Finally, the most important land trade route in the medieval world has a proper illustrated survey. This is a beautiful book, with brief but authoritative articles on all topics connected with ancient and medieval trade. The "maritime silk road" from south China via the Indian Ocean to the Near East is covered in the last few chapters. The book's hundreds of illustrations range from exciting new finds to classic photos going back over 100 years.
It brings back happy memories. The chapter on caravanserais reminded me of staying in a caravanserai in the Bamiyan Valley in 1974. The building was adobe. The bed was a built-up adobe platform with some old quilting. Lighting was a candle. Food was the incomparable bread, made from fresh-ground local hard mountain wheat, baked in a huge underground tandur oven the size of a small room. As a matter of fact, that very caravanserai or its next neighbor is illustrated on p. 127 of this book! Another familiar view on p 364 shows a mountain forest cleared of non-valuable trees, leaving the wild apples and others and opening the ground for grazing; I have been in such spots in Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.
If you have any interest in the Silk Roads, you will want this book. If you have no interest, it will make you want to go and look.
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Reviews with images
The only silk road book I could find with lots of photos.
I love reading history and I love traveling through it, the cities, culture and artifacts. Surprisingly, this was the only book I could find with a lot of photos (color at that). So, this is my new favorite coffee table book! Susan Whitfield has produced a tour de force for folks like myself that like to view gorgeous pictures to supplement the narrative. Supremely happy 😊 I took the time to search for a book like this. I don’t know anything about Susan, but from my searching I found out she has written several books on the Silk Roads. Suffice to say, she must be well educated on the subject and is certainly passionate about it to have authored so many tomes. It truly is a wonderous book. I added some photos so you could see in part the detail and grandeur of this book. Apologies, for the sideways and uppsy-downsy of the attached picts. This is my first-time uploading photos in a review, but felt it necessary to better illustrate some of the goodies in this book. You’ll just have to turn your head or tablet a little or a lot to level things out.If you feel your not getting your intellectual itch scratched enough. Susan certainly has a number of other Silk Roads books that I know nothing about (for now). Or order Peter Frankopan’s highly reviewed treatise to fill in any gaps.Anyway, I hope my short & sweet review was of some benefit to my fellow vicarious Silk Road travelers. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Course I’ve been wrong before.. 😉 Stay safe & healthy!
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2021
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2020
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2020
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2020
If you feel your not getting your intellectual itch scratched enough. Susan certainly has a number of other Silk Roads books that I know nothing about (for now). Or order Peter Frankopan’s highly reviewed treatise to fill in any gaps.
Anyway, I hope my short & sweet review was of some benefit to my fellow vicarious Silk Road travelers. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Course I’ve been wrong before.. 😉 Stay safe & healthy!
The only silk road book I could find with lots of photos.
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2020
I love reading history and I love traveling through it, the cities, culture and artifacts. Surprisingly, this was the only book I could find with a lot of photos (color at that). So, this is my new favorite coffee table book! Susan Whitfield has produced a tour de force for folks like myself that like to view gorgeous pictures to supplement the narrative. Supremely happy 😊 I took the time to search for a book like this. I don’t know anything about Susan, but from my searching I found out she has written several books on the Silk Roads. Suffice to say, she must be well educated on the subject and is certainly passionate about it to have authored so many tomes. It truly is a wonderous book. I added some photos so you could see in part the detail and grandeur of this book. Apologies, for the sideways and uppsy-downsy of the attached picts. This is my first-time uploading photos in a review, but felt it necessary to better illustrate some of the goodies in this book. You’ll just have to turn your head or tablet a little or a lot to level things out.Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2020
If you feel your not getting your intellectual itch scratched enough. Susan certainly has a number of other Silk Roads books that I know nothing about (for now). Or order Peter Frankopan’s highly reviewed treatise to fill in any gaps.
Anyway, I hope my short & sweet review was of some benefit to my fellow vicarious Silk Road travelers. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Course I’ve been wrong before.. 😉 Stay safe & healthy!
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
peter upton
One of the best books on the Silk Road
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 11, 2023Alok Prasad
Great publication, but arrived in slightly damaged condition.
Reviewed in India on February 1, 2021