Unravelling the Silk Road: Travels and Textiles in Central Asia

Description

Three textile roads tangle their way through Central Asia. The famous Silk Road united east and west through trade. Older still was the Wool Road, of critical importance when houses made from wool enabled nomads to traverse the inhospitable winter steppes. Then there was the Cotton Road, marked by greed, colonialism and environmental disaster. At this intersection of human history, fortunes were made and lost through shimmering silks, life-giving felts and gossamer cottons. Chris Aslan, who has spent fifteen years living and working in the region, expertly unravels the strands of this tangled history and embroiders them with his own experiences of life in the heart of Asia. Chris Aslan was born in Turkey and spent his childhood there and in war-torn Beirut. He lived in the deserts and mountains of Central Asia for 15 years, and still returns regularly to the region. Chris is currently based in the UK but is planning a move to North Cyprus. A textile-rich tale, Chris Aslan unravels the threads of a compelling history, embellished with stories of his own experiences in the region. Art Society Magazine Unravelling the Silk Road is exactly the kind of book we like to champion at Daunt, rich immersive travel writing that changes how we look at our world. Daunt Book of the Week Deeply researched and passionately told, Aslan's new book deftly weaves the complex strands of Central Asia's history, people and textiles. From the dusty alleys of Khiva's Old City to the high-altitude plateau's of Tajikistan's High Pamirs, Aslan makes a warm and curious guide. I couldn't put it down. Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent, author of A Short Ride in the Jungle and Land of the Dawn-lit Mountains Cover List of Illustrations Maps Author’s Note Prologue: Crossroads Introduction: Spinning a Yarn PART ONE THE WOOL ROAD 1. Tartan in Tartary 2. The Roof of the World 3. How to Get Down from a Yak 4. The Tent Dwellers 5. Nomads No More 6. A Carpet to Baba Lenin PART TWO THE SILK ROAD 7. The Heavenly Vegetable 8. Worms that Changed the World 9. At the Heart of the Silk Road 10. From Moth to Cloth 11. Silk in Flames PART THREE THE COTTON ROAD 12. A Plant that Killed a Sea 13. Magical Protection 14. Great Exploitations 15. From Mohammed to Marx 16. The International Cotton Boycott 17. Embroidering The Truth Loose Ends Epilogue: A New Road Glossary Bibliography Acknowledgements