Jews, Christians and Muslims have long been fascinated by the apocalyptic figures of Gog and Magog. The authors of this volume have a dual purpose: 1) to outline the history of this literary theme as it developed amongst Eastern Christians and Muslims; and 2) to analyse the travel account of “Sallam the Interpreter”, commissioned by Caliph al-Wathiq in 842 to find the famous Wall of Alexander the Great, supposedly built to enclose Gog and Magog until their release in “the last days”. Throughout, the important role that Syriac literature played in transmitting this idea to Islam is affirmed.
The book is divided into two halves. Part 1 examines the literary background to the topos of Gog and Magog. The authors provide extensive information on the motif in early Jewish and Christian sources (chapter 1), before proceeding to discuss its development in Syriac and other Eastern Christian literature, particularly the connection with Alexander and the barrier he built to keep the eschatological hordes enclosed (chapter 2). The transition to the Muslim world is introduced by an examination of Gog and Magog in the Quran (chapter 3), followed by the evolution of the idea in ḥadīth literature (chapter 4). Two further chapters document the expansion of the theme in Arabic, Persian and Turkish literature, Arab poetry, adab literature and popular folklore.
Part 2 focuses on the journey of Sallam to the Barrier of Alexander with the express purpose of verifying not only its existence, but also its efficacy in restraining Gog and Magog. An English translation of the text from Ibn Khurradadhbih, with footnote references to the parallel text in al-Idrisi, is followed by an extensive discussion of subsequent versions of Sallam's travelogue in later Muslim literature (chapter 7). The authors then examine the origins of Sallam's description of Gog and Magog and the Barrier, once again noting the connections with earlier Syriac literature (chapter 8). Following some background information on possible political and religious reasons behind the journey (chapter 9), the expedition itself is evaluated, divided into the outward journey (chapter 10), the destination (chapter 11) and the return journey (chapter 12). The book ends with a conclusion, bibliography, index, plates and maps.
The volume is well-researched and the extensive footnotes display the authors' knowledge of the subject matter, especially the primary sources. Helpful chapter subheadings are provided throughout. The book has generally been well edited, with relatively few typos. The chronological approach to the development of the Gog and Magog theme taken in chapters 1–3 and chapter 6 works very well and is easy to follow.
However, the switch to a thematic approach in chapters 4 and 5 makes the argument harder to follow. In discussing themes such as the appearance, origin, numbers, food, eschatological role, names, location and identification of Gog and Magog in Muslim literature, the flurry of quotes from different sources means that it is difficult to track the development of the motif over time. Although the authors acknowledge that this approach means “overlap and repetition is almost unavoidable” (p. 57), more could have been done to make these chapters less confusing, e.g. by including summaries in tabular form.
Again, the chronological approach used in chapter 7 to discuss the different versions of Sallam's journey, from Ibn Khurradadhbih (d. 912/13) to Amin Razi (d. early 17th c.), is clear and straightforward, although the numerous extracts involve extensive repetition. The reliance of Sallam's account on Syriac traditions about Gog and Magog is well presented in chapter 8, although the table comparing the former and the latter on pp. 170–2 could have made the point more convincingly. Chapter 9 introduces possible political connections between concerns in the Caliphate over the growing influence of the Turkic slave-soldiers in Samarra and Sallam's mission to find the barrier, located in Central Asian Turkic territory (according to some traditions), a theme which perhaps could have been developed further.
Chapters 10–12 are arguably the most important in the book, given the authors' conviction that Sallam's travelogue represents a bona fide journey, which they endeavour to reconstruct. Since the argument is dependent on clear and consistent communication of the geography involved, separate maps in the main text for each segment of the journey would have been extremely helpful. The only relevant map is one of the entire journey at the back of the book (map 4), which is missing many of the toponyms mentioned in either the text or the summary statements at the end of chapters 10 and 12 (e.g. Ardabil, Darial Pass, Lake Ara-köl, Dzungarian Gate, Talki Pass, Bishbalik, Altmishbalik, Loulan, Bedel Pass, Ghuriyan, Barskhan, Isfijab, Tashkent, Usrushana and Merv). The narrative of the journey is additionally cluttered by extensive historical background on various polities located along the way, better addressed in appendixes (e.g. pp. 192–4, 198–202). Moreover, there is confusion over Qocho, located in the Turfan Oasis, not on the Guchen-Barkol route (p. 202).
A lack of synchronization between toponyms mentioned in the main description of the journey and those in the summary statements (e.g. Samandar, Aktogaj, Koktash, Kabchagay, Lake Aibihu, Bukluk, Kara-köl, Tokmak, Ak-Beshim, Kish, and Nakhshab) further confuses the situation for the reader attempting to follow the route without the aid of more detailed maps. References to alternative routes that Sallam may have taken on certain legs of his journey are not consistently synchronized between the main text and the summaries (e.g. p. 195 vs. p. 197, pp. 239–40 vs. p. 242 vs. map). Again, comparison with journeys by others in the opposite direction (e.g. pp. 209–14, 230–3) would benefit from maps in the text.
The identification of the barrier that Sallam reached with the “Jade Gate” at Yumenguan (chapter 11) is generally well argued, but this chapter too needs a map or maps, and comparison with Abu Dulaf's Risala is less than convincing. However, despite these shortcomings, the volume will be welcomed by scholars of Islam and Eastern Christianity as an important contribution on this fascinating literary theme.
