Uzbekistan: Heirs to the Silk Road [Paperback]

Johannes Kalter (Editor), Margareta Pavaloi (Editor), Islam Karimov (Preface)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2003

Since its rediscovery by European explorers and travellers in the 19th century, the Silk Road has lost nothing of its fascination. It continues to evoke images of heavily laden caravans crossing endless deserts, steppes and mountain ranges to reach the markets of wealthy oasis towns. From the second century BC, this network of merchants' routes, well over 4,000 miles long, linked China and the Roman Empire. It served the trade of luxury goods, notably silk, and stimulated the spread of ideas of religion, culture and art. The young republic of Uzbekistan, with its ancient urban cultural centres of Bukhara, Chiwa and Samarkand, is the heartland of the Silk Road. The artistic and cultural history of the region, through more than two millennia, is represented here in four main sections: Transoxiana from the fourth century BC to the arrival of Islam in the eighth century AD; Central Asia as a cultural and political centre of Islam in the eighth century until the fall of the Timurid empire at the beginning of the sixteenth century; Turkestan at the time of the Uzbek-dominated khanates from the sixteenth century up to the Russian conquest and Russian Revolution; and Uzbekistan from Soviet rule until after the establishment of sovereignty. The evolving history of the region is clearly explained in the context of its complex geography, together with analyses of the architecture, the art of the book, Islamic arts and crafts, and the rich variety of textiles of the region. Uzbekistan's cultural history is illustrated with pictures of archaeological finds and ethnographical objects from European and Uzbek museums and private collections, many published here for the first time.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Rich with images....that'll take your breath away. -- Art & Antiques

Language Notes

Text: English
Accompanying Text: English, Russian --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson (April 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 050097621X
• ISBN-13: 978-0500976210
• Product Dimensions: 12.5 x 9.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,113,897 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive guide through the ages., May 25, 2000

By 

Kelvin S. Yew (Singapore Singapore) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Uzbekistan: Heir to the Silk Road (Hardcover)

This German collaboration does well in discussing the general history of the region from the pre-Islamic Sogdian and Bactrian kingdoms, to the khanates and the intrigues of the Great Game to the present day independant country.

Uzbekistan itself, strangely enough, is largely a Soviet era creation. The present borders include the historically important towns of Samarkand and Burkhara (and much of the Fergana Valley), much to the annoyance of Tadjikistan. Thus, the work focusses on the regional definition of Uzbekistan rather than as a people. (The Uzbeks trace their name from Ozbeg, a leader of tribes of Mongol descent in the 14th Century).

Vivid pictures of works of art as well as early photographs chronicle the cultural sophistication in what was once the crossroads of the greatest civillizations in antiquity. An in depth analysis of the different patterns and motifs in carpets points attest to the subtle influences in the region. The book cannot be faulted on its detail of its analysis of artifacts and works of art. Long a people with a nomadic inclination, such influences did not necessarily remain rooted for long, and these remain as probably its most reliable catalog of its past.

Thus said, the book is informative to the point of being somewhat staid in its narrative. Not much is said about life after the transition from the former Uzbek SSR to an independant country. The work is obviously of some national importance as the President of the new Republic provides the forward.

Recommended if you hold more than a casual interest in the region.