The Overland Book is a young man’s exploration of life beyond the Silk Road
THE SILK ROUTES
Not from a single road, but rather hundreds of ever evolving routes, the Silk Road first took shape in 130BC, when the Han dynasty developed interest in what lived beyond their western mountains.
Enamoured by the far superior horses bred in the Ferghana valley, they traded silk for steed. In turn, paving the first section of the Silk Road. before long, Chinese silk had made it all the way to Rome. The East and West were now formally engaged, the Old World connected.
The Silk Road, or perhaps more fittingly Silk Routes, facilitated the trade of just about every good imaginable. silk, spices, paper, and gunpowder moved west, while gold, glass, camels, and Christianity ventured east.
Seldom traveled in its entirety, traders would instead journey between two cities such as Bukhara and Khiva, selling goods that would increase in value as they continued to move further from their origin. By the time a piece of silk traveled from China to Constantinople, it would likely have passed through the hands of no less than ten traders.
THE NEW CENTRAL ASIA
Starting in the mid 19th Century, the Russian Empire began a conquest of Central Asia that resulted in the formation of Russian Turkestan. In 1918, along with a regime change in the motherland, this territory would become Soviet Central Asia. Until this point, the empires of this land had never been confined to our modern concept of national borders. Whilst Stalin's strategies and intentions remain an ongoing topic of debate, he split up the territory into five separate Soviet socialist republics, the five countries that now makeup Central Asia. For the first time in
As the Soviet Union fell in 1991, Central Asia found itself free from over 100 years of Russian rule. More importantly, the people now stood as citizens to independent countries for the first time in their history. These fledging nations have now been left with the task of tethering a line between building a new national identity and reclaiming their ancient history. Young and old, the middle of the world is at the crossroads of time. The question now being asked is, will it ever again become a crossroad of trade?
In 2013, China announced the Belt and Road Initiative in the hopes of once again shifting economic focus back to Eurasia, a project with the makings of a renaissance, a possible Silk Routes 2.0. However, before we get too invested in the future, perhaps it would be best to first examine the past, to take a journey through the middle of the world.
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TURKEY
In the Old World, there was known to be only three continents that made the earth whole. Asia, Africa, and Europe. Following this belief when one found themselves along the plateau of the Anatolian Peninsula, an area which now covers 97% of modern day Turkey, one was able to reach any corner of the earth.
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GEORGIA
For over 8,000 years, communities and cultures have called Georgia home. Unlike many of its neighbouring countries, which are both Turkic in ethnic majority, and Islamic in preferred religious disposition, Georgia remains ethnically Caucasian, and a Christian Majority.
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USTYURT PLATEAU
A little over 1,000 years ago, activity began to pick up along this plateau with the rising popularity of the Silk Routes. Whilst the harsh weather made for a brutal crossing, its advantageous position of bridging lands between Europe and Asia turned this barren landscape into a hot spot for caravanserais, fortresses, and trade cities.
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UZBEKISTAN
Outlined by the Amu Darya & Syr Darya, Uzbekistan is one of just two double-landlocked nations of the world. A country entirely desert until its very far east, oases are its most defining geographical characteristic. Amongst the scattered oases, cities of elusive grandeur have been built, sustained, ransacked, and re-imagined as the heart of trade along the once glorious Silk Routes.
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TAJIKISTAN
Nestled in the heart of Central Asia, Tajikistan is the smallest and most rugged of the countries that make up this region. 93% mountainous, more than half the country is above 3,000m. This leaves much of Tajikistan entirely uninhabitable. Just over 5% of the nation's total land is arable, three quarters of which is found within the very small Tajik portion of the Ferghana Valley.
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KYRGYZSTAN
Description goes Much like Tajikistan, mountains account for over 90% of Kyrgyzstan. Beyond its rugged exterior, Kyrgyzstan boasts an impressively diverse set of life within its relatively small boundaries. Although accounting for just 0.04% of the Earth’s surface area, around 2% of the worlds flora, and 3% of the fauna are represented here. In the west, Arslanbob is home to the world’s largest walnut forest, Kyrgyzstan’s first export to Europe via the great Silk Routes.
