“The Silk Road Revisited” is an enticing new book that invites the reader to take an exceptional cultural and historical journey throughout Europe, Persia, Central Asia, and China along one of the world’s oldest trading routes. For more than two millennia the Silk Road developed a vital set of trading arteries between East and West. At its height, the route stretched from Venice in Europe to Xi’an in Northern China. Covering more than 8,000 kilometers, it spanned a wealth of cultures and lands, hosting many of history’s great legends and stories. This vast commercial and cultural relay between countries, peoples, and religions influenced and changed the world and its effects are still being felt today.
This book celebrates and cherishes a part of the world that once held more power through trade than any single empire could hope and which once again, Phoenix-like, is rising from the ashes with a reborn flourish. This is no ordinary book on history – it is a personal view of the Silk Road’s fascinating history that has made each country that once lined its route what it is today. Charting a course from West to East, the book deviates from the traditional East to West depiction of the Silk Road and provides new perspectives.
The engaging text interweaves the history and legends of this remarkable and often forgotten, part of our world history. It is complemented by captivating photography as the reader travels from charming and powerful Venice to the homeland of the Yellow Dragon, China, from snow-capped mountains of Kyrgyzstan to the vast steppes of Kazakhstan, and from the fearless Turkic tribes to the noble Persian empires. In each chapter, the reader also encounters diverse peoples, delicious cuisine, and delightful landscapes through both vibrant photography and rich historical writing.
About the author: Nick Rowan is editor-in-chief of the UK published magazine, Open Central Asia, and author of “Friendly Steppes: A Silk Road Journey” that recounts his travel adventures along the Silk Road, Nick Rowan has an insatiable appetite for all things to do with the Silk Road. An Oxford University graduate, recently back from five years living in Moscow, Nick spends much of his spare time exploring Central Asia, having traveled to all the countries on numerous occasions, on the look-out for new experiences and people to meet. His new book, The Silk Road Revisited, seeks to capture the powerful influence that the history of the Silk Road has left on the countries as you find them today.
It follows the success of Friendly Steppes: A Silk Road Journey, which recalls his first encounters as a traveler of the Silk Road from East to West. Of his second book on the region, Nick says: “It’s a book I have been writing for almost 15 years, ever since I made my own journey along the Silk Road. I wanted to capture just some of the fascinating history and cultural magic that makes the countries along the Silk Road today such marvelous places to visit and full of wonderful people to meet.
The history of the Silk Road is complex, but this book hopes to unravel that a bit and complement it with stunning photography to really bring the words to life and open this part of world history that is so often dismissed and forgotten.” Photography The Silk Road Revisited also represents the breath-taking work of photographers and photojournalists, many of whom are members of the Eurasian Creative Guild. Their exhaustive and in-depth work has resulted in some of the most compelling and historic images of streets, buildings, and landscapes, which can be seen throughout the book.