Maggie Shipstead’s rail tour through Central Asia on the Golden Eagle train begins unexpectedly in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, after visa issues with Turkmenistan. Reflecting on the Silk Road, she considers its complexity and historical significance. After meeting her fellow passengers, Shipstead is taken by the stunning landscapes of Tajikistan and the warmth of her guide. The article explores themes of history, cultural connection, and the continuing legacy of trade routes that shaped Central Asia through centuries of change.
Rather than a single pathway for a single commodity, the Silk Road was a sprawling, ever-changing web of informal trading routes across the vast Eurasian landmass.
I was curious if I would be able to sense the Silk Road's legacy in the region or if the passage of time had eroded the visible markers of this once magnificent grid of connectivity.
You are Maggie? she said, radiating warmth and a brisk satisfaction at logistics working out. Good. Let's go.
The day had been drizzly, but now the clouds parted, unveiling snow-dusted peaks to the north-not an unexpected sight since Tajikis.
Collection
[
|
...
]