The Southern Gates Of Arabia, By Freya Stark

Freya Stark’s being a woman does add to the interest and individuality of her narrative in ‘The Southern Gates of Arabia’ in several ways. In her book British traveler Freya Stark takes her readers through her journey in and around Arab world as she discovers new places she has not seen before. Stark notes her unforgettable adventure in her writing as she writes about the Hadhramaut Valley. Stark takes us through her journey as she discovers the Bedouins whom she fantasies about and is interested in. It is interesting to mention that Stark is Stark lifestyle as a western women play a massive role in the book. The Bedouins, specially the women have a very different lifestyle than that of Stark’s, therefore, see how Stark interacts with those

Stark narration is specifically details as you read you can see that the narration is written within a women’s touch. “He was a tall creature, nearly black, with some mixture of African in him---small regular features and short curly beard, and hair, well oiled, tied behind his ears. “in the way of a women be snooded his locks in a fillet,” like the Gilgamesh hero. The beautiful proportion of all his limbs was spoilt by two enormous thumbs” (17) Stark describes one of the Wahidis in a very detailed style, she even mentions how the man came in her cabin “in the natural Arab freedom”, the reader may also question whether the Wahidis would acted differently if Stark was a man instead of a

To the Bedu, women were typically stayed at home looking after their children and being traditional housemaids, therefore, I think that it was strange for the Badu to see Stark around them. Nevertheless, I also think that Stark understood the Bedu and their lifestyle, “..but you are a Nasrani,” said one of them—a lighter complexioned man with luxury of a yellow cashmere turban on his head. “You are going to burn in hell.” The gathering, it was evident, could not but agree with the accuracy of this statement, but deplored so brutal a way of putting it. I was not ready to agree, and remarked that the Nasara are people of the Book.”(18). Yet again Stark show us her detailed writing style but what is important in the quote mentioned above when one of the men who appears to be rich insults Stark by stating that she is a “Nasrani” and “will go to hell”, nevertheless, Stark makes sure that she is not offended by the man comment as she seems to be understanding in where the man is coming from. Moreover, it is interesting to mention how Stark knew what the word Nasrani meant yet she keep herself calm and not effected by the yellow-turbaned man