A Carpet Ride to Khiva
Seven Years on the Silk Road
Published on 1. July 2010
300 pages
978-1-84831-271-5 (ISBN)
Description
Chris Alexander originally travelled to Khiva, a remote walled city in Uzbekistan on the route of the ancient Silk Road, to write a guidebook. But he stayed, mesmerized by a world of silk and forgotten 15th-century carpet designs - discovering indigo blue, madder red, pomegranate gold and the subtle shades of life in a desert oasis. Alexander’s entrancing travelogue sees him stripped naked at a former Soviet youth camp, crawling through silkworm droppings, tackling a carpet-thieving mayor, distinguishing natural dyes from sacks of opium in Northern Afghanistan, bluffing his way through My Heart Will Go On for Uzbek TV and seeking sanctuary as an anti-Western riot consumed the Kabul carpet bazaar. The result is an unforgettable true story of a journey to the heart of the unknown.
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12/2009
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€38.56
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Persons
Chris Aslan was born in Turkey and spent his childhood there and in war-torn Beirut. He lived in the deserts and mountains of Central Asia for 15 years, and still returns regularly to the region. Chris is currently based in the UK but is planning a move to North Cyprus.
Content
- Intro
- Cover
- Title page
- Copyright
- Contents
- About the Author
- Dedication
- Map of Uzbekistan
- Author's Note
- Prologue: Tashkent transit lounge
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
- Chapter 7
- Chapter 8
- Chapter 9
- Chapter 10
- Chapter 11
- Chapter 12
- Chapter 13
- Chapter 14
- Epilogue: September 2009
- Glossary
- Further Reading
- Acknowledgements
