To the sources of the Euphrates and Tigris

Description of Josef Wünsch's trip to Armenia and Kurdistan

In 1881-1883 Josef Wünsch undertook an expedition to Armenia and Kurdistan, then peripheral regions of the south-eastern part of the Ottoman Empire. His expedition brought many geographical discoveries and findings, whether it was the discovery of the sources of the Eastern Tigris or the description of the hitherto unknown Kurdish provinces of Dersim and Çabakçur.

While the author published his previous European and Balkan journeys in books during his lifetime, the description of his trip to Armenia and Kurdistan was never completed, remaining only in the form of fragments scattered in fiction magazines. Nevertheless, the travelogues from Armenia and Kurdistan form a coherent set that maps Wünsch's expedition well. It concentrates interesting geographical, historical, cultural-anthropological or ethnographic knowledge (e.g. descriptions of everyday life of Kurds and Armenians).

The publication of the book was supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.