The Age of the Silk Roads (c 200 BC- c 900 AD) shaped the course of the future. The foundation by the Han dynasty of an extensive network of interlinking trade routes, collectively known as the Silk Road, led to an explosion of cultural and commercial transactions across Central Asia that had a prof[...]

This title offers: enthralling historical introduction; special topics that include Iranian cinema, music, and food; Iran's place on the Silk Road; an introduction to Iran's religious traditions; and, literary excerpts from both Iranian and renowned Western writers that add depth to an appreciation [...]

The enormous area now known as China's Xinjiang Province came to prominence with the rise of the Silk Road two millennia ago. For centuries its nomadic peoples and city-states were subject to both religious and economic influences from India, Greece, Persia and of course China, resulting in a land r[...]