The river Tigris is in danger. It has been the lifeblood of ancient Mesopotamia and modern Iraq
but geopolitics and climate change have left the birthplace of civilisation at risk of becoming
uninhabitable. In 2021 adventurer Leon McCarron travelled by boat along the full length of the
river in search of hope. From the source where Assyrian kings had their images carved into
stone McCarron and his small team journeyed through the Turkish mountains across north-east
Syria and into the heart of Iraq. Passing by historic cities like Diyarbakir Mosul and Baghdad
McCarron kept the company of fishermen and farmers but also 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 to reach the Persian Gulf. 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 makes the perfect companion for the dusty road' Benedict Allen 'A marvellous
adventure and an impressive feat of endurance. This is also a journey that explores the people
and landscapes of a misunderstood part of the world with great insight and enthusiasm' Ranulph
Fiennes on The Land Beyond
