Ayesha Sultan explains in new book how travel broadens the mind – if you want it to

Rym Ghazal meets Ayesha Sultan, who has drawn on her experience of many countries for her latest book, launched as part of the Abu Dhabi Festival.

Ayesha Sultan, Al Ittihad columnist and founder-director of Dar Waraq publishing. Reem Mohammed / The National

Everyone travels these days. We pose with landmarks, shop at markets, visit famous sites and cafes. We clutter our social-­media feeds with selfies and updates on exotic locations ­visited.

But rarely does one “sit”, says Ayesha Sultan, and really have a “conversation” with the city one is visiting.

“A city is a living being, it has character and unless you walk barefoot on its roads, touch its buildings and really listen to its beat, you won’t really get to know it,” says Sultan, a prominent Emirati journalist and author whose latest book reflects on her travels to dozens of countries over more than 20 years.

“I would write little notes here and there about this or that trip, and when I started to put them all together, I realised how our perspectives change the more we travel.”

Cities, Travelling and Leaving was published in Arabic this week, along with works from four other Emirati authors at an event in the capital as part of the Abu Dhabi Festival.

Sultan has also been writing columns for newspapers for more than 18 years, since 2008 at Al Ittihad, the Arabic sister paper of The National, on everything from politics to social affairs.

Her engaging style filters into the book, where the stories are written simply, with a flair for wit and humour. Sultan has travelled to countries including Japan, Pakistan, Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, the United States and the United Kingdom.

Rather than a mere travel guide, the book is a collection of essays that discuss the art of travelling and human connections made on these journeys.

“My first trip alone was to Lebanon in 2000, when the south was liberated from Israel, and I got to see a different side to Lebanon at this historic time.”

Sultan expresses great love for that troubled country and describes it as a place that has “unfortunately” deteriorated due to its many conflicts and unresolved issues and has become like a “woman who talks too much and debates too much about nothing and everything”. Interesting trivia are included in her hawamesh, or side notes, that are added to each chapter. “You find out a lot about yourself when you travel, especially when you travel alone. I discovered for instance that I am a very social being, I like to interact with people and I prefer to travel with someone as then there are memories you can share together,” she says.

Sultan regrets not having visited Syria and Iraq. “As the recent conflict had taught us, we should never take a place for granted. Historic cities like Aleppo are now gone, and while there are photos, it is not the same as actually walking down its old streets, touching its old buildings and breathing in the place’s perfume and character.”

The author also makes references to Arabic poetry and songs about the places she visited, such as Asmahan's song Nights of Merriment, set in Vienna.

“Every great traveller from history had personal perspectives on how they interpreted what they saw. The 14th-century traveller Ibn Battuta had a particular focus on religious rituals and landmarks, for instance.”

China is next on her list. Sultan is planning to visit Tibet and walk along the Great Wall.

“There is so much to discover, even here in the UAE itself.”

Since 2013, when she founded her publishing company, she makes it a point to search for those “special books”, whether by Emirati authors or other writers, even books in other languages that she translates to Arabic. She has published 25 books so far.

“I love any book that is enjoyable; it doesn’t have to have a message or a point, even.

“Just the act of reading and engaging the reader is what makes it stand out to me,” she says.

Her book and five others will be available in libraries and bookstores across the country.

Her ultimate goal in writing this book was to inspire people to travel with all their senses engaged. “People visit London, for instance, hundreds of times, but stay in the same places and go to the same places, not really getting to know the people there and the story of the place.

“I want travellers to really appreciate their visits, as every trip is a chance to make new friends with the city and its people.”

Rym Ghazal is a features writer with The National.