The Silk Road - Central Asia, Afghanistan and Iran: A Travel Companion

236 Pages·2015·14.613 MB·English

by  Jonathan Tucker, Paul Theroux

Jonathan Tucker is a former associate director of the Indian and

Southeast Asian department at Spink and Son and has operated a gallery
in St James’s, London, with his wife Antonia Tozer since 2000. He is
also a consultant for Bonhams and is a recognised authority in the field
of Indian and Southeast Asian art, particularly in sculpture. He lived in
Asia for eleven years and spent many years exploring the ancient trade
routes between China and Europe, travelling the entire length of the Silk
Road with the exception of Iraq. He is the author of The Silk Road: Art
and History (Philip Wilson Publishers), an illustrated and annotated map
of the Silk Road for Odyssey Travel Guides; The Silk Road: China and
the Karakorum Highway (I.B. Tauris); and The Troublesome Priest: Harold
Davidson, Rector of Stiffkey.
Praise for Jonathan Tucker’s The Silk Road: Art and History.
‘An enormous and beautiful book […], the most informative work on the
subject I have yet seen.’
Literary Review
‘Jonathan Tucker’s handsome and informative new volume fills an
important niche […] [It] conveys a palpable sense of place without losing
the monumentality of scale and panoramic sweep.’
Annette L. Juliano, Orientations
‘This book is a Silk Road “bible”, a well-constructed and beautiful collation
of a mass of information and knowledge on a truly fascinating corner of the
world. But be warned: read The Silk Road and you’ll want to experience it
for yourself […] a feat worthy of accolades and to top it all off, the book is
filled with excellent, and at times breathtaking, photography.’
Geographical Magazine
‘A most handsome volume, admirable in scope and reliable in detail […] it
will serve as a treasured compendium.’
John Keay, The THES
‘This is a book to fascinate […] not only those interested in the past, but also
those keen to understand the present.’
Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society
‘This is a beautifully designed and produced work […] undoubtedly one of
the fullest and clearest – and certainly the best illustrated – introductions to
this vast and bewildering subject.’
Asian Affairs
‘An exquisitely produced major achievement […] very highly recommended.’
Minerva
S I L K
The

R O A D
Central Asia, Afghanistan and Iran
A TRAVEL COMPANION
Jonathan Tucker
First published in 2015 by I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd
I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd
London • New York
www.ibtauris.com
Copyright © 2015 Jonathan Tucker
Copyright Foreword © 2015 Paul Theroux
The right of Jonathan Tucker to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted
by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or any part thereof,
may not be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Every attempt has been made to gain permission for the use of the images in this book. Any
omissions will be rectified in future editions.
References to websites were correct at the time of writing.
ISBN: 978 1 78076 925 7
A full CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
A full CIP record is available from the Library of Congress
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: available
For Antonia, Jack and Grace

Contents

List of Illustrations ix
Foreword by Paul Theroux xii
Preface xv
Note on the Translation of the Poetry and Prose xvii
Introduction: Merchants, Monks and Migrants: The Traffic
of the Silk Road 1
1 The Old Road Through Afghanistan to India 8
2 Silk Road Sites in Southern Central Asia 16
3 The Coming of Islam to Central Asia 32
4 The Mongols 47
5 Tamerlane (Timur) and the Timurids 58
6 The Silk Road Sites Between Balkh and Nisa 63
7 The Route North from Merv to Khorezm 74
8 The Routes North from the Iron Gate Pass 88
9 The Routes to the North-West from Bukhara to Khorezm 99
10 Silk Road Sites Around Samarkand 112
viii The Silk Road – Central Asia, Afghanistan and Iran
11 The Silk Road Between Samarkand and China 121
12 Parthians and Sasanians 140
13 The Main East–West Silk Road Across Iran 147
14 The Ray–Tabriz Road 159
15 The Ray–Hamadan Road 172
16 The End of the Road: The Silk Road in Decline 180
Chronologies 184
Glossary 191
Notes 202
Bibliography 207