The city, now the country’s capital, was long a stopping place for camel caravans plying the Silk Road. And where is the Qizilqum? Stretching from parts of Kazakhstan to southern Uzbekistan ...

Conjuring up images of merchants on camel-led caravans, pilgrims braving bandits ... the mere mention of the Silk Road to any medieval adventurer would have them wide-eyed with wonder.

Caravans became moving homes for them ... efficiency in keeping rodents away from crops. Buddhists along the Silk Road saw cats as protectors—not of people but of sacred scrolls.

Travelling the Silk Road brings to life one of the greatest trading routes in human history, showcasing the goods, cultures, and technologies from four representative cities: Xian, Chinas Tang Dynasty ...