this book is awesome
The stuff about the British spies completely amazed me.
For those who haven't read the book, it is about the fight between England and Russia for colonial supremacy in central asia during the 19th century, when most of what is now Afghanistan, Pakistan, and several of the former Soviet Republics was largely unknown territory to the western powers.
Britain sent spies in to map the area and learn more about the various Khanate kingdoms that were there. Basically, they took these pretty young guys, taught them some languages, and then had them travel through this unknown region of the world disguised as holy men for years at a time, covertly mapping the territory and taking notes on the strength of the various Khans' armies. Crazy stuff.
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