Alexander the Great's 20,000-mile journey from Greece to India is seen as a key moment in history which laid the foundations for the later dominance of Western culture, but which also, ironically, paved the way for the spread of Islam. Retracing the journey in this book, Michael Wood travels by plane, train, boat and camel and on foot through many of the 20th century's major trouble spots, including Beirut and Kurdistan. Among the people he encounters are Lebanese traders, Iranian pilgrims and Afghan guerrillas. In an account based on a range of sources as diverse as medieval travellers' narratives, satellite photography and eye-witness reports, momentous events of the past are interwoven with present-day reality.