Menu Close

Articles on Silk Road

Displaying 1 - 20 of 29 articles

Josaphat sits Dreaming in a Landscape, from the Workshop of Diebold Lauber, c 1469. Getty Musuem

How the Buddha became a Christian saint

It was only in the 19th century the West became aware of Buddhism as a religion in its own right – but the Buddha had been a Christian saint for centuries.
An Uighur woman rests near a barricaded structure and heavily armed Chinese policemen in Urumqi. Ng Han Guan/AP Photo

I was in China doing research when I saw my Uighur friends disappear

A scholar who spent 24 months in the Uighur-dominated regions of China recalls when the Chinese crackdown on Uighurs started in 2017 – people were picked up and never returned.
A delegate in traditional Uighur dress listens to a speaker during a meeting with delegates from China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region in Beijing, AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein

The history of China’s Muslims and what’s behind their persecution

Muslims came to China in the 13th century and played an influential role. Tensions have escalated since 9/11, and the global community is largely silent.
The Tianshan mountains frame Sayram Lake in the Bortala Prefecture in Xinjiang, China. Gilby Jepson

How Eurasia’s Tianshan mountains set a stage that changed the world

Setting the scene for ancient Silk Road trading and now China’s Belt and Road initiative, the Tianshan has changed humanity. Geological evidence shows us how this incredible mountain range formed.
A 1932 photograph showing the minaret of the Great Mosque of al-Nuri, Mosul. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

On Yom Kippur, remembering Mosul’s rich and diverse past

As Mosul rebuilds, its history is a reminder that people of many faiths lived in cooperation in the city. In the city was the Tomb of Prophet Jonah, venerated by Jews, Christians and Muslims alike.
China’s proposed one belt, one road route map Shutterstock

Where Africa fits into China’s massive Belt and Road Initiative

China has launched a quietly aggressive global trade, development and infrastructure initiative based on the ancient Silk Road model. But is Africa welcome on the journey to renewed prosperity?
China’s President Xi Jinping at the podium at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. AP Photo/Michel Euler

China steps up as US steps back from global leadership

Leaders are worried US leadership on global issues like climate change will be diminished under President Trump. Experts explain why China is ready to lead, and how that could be a good thing.

Top contributors

More