urban populace (the fabled ‘art of the floating world’). Modern Tokyo is part of the experience as well as the

ancient capital of Kyoto, as are the yet more ancient city of Nara and the celebrated art colony of Naoshima in the Inland Sea. World Heritage sites figure on the tour, but we also visit less well-known sites such as ceramic studios and mausolea.

Itinerary

EAST 2016 & 2017

6–19 May 2016 (mc 671) This tour is currently full

This version of the itinerary applies only to the 30 October–12 November departure of this tour.

Visit our website for the itinerary in May 2016 or contact us.

Day 1: London to Tokyo. Fly at c. 1.00pm (British Airways) from London Heathrow to Tokyo (time in the air c. 11½ hours).

Those not taking our flights can check in from 2.00pm today.

Day 2: Tokyo. Arrive at Tokyo NaritaAirport at c. 9.30am and drive to the hotel. Rooms will be ready before lunch. There is an afternoon walk in the dynamic and design-conscious Tokyo Midtown. First of four nights in Tokyo.

Day 3: Tokyo. The morning is dedicated to the Tokyo National Museum, which occupies several buildings in Ueno Park and houses some of the finest Japanese art in the world. The main gallery (Honkan) traces the development from prehistoric, sculptural earthenware to exquisite paintings and Japanese woodblock.

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Ar t in Japan continued

EAST 2016 & 2017

decorative objects of courtly patronage.

In the afternoon visit the Edo-period Korakuen Garden, one of the oldest and best preserved in the city.

Day 4: Nikko. Full-day excursion to Nikko, an historically important Shinto and Buddhist pilgrimage site in a national park with breathtaking mountain vistas. The 17th-cent. Tosho-gu Shrine complex was established here by the powerful Tokugawa Shoguns (the first shogun of the Edo period, Tokugawa Ieyasu, is enshrined here); set amid towering Japanese cedars and pines, the architecturally extravagant buildings are decorated with elaborate wood-carvings and beautiful paintwork.

Day 5: Tokyo. Nezu Kaichiro’s extraordinary and diverse collection of Japanese and other Asian arts is perfectly presented in the eponymous museum, a purpose-built space with a delightful garden. Highlights include world-renowned Chinese bronzes and exquisite utensils related to the tea aesthetic.

There is free time for lunch in the sophisticated Omotesando area before a free afternoon.

Chang’an (Xian) in China, Nara was the birthplace of major cultural and religious development. Here Buddhism firmly established itself and prolific production of splendid temples and devotional art ensued, much of which is in situ. Here are some of the oldest wooden structures in the world.

The temple of Todai-ji contains an arresting monumental bronze Buddha; the dry-lacquer and bronze statues of the Hokke-do and Kofuku Temple are sublime in their detail.

Nearby Horyu-ji is Japan’s earliest Buddhist temple, founded ad 607.

Day 10: Kyoto. The large walled temple compound of Daitoku-ji, established in the 14th century, is an important foundation of Japanese Zen. Its many sub-temples contain dry landscape gardens; one of the finest (and smallest) is in the Daisen-in, a Chinese inkpainting rendered in stone. The Raku Museum holds exhibitions of its eponymous ware, most often in the form of understated tea bowls. Nijo Castle, shogunal residence, has a lavish interior containing brilliantly painted fusuma (screens) by the Kano school.

Day 6: Tokyo to Kyoto. By high-speed train to Kyoto (luggage by road). Kyoto is considered the centre of Japanese culture and today’s city and the surrounding hills are dense with examples of art and architecture of the highest importance. At the foot of the forested Higashiyama mountains the zen temple complex Nanzen-ji is distinguished by its massive gate (Sanmon) and the quarters of the abbacy (Hojo) which contain very fine 17th-cent. painted screens (fusuma) by Kano Tan’yu. The Kodai-ji Temple is richly decorated with early 17th-century maki-e, gold and silver set in lacquer. First of five nights in Kyoto.

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Day 7: Kyoto. Kyoto’s National Museum opened its Heisei Chishinkan wing in 2014, an impressive construction displaying ceramics, painting, sculpture, sumptuous textiles and much else. The Sanjusangen-do is an unusually long hall containing 1001 subtly differentiated 12th/13th-century gilded statues of Kannon, divinity of Mercy, cumulatively a potent visual effect. The home of potter Kawai Kanjiro (d.

1966), a key figure in the folk art revival of the 1930s, is an intimate space furnished with his work and an intact ‘climbing’ kiln.

Day 8: Kyoto environs. A morning excursion to the Miho Museum, designed by I.M Pei and harmoniously integrated into a forested nature reserve. The approach on foot via a tunnel and bridge leads to a glass structure on the crest of a hill and a sequence of luminous interiors incorporating traditional Japanese motifs.

Collections include Greco-Roman and Islamic antiquities and important Japanese artworks.

After a leisurely lunch in these gorgeous surroundings, return to Kyoto where the rest of the day is free.

Day 9: Nara and its environs. A full-day excursion to Nara, first capital of Japan (ad 710–794). Modelled on the Tang capital of

only by natural light. The eponymous Lee Ufan Museum houses works by this Korean-born artist and is the latest addition to the collection of Benesse museums. Ferry to Uno and transfer to Okayama for the train to Osaka.

Overnight Osaka.

Day 14: Osaka to London. Fly at c. 11.45am from Osaka Kansai Airport to London, via Helsinki, arriving at Heathrow at c. 6.30pm (Finnair & British Airways, time in the air c. 13 hours).

Practicalities Prices, included meals and accommodation apply to the 30 October–12 November only.

Price – per person. Two sharing: £6,040 or £5,320 without flights. Single occupancy: £7,070 or £6,350 without flights.

Included meals: 9 lunches and 6 dinners with wine or beer.

Accommodation. Hilton, Tokyo (hilton.com): located in the heart of the modern Shinjuku area, with spacious rooms with touches of Japanese design. Westin Miyako, Kyoto (miyakohotels.ne.jp): 5-star hotel located in the temple district of the eastern hills with an excellent garden. Benesse House Hotel, Naoshima (benesse-artsite.jp): comfortable, modern hotel designed by Tadao Ando (subject to confirmation). Osaka Miyako Marriott, Osaka (marriot.com): smart hotel opened in 2014 in one of the tallest buildings in Japan with spectacular city views.

How strenuous? See page 36 for general fitness requirements. The tour involves a lot of standing in museums. Average distance by coach per day: c. 59 miles.

Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

Day 11: Kyoto to Naoshima. Travel by coach from Kyoto to Uno and from there take the ferry across to Naoshima Island, located in the Inland Sea. Together with the islands of Teshima and Inujima, Naoshima forms part of the ‘Benesse Art Site’. A number of striking galleries by architect Tadao Ando and outdoor installations dot the landscape. First of two nights in Naoshima.

Day 12: Naoshima. Visit the Art House Project, a collection of traditional buildings in the old fishing village of Honmura that have been restored and transformed by artists to house creative contemporary installations. After lunch visit the Benesse House Museum, a vast structure of concrete, glass and natural light. In addition to works by contemporary Japanese artists, the collection includes works by Andy Warhol, David Hockney and Bruce Nauman.

Day 13: Naoshima, Osaka. Start the day at the Chichu Art Museum, which houses several Monet paintings as well as sculptures

by Walter de Maria in underground spaces lit

book online at www.martinrandall.com

Lecturer Dr Monika Hinkel. Lecturer and curator specialising in Japanese woodblock prints and Research Associate of the Japan Research Centre at SOAS. She studied at Bonn University, was curator for Japanese art at the Museum of East Asian Art in Cologne, and a researcher at Gakushuin University, Tokyo. She has lectured at Birkbeck, the V&A and Morley College.

Illustration, centre: crest of the Tokugawas, reproduced in The Magazine of Art Vol.V, 1882.

Right: Japanese woodblock.

For further practicalities including visas and a list of what our prices include, see page 36.

Persia

Ancient & Islamic Iran EAST 2016 & 2017 Isfahan, lithograph 1818.

14–28 April 2016 (mc 633) This tour is currently full 1–15 September 2016 (md 822) This tour is currently full New departure: 8–22 September 2016 (md 857) 15 days/14 nights Please contact us for the price Lecturer: Dr Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones Also planned: 22 September–6 October 2016 Full details available in January 2016 Contact us to register your interest A selection of the most interesting cities, major buildings and archaeological sites in this vast and varied country.

Three full days to explore Isfahan; three full days in Tehran; ample time in Shiraz and Yazd.

Suitable either for first-time visitors or for those with some familiarity already.

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The successive civilizations of Persia were among the most potent and creative in Asia, and have provided the West with some of our most evocative images – of distant caravanserais and immense vaulted bazaars, of poets and rose gardens, of turquoise domes and priceless carpets. The very names of the cities breathe magic: Shiraz, Persepolis, Isfahan.

But the images are no mere symbols of a distant past. Historic Persian ways of life and the monuments which sheltered them are alive in Iran today. The fabulous mosques of Isfahan, the bustle of great bazaars, immense armies of nomads and classical gardens bring Persia’s civilization vividly to life.

Iran remained virtually hidden from foreigners for some years after the 1979 revolution. The country underwent cataclysmic upheavals: a national uprising against one of the strongest rulers in the world caused a revolution which produced repercussions that still reverberate to this day, and one of the most destructive wars of the twentieth century.

From these events the Iranians have emerged much changed, but they are eager to show their country to the traveller once more.

Visitors to Iran can see some of the greatest sights in all Asia, such as Shah Abbas’s astonishing royal city of Isfahan, one of the great monumental cities of the world, or the silent ruins of Pasargadae and Persepolis, still much as Alexander’s destructive fury left them thousands of years ago. But equally interesting are the lesserknown splendours of Iran’s immensely rich heritage revealed by exploration of the old desert cities such as Yazd.

The friendliness and welcome which visitors receive come as a surprise after three decades of less than agreeable newspaper headlines. Whilst the revolution has brought about great changes, the essentials remain unchanged: the timeless landscapes, the villages, the great cities and the cultural heritage that includes not only outstanding architecture but also the poetry of Hafez, Sa’di, Ferdowsi and Omar Khayyam.

Cyrus the Great, whose tomb is situated in the windswept upland plain surrounding the city.

Arrive Yazd for the first of two nights.

Itinerary

Days 9, 10 & 11: Isfahan. Three full days in Isfahan to experience the sights of the monumental capital of Safavid Persia (17th and 18th cent.). Opportunity to visit all the main monuments beginning with the great rambling Friday Mosque, a classic work of Persian art and a veritable textbook of Islamic architecture, incorporating most periods and styles. The great works of the royal city laid out

by Shah Abbas include the tiled bridges and the palace pavilions of Chehel Sutun and Hasht Behesht. Surrounding the vast Imam Square (formerly Royal Square) are the Ali Qapu Pavilion, the Shaikh Lutfollah Mosque with near perfect dome, the monumental entrance to the grand bazaar and the immense tiled bulk of the Imam Mosque (formerly Royal Mosque). Some free time in Isfahan, to shop in the famous bazaars or relax in a teahouse.

Day 1. Fly at c. 11.30am from London Heathrow (Turkish Airlines) to Shiraz via Istanbul. Arrive early the following morning.

Day 2: Shiraz. Arrive Shiraz airport at c. 2.30am and drive to hotel where rooms will be ready for a rest before lunch. In the afternoon visit the Eram Gardens and Nasir alMulk Mosque. First of four nights in Shiraz.

Day 3: Persepolis. Excursion to Persepolis, the spectacular Achaemenid ceremonial city built by Darius I and Xerxes in the 5th and 4th cents. bc. In the afternoon continue to the Achaemenid royal tombs cut into the cliffs at Naqsh-e-Rustam.

Day 4: Firuzabad. Full day excursion beginning with the scenic drive past the large salt lake of Maharlu and the impressive Qalh Dokhtar that is perched on a cliff top.

Visit the large Sassanid palaces and the ancient city of Ardashir Khurreh, known as Gur. Day 5: Shiraz. Full day visiting the city of gardens and poets including Naranjestan Palace, a 19th-cent. town house and garden of a wealthy patrician and the evocative tombs of Hafez and Sa’di. Finish the day with the Vakil mosque and bazaar.

Day 6: Pasargadae, Yazd. At Pasargadae, see the ruins of the first Persian capital built by

book online at www.martinrandall.com

Days 7: Yazd. An ancient caravan city on the edge of the desert with unique traditional architecture and some of the earliest fullytiled monuments in Iran. Islamic monuments include the 14th and 15th-cent. Friday Mosque with its spectacular tiled entrance portal, the highest in the country. The centre of the ancient Zoroastrian religion, Yazd has one of the largest surviving of such communities in Iran. Visit the fire temple and funerary Towers of Silence.

Day 8: Maybod, Mohammediye, Na’in, Isfahan. Visit the citadel in the traditional pottery-making centre of Maybod. Stop at Mohammediye to see traditional woolweaving. In Na’in, geographical heart of Iran, visit the mosque which retains 10th-cent. features. Drive to Isfahan; first of four nights.

Day 12: Natanz, Kashan, Tehran. Drive via Natanz to see the Friday Mosque and the Shrine of Sheikh Abdul-Samad. In Kashan visit Bagh-é Fin, perhaps the most beautiful of classical Persian gardens. First of three nights in Tehran.

Day 13: Tehran. Visit the State Jewels Museum.

The archaeological section of the National Museum of Iran contains items from many of the places visited on the tour. In the afternoon visit the Carpet Museum and the Abguineh Glass and Ceramics Museum, one

Day 14: Tehran. In the morning a visit to the Saad Abad Palace complex with its many museums and then the Niravan palace, the home of the last Shah and the Empress Farah.

Visit the Gulistan Palace, a jewel of Qajarperiod architecture. The Reza Abbasi Museum houses a fine collection of ceramics, fabrics and decorative arts and a very fine collection of Achaemenid and Sassanian gold and silver.

Day 15. Free morning before taking an early afternoon flight to London Heathrow (via Istanbul), arriving at c. 10.30pm.

There may be slight variations to this itinerary depending on the preferences of the lecturer.

Practicalities Price for the new departure was not confirmed at the time of printing. Please contact us for this, or visit www.martinrandall.com. Full details for the second new departure (22 September–6 October 2016) are not likely to be ready until January 2016 – please contact us to register your interest.

Included meals: 13 lunches and 13 dinners (including 1 picnic), soft drinks (no alcohol is served in Iran) and meals on flights.

Visas. We will advise on obtaining these.

The current cost is c. £400 for UK citizens.

Accommodation. The best available, and all are graded as 5-star apart from in Yazd which has a 3-star rating. The local star ratings do not necessarily correspond to western categories, standards of maintenance vary.

How strenuous? There are early starts and days with a lot of coach travel, as distances between the main cities in Iran are great (but roads are good and the coach carries refreshments).

There is a fair amount of walking, some of it over rough ground; sure-footedness is essential. Average distance by coach per day: 110 miles. See also page 36 for our fitness tests.

more in the middle east & north africa Contact us for full details or visit www.martinrandall.com.

Oman

Israel & Palestine

9–19 January 2016 (mc 557) 11 days/10 nights • £4,740 Lecturer: Professor Dawn Chatty

29 March–7 April 2016 (mc 618) 10 days • £4,430 Lecturer: Dr Garth Gilmour

5–15 November 2016 (md 935) 11 days/10 nights • £4,740 Lecturer: Professor Dawn Chatty Remarkable landscapes, hill forts, traditional souqs, and archaeological sites • The toehold of Arabia, with a diverse population reflecting its mercantile past • Accompanied by a social anthropologist long involved in the Middle East • All the hotels are comfortable, some are superb, plus a night in a desert camp.

Ancient & Islamic Tunisia 3–11 October 2016 (md 899) 9 days • £2,540 Lecturer: Professor Roger Wilson Exceptionally preserved Punic & Roman sites, some of the best in North Africa • Varied and striking landscapes • Includes Kairouan, Tunis, Sousse and Testour • Outstanding Roman mosaics throughout • Excellent hotel accommodation in the attractive seaside town of Sidi Bou Said. At the time of writing the FCO advises against travel to Tunisia. If this does not change by spring 2016, we will cancel the tour.

EAST 2016 & 2017

of the most impressive in Tehran, not least for its architecture from the Qajar period

Some of the most significant and evocative archaeological sites • Ancient, mediaeval and modern architecture, from Herod to Bauhaus – Judean, Roman, Christian and Islamic • Dr Garth Gilmour is a Biblical archaeologist who has lived and worked in Israel • Enthralling vernacular building in ancient walled towns; varied landscapes, from rocky deserts to verdant valleys • Several days in Jerusalem – arguably the most extraordinary city on earth.

Palestine 17–25 October 2016 (md 915) 9 days • £3,460 Lecturer: Felicity Cobbing A pioneering tour which includes the major archaeological sites and the most significant historic buildings on the West Bank • Led

by Felicity Cobbing, curator of the Palestine Exploration Fund • There are two nights in East Jerusalem • Provides an insight into a territory much in the news but little visited in recent years.

Below: Jerusalem, Mosque of Omar, watercolour

by Phoebe Allen, publ. 1913.

Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

middle east, north africa

Lecturer Dr Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones.

Chair of Ancient Greek and Iranian Studies at the University of Edinburgh and specialist in the history and culture of ancient Iran, the Near East and Ancient Greece. Books include Ctesias’ History of Persia, Creating a Hellenistic World and King & Court in Ancient Persia. He has contributed to several TV documentaries and is a regular reviewer for The Times and Times Higher Education.

For a list of what else is included, see page 36.

Currently we are not running tours to Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Jordan or Morocco.

However, if you are interested in travelling to any of these countries, please register your interest with us and we will contact you as and when future tours are in the pipeline.

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Ottoman Turkey Bursa, Iznik, Istanbul, Edirne EAST 2016 & 2017

Mosque) and the caravanserais whose rents funded the mosques and served the textile trade, famous for its silk velvets. View a private shadow puppet performance, popularized during the Ottoman period. Overnight Bursa.

Day 3: Iznik. Drive to Iznik, formerly the flourishing Roman town of Nicæa.

Capital in the 13th century of the Byzantine emperors-in-exile, it is now a charming and unspoilt country town within concentric circuits of Roman and Byzantine walls. The museum in the beautiful hospice of Nilüfer Hatun tells the story of ceramic production from the Byzantine period to the great frit wares of the 16th century. Continue northwards and re-cross the Bosphorus. First of four nights in Istanbul.

Day 4: Istanbul. Topkapi Sarayi, the palace of the Ottoman Sultans, is arranged around a series of courtyards. Apart from the magnificent Harem (living quarters of the royal family), other buildings house fine collections of Turkish arts and Chinese porcelain. A fine work by the great Ottoman architect Sinan is the Süleymaniye Mosque, the enormous and elegant complex includes medreses, shops and tombs (currently undergoing restoration) overlooking the Golden Horn. Overnight Istanbul.

Istanbul, Haghia Sophia, watercolour by R. Hichens from The Near East, publ. 1913.

29 April–7 May 2016 (mc 650) 9 days • £3,060 Lecturer: Sue Rollin Stay in Istanbul, capital from 1453, and the earlier Ottoman capitals of Bursa and Edirne.

See fine Ottoman buildings, which constitute a high point of Islamic architecture.

Study Iznik ceramics and tiles, as well as textiles and craft work in wood and metal.

central asia 34

In the world of Islam, the sixteenth century architecture of the Ottoman Empire has few peers. The most prolific of these was Sinan.

Using the sixth century church of Haghia Sophia as the inspiration for many of his buildings, Sinen constantly strove to surpass it in engineering skill and aesthetic refinement.

Bursa, the first capital of the Ottoman Empire, is now a vibrant town at the base of the Uludağ mountain. The tour appropriately starts here, in order to trace the manifestation of early Ottoman art and architecture.

Within nearby Iznik, the sixteenth century era of Süleyman the Magnificent saw ceramics peak in perfection, not only in tableware but also in tiles, using a process which has been lost to history.

Istanbul, formerly Constantinople, was the largest city in the world both in late antiquity and in the Middle Ages. Its fall to

the Ottomans in 1453 put their empire on a level with the Persian and Roman empires. It is a deeply fascinating place, with a bewildering history and mix of opposing cultures, but mosques and minarets still dominate the skyline.

Edirne, formerly Adrianopolis, is an astonishing town. Once a thriving capital, it is rich in architectural treasures – now beached on a byway and rarely reached by tourists. The greatest of all Sinan’s mosques is located here.

Itinerary Day 1. Fly at c. 11.50am from London Gatwick to Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen airport (Turkish Airlines). A short ferry ride across the Sea of Marmara and a drive south through mainly agricultural land with peach trees and olive groves to Bursa. First of two nights in Bursa.

Day 2: Bursa. This first settled capital of the Ottoman Empire after its capture from the Byzantines in 1326 retains the sights of the old centre, but the new town now sprawls onto the plateau beneath. Mosques were built by each Sultan from 1326 to 1451. Outstanding contributions include the Yeşil Cami (Green Mosque) and the Yeşil Türbe (Green Tomb) boasting extensive tilework by the Masters of Tabriz. Also see the mosque and tombs of the Muradiye complex. Situated in the old commercial centre is the Ulu Cami (Great

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Day 5: Istanbul. Begin with monuments of the Byzantine city around the hippodrome, chief of which is Haghia Sophia, greatest of all Byzantine buildings and the inspiration for many Ottoman mosques. The Kariye Camii (St Saviour in Chora) has some of the finest Byzantine mosaics and wall paintings in the world.

Day 6: Istanbul. A short walk from the hotel is Yerebatan Saray, a remarkable colonnaded cistern. Continue to a small Sinan mosque, the Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Camii and then to the mosque of Rüstem Pasha, also small but brilliantly embellished with tiles. Nearby is the colourful and aromatic spice market. Optional visit to museum of Islamic and Turkish art in the Ibrahim Pasha Sarayi or the old commercial district and Covered Bazaar, or a free afternoon. Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 7. The Bosphorus. Travel by private boat along the Bosphorus to Sariyer. Visit the Sadberk Hanim Museum, which combines two exceptional private collections, one ethnographic and the other archaeological.

Lunch by the Bosphorus. Overnight in Edirne, near the border with Greece and Bulgaria.

Day 8: Edirne. European capital of the Ottoman Empire until 1453. The Eski Camii (Old Mosque) shows the continuation of one of the traditions established at Bursa. The mosque and hospital complex of Sultan Beyazit II, is situated on the banks of the Tunca. The Üç Serefeli Mosque was the first Ottoman mosque to have a courtyard, and the first step towards the classical building style of the 16th century, exemplified by the nearby Selimiye, Sinan’s masterpiece. Return to Istanbul.

Practicalities Price – per person. Two sharing: £3,060 or £2,900 without flights. Single occupancy: £3,300 or £3,140 without flights.

Included meals: 3 lunches and 7 dinners with wine or beer.

Visas. Entry visas for Turkey must be secured prior to arrival – this can be done online. We will advise on the procedure.

Accommodation. Hotel Çelik Palas, Bursa (celikpalas.com): recently refurbished modern hotel conveniently located near the city centre.

Hotel Eresin Crown, Istanbul (eresincrown. com.tr): well located in the Sultanahmet area, this hotel is locally rated as 5-star, with elegant rooms and a roof terrace. Edirne Karavansary Hotel (edirnekervansarayhotel.com): converted 16th-century caravanserai with a sense of the traditional local hostelry, the best available hotel, fairly basic but adequate. Single rooms are doubles for sole use throughout.

How strenuous? There is quite a lot of walking within the towns, and paving is uneven. On some days there are several hours of driving.

There are three hotel changes. Average distance by coach per day: 66 miles. See also page 36 for our fitness tests.

Group size: between 12 and 22 participants.

Combine this tour with Central Anatolia, 13–25 April 2016.

Lecturer

Contact us for full details or visit www.martinrandall.com.

Central Anatolia 13–25 April 2016 (mc 634) 13 days • £4,080 Lecturer: Dr Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones Journey through an extraordinary variety of landscapes and civilizations in Central Anatolia • Travel from the ancient capital of the Hittites to Turkey’s modern capital, Ankara • See some of the finest examples of Seljuk architecture including the unesco listed complex at Divriği • Turkey is changing rapidly, but many aspects of traditional life continue.

Istanbul

Insider’s Istanbul

27 September–3 Oct. 2016 (md 878) 7 days • £2,620 Lecturer: Jane Taylor

29 September–6 Oct. 2016 (md 879) 8 days • £3,690 Lecturer: to be confirmed

An extraordinarily diverse city: Roman remains; outstanding Byzantine buildings; glorious mosaics and frescoes; Ottoman mosques and palaces • Includes two visits to the Haghia Sophia, one of which is a private evening opening for our group (subject to confirmation) • Stay in the heart of the Sultanahmet area.

Exploring in detail sections of the vast historical tapestry that is Istanbul • Special access to some of the city’s lesser-known sites; churches, synagogues, consulates and private residences • Excellent accommodation situated in the heart of the modern district • Dine at some of the finest restaurants in the city.

Samarkand & Silk Road Cities 17–27 May 2016 (mc 683) 11 days/10 nights • £3,340 Lecturer: Professor James Allan

central asia

Sue Rollin. Archaeologist, interpreter and lecturer, widely travelled in the Middle East and India. Her linguistic repertoire includes three ancient NearEastern languages and several modern European ones. She has taught at UCL, SOAS and Cambridge, interprets for the EU and UN and is co-author of Blue Guide: Jordan and Istanbul: A Travellers’ Guide.

more in central asia

6–16 September 2016 (md 826) 11 days/10 nights • £3,340 Lecturer: Dr Peter Webb 20–30 September 2016 (md 848) 11 days/10 nights • £3,340 Lecturer: Professor Dominic Brookshaw

Illustration, top right: Uçhisar in Cappadocia, lithograph by William J. Hamilton 1842.

Right: Tomb of Timur, engraving c. 1880.

For a list of what else is included, see page 36.

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Day 9: Istanbul. Sultan Ahmet Camii (Blue Mosque), despite its fame, marks the beginning of the decline of Ottoman architecture. Drive past the massive Byzantine walls. Fly to Gatwick, arriving c. 4.00pm.

The best of Uzbekistan, and some of the most glorious sights in the Islamic world • Led by experts in Central Asian archaeology and history • Magnificent mosques and madrassas, acres of wonderful wall tiles, intact streetscape and memorable landscapes • Remote, difficult to access and remarkably unspoilt.

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What is included?

Our prices include: flights between the UK and the destination (optional); all internal flights; accommodation for the duration; breakfasts, most lunches and dinners with wine or beer, soft drinks, water, coffee; airport transfers; transport during the tour, by private coach or train; the services of the lecturer, tour manager and local guides; all admissions; all tips for porters, waiters, guides; all taxes.

Visas China & India. British citizens and most other foreign nationals require a tourist visa. The current cost for UK nationals is around £96 for China, and £95 for India, including service fees. This is not included in the price of the tour because you have to obtain it yourself.

You will need to submit your passport to the Visa Application Centre in your country of residence prior to departure. Processing times vary from country to country but UK residents should expect to be without their passport for up to ten days. We will provide further advice.

Alternatively, for India only, you can apply for an E-tourist visa. Applications are made through the Government of India Visa Online website and cost US $60 per passenger. The application is processed online and does not require passport submission. The E-tourist visa is valid for single entry for a stay of up to 30 days, and can be applied for 30 days in advance of the date of arrival in India.

Japan. Tourist visas are not required for most nationalities, including British and Australian.

Fitness A good level of fitness is essential. Unless you enjoy entirely unimpaired mobility, cope with everyday walking and stair-climbing without difficulty and are reliably sure-footed, these tours are not for you.

Uneven ground and irregular paving are standard. On many tours there are fairly steep ascents to hilltop sites. Unruly traffic and the busy streets of larger cities require some vigilance. There are some long coach journeys during which facilities are limited and may be of poor quality.

further practicalities 36

In India, the sun is strong, even in the cooler seasons, though most sites have some shade.

Self-assessment tests. We ask that all participants take these quick and simple tests to ascertain whether they are fit enough: 1. Chair stands. Sit in a dining chair, with arms folded and hands on opposite shoulders. Stand up and sit down at least 8 times in 30 seconds.

2. Step test. Mark a wall at a height that is halfway between your knee and your hip bone.

Raise each knee in turn to the mark at least 60 times in 2 minutes.

3. Agility test. Place an object three yards from the edge of a chair, sit, and record the time it takes to stand up, walk to the object and sit back down. You should be able to do this in under 7 seconds.

An additional indication of the fitness required, though we are not asking you to measure this, is that you should be able to walk unaided at a pace of three miles per hour for at least half an hour at a time, and to stand unsupported for at least fifteen minutes.

As with hotels, we choose restaurants with care, though sometimes there is not much choice. Generally we select local dishes, though many hotel restaurants offer international menus as an alternative.

Health & hygiene, food & drink

We can provide a tour without the international flights, allowing you to make your own travel arrangements. A price for this is given in each tour description.

Participants will be sent information about inoculations and other precautionary measures. A course of malaria tablets is advisable for some of the India tours.

Bottled water is provided at most hotels, in the coaches and at restaurants. Some special dietary requirements might be difficult to cope with, though vegetarianism in India is well catered for. In India, stomach upsets are not uncommon despite higher levels of hygiene in restaurants. Similarly, China does not have European standards but conditions are constantly improving. The Japanese are fanatical about cleanliness and this is generally reflected in high levels of hygiene.

Air, road & rail Upgrades. The package prices are based on standard or economy fares but we can quote for other classes on international flights. Most internal flights are one-class only.

In India, roads are improving rapidly, and we only use modern, air-conditioned coaches.

Speed and comfort on railways do not compare with Europe but the experience provides scenic interest. In China and Japan rail travel is generally very good, if not excellent.

Hotels & restaurants We select our hotels with great care. Nearly all have been stayed in, not merely inspected, by one or more members of our staff.

The importance we attach to charm, character, location and warmth of welcome might count against the most prestigious establishments.

Outside the principal cities, the hotels we use are usually the best in the area.

Many of the hotels we have selected are as good as or better than ones we use in Europe and the Middle East. But because some of our tours travel to parts where few mainstream tourists go, not all of them are top category. All, however, have en suite bathrooms and are adequately comfortable and clean. If we deem that the hotels in a particular area are not of the requisite standard, we do not send tours to that area.

Hotel ratings. The star ratings are those awarded by the relevant national or regional authority. While they may be of some help in suggesting standards, there is considerable variation as official criteria differ from country to country.

Single supplement. Most hotels charge for the room irrespective of the number of occupants.

Single travellers are therefore effectively charged double. To mitigate this unfairness, we subsidise solo travellers by charging less for the single supplement than the hotel charges us.

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Tailoring the package

Please ask if you would like to travel to the destination in advance of the tour or to return later. Hotels, transfers and other services can be booked through us. We regret we cannot arrange extensions to places we do not visit on our tours as we cannot guarantee the standards of service and accommodation. For any change to the package there would be a fee – for a change to flights it would be £80 – in addition to any extra costs.

Private tours. We would be happy to discuss the possibility of versions of these tours for groups of friends and family or for societies and affinity groups.

Weather & clothing We choose dates for tours which avoid periods of extreme weather.

In India, even in winter (November to April), most of the country can be quite hot. For most days on most of the tours you would not need a top over a shirt. On the other hand, in northern India it can be quite cool, especially at night and in the early morning.

Temperature changes in China and Japan are less extreme. The climate tends to be more temperate in spring and autumn.

Information about weather and guidance concerning dress specific to each tour is given to clients upon booking.

Small groups We strictly limit the numbers on the tours. The maximum is 20 or 22 (Bengal by River is the exception, with a maximum of 24), as specified in the tour description, though most run with fewer. The higher costs of smaller numbers are outweighed by the benefits of manoeuvrability, social cohesion and access to the lecturer.

Not the least attractive aspect of travelling with Martin Randall Travel is that you are highly likely to find yourself in congenial company, self-selected by common interests and endorsement of the company’s ethos.

Care for our clients We aim for faultless administration from your first encounter with us to the end of the holiday, and beyond. Personal service is a feature. And if anything does go wrong, we will put it right or compensate appropriately.

We want you to come back again and again – as most of our clients do.

We never forget our clients are responsible adults, deserving of respect and courtesy at all times.

M A RT I N R A N D A L L T R AV E L

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2016 & 2017 India • China • Japan

BOOKING FORM TOUR NAME(S)

DATES

TOUR CODE(S)

NAMES. Give your name as you would like it to appear on documents issued to other tour participants.

1.

2.

CONTACT DETAILS – for all correspondence.

ROOM TYPE. Please tick one.

Address

☐ Single occupancy room(s) ☐ Double room – two sharing ☐ Twin room – two sharing Please bear in mind that some hotels have limited numbers of certain types of rooms (e.g. rooms with twin beds), so there is a chance that you may not get your preferred room-type at every hotel on the tour.

Postcode/Zip

FLIGHTS. Please tick one.

Country

☐ Group flights. I require the international flights (between

the UK and the destination), as outlined in the Itinerary.

Telephone (home) Telephone (work) Mobile E-mail ☐ Please tick if you are happy to receive your booking

documentation by e-mail only, where possible.

Mailing list preferences ☐ Please tick if you do NOT want to receive regular updates by

e-mail on our other tours, music festivals and London Days. ☐ Please tick if you do NOT want to receive any more of our

brochures by post.

What prompted this booking?

e.g. an advertisement in a particular publication, a marketing email from us, browsing on our website – or receiving this brochure.

☐ No flights. I will make my own way to and from the tour.

If you choose ‘no flights’ – for all tours in India, China and Japan, any internal flights are still included in your booking. For tours to other destinations, this is not always the case.

FLIGHT UPGRADES. Please tick if you would like a quote: ☐ Premium Economy (World Traveller Plus) ☐ Business Class (Club World) ☐ First Class EXTRA HOTEL NIGHTS. Please complete if you require these. ☐ Before the tour

☐ After the tour

Number of nights: _____

Number of nights: _____

Airport transfer required? ☐

Airport transfer required? ☐

FURTHER INFORMATION or special requests. Please mention dietary requirements, even if you have told us before.

BOOKING FORM

EAST 2016 & 2017

PASSPORT DETAILS. Essential for airlines and in case of emergency on tour.

Title

Surname

Forenames

Nationality

Place of birth

1.

2.

Passport number

Place of issue

Date of issue

Date of expiry

1.

2.

NEXT OF KIN or contact in case of emergency.

Participant 1:

Participant 2 (if next of kin is different):

Name

Name

Telephone

Telephone

Relationship

Relationship

PAYMENT & AGREEMENT Please tick payment amount: ☐ EITHER Deposit(s) amounting to 10% of your total booking cost. ☐ OR Full Payment. This is required if you are booking within ten

weeks of departure.

TOTAL: £ Please tick payment method: ☐ CHEQUE. I enclose a cheque payable to Martin Randall Travel

Ltd – please write the tour code on the back (e.g. md 123). ☐ DEBIT OR CREDIT CARD. I authorise Martin Randall Travel to

contact me by telephone to take payment from my Visa credit/Visa debit/Mastercard/AMEX.

Bookings paid for by credit card will have 2% added to cover processing charges. This brings us into line with standard travel industry practice.

It does not apply to other forms of payment.

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☐ BANK TRANSFER. Please give your surname and tour code (e.g.

md 123) as a reference and ask your bank to allow for all charges.

Account name: Martin Randall Travel Ltd Bank address: Handelsbanken, 2 Chiswick High Road, London W4 1TH

For transfers from UK (Sterling) bank accounts: Account number 8663 3438 Sort code 40-51-62

For transfers from non-UK bank accounts: IBAN: GB98 HAND 4051 6286 6334 38 Swift/BIC code: HAND GB22

I have read and agree to the Booking Conditions on behalf of all listed on this form.

Signature Date

Martin Randall Travel Ltd Voysey House Bar ley Mow Passage London W4 4GF United Kingdom

Martin Randall Australasia PO Box 1024 Indooroopilly QLD 4068 Australia

Telephone +44 (0)20 8742 3355 Fax +44 (0)20 8742 7766 info@mar tinrandall.co.uk

Telephone 1300 55 95 95 New Zealand 0800 877 622 Fax +61 (0)7 3371 8288 anz@mar tinrandall.com.au

www.martinrandall.com

Canada Telephone (647) 382 1644 Fax (416) 925 2670 canada@mar tinrandall.ca USA Telephone (connects to the London office) 1 800 988 6168

Booking details

Making a booking & Booking Conditions 2. Definite booking

3. Our confirmation

We recommend that you contact us first to make a booking option which we will hold for seven days. To confirm it please send the booking form and deposit within this period – the deposit is 10% of your total booking price (including the single supplement, if applicable to your booking). Alternatively, you can make a definite booking straight away on our website.

Fill in the booking form and send it to us with the deposit. It is important that you read the Booking Conditions at this stage, and that you sign the booking form. Full payment is required if you are booking within ten weeks of departure.

Upon receipt of the booking form and deposit we shall send you confirmation of your booking.

After this your deposit is non-returnable except in the special circumstances mentioned in the Booking Conditions. Further details about the tour may also be sent at this stage, or will follow shortly afterwards.

Please read these

If you cancel. If you have to cancel your participation on a tour, there would be a charge which varies according to the period of notice you give. Up to 57 days before the tour the deposit only is forfeited. Thereafter a percentage of the total cost of the tour will be due:

or one of the flights you take must originate or terminate in the UK with the group.

between 56 and 29 days: between 28 and 15 days: between 14 days and 3 days: within 48 hours:

We will provide you with the services listed on the ATOL Certificate (or a suitable alternative). In some cases, where we aren’t able do so for reasons of insolvency, an alternative ATOL holder may provide you with the services you have bought or a suitable alternative (at no extra cost to you).

You agree to accept that in those circumstances the alternative ATOL holder will perform those obligations and you agree to pay any money outstanding to be paid by you under your contract to that alternative ATOL holder. However, you also agree that in some cases it will not be possible to appoint an alternative ATOL holder, in which case you will be entitled to make a claim under the ATOL scheme (or your credit card issuer where applicable). If we, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL certificate, are unable to provide the services listed (or a suitable alternative, through an alternative ATOL holder or otherwise) for reasons of insolvency, the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust may make a payment to (or confer a benefit on) you under the ATOL scheme. You agree that in return for such a payment or benefit you assign absolutely to those Trustees any claims which you have or may have arising out of or relating to the non-provision of the services, including any claim against us (or your credit card issuer where applicable). You also agree that any such claims maybe re-assigned to another body, if that other body has paid sums you have claimed under the ATOL scheme.

You need to sign your assent to these booking conditions on the booking form.

Our promises to you We aim to be fair, reasonable and sympathetic in all our dealings with clients, and to act always with integrity.

We will meet all our legal and regulatory responsibilities, often going beyond the minimum obligations.

We aim to provide full and accurate information about our holidays. If there are changes, we will tell you promptly.

If something does go wrong, we will try to put it right. Our overriding aim is to ensure that every client is satisfied with our services.

What we ask of you That you read the information we send to you.

Specific terms Our contract with you. From the time we receive your signed booking form and initial payment, a contract exists between you and Martin Randall Travel Ltd. Eligibility. We reserve the right to refuse to accept a booking without necessarily giving a reason. You need a level of fitness which would not spoil other participants’ enjoyment of the tour by slowing them down – see ‘Fitness’ on page 36 – to this end we ask you to take our fitness tests. By signing the booking form you are stating that you have met these fitness requirements.

If during the tour it transpires you are not able to cope adequately, you may be asked to opt out of certain visits, or be invited to leave the tour altogether. This would be at your own expense.

Passports and visas. British citizens and most other nationalities must have valid passports for all the tours in this brochure. Your passport needs to be valid for 6 months beyond the start date of the tour, with at least two blank pages.

Visas, for UK citizens, are required for tours to India, China, and for most tours to the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey. Nationals of other countries should ascertain whether visas are required in their case, and obtain them if so.

We take as the day of cancellation that on which we receive written confirmation of cancellation.

If you cancel your booking in a shared room but your companion chooses to continue to participate on the tour, the companion will be liable to pay the stipulated single supplement.

If we cancel the tour. We might decide to cancel a tour if at any time up to 8 weeks before there were insufficient bookings for it to be viable.

We would refund everything you had paid to us. We may also cancel a tour if hostilities, civil unrest, natural disaster or other circumstances amounting to force majeure affect the region to which the tour was due to go.

Safety and security. If the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against travel to places visited on a tour, we would cancel the tour or adjust the itinerary to avoid the risky area. In the event of cancellation before the tour commenced we would give you a full refund.

We would also treat sympathetically a wish to withdraw from a tour to a troubled region even if the FCO does not advise against travel there.

Seatbelts. Our tours and festivals subscribe to the health and safety legislation of the destination.

In some parts of the world the law concerning seatbelts differs to the UK. Financial protection. We provide full financial protection for our package holidays which include international flights, by way of our Air Travel Organiser’s Licence number 3622. When you buy an ATOL protected flight inclusive holiday from us you receive an ATOL Certificate. This lists what is financially protected, where you can get information on what this means for you and who to contact if things go wrong. Most of our flights and flight-inclusive holidays on our website and in our brochure are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. But ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services listed.

Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. In order to be protected under the ATOL scheme you need to be in the UK when you make your booking and/

We provide full financial protection for our package holidays that do not include a flight, by way of a bond held by ABTA The Travel Association.

The limits of our liabilities. As principal, we accept responsibility for all ingredients of a tour, except those in which the principle of force majeure prevails. Our obligations and responsibilities are also limited where international conventions apply in respect of air, sea or rail carriers, including the Warsaw Convention and its various updates.

If we make changes. Circumstances might arise which prevent us from operating a tour exactly as advertised. We would try to devise a satisfactory alternative, but if the change represents a significant loss to the tour we would offer compensation. If you decide to cancel because the alternative we offer is not acceptable we would give a full refund.

English Law. These conditions form part of your contract with Martin Randall Travel Ltd and are governed by English law. All proceedings shall be within the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

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booking details

Insurance. It is a requirement of booking that you have adequate holiday insurance. Cover for medical treatment, repatriation, loss of property and cancellation charges must be included.

Insurance can be obtained from most insurance companies, banks, travel agencies and (in the UK) many retail outlets including Post Offices.

Experience tells us that free travel insurance offered by some credit card companies is not reliable in the event of a claim.

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1. Booking option

39

Martin Randall Travel Ltd Voysey House Barley Mow Passage London W4 4GF United Kingdom

Martin Randall Australasia PO Box 1024 Indooroopilly QLD 4068 Australia

Tel +44 (0)20 8742 3355 Fax +44 (0)20 8742 7766 info@mar tinrandall.co.uk www.martinrandall.com

Tel 1300 55 95 95 New Zealand 0800 877 622 Fax +61 (0)7 3371 8288 anz@mar tinrandall.com.au

Canada Telephone (647) 382 1644 Fax (416) 925 2670 canada@mar tinrandall.ca

USA Telephone 1 800 988 6168 (Connects to the London office)

5085

www.martinrandall.com The border used on the front and back cover is an Indian design from The Grammar of Ornament by Owen Jones, 1865.

The motif in the centre and below is a Chinese bookbinding design reproduced in The Magazine of Art Vol.V, 1882.

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2016 & 2017

India • China • Japan