Essay · 4 min · EN
The Soul of the Chinese Street
A journey through the history, regional migrations, and economic grit of China’s vibrant night markets.
Writing
Essays and field notes
Essays, field notes and research by Noam Backner on China, Inner Asia, Buddhism, the Silk Roads, food, agriculture and the lived experience of place.
Travel & Education (11)All writing
Travel Journal · 3 min · EN
Immortals and Bunkers
A journey up Mount Fu Shan, where ancient Chinese mountain traditions collide with the concrete ruins of German fortifications.
Essay · 5 min · EN
The Other Incense Road
The journey of frankincense from Southern Arabia and the Horn of Africa to China, by land and sea.
Essay · 3 min · EN
The Myth of the Authentic Tribe
On tribalism, indirect rule, and the long shadow of minority policy—a journey through China's ethnic politics.
Research · 1 min · EN
Journey to the Pamir Mountains: A Guided Tour (September 2021)
It is no secret that this creaky blog is updated sporadically and is due for a facelift, but I would still like to use this modest platform to announce a tour I will be leading this September to the Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan.
Essay · 1 min · EN
Spies and the Twilight of Empire
Frederick Marshman Bailey in the uniform of an Austrian soldier.
Essay · 1 min · EN
Doomsday Raki
A certain Sufi sat in the town square at midnight, pondering the things Sufis ponder at such hours, seasoning his thoughts with a bottle of raki.
Essay · 8 min · EN
Whispers of Paradise: A Journey into Sufi Music
From Sassanid legends to the ecstatic rituals of the Mevlevi and Qawwali traditions, music has long served as the bridge between the human soul and the Divine.
Essay · 3 min · EN
The Last Refuge of the Silk Road Kings
A journey to the remote Yaghnob Valley, where the language of the ancient Sogdian merchants still echoes.
Travel Journal · 9 min · EN
A Thousand Celestial Meadows: Kyrgyzstan
A nation of Siberian nomads on a trans-civilisational frontier, and the summer pastures that still hold its identity.
Essay · 6 min · EN
In the Gates of Turan
Why the Shahnameh's oldest quarrel is an ecological one: the sown land against the sea of grass.