
A mid‑nineteenth‑century Hungarian scholar sets out on a daring trek from Tehran across the Turkoman steppes, skirting the Caspian Sea’s eastern shore before reaching the historic cities of Bukhara and Samarkand. Commissioned by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, his journey is driven by a deep curiosity about the linguistic ties between Hungarian and the Turkic‑Tatar languages, a quest that shapes every step of the expedition.
The narrative blends vivid descriptions of barren deserts, bustling bazaars, and the rugged steppe with keen observations of local customs, trade routes, and everyday life. Listeners will hear about the challenges of thirst, hunger, and the ever‑present threat of sandstorms, all softened by the author’s reflective, almost conversational tone. Interwoven with scientific notes, the account offers a rare glimpse into a world that was, for many Europeans, still largely unknown, making the travelogue both an adventurous story and a valuable cultural record.
Language
hu
Duration
~10 hours (599K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
Hungary: Emich Gusztáv, 1865.
Credits
Albert László from page images generously made available by the Internet Archive
Release date
2022-09-19
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1832–1913
A poor village boy who became one of the 19th century’s most daring travelers, he crossed Central Asia in disguise and turned his adventures into bestselling books. His life joined scholarship, languages, and real-world espionage in a way that still feels cinematic.
View all books