The ancient trading posts along the fabled Silk Road have captured our imagination for centuries, thanks to not only countless stories about their grand monuments and lively bazaars, but also the cultural and intellectual exchanges between the East and the West that shaped people’s lives. […]
All posts tagged: Central Asian history
The Unyielding Kalyan Minaret
Imagine being a 12th-century ruler who controls an important city on the Silk Road. You would want to build something great to impress not only your neighbors, but also those coming from places farther afield, wouldn’t you? After all, they have travelled weeks and months […]
The Ark of Bukhara: Inspired by the Stars
The Spanish-built Afrosiyob high-speed train whisked us through a landscape that gradually changed from one filled with endless cotton fields at the peak of harvest season, to vast steppes, before eventually giving way to barren hills. We left the wonders of Samarkand behind and arrived […]
A Walk around Samarkand
On our penultimate day in Samarkand, grey clouds persistently hung over the city. But we had anticipated this and decided that we would spend the day visiting the sites further away from the city center, on foot. I have mentioned this before, but we do […]
Meet Timur the Conqueror
Conquerors must be among the most divisive figures in human history. They are often regarded as heroes by the people they represent, whose territory grows following victorious military campaigns. But on the other hand, the conquered see them either as an evil force or as […]
What an Amazing World! 