Trespassers on the Roof of the World

Author: Peter Hopkirk

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a book about various people who tried to reach Tibet, largely in the late 1800s to early-mid 1900s.

Tibet is a famously isolated country. There was a lot of intrigue surrounding it as well as a lot of fascination, especially in the West with the mythical aura around this kingdom nestled in what is called “the roof of the world”. It’s also surrounded by some of the tallest mountains in the world, as well as some of the most inhospitable nature, making it a fitting challenge for would-be explorers.

This has been in some way good for this isolationist country, as they had some pretty tough natural defenses to prevent unwanted outsiders, and this book tells the story of several explorers as well as agents of various governments (mostly British) who tried and (mostly) failed to reach Lhasa. And it eventually took a small military invasion by the British to force it open.

This was a fascinating account of the various attempts to reach the elusive capital and the challenges travellers faced both from the terrain and the weather but also from the people. One of the problems with trying to travel in this isolationist country is that travellers were generally not permitted, and therefore much of the time, they couldn’t rely on purchasing provisions (food, etc) on their way, so they would have to travel in caravans with all the food they needed for themselves, as well as the porters or guides they might hire. This made them not only easier to spot but also more vulnerable to bandits.

There were also some really interesting ways that the British worked to disguise agents (mostly Indians from what was then British India) to send them into this forbidden land but also for them to create maps. This involved the agents counting their steps to measure distances and hiding notes inside of prayer wheels so that when they got back to India, the British could make maps of this giant blind spot.

While reading the description of many of these attempts was very interesting, they did start to feel a bit repetitive as well as increasingly stupid as people took incredible risks for what seemed like bragging rights, including a couple that took their infant son on an expedition who did not make it through the harsh conditions.

In addition to tracking the various gatecrashers as well as Younghusband’s expedition into Lhasa, it also covers the invasion of the Chinese Red Army and the flight of the Dalai Lama from Lhasa, giving some interesting historical perspective on the modern context of Tibet as a nation today.

I would definitely recommend for some historical context on Tibet in relation to the rest of the world and its current geopolitical situation today.