The White Mosque

May 30, 2022
Sci-fi writer Samatar (The Winged Histories) strays from her imagined worlds to excavate a very real past in this fascinating look at her religious heritage. In the summer of 2016, the author—a descendant of Swiss-German Mennonites and Somali Muslims—traveled to Khiva, Uzbekistan, in a reconstruction of an 1880s pilgrimage wherein Mennonite minister Claas Epp Jr. led his followers from Russia into Central Asia, predicting that Christ would soon return. Over two weeks, Samatar, with a group of other Mennonites, traversed great distances and histories before arriving at their destination, Ak Metchet, a Mennonite church built to resemble a white mosque. What Samatar discovered within the walled garden of Ak Metchet was the story of a small but strong Christian community whose culture, traditions, and stories outlived their 50 years residing in the predominantly Muslim area. In evocative prose, Samatar captures the Odyssean sojourn and awakens the stories of the past—painting in harrowing detail the unspeakable horrors that befell the first settlers—while reckoning with her own identity, an “electrical storm” created by two religions perceived “as violently opposed... amplifying one another in a sizzling sibling rivalry.” Emerging from this is a vivid mosaic that interrogates the spirit of the faithful while celebrating the beauty of storytelling. This riveting meditation on the “great tides of history” yields a wondrous take on the ways the past and present intertwine.

June 10, 2024

Samatar (The Winged Histories), a fantasy novelist, professor of African and Arabic literature, and daughter of a Swiss Mennonite and a Somali Muslim, offers an exploration of identity and culture as she recounts her journey from Russia through Uzbekistan to the Christian village of Ak Metchet ("the White Mosque"). Samatar draws upon her own observations, folklore, and recounted conversations to illuminate a slice of history that many listeners may not be aware of--the history of the Mennonite people in central Asia. Samatar interweaves her own experiences, both from childhood and as part of her pilgrimage to the White Mosque, with that of 19th-century European Mennonites, who followed the charismatic leader, Claas Epp Jr., to Uzbekistan to await the second coming of Christ. Samatar's delivery is not as vibrantly performative as some narrators', but it is clear and compelling, tenderly revealing the connections between past and present. VERDICT A complex and inviting work with broad appeal. Part memoir, part travelogue, and part microhistory, as well as a discussion of religion, race, and identity, this is a welcome addition to any audio memoir or travel collection.--Matthew Galloway

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