During the winters between 1882 and 1890, the intrepid explorers Theodore and Mabel Bent left their home and opulent lifestyle in London’s fashionable West End to meander around the Greek islands and the Turkish coast in search of adventure in the exotic Levant.
Theodore and Mabel Bent were truly intrepid explorers who travelled extensively in Greece and along the Turkish coast. Their thirst for adventure later saw them in Africa, Arabia and Persia. Read about their extraordinary lives on the website tambent.com.
They travelled by steamer, sail-boat, mule and on foot, staying in the finest houses, the humblest dwellings and under open skies, often sharing their sleeping quarters with brigands, fleas and domestic animals. Along the way Mabel penned her diary and Theodore made notes recounting their amazing adventures, local customs, music, dance and much more.
At the beginning of March 1885, the couple visited Karpathos and stayed until April 22. In an adventure-packed stay, they travelled throughout the island, befriended the Turkish governor, became involved in a murder plot and joined in the traditional Easter celebrations in the mountains of the north of the island. However, their primary aim was to explore the archaeological sites of the island, which Theodore documented in his other published works. 'On a Far-off Island' describes their visit and presents a unique record of Karpathiote life, customs and beliefs, undocumented by any other travellers at that time.
In this account, Theodore was vague about the identity of some of the islanders he met. The philologist and historian Minas Chouvardas, who was born on Karpathos, has produced a meticulously-researched article delving further into the people and events Theodore wrote about. Minas' article can be read on our sister website at http://tambent.com/2021/01/04/on-a-far-off-island/. The website is the authoritative source of information about the lives, travels and researches of Theodore and Mabel Bent.
This ebook is a digitised edition of the article Theodore wrote about Karpathos, ‘On a far-off Island’, for the February 1886 edition of Blackwood’s Magazine
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