Asia Overland Tales of Travel on the Trans-Siberian & Silk Road

by Omrani, Bijan

• ISBN13: 9789622178113
• ISBN10: 9622178111
• Edition: 00
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-07-01
• Publisher: Odyssey Books & Maps

Summary

What was it really like to travel the iron rails of the Trans-Siberian Railway in its early years, the dusty, parched tracks of the Silk Road in its heyday, orthe rugged, dangerous mountain passes into and out of the Indian subcontinent? Eurasia's great land routes, offspring of the ambition of Russian tsars, Chineseemperors and Mughal khans, have served human history well, acting as conduits for trade, religion and cultural conventions, and as avenues down which conqueringarmies and commercial pioneers swarmed in the forging of empires. With wit and humor, Omrani weaves a tapestry of tales and reports by a panoplyof travelers down the centuries, taking the reader on an exciting journey that crossescontinents and spans epochs. Richly embellished with stunning photography, detailedmaps and fascinating archival illustrations, Asia Overland is a compelling piece of travelliterature that will appeal to both modern-day explorers and armchair travelers alike. Travel companion and historical travelogue Resourced from travel luminaries: from George Kennan to Anton Chekhov, Fa Xian and Xuanzang to Marco Polo and Matteo Ricci, Sir Clarmont Skrine and Francis Younghusband to Peter Fleming and Mildred Cable, Lord Curzon and Sir Alexander Burnes to Yakut al-Hamawi and Ruy Gonzáles de Clavijo Fascinating archival images Lavish, broad-ranging photography