本书是关于丝绸之路的**本综合性并有带插图的出版物。《丝绸之路》由这个主题的权威人士编辑，它将古老的路线置于定义它们的景观之中，以揭示它们产生的原材料，穿越它们所使用的旅行方式以及由它们形成的社区。从草原到沙漠再到海洋，按地形进行组织，每个部分都包括详细的地图，历史概况，主题文章，并展示了标志性的艺术品，建筑物和考古发现。大量照片展示了中亚的壮丽景观，其中的大部分是从未走过这条路线的人大多没见过。

丝绸之路于2014年被联合国教科文组织指定为世界遗产，它从来没有像现在这样受到关注或重视。这本精美的出版物赞扬了文化发扬和繁荣的惊人多样性，这种多样性并非于文化的差异性无关，而是因这种差异性而产生的。

As world powers realign their cultural outlooks, there is no better time to consider how Eurasia’s complex network of ancient trade routes – which spanned high mountain ranges, open river plains and vast deserts across the continent and on to the seas beyond – fostered economic activity and cultural communication. From perfume to spice, from religion to art, the trade and exchange of goods and ideas was crucial to the development of civilizations throughout the region, and the world.

This book is the first comprehensive illustrated publication on the Silk Roads. Edited by an established authority on the subject, The Silk Roads situates the ancient routes against the landscapes that defined them, to reveal the raw materials that they produced, the means of travel that were employed to traverse them and the communities that were formed by them. Organized by terrain, from steppe to desert to ocean, each section includes detailed maps, a historical overview, thematic essays and features showcasing iconic art objects, buildings and archaeological discoveries. A wealth of photographs reveal the breathtaking landscapes of Central Asia, mostly unseen by those who haven’t travelled the routes.

Designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2014, the Silk Road has never been of greater interest or importance than today. This beautiful publication honours the astonishing diversity in the way cultures can advance and flourish not in spite of their differences, but because of them.