The Silk Road is not a place, but a journey – a
route from the edges of the Mediterranean to the central
plains of China, through high mountains and inhospitable
deserts. For thousands of years its history has been a
traveller’s history, of brief encounters in desert
towns, snowbound passes and nameless forts. It was the
conduit that first brought Buddhism, Christianity and
Islam into China, and the site of much of the ‘Great
Game’ between 19th-century empires. Today, its central
section encompasses several former Soviet republics, and
the Chinese Autonomous Region of Xinjiang. The ancient
trade route controversially crosses the sites of several
forgotten kingdoms, buried in sand and only now
revealing their secrets. An Armchair Traveller’s History
of the Silk Road not only offers the reader a
chronological outline of the region’s development, but
also provides an invaluable introduction to its
languages, literature and arts. It takes a comprehensive
and illuminating look at the rich history of this
dynamic and littleknown region, and provides an
easy-to-use reference source. Clements pays particular
attention to the fascinating historical sites which
feature on any visitor’s itinerary and special emphasis
is also given to the writings and reactions of
travellers through the centuries.
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