The Silk Roads

This book was an interesting take on the history of the East & it's union with the West. It starts from the B.C.E era and then continues the thread of history up to the U.S war with Iraq. I left this book with much more appreciation for Eastern culture and the advancements made during this time.

fascinating history, bit dissapointed that it still leaned towards western ideologies and zionism. first chaptors were the most intriguing.

** spoiler alert ** One of the bestnhistory books ever written. should be essential reading for anyone interested in the events that shaped the modern world.

The history of the most contested lands in the world. It started through Eastern lenses, and ended up on the Western's point of view. Almost comprehensive of all what was going on in the world with a focus on the Middle East and Asia, and a time span that covered all the way from the Greco-Roman empire to 2013 ... I was astonished by the book's ambition to summarise the history of a vibrant continent across centuries in only some 500 pages (the notes take almost 100 pages) ! Of course a lot of details were omitted, but it was nonetheless a consistent narrative of the History around the Silk Road. The chapters were organised under themes that gave an idea about what was laying ahead, starting by the Road of Faiths, the Road to Concord, the Road of Gold, the Road to Death... A staggering composition that kept me turning pages passionately! Although I was only interested in the Ancient History until the industrial revolution, I found myself captivated by what laid beyond it. One thing is sure, Frankopan has a talent in story telling ! Few insolite informations were disseminated here and there, and I was curious to dig further on those.... Equally delightful was his way of putting events into perspective thus revealing more than the exotic romanticism I have associated with the Silk Road, e.g : "For many Taj Mahal is the most romantic monument in the world, an extraordinary demonstration of a husband's love for his wife. But it represents something else too: globalised international trade that brought such wealth to the Mughal ruler that he was able to contemplate this extraordinary gesture to his beloved spouse." Or at some turns of history, when the author was depicting the road of silver and the incumbent crisis that stemmed from China's love of silver "that became its Achilles heels" (spoiler alert: which produced an economic disaster btw) and the rise of a more connected international trade, meanwhile he same network produced wonders in India as it was opening up to the world: "Globalisation was no less problematic five centuries ago than it is today." From an architectural point of view, it was a spectacular read. I am not sure if it was purposeful or mere coincidence, but throughout the chapters the author would mention a few buildings, that encapsulated the spirit of the times, and give them a historical background that justified their design at times (the above Taj Mahal's quote), or their "political" role in other times. I was surprised to read about Hitler's Mountain home, that was, mind you, cited in "Homes and Gardens" as "the ultimate source of decorating inspiration." Not even recent designs were exempted, citing Norman Foster's design of an awe inspiring Palace of Peace and Reconciliation for Astana city in Kazakhstan illustrating a similar surge of riches as that of India a few centuries back ... "THE SILK ROADS ARE RISING AGAIN!" This was the best read this year so far, history wise !

Great book, worth a careful read