Browsing: Silk Road

Most of us can’t find it on a map. But, yes, Virginia, there is a country called Uzbekistan.

And – though it may be hard for us to find on a map – it was at one time one of the great trading thoroughfares of the world, and traveled by legendary explorers such as Marco Polo.

I traveled through Uzbekistan, too. And I can tell you that it’s a place of vast horizons and stunning …

For 3,000 years, a series of roads connected the East with the West. Long, treacherous and, in some places, nearly impassable, some eight or nine roads for centuries offered the only access between China, India and Europe. These together have come to be known as the Silk Road.

Extending almost 6,000 miles from end to end, the roads were traveled by spice and slave traders, spiritual pilgrims and silk merchants. They crossed mountains, deserts and …