Area of inquiry 04
Silk Roads
Trade, migration and civilizational contact — routes read through logistics and water rather than romance.
- Caravan economies
- Water and fodder
- Ports of the interior
- Exchange of ideas
Writing
Essay · EN
Demons, Saints and Black Pens
Travel Journal · EN
The Jewels of Badakhshan
Essay · EN
Caravanserais: The Strongholds of the Soul
Research · EN
The Lotus in the Sands
Essay · EN
Wandering: Jews of the Silk Road
Essay · EN
Out of the Mist: The Old Tea Horse Road
Research · EN
Heaven in the Rock: The Lapis Road
Fieldwork
Study Journey · Beijing to Dunhuang · West China · Spring 2026 · Open
Buddhist Roads — West China 2026A traveling seminar between text and place in the making of Mahayana Buddhism
Study Journey · Gansu corridor · Northwest China · Spring 2025 · Completed
Silk Road Tour 2025Lanzhou to Dunhuang along the Gansu corridor, in the company of caves, deserts and kitchens
Study Journey · Yunnan · Southwest China · 2025 · Completed
Tea Roads — Yunnan 2025Leaf, kettle and market along the old tea routes of Yunnan
Expedition · Pamir · Tajikistan · Badakhshan · Summer 2022 · Completed
Pamir Highway 2022The high road through Badakhshan: fortresses, Wakhani villages and the roof of the world
Other areas