The Himalayas

Dan Snow's History Hit

History Hit

History

4.7 • 12.9K Ratings

🗓️ 12 January 2023

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Himalayas is one of the most expansive and storied regions in the world. It's also a place that we're hugely dependent on, providing billions of people with fresh water. Because of its significance, civilisations throughout history have sought to conquer it. What forces have exerted control over 'The Roof of the World'? And what is it about this place that has fascinated outsiders for centuries? Dan speaks with John Keay, journalist and author of Himalaya: Exploring the Roof of the World to explore the intersections of culture, society and nature that makeup one of the world's last great wildernesses.

Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, buddy. Welcome to Dan Snow's History Hit.
0:03.9	Talking about the Himalaya as the author of the new book,
0:07.2	John K. Legendary British historian journalist and lecturer,
0:11.5	calls them and he should know because he's just written a book
0:14.1	about the Himalaya, about exploring the roof of the world,
0:17.6	about the history of the mountains, the people, the beliefs,
0:20.1	and attempts by outsiders to conquer and exploit them.
0:24.3	Now, Himalaya means a boat, the realm of snow.
0:29.0	So perhaps I should change the image podcast to Himalaya.
0:32.2	The towering abode of snow that dwarfs all who approach.
0:38.4	Anyway, that's my hubristic flight of fancy.
0:40.5	I'll just get on with the podcast now.
0:42.5	The Himalaya is such an extraordinary,
0:44.4	an exceptional part of the world,
0:46.0	nearly all the highest mountain peaks on earth,
0:48.8	50,000 glaciers, one third of all of us,
0:52.5	of all of us human beings depend on the Himalayas for fresh water.
0:57.8	It's almost as big as Europe,
1:00.5	and yet the population is scattered so thinly throughout the area.
1:06.1	The geology is unstable as tectonic plates,
1:09.2	shift and clash beneath those mountains,
1:12.4	driving them ever higher, and,
	...

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