Wounded Tigris

A River Journey Through the Cradle of Civilization

Leon McCarron

A journey along the Tigris River in search of hope as this lifeblood of civilization now faces the twin threats of geoplitics and climate change.

Starting at the source of this storied river, where ancient Mesopotamians and Assyrian kings had their images carved into stone, explorer Leon McCarron and his small team will journey through the Turkish mountains, across north-east Syria and into the heart of Iraq.

Along the way, they will pass through historic cities like Diyarbakir, Mosul and Baghdad. We will meet fishermen and farmers, along with artists, activists and archaeologists, who rely on the flow of the river. Occasionally harassed by militias, often helped by soldiers, McCarron rode his luck in areas still troubled by ISIS and relied on the generosity of a network of strangers as he follows the river to it's end in the Persian Gulf.

For readers of Simon Winchester, Erika Fatland, and Kevin Fedarko, Wounded Tigris is the story of what humanity stands to lose with the death of a great river, and what can be done to try to save it.

Leon McCarron is an award-winning writer, broadcaster, and explorer from Northern Ireland. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, the Geographical Society of Philadelphia's Explorer of the Year, and is known for long-distance expeditions and immersive multimedia storytelling. In the past decade he has travelled over 50,000km by human power, and is currently based in Iraq.

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Endorsements & Reviews

“Hewn with the visceral language and spirit you’d expect from this adventurer.” National Geographic Traveller

“Real travel writing - hard hitting, with a flowing momentum, hitting a strong modern country…a truly epic journey.” Sophy Roberts, author of Lost Pianos of Siberia

“A reminder of what a great civilisation Iraq once was, what has been destroyed, and what humanity loses in the death of a civilisation. And it gave me itchy feet!" Emma Sky, Founding Director of Yale's International Leadership Center, author of The Unravelling 

“Witty and urbane, and modest enough to make his feats seem quite normal.” The Irish Times on the author

“Unflinching account of a brave and worthwhile journey…a combination of honest writing, diligent research, abundant empathy and an eye for a good story.” Justin Marozzi, historian and author of Baghdad: City of Peace, City of Blood

“Reads like a classic piece of travel writing but it is also an urgent warning about the havoc we are wreaking on our environment.” Daunt Books

“A swashbuckling tale…dodging mines and gun-cradling militia, mccarron returns to tell a tale of a river under assault.” Financial Times

“A brilliant, beautifully written, mad and mystical journey. Read it.” Quentin Sommerville, BBC Middle East correspondent

“A journey through both time and ecological crisis: as epic as it is engaging.” Tom Holland, author of Rubicon, Dominion, and Persian Fire, and host of The Rest is History

“A book by turns hard-hitting, urgent, gently lyrical and self-deprecating, a bittersweet pleasure.” The Sunday Times