Arab geographers of the Middle Ages have described the Eurasian landmass to be a beautiful woman and the Himalayas to be the "jewel encrusted clasp," (Keay, 1). This region was widely unknown to the western world throughout history. The region has been romanticized by such authors as Thomas Moore, who "had never been to Kashmir but his balmy scent-laden breezes rustling the bowers so dear to lovers somehow managed to conjure up a not unrecognizable image of the place," (Keay, 5). The region's geography had made the area almost impossible to colonize during the Great Game. But, the interest sparked by curiosity of the unknown paved the way for many expeditions to the region in the nineteenth century. Tibet in particular had been a piece of contention during the Great Game.

The geography of Tibet has created an exellent metephor for its problems with both Britian and China throughtout history...