Kashgar: Oasis City on China's Old Silk Road [Hardcover]

George Michell (Author), Marika Vicziany (Author), Tsui Yeshu (Author), John Gollings (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 18, 2008

In the 19th century, the Silk Road city of Kashgar played a central role in the strategic rivalry between Britain and Russia. Today it remains one of the most complete historical urban centers in China, and its celebrated Sunday market is one of the most vibrant in central Asia. This book honors Kashgar’s extraordinary history and character in stunning color photographs that are accompanied by informative text.

Editorial Reviews

Review

One of the most historic cities in Central Asia, Kashgar certainly merits a fine picture book. The city is crammed with photogenic subjects: the Uighur people, their dress, food, donkey carts, houses, mosques and cemeteries. John Gollings has done them justice. --Steppe

About the Author

George Michell trained as an architect and obtained a PhD in Indian Archaeology at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He has carried out research on many historical sites in India including, most recently, the ruined city of Vijayanagara in Karnataka. John Gollings is one of Australia's leading landscape photographers whose work has been widely published in books and magazines. Marika Vicziany is a professor of archeology at Monash University, Australia. Yen Hu Tsui in an archeologist in Beijing.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Frances Lincoln (November 18, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0711229139
• ISBN-13: 978-0711229136
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #766,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cosmopolitan Crossroad, November 23, 2008

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Dr. Debra Jan Bibel "World Music Explorer" (Oakland, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Kashgar: Oasis City on China's Old Silk Road (Hardcover)

The old, inner city of Kashgar, rather than the relatively new and bland buildings surrounding the area are the focus of this interesting cultural and anthropological examination of the fabled junction city on the southern Silk Road, at the edge of a shifting sandy desert and beneath ancient mountain ranges, north of Pakistan and just east of Kazahkstan. The color photographic images and brief introductions of this old town within a city of 3.5 million take us on a virtual exotic adventure. Architecture and design are a unique blend of Indian Moghul, Turkman, Mongolian, and Han Chinese styles, plus traditional Arabic Muslim forms. Donkey, horse, and camel share the roads with motorcycles. The traditional markets and mosques, alleys, homes and cemeteries remind me of another preserved ancient area, the medina of Fes, Morocco. My only complaint is that there were not more photographs and a more refined inspection of the way of life in this distant land. Nonetheless, this is probably the first modern photographic essay of Kashgar, one that should be included in any study of the Silk Road.