Journey to the Vanished City
The Search for a Lost Tribe of Israel
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group · Print & ebook · April 4, 2000
In a mixture of travel, adventure, and scholarship, historian Tudor Parfitt sets out in search of answers to a fascinating ethnological puzzle: is the Lemba tribe of Southern Africa really one of the lost tribes of Israel, descended from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba?
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- Who it’s for
- Parfitt traces Lemba traditions and routes while examining claims of Israelite ancestry.
- Themes
- Lemba origins and Israelite ancestry, Southern African cultures and history, DNA evidence and tribal tradition
- Genres
- Africa Travel, African History, Jewish History
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Start with this bookAbout this book
In a mixture of travel, adventure, and scholarship, historian Tudor Parfitt sets out in search of answers to a fascinating ethnological puzzle: is the Lemba tribe of Southern Africa really one of the lost tribes of Israel, descended from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba?
Continue reading
Beginning in the Lemba villages in South Africa, where he witnesses customs such as food taboos and circumcision rites that seem part of Jewish tradition, Parfitt retraces the supposed path of the Lembas through Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Tanzania, taking in sights like Zanzibar and the remains of the stone city Great Zimbabwe. The story of his eccentric travels, a blend of the ancient allure of King Solomon's mines and Prester John with contemporary Africa in all its beauty and variety, makes for an irresistible glimpse at a various and rapidly changing continent. And in a new epilogue, Parfitt discusses recent DNA evidence that, amazingly, lends credence to the Lembas' tribal myth.
Lemba Origins
Parfitt traces Lemba traditions and routes while examining claims of Israelite ancestry.
Come here for
- Lemba food taboos and circumcision rites
- Journeys through South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Tanzania
Expect
- An investigation of claimed Israelite ancestry
- A new epilogue discussing DNA evidence
Where it sits
| Jewish History | 38% |
|---|---|
| Africa Travel | 24% |
| African History | 24% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Southern African History
- Jewish History
- Travel in Israel
- Authors
- Tudor Parfitt
- Publisher
- Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
- Published
- April 4, 2000
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Lemba origins and Israelite ancestry · Southern African cultures and history · DNA evidence and tribal tradition
- Reading lane
- Southern African History