INTRODUCTION

PART 1: PLANNING YOUR TRIP

Routes, costs and making a booking
Route options 8 – Costs 11 – When to go 11 – Making a booking 13 –
Visas 15

Before you leave
Who to go with 18 – What to take 19 – Vaccinations and health safeguards 22 – Travel insurance 24 – Background reading 24 – Internet resources 30

PART 2: THE SILK ROAD

History
The route 31 – Alexander the Great 37 – Zhang Qian 40 – The Parthian Shot 41 – The Royal Purple 43 – No more secrets 44 – A New Golden Age 45 – The Mongols 47 – Pax Mongolica 51 – The end 51

PART 3: THE MIDDLE EAST

Facts about the region
Geographical background 53 – History 54 – The people and their religion 65

Practical information for the visitor
The route 69 – Documents 71 – Climate 71 – Accommodation 72 –
Transport 74 – Travel agencies and tourist information 75 –
Electricity 76 – Time 76 – Money 76 – Communications 77 –
National holidays 78 – Customs and attitudes 78 – Food 79 – Drink 80

Istanbul 81 – Cappadocia (Gφreme) 95 – Antakya 100 – Aleppo 105 – Hama 108 – Krak des Chevaliers 111 – Palmyra 114 – Damascus 117 – Malatya and Kahta 124 – Erzurum 126 – Dogubeyazit 128 – Tabriz 130 – Ghazvin 132 – Tehran 134 – Esfahan 142 – Shiraz 149 – Persepolis 152 – Mashad 155

PART 4: CENTRAL ASIA

Facts about the region
Geographical background 158 – History 159 (Turkmenistan 167,
Uzbekistan 169, Kyrgyzstan 170) – The people 172

Practical information for the visitor
The route 174 – Documents and formalities 174 – Climate 177 – Safety 178 – Accommodation 179 – Travel agencies and tourist information 180 – Transport 182 – Electricity 182 – Time 182 – Money 182 – Communications 183 – National holidays 184 – Food 184 – Drink 185

Mary and Merv 186 – Ashgabat 190 – Konye-Urgench 194 – Nukus 197 – Khiva 199 – Bukhara 205 – Samarkand 215 – Tashkent 222 – The Ferghana Valley 230 – Osh 232 – Bishkek 234 – Issyk Kul 238 – Song Kul 240

PART 5: PAKISTAN AND THE KARAKORUM HIGHWAY

Facts about the region
Geographical background 243 – History 243 – The people 252 – The economy 253 – Religion 253

Practical information for the visitor
The route 254 – Documents 256 – Climate 256 – Accommodation 257 – Travel agencies and tourist information 257 – Transport 257 –
Electricity 258 – Time 258 – Money 258 – Communications 259 –
National holidays 259 – Customs and attitudes 259 – Food 260 – Drink 262

Sost 263 – Passu 263 (Hiking around Passu 264) – The Hunza and Nagar valleys 267 (Karimabad 268) – Gilgit 271 – Rawalpindi and Islamabad 274

PART 6: CHINA

Facts about the country
Geographical background 278 – History 278 – The people 287 – Religion 288

Practical information for the visitor
The route 289 – Documents 289 – Climate 291 – Accommodation 292 – Travel agencies and tourist information 293 – Transport 293 – Electricity 297 – Time 297 – Money 297 – Communications 298 – National holidays 298 – Customs and attitudes 299 – Food 300 – Drink 301

Xinjiang Geographical background 302 – History 302 – Kashgar 205 – Kuqa 309 – Turfan 312 – Southern Taklamakan route 320 – Khotan 321 – Charklik 323 – Dunhuang 324 – Jiayuguan 329 – Lanzhou 334 – Xi’an 340 – Pingyao 349 – Datong 351 – Beijing 354

APPENDIX
Useful words and phrases (Arabic 375, Russian 376, Chinese 376)

INDEX 379

Book List | The Silk Roads - A route and planning guide | Buy This Book | Table of Contents
| Introduction | Planning your trip | The Middle East - Practical information for the visitor | Damascus |