The Great Silk Road(s)

This shows the Stans route of our journey...

and the Caucuses portion.

This one shows some of the trade routes.

This UNESCO map shows the range of the 'Silk Road'.

And yet another map that shows the trade routes.

This is a pictography of places on the Silk Road I found in one of our museums visits.

The Silk Road(s)

Baku, Bishkek, Almaty, Bukhara, Yerevan, Tbilisi, Merv, Nukus….

Before I embarked on this Stans and Caucuses trip I had never heard of any of these cities. It turns out they are all on the Silk Road. So are Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Damascus, Jaisalmer and Varanasi, cities I have visited on previous trips. The Wikipedia website lists 134 cities and the UNESCO website lists 55 different countries as being on the Silk Road. And that doesn’t count cities on the sea legs of the trading routes. Obviously given the number of cities, countries, distances and directions involved it’s apparent that it could not be a single road. 

The image that enters most people’s heads of the Silk Road is a romantic and adventurous overland route where travelers journeyed by camel or horseback from Europe to Asia and back. This is the image largely created by Marco Polo’s journeys of 1271-1275. The reality is really very different. For a start the ‘Silk Road’ existed for thousands of years before as various communities and tribes traded with their neighbours. Gradually over time there became a network of routes connecting these tribes as they continued to trade for things they needed or wanted to sell. This would include food stuffs, crafts and drinks such as wine. By the time Marco Polo made his journey (which some historians still debate whether he did actually get to China), the network was vast and traveled in all directions over Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. This is why there was no one Silk Road but a whole network of trading partners and why I have put (s) after Road. Unlike Marco Polo, people or traders did not travel the length of it from one end to another, they usually traveled only a much shorter distance, bought and traded and returned home. Then the goods they sold might travel further as other traders took them somewhere else. For example the most famous item that traveled from east to west and was highly sought after by the Europeans was silk from China. No one trader carried it all the way, it was a series of sales and purchases as the silk made its way west. Other famous items to make that journey were gunpowder, spices, tea, precious stones, paper and slaves. In addition to actual items, religious beliefs and intellectual knowledge and sciences made the journey too as people from different areas and backgrounds interacted with and taught or learned from each other. Christianity traveled west, Buddhism traveled east and Islam traveled both ways. There is some debate about whether Europe learned more from the East than the other way around, as China was an ancient civilization before the Europeans and the Arab world knew about telescopes and the heavens before the Europeans. One thing that traveled west that was a medical disaster was the Black Death that originated in the East and killed millions including somewhere between a third and half of the European population in the Middle Ages (that is in itself another whole area of discussion). Given the vast area of the whole network of trading routes it is obvious that there were many different topographies that needed to be traversed including deserts and mountains. Traders would be traveling through the lands of different tribes or countries and would frequently have to pay a tax or levy which added to the price of the goods. Different groups would try to control the routes and offered protection from bandits at a cost, another tax. This is why as I mentioned in the last post, the Europeans eventually sought and found a sea route to the east and this ultimately led to the collapse of the Asia to Europe routes. The countries of Asia continued to and still do to this day, trade with each other, as do the European countries amongst themselves. The new ongoing history of the Silk Road is that China is working hard to build an overland route from China to the West. We were told this by several of the local guides we had, who told us about various large projects that China was funding. They offer to build good highways, bridges and rail routes through countries that cannot afford to do so themselves. In return the countries are obliged to buy Chinese products and China gets resources from those countries at a cheaper price. I saw the same thing happening in various countries in Africa. The Chinese are a force to be reckoned with and the next global superpower.

From this trip and my readings this perhaps simple overview of the Silk Road(s), helps me to understand the complicated history, peoples, and dates of Central Asia. This succinct summary by UNESCO that I found on their website outlines the importance of the cities on the Silk Road(s):

“Cities grew up along the Silk Roads as essential hubs of trade and exchange, here merchants and travellers came to stop and rest their animals and begin the process of trading their goods. From Xi’an in China to Bukhara in Uzbekistan, from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia to Venice in Italy, cities supplied the ports and markets that punctuated the trade routes and gave them momentum. After travelling for weeks on end across inhospitable deserts and dangerous oceans, cities provided an opportunity for merchants to rest, to sell and buy, and moreover, to meet with other travellers, exchanging not only material goods but also skills, customs, languages and ideas. In this way, over time, many Silk Roads cities attracted scholars, teachers, theologians and philosophers, and thus became great centres for intellectual and cultural exchange forming the building blocks of the development of civilizations throughout history.”

Summary for the 5 Stans and Caucuses

 Reflection and Summary for the 5 Stans and Caucuses trip

This area of the world has interested me for a long time as it contains a large part of Central Asia where I have not visited and has a long, complicated and tumultuous history highlighted by the international trade route of the fabled Silk Road and the conquests of Genghis Khan and the Mongolian hordes. As a youth I was fascinated by the stories of Marco Polo’s overland journeys to the Orient in the 1200’s and how he discovered the rich history of the nations of Asia who had been trading and cross pollinating for centuries. I learned how various tribes or countries imposed taxes or tariffs on the goods carried by the travellers going east or west and how this led the Europeans in frustration, led by the Portuguese, trying to find a sea route to the Orient by sailing around the huge continental landmass of Africa to avoid the taxes. This in turn led to the implementation of the African slave trade and the colonial land grab as the Europeans colonized the continent and plundered the resources including its peoples, gold and ivory. This is also the reason that Christopher Columbus sailed west, as he too was trying to find a trade route to the Orient by going west around the world. I learned more about this in Damascus, Syria when I was there in 2011 as this was one of the western exits of the Silk Road where the traders could sail home across the Mediterranean. So, this area of the world has played a very important role in the history of trade and cross cultural learning and information exchange amongst the tribes, religions and countries of the world from ancient times through to the middle ages and beyond. As we traveled through the Stans of Central Asia we were told by our guide Jordan and our local guides in the various countries and through exploring numerous museums and archeological sites about the history of the area, including the innumerable names of the tribes and civilizations; the unpronounceable names of the Khans, emperors, emirates, tribal leaders, presidents; and the impossible to remember dates of the conquests, developments, and historic events, discoveries, etc. So what did I learn? And what do I remember? Lots and some… it was hard to remember the names of the people or civilizations, or tribes as they were often unfamiliar and given the accents of the local guides harder to focus on and without seeing them in print impossible to remember. I got the general gist of it, but I learned that in order to make more sense of the rich history I needed to delve more into it by research and reading. So, I downloaded two Silk Road histories to read on my Kindle. One was a simplistic overview and the other was more detailed but not excessive. I will give a short history of the Silk Road in my final post.

All eight of the countries we visited were former Soviet Republics and only attained their current independence with the collapse of the USSR on December 26, 1991. All of the countries were comprised of different ethnic groups and tribes and had a long complicated history due to the infighting over beliefs, resources and their shifting borders. The latest version of borders were implemented by the Russians, in particular Stalin who used divide and conquer as a way of dominating their cultures. All of the countries were ruled by the Russian Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War which happened during World War I. The Russians invaded and conquered all these countries on the pretext of uniting Russian peoples. (Germany did the same during World War II). They subjugated and ‘communized’ them all, squashing private enterprise and religious beliefs. As a result, after three generations, although six of these former Soviet Republics are predominantly Muslim (the exceptions are Georgia and Armenia who are predominantly Othodox Christian), they are all secular countries and all the religions seemingly live comfortably together. The Muslims of this area of central Asia are much more moderate and not radical like the Iranians and the Saudis. They no longer wear the stereotypical Muslim attire and the women do not wear hijabs and they have more ‘western’ rights. Although we saw mosques we heard very few calls to prayer and most of the people do not pray five times daily as dictated by the Koran or attend the mosque regularly. It seemed similar to the way we Christains are today in the West. But even before the Russia invasion what affected them all, were the frequent invasions by more dominant civilizations such as the Persians, the Romans, the Mongols and others throughout their history. Each of these marauding empires ran roughshod over central Asia and the Caucuses raping, pilaging, enslaving, subverting religions, stealing resources and causing mayhem. The Persians for example kidnapped young men to train as soldiers and women to work in the sex trade. The history of the area is very complicated and the countries are interwoven with each other and the previous civilizations that existed around them. Of course not everything about being overrun by the Russians was bad. They ended the nomadic life of many of the nomadic tribes living in the area and settled them in towns and cities and developed their economies as well as defining countries based on ethnicity. One of our local guides even said that the very structured educational system of the Soviets was superior to the system that replaced it when the USSR collapsed.

Adventures Abroad

This was my second trip with Adventures Abroad and I am very happy with them. They are more upscale than GAdventures or Intrepid and I like that all dinners are already prepaid as are the tips for local guides, waiters, hotel staff and the like. The hotels are better as well and have more amenities (most had pools). Our guide, Jordan, is an exemplary young man who handled 18 seniors with aplomb and had a good sense of humour and some very corny jokes. He was well organized and very attentive to the needs of his group and dealing with all the personalities and needs is not an easy task. In addition we had local guides as well who could give us more of the inside information and history. Would I travel with them again, yes for sure.

Am I glad I came?

Yes I am very glad I came on this trip. There have been a few frustrations that come with traveling with a divergent group of 18 people, and the sometimes seemingly endless waits to herd the cats into the coach or through museums or border crossings, but there was really no other way to do it and see as much as we have in 35 days through 8 countries. Could we have seen more? Undoubtedly there is much more to see and explore but this trip has given us a generous sampling of the sites and sights of Central Asia and much of the area  that the Silk Roads passed through. Perhaps a more active trip would be more fun as well, especially for John, but that wasn’t what this was about. We were here to learn about the history and cultures of these countries.

Tourists

North American tourists here are still quite rare, but they are beginning to come thanks to companies like Adventures Abroad, a Canadian company. Most of the tourists we saw were either from neighbouring countries or organized groups from places like Italy, Spain or other European countries who are closer to Central Asia than North America is. Uzbekistan has the most tourists by far of the Stans and tourism in the Caucuses is growing as it is such a beautiful area and accessible now that they are independent. 

Safety

Throughout the trip we felt safe and welcome and found the people unfailingly friendly. We never felt uncomfortable or nervous about where we were. Many people at home shuddered when they heard where we were going because of the proximity of Iran, Russia, Iraq and Afghanistan, and because the countries are mostly Muslim, but the people here are more modern, open and welcoming than I had even hoped. We had two Jewish women on the trip who were very comfortable in this environment and didn’t hesitate to visit. We found the peoples of all of the countries to be friendly, as we were often greeted with smiles and a right hand pat over their heart to say welcome. The younger generation were particularly helpful and willing to engage in order to practise their English skills. This was especially true in Turkmenistan where they see fewer foreigners.

Cleanliness and WC’s

All of the countries were surprisingly clean. We saw street sweepers diligently using their straw brooms to sweep sidewalks and roadways. There was very little litter anywhere. Most of the places we went had western style toilets, but in more remote areas there were still squatter style drop toilets which were more problematic for the women. We were encouraged to bring toilet tissue with us as we were never sure which type we’d find and if there’d be any paper provided.  Many places charged a nominal fee to use the toilets but that ensured that there was someone there who was responsible for cleanliness.

Water Rights and Issues

All through the five Stans we visited we saw evidence of and heard about the dilemmas the countries have with water and its scarcity. Already Central Asia has misused the waters of the Aral Sea causing it to become a barren salty wasteland. The salt water was used to irrigate fields causing them to become less fertile, and the salt and sand blows off the dry Aral basin choking the air and distributing toxic chemicals and heavy metals that are blown over the region causing health issues, and birth defects. We were told that the Caspian Sea is heading for a similar fate as the countries surrounding it use its waters to irrigate what should be dessert and to provide water for the cities and peoples. Many of the countries are trying to win water rights from others. Again I remember someone telling me years ago that the future wars will not be about oil but water.

Earthquakes

The Caucasus and Central Asian regions are seismically active, with earthquakes of varying magnitude occurring regularly. Many of the cities we visited have been severely damaged and had to be rebuilt or relocated elsewhere where they deemed it might be safer. 

Traditional dress

Of the five Stans we visited, only Turkmenistan demonstrated any type of traditional or cultural clothing. There the school kids wore uniforms and the adults were dressed conservatively with women wearing long dresses or skirts. Everywhere else people seemed to wear what they liked with some western influence, but almost all of the clothing was modest and women frequently wore head scarfs.

Food

This was not a culinary tour, far from it. Although most of the food was tasty or even good, much of it was just okay. In the Stans many of the meals were variations of ‘plov’ which is a kind of stew, so the meat is boiled, whether it be chicken, beef, or lamb, with carrots, rice or other vegetables. The meat was better in the Caucuses where it was often grilled. All of the countries served two to four little sharable salads of tomatoes and cucumbers, eggplant, shredded veggies or beetroot before the meat was brought out. Over the eight countries there was a variety of different local breads. Some were good but others were quite chewy or bland in flavour. Breakfasts were all buffet style in the hotels we stayed at and provided a large variety of choices. It’s interesting to see what they serve for breakfast, because my western tastes prefer fruit, cereal, porridge, yogurt or toast. But, obviously that’s not for everyone, as there were often lots of vegetables, salads, cold meats and other things that say ‘lunch’ to me. For lunch John and I usually ate snacks taken from the hotel breakfast buffet or bought at local little shops. WE visited a few markets and they were full of fresh fruit and vegetables and an assortment of meat cuts, including in Uzbekistan, horse. In the Caucuses the grapefruits and tomatoes were unbelievably delicious and fresh. The tomatoes were ripe, juicy and red right through unlike the ones we eat in Toronto all year long. There were also excellent strawberries and cherries. It made me wonder where these fruits originally came from. Perhaps something to research later. 

Fast Food

On our travels we saw almost no western fast food restaurants except the occasional KFC. However, in the Caucuses we’ve seen a few McDonalds, Wendys, KFC, Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts. I’m not sure any of this is an improvement to their diet or culture. It is interesting to see the English words or phrases sneaking into the local languages and signage. Fast food, hamburger, hot dog, market, restaurant… were some of the words. I think this is for two reasons, one, the words are learned from the internet and social media, but also so that western tourists can find the places.

Camera phone

I brought my Sony RX10 camera with me, but didn’t use it. The iPhone is just so much easier to use, less cumbersome and less intrusive. It takes great photos even in very low light. Plus it is super easy to edit the photos immediately right on the phone. So again I guess I am a picture taker rather than a photographer.

Soviet vs Independence

All of the eight countries have struggled after the collapse of the USSR and there have been civil wars, rebellions, political struggles, dictators and even some elections as the people try to reorganize themselves after the strict communist rules of the Soviets. Some of the countries and their people are struggling with freedom. We heard about countries where the local Soviet leader automatically assumed command when the Russians left. All the Russian companies closed shop leaving abandoned factories, buildings and apartment blocks where the workers had worked, empty. Some of the populace lost jobs and pensions, including Elias, one of our guides who had served in the Soviet forces. Some of the older generation preferred the certainty of what they already knew and were fearful of change. It has been a difficult transition in many ways. Azerbaijan and Armenia, for example, had a war during the COVID years and Azerbaijan claimed part of Armenia. However, Armenia owns an area called Nakhchivan that divides Azerbaijan in two. Mount Ararat that was historically inside Armenia and is a large part of their culture and belief systems, (Noah’s Ark landed on top), is currently located in Turkey after the Turkish-Armenian war of 1920. The Caucuses are fearful of the return of the Russians, given the occupation of Crimea and the war in Ukraine. So the history continues as all of the countries are continuing to find their footing in the international community and are developing their economies even as they continue to find their relationships and allegiances with their immediate neighbours.

We visited many museums as this was an easy way to learn about the history and culture of a country or region. Some were excellent, like the genocide museum and the history museum in Yerevan. But some were pretty basic, underfunded and a few were repetitive especially when it came to learning about the early history of man, like the stone age or the bronze age. Really the focus of this trip in my opinion was the Silk Road(s). 

Disappointments

I was disappointed that we did not get to go to the Doors of Hell in Turkmenistan. This a large open pit gas fire that the Soviets inadvertently ignited years ago and is burning to this day. It looks like the centre of a volcano especially at night. It was on the itinerary until last year when the passengers in reviews voted that it be deleted as the road to get there was very difficult and long and there was nothing to do there other than look at it, and the accommodations there were too basic. I was also disappointed that we didn’t go to the Aral Sea area to see the results of water mismanagement committed by the countries surrounding it, as they have used the water to irrigate the desert and all but drained the sea. The result is a dried up sea bed littered with stranded fishing boats that have made for excellent environmental photos on social media.

Other Things I Noticed

Electric vehicles are numerous and mainly Chinese. The Caucuses import many damaged cars from North America, Europe, and Japan, which they fix and sell. This is a big business and there are many cars that are right hand drive on the road. We didn’t see many bicycles, mopeds or motorcycles, but I did see and talk to a few tourists riding BMW motorcycles. I didn’t notice tennis or pickleball courts anywhere, the only sports fields I saw were for football (or soccer). 

 

Dogs and Cats

Throughout the Stans we saw very few dogs, as pets or feral, but in the Caucuses they are everywhere. They are not pets, some are work dogs and the others just seem to wander around. The ones in the cities are neutered and ear tagged. They seem to be well fed and are not aggressive or threatening at all. They approach hopefully looking for food but are not a nuisance. We did see a few dogs on leashes in Armenia. We saw some cats wandering around the Caucuses as well but they didn’t seem to be pets either.

Kazakhstan only visited the extreme south east of this huge country

Kazakhstan produces more uranium than any other country. It is the richest country in Central Asia, with oil and gas. Kazakhstan is the 9th largest country in the world but the largest landlocked country. Economy is strong because it is oil rich and has an abundance of mineral reserves. It is reminiscent of European cities with its tree lined streets… Tenge is the currency and is about 520 to a US dollar. Languages are Kazak and Russian.

Some facts about the 8 Countries we visited:

Uzbekistan

Population         35.6 million

Capital         Tashkent

Area         447,400 sq km

GDP per capita (international $) 12462

Average monthly salary (US$) 471

Religion                 Muslim

Language         Uzbek and Russian

Political System         authoritarian, president for life

Resources         gold, copper, uranium, natural gas,

                                                        untapped oil and gas, cotton; Agriculture                                                                                                                     employs 27%

Brief Description         hot, dry, double landlocked country.

Turkmenistan

Capital             Ashgabat

Population            7.3 million

Area             488,100 sq km

GDP per capita (international $)     27873

Average monthly salary (US$)     881

Religion                     Muslim

Language             Turkman 

Political System              Presidential republic, President for life, supreme authority, no opposition parties, really an autocratic dictatorship

Resources             natural gas and substantial oil resources

Brief Description             is in a temperate desert zone with a dry continental climate

Kyrgyzstan

Capital             Bishkek

Population             7 million

Area             199,951 sq km

GDP per capita (international $)     8781

Average monthly salary (US$)     281

Religion                     Muslim

Language             Kyrgyz and Russian

Political System             three authoritarian presidents have been ousted from 

office since 2005 due to popular protests; it swings between authoritarian and democratic forms of government

Resources             cotton, tobacco, wool and meat are the main products;

Gold, coal

Brief Description             landlocked country; very mountainous and contains the

second largest mountain lake in the world: Issyk-Kul

Kazakhstan

Capital             Astana

Population             20.3 million

Area             2,600,000 sq km

GDP per capita (international $)     44446

Average monthly salary (US$)     895

Religion                     Muslim followed by Christian

Language             Kazakh and Russian

Political System             autocratic and perhaps corrupt

Resources             oil reserves, minerals and metals; almost every known 

element on the periodic table can be found in the country

Brief Description             world’s 9th largest country and the largest landlocked 

country; hilly plateaus and plains with some lowlands and 

some low mountains

Tajikistan

Capital             Dushanbe

Population             10.3 million

Area             143,100 sq km

GDP per capita (international $)     10492

Average monthly salary (US$)     192

Religion                     Muslim

Language             Tajik

Political System              president for life republic

Resources             agriculture and services; heroin trafficking is estimated to 

be equivalent to 30-50% of national GDP

Brief Description             landlocked smallest nation in Central Asia; 90% of country

is mountainous

Azerbaijan

Capital             Baku

Population             10.3 million

Area             79,640 sq km

GDP per capita (international $)     26235

Average monthly salary (US$)     549

Religion                     Muslim

Language             Azerbaijani

Political System             authoritarian; president head of state; prime minister head

of government

Resources             50% of GDP is from gas and oil; shale and peat

Brief Description             country of very favourable natural conditions and rich

natural resources

Georgia

Capital             Tbilisi

Population             3.8 million

Area             69,700 sq km

GDP per capita (international $)     30749

Average monthly salary (US$)     763

Religion                     Christian

Language             Georgian

Political System             parliamentary representative democratic republic

Resources             tourism; wine making; citrus fruits, tea, grapes; copper and

manganese

Brief Description             mountainous terrain with lush fertile valleys

Armenia

Capital                 Yerevan

Population                 2.9 million

Area                 29,743 sq km

GDP per capita (international $)         25060

Average monthly salary (US$)         591

Religion                         Christian

Language                 Armenian

Political System                 parliamentary republic

Resources                 copper, molybdenum and gold; zinc, silver, lead

Brief Description                 mostly mountainous, with fast rivers and few forests;

climate is highland continental: hot summers and 

cold winters