Journey of the Magi : travels in search of the birth of Jesus / Paul William Roberts.

Originally published: Vancouver: Raincoast Books, 2005.

Includes index.

The journey -- The birth -- The Holy City -- Kashan -- Strange women, strange Gods -- The last of the Zoroastrians: Yazd -- A Zoroastrian notebook -- The Fire Temple -- Reza's edge: Isfahan -- The man of light: Susa -- The devil in Iraq -- The museum of Syria.

"Who were the Magi and why did they travel hundreds of miles to worship a newborn child? These are mysteries that have endured and remained unsolved for centuries, in part because nativity accounts and descriptions of the Magi vary dramatically - from the Bible itself to the Arabic Nativity Gospel. Intrigued by Marco Polo's claim to have visited the tomb of the Magi in a 'castle of fire-worshippers', Paul William Roberts here travels to Iran and traces the Magi's legendary journey overland to Bethlehem, through Iran, Iraq, Syria and Jordan. In the course of his extraordinary adventure, Roberts encounters a diverse cast of characters, from fearless smugglers to serene Zoroastrian priests, and chases clues from Marco Polo's Travels and the Dead Sea Scrolls to the legends of King Solomon and the Crusader Knights."--Jacket.