Podcasts about Samarkand

Usbekistan ist ein Land mit einer bewegten Historie: Die Stadt Samarkand war früh ein wichtiges Handelszentrum der alten Seidenstraße. Unzählige Karawanen zogen vorbei, die Kulturen kreuzten sich. Eine Tradition, die bis heute nachwirkt: Neben dem Reichtum an Rohstoffen ist Usbekistan für Europa noch immer wegen der Handelsrouten nach Asien und China spannend.Stefan Meister ist Leiter des Zentrums für Ordnung und Governance in Osteuropa, Russland und Zentralasien der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik (DGAP): Für ihn konkurrieren aktuell Kasachstan und Usbekistan um "eine Art Vorherrschaft" in der Region: Kasachstan habe seinen Öl- und Gassektor früh für westliche Investitionen geöffnet. "Usbekistan ist jetzt das zweite Land, das versucht, Kontakte Richtung Europa zu knüpfen", sagt Meister im Podcast "Wirtschaft Welt & Weit".Den Wunsch, sich enger zu vernetzen, sieht Meister auf beiden Seiten. Der russische Angriffskrieg auf die Ukraine hat ihn intensiviert: Usbekistan als postsowjetisches Land wolle sich "wegdiversifizieren vom russischen Einfluss", sagt der Experte. Das passt zum Interesse der EU und Deutschlands an alternativen Handelsrouten, die an Russland vorbei nach Asien und China führen. Und es steht genauso im Einklang mit dem europäischen Bestreben, sich bei den für die Hightech-Industrie so wichtigen seltenen Erden breiter aufzustellen: "Da gibt es einiges an Lagerstätten."Gerade erst war Samarkand Schauplatz des EU-Zentralasien-Gipfels. Die EU, Usbekistan, Kasachstan, aber auch Kirgisistan, Tadschikistan und Turkmenistan haben in der drittgrößten Stadt des Landes ihren Willen nach einer engeren Zusammenarbeit bekundet. Im Rahmen von "Global Gateway", dem europäischen Alternativprojekt zur neuen chinesischen Seidenstraße, sollen künftig Milliardensummen nach Zentralasien fließen. Wann und in welcher Form bleibt allerdings noch vage.Während die EU weiter plant, ist China schon jetzt ein großer Player in der Region. Stefan Meister sieht den Vorsprung der Volksrepublik gelassen: Der Ausbau des mittleren Handelskorridors könne von unterschiedlichen Seiten aus vorangetrieben werden, sagt er. "Letztlich geht es darum, dass man große Investitionen von verschiedenen Seiten her stemmt." Chinesische Investitionen sind für ihn "nicht per se negativ". Davon könne letztlich auch Europa profitieren.Fest steht: In Usbekistan ist Raum für deutsche Investitionen. Das Land möchte vor Ort höherwertige Arbeitsplätze schaffen. Außerdem ist es bestrebt, seine Abhängigkeiten zu China und Russland zu reduzieren. Sicher ist aber auch, dass es sich um ein autoritäres Regime handelt, welches beim Thema Rechtsstaatlichkeit Nachholbedarf hat. Das mache die Investitionsbedingungen aus deutscher Perspektive "nicht unbedingt attraktiv", konstatiert Meister. Schreiben Sie Ihre Fragen, Kritik und Anmerkungen gern an www@n-tv.de. Unsere allgemeinen Datenschutzrichtlinien finden Sie unter https://datenschutz.ad-alliance.de/podcast.html Wir verarbeiten im Zusammenhang mit dem Angebot unserer Podcasts Daten. Wenn Sie der automatischen Übermittlung der Daten widersprechen wollen, klicken Sie hier: https://datenschutz.ad-alliance.de/podcast.htmlUnsere allgemeinen Datenschutzrichtlinien finden Sie unter https://art19.com/privacy. Die Datenschutzrichtlinien für Kalifornien sind unter https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info abrufbar.

Earlier this month we saw Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan - Central Asian countries that are also members of the Organization of Turkic States - pledge their support for Cyprus' sovereignty. The move followed a meeting with top EU officials in Samarkand, and saw Turkish media describe it as a blow for Turkey. Harris Georgiades, the Chairman of the Foreign and European Affairs Committee of Cyprus' Parliament, Chairman of the “Clerides Institute” and a former Minister of Finance, joins Thanos Davelis as we break down why this is an important diplomatic win, effectively halting Ankara's efforts to use those states as a vehicle for recognition of the occupied northern part of Cyprus.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Central Asian states send envoys to Cyprus, accept UN resolutions on occupied northBanks discovering Greek startupsGreek leaders mourn Pope Francis, praise his moral leadershipPope Francis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew shared deep bond

Top EU officials visited Central Asia for the first-ever EU-Central Asian summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Joining host Bruce Pannier are Terhi Hakala, a diplomat from Finland and Samuel Doveri Vesterbye, director of the European Neighborhood Council.

Żegnamy Amerykę i z okazji pierwszej wizyty Pawła w Azji Centralnej – ruszamy do Uzbekistanu. Z Uzbekami łączy nas znacznie więcej, niż mogłoby się wydawać – od Jedwabnego Szlaku, przez czasy Złotej Ordy i Imperium Rosyjskiego, aż po PRL-owską szkołę w Siedlcach sponsorowaną przez kopalnie węgla pod Samarkandą. Tak, to nie żart! Będzie o Polakach budujących rosyjskie imperium w Azji, fotografujących jak Leon Barszczewski, rysujących mapy i zostawiających ślady, o których dziś mało kto pamięta...

Ulugh Beg was a poor politician and warrior. Just a year after becoming leader of the central Asian kingdom of Transoxiana, he was deposed by his son – then beheaded. Yet he was one of the top scientists and educators of his time. He built a school and observatory at the capital city of Samarkand. Astronomers there made highly accurate measurements of the heavens – two centuries before the invention of the telescope. Construction of the observatory began in 1420, and was completed a few years later. The complex consisted of a tall, round building that housed a variety of instruments. The main one was a quadrant – a quarter of a circle. It was the largest one ever built – 130 feet from center to rim. Its base was carved into a hillside, making it highly stable. And it was aligned with the meridian – the north-south line that passes directly overhead. Astronomers used precise markings on the instrument to measure the positions of the Moon, Sun, planets, and stars. From those observations, they determined the length of a year to within a minute of the modern value. They calculated the tilt of Earth’s axis. And they published the first major star catalog in 1600 years. The observatory was destroyed soon after Ulugh Beg was killed. It was rediscovered in 1908 – a long-forgotten astronomical treasure. Script by Damond Benningfield

I dette afsnit har 'Rockhistorier' fået besøg af forsanger Lise Cabble og trommeslager Mette Mathiesen fra rockbandet Miss B. Haven.Duoen har medbragt en playliste med sange, som har inspireret dem gennem karrieren, og den byder på alt fra David Bowie og The Rolling Stones til et polsk opera-stykke.Miss B. Haven er aktuelle med deres nye sang: ‘Endeløse nat', samt en dokumentarfilm om bandet med samme navn.‘Endeløse nat' har biografpremiere d. 3 april.Værter: Klaus Lynggaard og Henrik QueistchKlip: Kristian VestergaardPlayliste:- Miss B. Haven: ”Endeløse nat” (Single, 2025)- Eddie Russell: ”I en seng på hospitalet” (1955)- Anna Maria Espinosa: ”Vem kan segla förutan vind” (2015)- The Beach Boys: ”Cotton Fields (The Cotton Song)” – Single Version (1969)- Shu-bi-dua: “Hvalborg” (1976)- Gasolin': ”Stakkels Jim” (1974) - ABBA: ”Waterloo” (1974)- The Rolling Stones: ”Paint It, Black” (1966)- David Bowie: ”Sound and Vision” (1977)- David Bowie: “Space Oddity” (1969)- Birgitte Grimstad: “Samarkand (Om du nånsin kommer fram till Samarkand)” (1973)- Shit & Chanel: ”Smuk og dejlig” (1976)- Simon & Garfunkel: ”The Sound of Silence” (1966)- Voxpop: “Blå mandag” (1982)- The Velvet Underground: “Sunday Morning” (1966)- Eurythmics: ”Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” (1983)- Patti Smith Group: “Dancing Barefoot” (1979)- Radiohead: “Creep” (Single, 1992 + Pablo Honey, 1993)- Zbigniew Preisner: ”Van den Budenmayer: Concerto en Mi Mineur” (Solist: Elzbieta Towarnicka) (OST, La double Vie de Véronique, 1991)- Miss B. Haven: ”Alt er dit” (1986)

European companies should not feel compelled to abandon their values, management practices, or commitment to diversity and workplace care, French Green MEP Majdouline Sbai tells Radio Schuman today.Her remarks came in response to letters from the US administration to several European embassies, urging suppliers to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) measures to maintain their contracts in the US.This move follows the Trump administration's broader efforts to dismantle DEI policies across federal agencies, contractors, the private sector, universities, and international grant recipients.The strongest responses came from France and Belgium, with Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Jan Jambon asserting that Europe upholds a culture of non-discrimination and rejecting US interference.Radio Schuman also explores the EU-Central Asia summit that will start today in Samarkand as well as the top European companies for nervous travellers.Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Joan Breton. Music by Alexandre Jas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode we continue to follow the monk Xuanzang on his path along the silk road.  From Gaochang, he traveled through the Tarim Basin, up over the Tianshan Mountains, to the heart of the Western Gokturk Qaghanate.  From there, he traveled south, through the region of Transoxania to Bactria and the land of Tukhara.  He pushed on into the Hindu Kush, witnessing the stone Buddha statues of Bamiyan, and eventually made his way to the land of Kapisa, near modern Kabul, Afghanistan.  From there he would prepare to enter the Indian subcontinent: the home of the historical Buddha. For more discussion and some photos of the areas along this journey, check out our podcast blog at https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-121   Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua, and this is Episode 121: Journey to the West, Part 2   The cold winds blew through the travelers' doubled up clothing and thick furs.  Cold, wet ground meant that even two sets of boots were not necessarily enough after several days.  The frozen mist would often obscure everything except for the path immediately in front, hiding the peaks and making the sky a uniform white. In many places, the path would be blocked by rock, ice, or snow—the remnants of an avalanche, which could easily take an unsuspecting traveler.  And there was the elevation.  Hiking through the mountains, it was easy enough to reach heights of a mile or higher, and for those not accustomed to that elevation the thin air could take a surprising toll, especially if you were pushing yourself.  And the road was no less kind to the animals that would be hauling said travelers and their gear. And yet, this was the path that Xuanzang had agreed to.  He would continue to push through, despite the various deprivations that he would be subjected to.  No doubt he often wondered if it was worth it.  Then again, returning was just as dangerous a trip, so why not push on?   Last episode we introduced the monk Xuanzang, who traveled the Silk Road to India in the 7th century and returned to China.  He brought back numerous sutras to translate, and ended up founding a new school, known as the Faxian school—or the Hossou school in Japan.   As we mentioned last time, Xuanzang during his lifetime met with students from the archipelago when they visited the continent.  The records of his travels—including his biography and travelogue—are some of the best information we have on what life was like on the silk road around this time. In the last episode, we talked about Xuanzang: how he set out on his travels, his illegal departure from the Tang empire, and his perilous journey across the desert, ending up in Gaochang.  There, King Qu Wentai had tried to get him to stay, but he was determined to head out.  This episode we are going to cover his trip to Agni, Kucha, and Baluka—modern Aksu—and up to the Western Gokturk Qaghanate's capital of Suyab.  From there, we'll follow his footsteps through the Turkic controlled regions of Transoxania and into Tukhara, in modern Afghanistan.  Finally, we'll cover the last parts of his journey before he reached the start of his goal:  India. From Gaochang, Xuanzang continued on, through the towns he names as Wuban and Dujin, and into the country of Agni—known today as the area of Yanqi—which may also have been known as Wuqi.  The route was well-enough known, but it wasn't necessarily safe.  At one point, Xuanzang's caravan met with bandits, whom they were fortunately able to pay off.  The following night they encamped on a river bank with some merchants who also happened to be traveling the road.  The merchants, though, got up at midnight and headed out, hoping to get to the city early so that they could be the first ones to the market.  They only made it a few miles down the road, however, before they encountered more bandits, who slaughtered them and took their goods.  The following day, Xuanzang and his retinue came upon the merchants' remains lying in the road and saw the aftermath of the massacre. This was an unforgiving land, and the road was truly dangerous, even for those who traveled it regularly.  And yet Xuanzang was planning to travel its entire length until he reached India. So with little alternative, they carried on to the royal city of Agni. Agni, or Yanqi, sits on the southwestern edge of the basin, west of Bositeng lake, on the border between the Turfan basin and the larger Tarim Basin.  The name is thought to be a Tocharian—or Turfanian—name for the city, which is also known as Karashr. According to the biography by Huili, Xuanzang and his party didn't stay long in Agni.  Apparently Agni and Gaochang were not exactly on friendly terms, and even though the King of Agni and his ministers reportedly came out to greet Xuanzang and welcome him to their city, they refused to provide any horses.  They spent a single night and moved on. That said, Agni still made an impression on Xuanzang.  He noted how the capital was surrounded by hills on four sides, making it naturally defensible.  As for the people, he praises them as honest and straightforward.  They wore clothing of felt and hemp cloth, and cut their hair short, without hats or any kind of headwear.  Even the climate was pleasant, at least for the short time he was there.  He also notes that they used a script based on India—likely referring to the Brahmic script, which we find in the Tarim basin. However, as for the local lord, the King of Agni, he is a little less charitable.  Xuanzang claimed he was brave but “lacked resourcefulness” and he was a bit of a braggart.  Furthermore, the country had “no guiding principles or discipline and government orders are imperfect and not seriously implemented.”  He also mentioned the state of Buddhism in the country, noting that they were followers of Sarvastivada school, a Theravada sect popular along the Silk Road at the time.  Xuanzang was apparently not too pleased with the fact that they were not strict vegetarians, including the “three kinds of pure meat”.  From Agni, Xuanzang continued southwest, heading for the kingdom of Kucha.  He seems to have bypassed the nearby kingdom of Korla, south of Agni, and headed some 60 or 70 miles, climbing over a ridge and crossing two large rivers, and then proceeding another 200 miles or so to the land of Kucha. Kucha was a kingdom with over one hundred monasteries and five thousand monks following a form of Theravada Buddhism.  Here, Xuanzang was welcomed in by the king, Suvarnadeva, described as having red hair and blue eyes.  While Xuanzang was staying in Kucha, it is suspected that he probably visited the nearby Kizil grotto and the Buddhist caves, there, which include a painting of King Suvarnadeva's father, King Suvarnapuspa, and his three sons. You can still visit Kucha and the Kizil grottos today, although getting there is quite a trek, to be sure.  The ancient Kuchean capital is mostly ruins, but in the Kizil caves, protected from the outside elements, you can find vivid paintings ranging from roughly the 4th to the 8th century, when the site was abandoned.  Hundreds of caves were painted, and many still demonstrate vibrant colors.  The arid conditions protect them from mold and mildew, while the cave itself reduces the natural bleaching effect of sunlight.  The paintings are in numerous styles, and were commissioned by various individuals and groups over the years.  They also give us some inkling of how vibrant the city and similar structures must have been, back when the Kuchean kingdom was in its heyday. The people of Kucha are still something of a mystery.  We know that at least some of them spoke an Indo-European language, related to a language found in Agni, and both of these languages are often called Tocharian, which we discussed last episode.  Xuanzang himself noted that they used Indian writing, possibly referring to the Brahmi script, or perhaps the fact that they seem to have used Sanskrit for official purposes, such as the inscription on the cave painting at Kizil giving the name of King Suvarnapuspa.  The Kucheans also were clothed in ornamental garments of silk and embroidery.  They kept their hair cut, wearing a flowing covering over their heads—and we see some of that in the paintings. Xuanzang also notes that though we may think of this area as a desert, it was a place where rice and grains, as well as fruit like grapes, pomegranates, plums, pears, peaches, and almonds were grown.  Even today, modern Xinjiang grows some absolutely fantastic fruit, including grapes, which are often dried into raisins. Another point of interest for Xuanzang may have been that Kucha is known as the hometown of none other than Kumarajiva.  We first mentioned Kumarajiva back in episode 84.  Kumarajiva was one of the first people we know of who translated many of the sutras from India that were then more widely disseminated throughout the Yellow River and Yangzi river basins.  His father was from India and his mother was a Kuchean princess.  In the middle of the 4th century, when he was still quite young, he traveled to India and back with his mother on a Buddhist pilgrimage.  Later he would start a massive translation project in Chang'an.  His translations are credited with revolutionizing Chinese Buddhism. Xuanzang was initially welcomed by the king, his ministers, and the revered monk, Moksagupta.  They were accompanied by several thousand monks who set up tents outside the eastern gate, with portable Buddha images, which they worshipped, and then Xuanzang was taken to monastery after monastery until sunset.  At one of the monasteries, in the southeast of the city, there were several tens of monks who originally came from Gaochang, and since Xuanzang had come from there, they invited him to stay with them. The next day he met and feasted with the King, politely declining any meat, and then went to the monastery in the northwest to meet with the famous monk: Moksagupta.  Moksagupta himself had made the journey to India, and had spent 20 years there himself.  It seems like this would have been the perfect person for Xuanzang to talk to about his plans, but instead, the two butted heads.  Moksagupta seems to have seen Xuanzang's Mahayana faith as heretical.  He saw no reason for Xuanzang to travel all the way to India when he had all the sutras that anyone needed there in Kucha, along with Moksagupta himself.   Xuanzang's response seems to have been the Tang dynasty Buddhist version of “Okay, Boomer”, and then he went ahead and tore apart Moksagupta's understanding of his own sutras—or so Xuanzang relayed to his biographers.  We don't exactly have Moksagupta's side, and, let's face it, Xuanzang and his biographers are not necessarily reliable narrators.  After all, they followed Mahayana teachings, which they considered the “Greater Vehicle”, and they referred to the Theravada teachings as the “Hinayana” or “Lesser Vehicle”.  Meanwhile, Theravada Buddhists likely saw many of the Mahayana texts as extraneous, even heretical, not believing them to actually be the teachings of the Buddha. It must have been winter time, as the passes through the mountains on the road ahead were still closed, and so Xuanzang stayed in Kucha, spending his time sightseeing and meeting with various people.  He even went back to see Moksagupta, but the older monk shunned him, and would get up and exit the room rather than engaging with him, so they had no more conversations. Eventually, Xuanzang continued on his way west, following along the northern rim of the Tarim basin.  Two days out from Kucha, disaster struck.  Some two thousand or so Turkish bandits suddenly appeared—I doubt Xuanzang was counting, so it may have been more or less.  I imagine that memories of what had happened to the merchants near Agni must have gone through Xuanzang's mind.   Fortunately, for him, they were fighting over loot that they had pillaged from various travelers, and since they couldn't share it equally, they fell to fighting each other and eventually dispersed. He travelled for almost 200 miles after that, stopping only for a night at the Kingdom of Baluka, aka Gumo—the modern city of Aksu.  This was another Theravada Buddhist kingdom.  Xuanzang noted tens of Buddhist temples, and over 1000 Buddhist monks.  The country was not large—about 200 miles east to west and 100 miles north to south.  For reference that means it was probably comparable in size with Kyushu, in terms of overall area, or maybe the size of Denmark—excluding Greenland—or maybe the US state of Maryland.  Xuanzang described the country as similar to Kucha in just about every way, including the written language and law, but the spoken language was different, though we don't get many more details. From Baluka, he crossed northward through the Tianshan mountains, which are classified as an extension of the Pamirs known as the Ice Mountains.  Had he continued southwest, he would have hit Kashgar and crossed over between the Pamir and Tian Shan ranges into the Ferghana valley, but instead he turned north. We don't know exactly why he took this perilous option, but the route that may have been popular at the time as it was one of the most direct routes to the seat of the Western Gokturk Empire, which he was currently traveling through. The Tian Shan mountains were a dangerous journey.  Avalanches could block the road—or worse.  Xuanzang describes the permanent ice fields—indeed, it is the ice fields and glaciers of the Tian Shan that melt in the summer and provide the oasis towns of the Tarim Basin with water, even to this day.  In Xuanzang's day, those glaciers were likely even more prevalent than today, especially as they have been recorded as rapidly disappearing since 1961.  And where you weren't on snow and ice, the ground was probably wet and damp from the melt.  To keep warm, you would wear shoes over your shoes, along with heavy fur coats, all designed to reduce exposure. Xuanzang claims that 3 or 4 of every 10 people didn't survive the crossing—and that horses and oxen fared even worse.  Even if these numbers are an exaggeration, the message is clear:  This was a dangerous journey. After about seven days, Xuanzang came out of the mountains to the “Great Pure Lake”, the “Da Qing Hai”, also known as the Hot Sea or the Salt Sea, which likely refers to Issyk Kul.  The salt content, along with the great volume of water it possesses, means that the lake rarely freezes over, which is likely why it is seen as “hot” since it doesn't freeze when the fresh water nearby does.  This lake is the second largest mountain lake in the world, and the second deepest saltwater lake.  Traveling past the lake, he continued to Suyab, near modern Tokmok, in Kyrgyzstan, just west of the modern capital of Bishkek.  This was an old Sogdian settlement, and had since become the capital of the Western Gokturks.  Sogdians—like Xuanzang's guide, Vandak—were integral to the Gokturk kingdom. Their language was the lingua franca of the Silk Road, and at the time of the Gokturk Khaganate, it was also the official court language, and so when Xuanzang appeared at the court of the Great Khagan of the Western Gokturks, it was likely the language of diplomacy. When we think of Turkic people, many in the English speaking world think of Turkiye, and perhaps of the mighty Ottoman empire.  Some may think of Turkmenistan, Kazhakstan, Kyrgyzstan, or Uzbekistan, among others.  And of course, there are the Uyghur people in Xinjiang.  All of these people claim roots in the ancestral Turkic homeland in the Altai mountains, which sit largely in western Mongolia, north of China's Xinjiang region.  Much like the Xiongnu and the Mongols, they were pastoral nomads, moving their herds across the steppes, often covering great distances.  They would regularly move through different regions, perhaps returning each season, though sometimes not returning for years at a time.  They were often seen as barbarians by settled people living in cities, and yet their goods and horses were highly prized. Nomad and sedentary lifestyles would often collide.  Farmers would turn pastureland into fields, and when the nomadic people returned on their circuits, they would find walls and fences where there was once open land, and the people there would claim to “own” the land, a concept often foreign to people who were always on the move.  Nomadic people, such as the Gokturks, were not necessarily keeping vast libraries of records about themselves and their histories, and so much of what we get comes from external sources, which do not always have incredibly reliable narrators.  To many of the settled agriculturalists, groups like the Turks were marauders who raided their villages and farms.  They were a great bogeyman of the steppes, which required the firm hand of strong defenses to keep out—or so their opponents would want people to think. While they were known for their warfare, which incorporated their mobility, but they were keenly interested in trade, as well.  They understood the value of the trade routes and the various cities and states that they included in their empire.  Thus, the Sogdians and the Gokturks seem a natural fit: the Sogdians were more settled, but not entirely so, as demonstrated by their vast trade networks.  And the Sogdians also were part of the greater central Eurasian steppe culture, so the two cultures understood each other, to a degree.  They are even depicted similarly in art, with slight differences, such as long hair that was often associated with Turks over the Sogdians.  In some areas of the Gokturk empire, Sogdians would run the cities, while the Gokturks provided military aid and protection. Xuanzang's description of the people of Suyab, or the “City of Suye River”, doesn't pick out anyone in particular, and he even says that it was a place where traders of the Hu, or foreign, tribes from different countries mingle their abodes.  He mentions the people here as being called Suli, which is also the name given to the language—this may refer to “Sogdian” in general.  They write with an alphabet that is written vertically rather than horizontally—this may refer to a few scripts that were written this way, possibly based off Syriac or Aramaic alphabets that were adapted to Sogdian and other Iranian languages, but it isn't clear. We are told that the people dressed in felt and hemp clothing, with fur and “cotton” garments.  Their clothes fit tightly, and they kept their hair cut short, exposing the top of their heads—though sometimes they shaved it completely, tying a colored silk band around the forehead. He goes on to describe these people as greedy liars, possibly a reference to the mercantile nature of many of the people at the time. Something to note: The Turks of this time had not yet encountered Islam, which was just now starting to rise up in the Middle East.  The Prophet Muhammad is said to have been born around the end of the 6th century CE and was preaching in the early 7th century, though his teachings would begin to spread outward soon enough.  But that means that the Gokturks were not an Islamic empire.  Rather, their own traditions seem to have focused on the worship of Tengri, an Altaic personification of the universe, often simplified as a “sky god”.  Tengrism can be found amongst the Xiongnu, Mongols, and others, and it was the national religion of the Gokturks themselves, but there were many who also adopted other religions that they encountered, including Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Manichaeism, and Buddhism.  In fact, Xuanzang notes that the Turks he met in Suyab would not sleep or sit on beds made of wood because wood was thought to contain the spirit of fire, which he says they worshipped.  That sounds similar to Zoroastrian beliefs, where fire is associated with Ahura Mazda, who is also worshipped as a sky god.  These may have been beliefs inherited from their Eastern Iranian Sogdian partners. In Xuanzang's biography, we are given more details about his visit to Suyab.  Apparently, as he was headed to the city, he met a hunting party, which we are told was the retinue of Yehu Khan.  Hunting was an important part of life on the steppes, and it continued to be a favorite sport of the Gokturk nobility. Yehu Khan—possibly Yagbhu Khan, though that is up for some debate—is described as being dressed in a green silk robe, with his hair exposed, and wearing  a turban of white silk about ten feet long that wrapped his forehead and hung behind his back.  His “hunting” expedition wasn't just a couple of the guys.  It included about 200 officials, all with plaited hair and dressed in brocade robes—they weren't exactly out there roughing it.  He also had his soldiers, dressed in furs, felt, or fine woolen clothes, and there were so many cavalry that they stretched out of sight.  The Khan seemed pleased to meet Xuanzang, but his hunt was expected to last another couple of days, at least, so he sent an attendant named Dharmaja to take Xuanzang back to wait for the Khan to return. Three days later, Xuanzang was given an audience.  The khan was seated in a large yurt.  Xuanzang noted the seeming incongruity between the khan, sitting there in the tent, decorated with golden flowers, with the officials dressed in magnificent brocade garments sitting in two long rows in front of him and the armed guards behind him, compared to the simple felt walls of the tent. A ”yurt” is a common feature of nomadic life on the steppes.  It wasn't exactly a single person operation to haul them around, but they can be taken down and put up with relative ease.  And while yurts could be relatively simple, there are examples of much more elaborate structures.  There is little reason they couldn't be made larger, perhaps with some extra support.  In later centuries, there are examples of giant yurts that seem like real construction projects.  Use of tents, even in a city, where they had permanent palace buildings, was likely a means of retaining the nomadic steppe traditions, even while enjoying the benefits of city life. Whom exactly Xuanzang met with is a matter of debate.  His records seem to indicate that it was Tong Yabghu Qaghan of the Western Gokturk Khaganate, but other sources say that Tong Yabghu Qaghan died in 628, and the earliest Xuanzang could have been meeting with him was 630, two years later, so if that is the case, he must have met with Tong Yabghu's son, Si Yabghu Qaghan.  It is likely that Xuanzang, who was dictating his accounts years after, mentioned the Qaghan and then, when they looked up who it was, they simply made a mistake.  Remember, Xuanzang would have had everything translated through one or two languages.  He did know what he saw, however, and he recounted what he remembered. Tong Yabghu Qaghan oversaw the height of the Gokturk Qaghanate, and appears to have favored the Buddhist religion, though there were many different religions active in their territories at the time.  They oversaw an extremely cosmopolitan empire covering huge swaths of central Eurasia, including the lucrative silk road.  Xuanzang notes that at the court there were individuals from Gaochang and even a messenger from the Han—which is to say the Tang Empire.  One wonders if Xuanzang—or anyone at that time—realized just how tenuous the Khan'sposition was.  After Tong Yabghu's death, the Qaghanate would decline, and less than a decade later it would fall to the Tang dynasty, who took Suyab and made it their western outpost.  In fact, Suyab is thought to have been the birthplace, over a century later, of a young boy who would find a love of poetry.  That boy's name was Li Bai, or Ri Haku, in Japanese. He would become one of the most famous poets in Chinese history, and his poems were even known and studied in Japan.  And it was largely through Japanese study of Li Bai's poems that his works came to the English speaking world: first through Ernest Fenollosa, who had studied in Japan, and then by the celebrated Ezra Pound, who had used Ernest's notes to help with his own translations of the poems. This was, though, as I said, over a century after Xuanzang's journey.  At the time of our story, the Qaghan was throwing a feast, including Xuanzang and all of the foreign envoys.  Xuanzang comments on the food and drink—his hosts provided grape juice in lieu of wine, and cooked a special vegetarian feast just for him, while the other guests ate a feast of meat, such as veal, lamb, fish, and the like.  There was also the music of various regions along the Silk Road, which Xuanzang found to be catchy, but of course not as refined as the music he was used to, of course.  After dinner Xuanzang was asked to expound upon the Darma, largely about the basic principle that you should be kind to one another—I doubt he was getting into the deep mysteries of Buddhist philosophy. Xuanzang stuck around the court for three more days, during which time the Qaghan tried to get him to stay, but Xuanzang insisted that he had to make it to India.  And so the Qaghan relented.  He found men in his army who could translate for Xuanzang along his journey, and had letters of introduction written to at least as far as the state of Kapisa, in modern Afghanistan. And so, armed with the Qaghan's blessing and a fresh translator, Xuanzang struck out again.  They headed westward for over one hundred miles, eventually reaching Bingyul, aka the Thousand Springs.  This is the area where the Qaghan and his court would spend his summers, and the deer in the area were protected under his orders, so that they were not afraid of humans—which sounds similar to the situation with the deer in Nara.  Continuing on another fifty miles or so—the distances are approximate as Xuanzang's primary duty was not exactly to map all of this out—Xuanzang arrived at the city of Taras, in modern Kazakhstan, another place where the cultures of the Silk Road mixed and mingled.  Xuanzang didn't have much to say about Taraz, apparently, though it is one of the oldest cities in Transoxania, founded near the beginning of the Common Era.  A few miles south of there, Xuanzang reportedly found a village of re-settled ethnic Han that had been captured by the Gokturks and settled here.  They had adopted the dress and customs of the Turkic people, but continued to speak a version of Chinese. Southwest of that he reached the City of White Water, likely referring to Aksukent.  This is the same “Aksu” as the city in Xinjiang, both of which mean “White Water” in Turkic, but this one is in the south of Kazakhstan.  Xuanzang found the climate and products an improvement over what he had experienced in Taras.  Beyond that, he next arrived at the city of Gongyu, and then south again to Nujkend, and then traveling westward to the country of Chach, aka Tashkent.  Both Nujkend and Chach were large cities in nations of smaller, mostly autonomous city-states, which made up a lot of the political geography of Transoxania. I would note that Xuanzang's notes here are much more sparse than previously.  This may be because these were outside of the Tarim basin and therefore of less interest to individuals in the Tang empire.  Or perhaps he was just making his way more quickly and not stopping at every kingdom along the way. From Tashkent, he continued southeast to the Ferghana valley—the country of Feihan.  Oddly, this country doesn't appear in Xuanzang's biography, even though the Ferghana Valley seems to have been fairly well known back in the Tang Empire—it was known as the home of some of the best horses, which were one of its first major exports.  In fact, the Han dynasty even mounted a military expedition to travel to Ferghana just to obtain horses.  Xuanzang is oddly silent on this; however, he does talk about the fertile nature of the land.  He mentions that their language here is different from the lands he had been traveling through up to this point, and also points out that the people of the Ferghana valley were also visibly different from others in the area. From the Ferghana valley, Xuanzang headed west for about 300 miles or more to the land of Sutrushana—perhaps referring to the area of Ushrusana, with its capital of Bunjikat.  This country was also largely Sogdian, and described as similar to Tashkent.  From there, he traveled west through a great desert, passing skeletons, which were the only marker of the trail other than a view of the far off mountains.  Finally, they reached Samarkand, known as the country of “Kang” in Chinese, which was also the term used to mark Sogdians who claimed descent from the people of Samarkand. Samarkand is another of the ancient cities of Central Asia, and even today is the third largest city in modern Uzbekistan.  Human activity in the region goes back to the paleolithic era, and the city was probably founded between the 8th and 7th centuries BCE.  Samarkand was conquered by Alexander the Great, and during the Achaemenid Empire it was the capital of Sogdiana.  During Xuanzang's visit, Samarkand was described as an impenetrable fortress with a large population. For all of his travel, Samarkand was the first place Xuanzang notes as specifically not a Buddhist land.  In fact, there were two monasteries, suggesting that there had been Buddhists, but if any monks tried to stay there then the locals would chase them out with fire.  Instead, they worshipped fire—likely meaning Ahura Mazda and Zoroastrianism.  This leads to a story that I have to wonder about, given the reliability of our narrators. It is said that Xuanzang was met by the King with arrogance, but after staying the night Xuanzang was able to tell the King about Buddhism and its merits.  The king was intrigued, and asked to observe the Precepts, and treated Xuanzang with hospitality and respect.  So when two of Xuanzang's attendants went to the monasteries to worship, they were chased out with fire.  When the king heard about this, he had the people arrested and ordered their hands to be cut off.  Xuanzang could not bear to witness such suffering, however, and he intervened to have them spared.  So instead the king had them flogged and banished from the city.  Ever since then, all the people believed in Buddhism. Some parts of this strike true.  It was likely that the king would entertain this strange wanderer who had arrived with letters from the great Qaghan—that may have even explained why Xuanzang had been encouraged to make the dangerous journey to Suyab in the first place, so that he could obtain such permission.  And it would not be strange for the king to listen to his teachings.  If Xuanzang's attendants were attacked, that would have been a huge breach of hospitality, and however the King felt about it, he no doubt had to do something about it.  And so all of that sounds somewhat believable.  Does that mean everyone suddenly converted to Buddhism?  I don't know that I'm quite willing to go that far.  It is also likely that there were Buddhists there already, even if the majority religion was Zoroastrianism. From Samarkand, Xuanzang traveled farther southwest, to the country of Kasanna, which seems to have been the edge of what we might call Sogdiana.   According to his biographers, however, there was a little more to all of this.  Rather, he headed west to Kusanika.  Then he traveled to  Khargan, and further on to the country of Bukhara, and then to Vadi.  All of these were “An” in Chinese, which was the name element used for Sogdians from this region.  He then continued west to the country of Horismika, on the other side of the Amu Darya, aka the Oxus River of Transoxanian fame. From there he traveled further southwest, entering into the mountains.  The path here was often such that they had to travel single-file, and there was no food or water other than what you brought with you.  Eventually they came to a set of doors, known as the Iron Gate.  This was a Turkic fortress.  It was no doubt fortuitous that he had come from his meeting with the Qaghan, and likely had permission to pass through.  From there, they entered the country of Tukhara. As we noted in Episode 119, Tukhara was in the region of Bactria.  It was bordered by the Pamir range in the east, and the Persian empire in the west.  There were also the Great Snow Mountains in the south, likely referencing the Hindu Kush. Tukhara had been conquered by the Gokturks just within the past couple of decades, and Xuanzang notes that the country had been split into largely autonomous city-states as the local royalty had died without an heir many years before.  With the Gokturk conquest, it was now administered by Tardu Shad, the son of Tong Yabghu Qaghan.  “Shad” in this case was a local title. Here, Xuanzang's narrative gets a little dicey, especially between his biography and his records.  The records of the Western Regions denotes various countries in this area.  It is unclear if he traveled to all of them or is just recounting them from records he obtained.  He does give us at least an overview of the people and the region.  I would also note that this is one of the regions he visited, again, on his return trip, and so may have been more familiar with the region than those areas he had passed through from Suyab on down. For one thing, he notes that the language of the region was different from that of the “Suli”, which appears to refer to the Sogdians.  This was the old territory of the Kushan empire, and they largely spoke Bactrian.  Like Sogdian, it was another Eastern Iranian language, and they used an alphabet based largely on Greek, and written horizontally rather than vertically.  They also had their own coins. This region had plenty of Buddhist communities, and Xuanzang describes the cities and how many monasteries they had, though, again, it isn't clear if he actually visited all of them or not.  These are countries that Li Rongji translates as “Tirmidh”, “Sahaaniyan”, “Kharuun”, “Shuumaan”, etc. It does seem that Xuanzang made it to the capital city, the modern city Kunduz, Afghanistan. Xuanzang actually had something specific for the local Gokturk ruler, Tardu Shad.  Tardu Shad's wife was the younger sister of King Qu Wentai of Gaochang, whom we met last episode.  Qu Wentai had provided Xuanzang a letter for his younger sister and her husband.  Unfortunately, Xuanzang arrived to learn that the princess of Gaochang had passed away, and Tardu Shad's health was failing.  It does seem that Tardu Shad was aware of Xuanzang, however—a letter had already come from Qu Wentai to let them know that Xuanzang was on his way.  As I mentioned last episode, letters were an important part of how communities stayed tied together.  Of course, given the perils of the road, one assumes that multiple letters likely had to be sent just in case they didn't make it.  The US Postal Service this was not. Tardu Shad, though not feeling well, granted an interview with Xuanzang.  He suggested that Xuanzang should stick around.  Then, once the Shad had recovered from his illness, he would accompany Xuanzang personally on his trip to India.  Unfortunately, that was not to be.  While Xuanzang was staying there, he was witness to deadly drama.  Tardu Shad was recovering, which was attributed to the recitations by an Indian monk who was also there.  This outcome was not exactly what some in the court had wanted.  One of the Shad's own sons, known as the Tagin prince, plotted with the Shad's current wife, the young Khatun, and she poisoned her husband.  With the Shad dead, the throne might have gone to the son of the Gaochang princess, but he was still too young.  As such, the Tagin Prince was able to usurp the throne himself, and he married his stepmother, the young Khatun.  The funeral services for the late Tardu Shad meant that Xuanzang was obliged to stay at Ghor for over a month. During that time, Xuanzang had a seemingly pleasant interaction with an Indian monk.  And when he finally got ready to go, he asked the new Shad for a guide and horses.  He agreed, but also made the suggestion that Xuanzang should then head to Balkh.  This may have meant a bit of backtracking, but the Shad suggested that it would be worth it, as Balkh had a flourishing Buddhist community. Fortunately, there was a group of Buddhist monks from Balkh who happened to be in Kunduz to express their condolences at the passing of Tardu Shad, and they agreed to accompany Xuanzang back to their hometown, lest he end up getting lost and taking the long way there. The city of Balkh is also known as “Baktra”, as in “Bactria”, another name of this region.  A settlement has been there since at least 500 BCE , and it was already an important city when it was captured by Alexander the Great.  It sits at the confluence of several major trade routes, which no doubt were a big part of its success.  Xuanzang's biography notes that it was a massive city, though it was relatively sparsely populated—probably due to the relatively recent conquest by the Gokturks, which had occurred in the last couple of decades.  That said, there were still thousands of monks residing at a hundred monasteries in and around the city.  They are all characterized as monks of Theravada schools.  Southwest of the city was a monastery known as Navasamgharama, aka Nava Vihara, or “New Monastery”.  Despite its name, the monastery may have actually been much older, going back to the Kushan emperor Kaniska, in the 2nd century CE.  Ruins identified as this “New Monastery” are still visible south of Balkh, today. The monastery is described as being beautifully decorated, and it seems that it had a relic—one of the Buddha's teeth.  There are also various utensils that the Buddha is said to have used, as well.  The objects would be displayed on festival days.  North of the monastery there was a stupa more than 200 feet in height.  South of the monastery was a hermitage.  Each monk who studied there and passed away would have a stupa erected for them, as well.  Xuanzang notes that there were at around 700 memorial stupas, such that they had to be crammed together, base to base. It was here that Xuanzang met a young monk named Prajnaakara, who was already somewhat famous in India, and well-studied.  When questioned about certain aspects of Buddhism, Xuanzang was impressed by the monk's answers, and so stayed there a month studying with the young monk. Eventually, Xuanzang was ready to continue on his journey.  He departed Balkh towards the south, accompanying the teacher Prajnakara, and together they entered the Great Snow Mountains, aka the Hindu Kush.  This path was even more dangerous than the trip through the Tian Shan mountains to Suyab.   They eventually left the territory of Tukhara and arrived at Bamiyan.  Bamiyan was a kingdom in the Hindu Kush, themselves an extension of the Himalayan Mountain range.  It Is largely based around valley, home to the modern city of Bamyan, Afghanistan, which sits along the divide between Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent.  Today it is a major center for individuals of the Hazara ethnic group, one of the main ethnic groups in Afghanistan, which is a multi-ethnic state that includes, today, the Pashtun, Hazara, Tajik, and Uzbek people, along with a number of smaller ethnic groups.  Today they largely reside in the mountainous areas of the Hindu Kush. Bamiyan made an impact on our protagonist.   Their language was slightly different from that in Tukhara, but using the same—or similar enough—writing system.  Buddhism was thriving in the capital, and we are told of a rock statue of the standing Buddha, over a hundred feet in height, along with a copper statue of the standing Buddha nearby.    There was also another reclining Buddha a mile or two down the road.  There were multiple monasteries with thousands of monks, and the ruler of that kingdom received Xuanzang well. Xuanzang wasn't the first monk to travel to Bamiyan from the Middle Kingdom—in this he was, perhaps unwittingly, on the trail of the monk Faxian.  Faxian likely did not see these statues, though, as we believe they were built in the 6th and early 7th century—at least the stone Buddha statues.  They were a famous worship site until February 2001, when the Taliban gave an order to destroy all of the statues in Afghanistan.  Despite this, they were inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003. Fortunately, we have images from before their destruction.  These statues were a blend of Greco-Buddhist and Gandharan art styles—appropriate as it stands between the Hellenistic area of Tukhara and the ancient region of Gandhara—including the modern city of Kandahar and into the Indus Valley region of Pakistan. Continuing east through the mountains, Xuanzang eventually came out at the kingdom of Kapisa.  This may have had its capital around modern-day Bagram, north of modern Kabul, but the country seems to have been quite large.  Kapisa over saw some tens of other countries, and it is thought that at one time its influence extended from Bamyan and Kandahar to the area of modern Jalalabad.  Their language was even more different than that of Tukhara, but they were still using the same writing system.  The king of Kapisa is said to have been of Suli ethnicity—which would seem to indicate that he was Sogdian, or at least descended from people of the Transoxanian region.    Xuanzang notes that the ruler, as rough and fiery as he is described—as a true warlord or similar—he nonetheless made a silver image of the Buddha, eighteen feet in height, every year.  He also gave charity to the poor and needy in an assembly that was called every five years.  There were over one hundred monasteries and some 6000 monks, per Xuanzang's recollection, and notably, they were largely following Mahayana teachings. For the most part the monks that Xuanzang had encountered on this journey were Theravada—Xuanzang refers to them as “Hinayana”, referring to the “Lesser Vehicle” in contrast to Xuanzang's own “Mahayana”, or “Greater Vehicle”.  “Theravada” refers to the “way of the elders” and while Mahayana Buddhism largely accepts the sutras of Theravada Buddhism, there are many Mahayana texts that Theravada Buddhists do not believe are canonical.  We discussed this back in Episode 84. There was apparently a story of another individual from the Yellow River being sent as a hostage to Kapisa when it was part of the Kushan Empire, under Kanishka or similar.  Xuanzang recounts various places that the hostage, described as a prince, lived or visited while in the region.  Xuanzang's arrival likely stirred the imagination of people who likely knew that the Tang were out there, but it was such a seemingly impossible distance for most people.  And yet here was someone who had traveled across all of that distance.  One of the monasteries that claimed to have been founded because of that ancient Han prince invited Xuanzang to stay with them.  Although it was a Theravada monastery, Xuanzang took them up on the offer, both because of the connection to someone who may have been his countryman, but also because of his traveling companion, Prajnakara, who was also a Theravada monk, and may not be comfortable staying at a Mahayana monastery. Xuanzang spends a good deal of ink on the stories of how various monasteries and other sites were founded in Kapisa and the surrounding areas.  He must have spent some time there to accumulate all of this information.  It is also one of the places where he seems to have hit at least twice—once on the way to India, and once during his return journey. The King of Kapisa is said to have been a devotee of Mahayana Buddhism.  He invited Xuanzang and Prajnakara to come to a Mahayana monastery to hold a Dharma gathering.  There they met with several leading figures in the monastery, and they discussed different theories.  This gathering lasted five days, and at the end, the king offered Xuanzang and the other monks five bolts of pure brocade and various other gifts.  Soon thereafter, the monk Prajnakara was invited back to Tukhara, and so he and Xuanzang parted ways. And it was about time for Xuanzang to continue onwards as well.  From Kapisa, he would travel across the “Black Range” and into Lampaka.  This may refer to the area of Laghman or Jalalabad.  Today, this is in modern Afghanistan, but for Xuanzang, this would have been the northwestern edge of India.  He was almost there. And so are we, but we'll save his trip into India for next episode. Until then thank you for listening and for all of your support. If you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.

In the land Down Under one island in Western Australia is in the midst of a bold project to return it to a pre-European state. The Dirk Hartog Island National Park: Return to 1616 initiative has seen sheep farming (the mainstay for the single resident family for over 100 years) be replaced by eco-tourism. All cattle has been removed, invasive species have been culled and slowly, the vegetation and biodiversity is bouncing back. Given that the Wardle family used to earn around AUS$2.5million from their merino wool enterprise adventurer Phoebe Smith decided to pay them a visit to see how the less lucrative tourism industry was being embraced by them and undertake their inspiring hiking trail - Walking with Whales. Come wander with her...Also coming up:An interview with cookbook and travel author Caroline EdenTravel Hack: Survive a long haul flight in economy classTop 10 European Islands to visitMeet Mariko Wallen a sustainable seaweed farmer in BelizeDiscover the value of a good pair of multi-activity socksLearn all about our Wander Woman of the Month - Truganini - often thought (incorrectly) to be the last Aboriginal Tasmanian womanContact Wander Womanwww.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

This episode we kick off a series of episodes following the famous monk Xuanzang, aka the Tripitaka Master of the Law, Sanzang Fashi.  Known in Japanese as Genjo, and founder of the Faxiang school of Yogacara Buddhism, also known as the Hosso school, it was brought back to the archipelago by students who studied with the master at his temple north of the Tang capital of Chang'an.  He was particularly famous for his travels across the Silk Road to India and back--a trip that would last 16 years and result in him bringing back numerous copies of sutras from the land of the Buddha, kicking off a massive translation work.  It also would see his recollections recorded as the Record of the Western Regions, which, along with his biography based on the stories he told those working with him, give us some of the best contemporary information of the various places along the Silk Road in the 7th century. Part 1 focuses on Xuanzang's journey out of the Tang empire, braving the desert, and somehow, against the odds, making it to the country of Gaochang. For more, check out the blogpost page:  https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-120 Rough Transcript: Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua, and this is Episode 120:  Journey to the West, Part 1 The monks from far off Yamato were enthralled.  They had journeyed across the waves on a foreign vessel, traversed a greater distance than they probably thought possible growing up in the archipelago, and had finally arrived at the capital of the Great Tang Empire, Chang'an.  They had then been sent north, to a temple where they met others from Yamato. They had come to study the Law, the Dharma, with some of the most famous teachers of the Tang dynasty, and there were few more famous than the Tripitaka Master Genjou himself.   Everyone in the monastery knew his story—he had traveled all the way to India, the birthplace of the Buddha, and returned with copies of the sutras in Sanskrit, which he and the other monks were translating. In between sessions of meditation, sutra readings, and various lectures, the students would gather round the feet of the master as he recounted his journeys.  The stories themselves were fantastic stories, telling of far off cities and people.  There were stories of bandits, and meetings with kings.  The students must have thought about how it mirrored what they, themselves, had gone through—their own Journey to the West. Last episode we talked about Tukara and what that mysterious placename might mean—and where it could be referring to.  For that we traveled all the way to the end of the Silk Road.  In this episode and continuing into the next, we are going to travel that same road with a different perspective, as we take a look at one of the most famous travelers of the Silk Road:  the monk Xuanzang, or Genjou in Japanese.  And as I hinted at in the introduction, if you're at all familiar with the famous Journey to the West, well, this and the following episodes will explore the actual history behind that story, and how intertwined it is with the history of the archipelago. For those who don't know, Xuanzang was a monk, born Chen Hui near present-day Luoyang in Henan.  He is known by many names, but one of his most famous comes from the title “Sanzang Fashi”, aka “Tripitaka Master of the Law”, from which we get the simplified name in some English sources of just “Tripitaka”.  Sanzang, or “Tripitaka”, literally translates to “Three baskets” or “Three storehouses”, referring to the Buddhist canon.  It is quite fitting, given Xuanzang's incredibly famous Journey to the Western Regions and, eventually, to India, where he journeyed to obtain the most accurate version of the Buddhist scriptures to ensure that they had the most accurate versions.  On his journey, Xuanzang apparently took detailed records of the trip, and his   “Records of the Western Regions”  provides a lot of what we know of the towns and cultures that existed there back in the 7th century – even if not all of it was experienced firsthand and  may have come through translators and second or third-hand sources. In addition, Xuanzang's biography and travelogue add a lot more information to his journey, even if they weren't necessarily written by him, but instead by his fellow monks based on his recitations to them  combined with various records that they had access to at the time.  As such, it isn't always the most reliable, but it is still highly detailed and informative.  Xuanzang would return to China and teach for many years, translating the works that he had brought back, and founding a new school of Yogachara Buddhism, known as Faxiang in Chinese, but “Hossou” in Japan.  The Hossou school was particularly popular in the 8th and 9th centuries, having been transmitted by Yamato students who had actually studied at the feet of the venerable teacher.  These included the monk Doushou, who travelled over to the continent in 653.  In 658, there are two others who came over, named Chitatsu and Chiitsu. They had travelled to the Tang court in the 7th month of that year, where they are said to have received instruction from none other than Xuanzang himself.  If this indeed was in 658, it would have been only 6 years before Xuanzang's death. Their journey had almost not happened.  The year previous, in 657, envoys were sent to Silla to ask that state to escort Chitatsu to the Tang court, along with Hashibito no Muraji no Mimumaya and Yozami no Muraji no Wakugo, but Silla refused.  They must have relented, however, as they apparently were escorting at least the monks a year or so later. Chitatsu and Chiitsu would eventually return to Yamato, as would Doushou.  Doushou is also said to have been introduced to a student of the second patriarch of the Chan, or Zen school as well.  He would return to teach at Gango-ji, the later incarnation of Asukadera, spreading the Hossou teachings from master Xuanzang. In fact, Xuanzang's impact would be felt across Asia, and much of the Buddhist world.  He would continue to be known in Japan and in the area of China, Korea, and beyond.  Japanese translations of his journeys were made between the 8th and 10th centuries from texts that had come from Xuanzang's own monastery. Nine centuries after his death, during the Ming Dynasty, Xuanzang would be further immortalized in a wildly popular novel:  Journey to the West.  The “Journey to the West” is an incredibly fantastical retelling of Xuanzang's story.  In it, Xuanzang is sent on his task by none other than the Buddha himself, who also provides three flawed traveling companions.  There is  Zhu Bajie, aka “Piggy”—a half human half pig who is known for his gluttony and lust.  Then there is Sha Wujing, aka “Sandy”—a man with a red beard and blue skin who lived in a river of quicksand.  Despite a rather frightful backstory, he was often the straight man in the story.  And then there is the famous Sun Wukong, aka “Monkey”, the most famous of the three and often more famous than Xuanzang himself.  In fact, one of the most famous English versions of the story is just called “Monkey”, an abridged telling of the story in English by Arthur Waley in 1942. “Journey to the West” is perhaps the most popular novel in all of Asia.  It has spawned countless retellings, including numerous movies and tv series.  The character of “Monkey” has further spun off into all sorts of media.  Of course, his addition was all part of the novel, but nonetheless, that novel had an historical basis, which is where we really want to explore.  Because for all of the magic and fantasy of the Ming novel, the real story is almost as fascinating without it. We are told that Xuanzang was born as Chen Hui—or possibly Chen Yi—on the 6th of April in 602 CE in Chenliu, near present-day Luoyang.  Growing up, he was fascinated by religious books.  He joined the Jingtu monastery and at the age of thirteen he was ordained as a novice monk.  However, he lived in rather “interesting times”, and as the Sui dynasty fell, he fled the chaos to Chengdu, in Sichuan, where he was fully ordained by the age of 20. Xuanzang was inspired reading about the 4th century monk Faxian, whom we mentioned back in Episode 84.  Faxian had visited India and brought back many of the earliest scriptures to be widely translated into Chinese.    However, Xuanzang was concerned, as Faxian had been, that the knowledge of the Chinese Buddhist establishment was still incomplete.  There were still works that they knew about but didn't have, and there were competing Buddhist theories in different translations of the texts.  He thought that if he could go find untranslated versions of the texts then he could resolve some of the issues and further build out the corpus of Buddhist knowledge. Around the age 25 or 27, he began his journey.  The exact date is either 627 or 629, based on the version that one reads.  That has some importance for the events that his story tells, as some of the individuals whom he is said to have met are said to have died by 627 CE, meaning that either the dates of the journey are wrong or the dates we have in other sources are wrong.  As you can imagine, that's rather important for an accurate history, but not so much for our purposes, as I think that we can still trust the broad brush strokes which paint an image of what the Silk Road was like at the time. For context, back in Yamato, this was around the time that Kashikiya Hime—aka Suiko Tenno—passed away, and Prince Tamura was placed on the throne, passing over Prince Yamashiro no Oe, the son of the late Crown Prince, Umayado, aka Shotoku Taishi.  Whoever was on the throne, Soga no Emishi was actually running things, and the Soga family were heavily involved in the establishment of Buddhism in the archipelago.  This is relatively around the time of Episode 103. When Xuanzang took off to the West, his intentions may have been pure, but truth be told, he was breaking the law.  Tang Taizong had come to power in 626, and the routes along the Tarim Basin were under the control of the Gokturks, whom the Tang were fighting with.  As such, travel to the Western Regions was strictly controlled.  Xuanzang and several companions had all petitioned Emperor Taizong for permission to leave, but the Emperor never replied. So Xuanzang did not have permission to leave—but he decided to head out, anyway.  His companions, however, lost their nerve, and so he set out alone. Of course, he didn't simply set off for the West.  At first he went city to city, staying at local Buddhist monasteries and sharing his teachings.  To all intents and purposes, this probably seemed like normal behavior for a monk, traveling from monastery to monastery, but it was actually taking him towards the western border. And it was going well until he reached Liangzhou—known today as Wuwei.  Li Daliang, governor of Liangzhou, enforced the prohibition that "common" people were not permitted to go to the regions of the western tribes.  Word had spread about Xuanzang, and when the governor caught wind of what was going on, he called Xuanzang into an audience to find out what he was planning to do.  Xuanzang was honest and told him he was going to the West to search for the Dharma, but the governor ordered him to return to Chang'an instead. Fortunately, there was a Buddhist teacher, Huiwei, who heard about all of this this and decided to help Xuanzang.  He had two of his own disciples escort Xuanzang to the west.  Since the governor had told him not to go, this was illegal, and so they traveled by night and hid during the day until they reached Guazhou. In Guazhou, the governor, Dugu Da, was quite pleased to meet with Xuanzang, and either hadn't heard about the order for him to return to Chang'an or didn't care.  From there, Xuanzang's path was largely obstructed by the deep and fast-flowing Hulu river.  They would have to travel to its upper reaches, where they could go through Yumenguan--Yumen Pass--which was the only safe way to cross, making it a key to the Western regions. Beyond Yumenguan there were five watchtowers, roughly 30 miles apart.  These watchtowers likely had means to signal back and forth, thus keeping an eye on the people coming and going from Yumen Pass.  Beyond that was the desert of Yiwu, also known as Hami. Xuanzang was not only worried about what this meant, his horse died, leaving him on foot.  He contemplated this in silence for a month.  Before he continued, though, a warrant arrived for his arrest.  They inquired with a local prefect, who happened to be a pious Buddhist.  He showed it to Xuanzang, and then ended up tearing up the document, and urged Xuanzang to leave as quickly as possible. Yumenguan lies roughly 80-90 kilometers—roughly 50 miles or so—from the town of Dunhuang, the last major outpost before leaving for the Western Regions.  Dunhuang had a thriving Buddhist community, and the paintings in the Mogao caves are absolutely stunning, even today—one of the most well-preserved of such collections, spanning the 4th to the 14th century.  However, at this point, Xuanzang was a wanted man, and stopping in at Dunhuang might very well have curtailed his journey before it had even begun.  Instead, he would likely need to find a way to sneak across the border without alerting anyone and then, somehow, sneak past five watchtowers, each 30 miles or so apart, with no water except what he could carry or steal at each point. At this point, one of Xuanzang's escorts had traveled on to Dunhuang, and only one remained, but Xuanzang wasn't sure his remaining companion was up to the strain of the journey, and he dismissed him, deciding to travel on alone.  He bought a horse, and he fortunately found a guide--a "Hu" person named "Shi Pantuo".  "Hu" is a generic term often translated simply as "foreigner" or "barbarian" from the western lands, and the name "Shi" referred to Sogdians from Tashkent.  The Sogdians were a people of Persian descent living in central Eurasia, between the Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers.  That latter was also known as the Oxus river, hence another name for the region: Transoxiana.  Sogdiana appears as early as the 6th century BCE as a member of the Achaemenid Empire, and the region was annexed by Alexander the Great in 328 BCE.  It continued to change hands under a succession of empires. The Sogdian city-states themselves were centered around the city of Samarkand, and while they did not build an empire themselves, the Sogdians nonetheless had a huge impact on cultures in both the east and the west.  Sogdians became famous as traders along the silk roads, and they built tight knit communities in multiple cities along the route.  Families kept in touch over long distances, setting up vast trading networks.  In fact, there were even Sogdian communities living in Chang'an and elsewhere in the Tang Empire.  The Sogdian An Lushan would eventually rise through the ranks of the Tang dynasty court—but that was almost a century after Xuanzang's travels. There are many material items that the Sogdians helped move across the silk road, but perhaps one of the most striking things were a style of patterned textiles.  Sassanid Persia was known for its silk textiles, often woven in images surrounded by a border of pearl-shapes:  Small circles in a circular pattern around a central figure, often duplicated due to the way the fabrics were woven.  This pearl-roundel pattern was especially taken up by the Sogdians, and their fashion sense made it popular across Eurasia.  Large pearl roundel designs were used on caftans, popular throughout the Gokturk qaghanate, and the Tang court would eventually pick up the fashion of these foreigners—generally classified as “hu” by those in Chang'an.  With a round neck, closing at the side, this western-style caftan-like garment eventually found its way into Japan as the people of the Japanese archipelago adopted Tang dynasty clothing and fashion.  In fact, Japan boasts one of the most impressive collections of silk road artifacts at the Shosoin repository of Todaiji temple in Nara, and it includes clothing and fabric that show the influence of Sogdian and Turkic merchants.  The Shosoin collection contains multiple examples of those pearl roundel patterns, for example, and you can even buy reproductions of the design today in Nara and elsewhere.  The garments themselves would continue to influence the fashion of the court, indeed giving rise to some of the most popular court garments of the Nara period, and the design continued to evolve through the Heian period until it was almost unrecognizable from its origins. Sogdians were so influential that their language—an Eastern Iranian language known simply as “Sogdian”—was the lingua franca, or the common tongue, through most of the Silk Road.  If you knew Sogdian, you could probably find a way to communicate with most of the people along way.  Today, Sogdian is extinct, with the possible exception of a single language that evolved from a Sogdian dialect. Sogdians are often known in Sinitic sources by their names—by the time of the Tang dynasty, it was common practice to give foreigners, whose names didn't always translate well into Chinese dialects, a family name based on their origin.  For the Sogdians, who were quite well known and numerous, they weren't just classified with a single name, but rather they were divided up by seven names based on where they were from.  So the name “Shi”, for instance, indicated that someone was from the area of Tashkent, while the name “An” referred to a Sogdian who was descended from people from the Bukhara, and so on.  This was a practice that went at least as far back as the Han dynasty. So, returning to the story, Xuanzang's new Sogdian guide's name is given as “Shi Pantuo”.  The name "Pantuo", which would have likely been pronounced more like "b'uan d'a" at the time, is likely a version of the name "Vandak", which was indeed a very common Sogdian name meaning something like “servant” and was often used to indicate things like religious devotion, which could be related to his status as a devout Buddhist, though it also might just be coincidental.  Xuanzang was so happy with his guide's offer to help, that he bought him clothes and a horse for his troubles. And so they headed out towards Yumenguan, the Jade Pass or Jade Gate, so called because of the caravans of jade that would head out from the Middle Country ever since the Han dynasty.  In fact, the Jade Gate was originally established as part of the western end of the Han dynasty “Great Wall”.  This was not necessarily the famous Ming Dynasty wall that most people are familiar with, but the Han Dynasty wall would have been impressively high enough, with regular patrols and beacon towers.  So if you tried going over the wall, someone was likely to see you and give chase.  There is also the issue that if you had any amount of supplies you have to bring those as well—this isn't just hopping a fence.  The wall was augmented by natural features—mountains and deep and fast-flowing rivers, for example, which made walls unnecessary.  And then there was also the fact that in many places, it was just open wilderness, which was its own kind of barrier.  Trying to go off the beaten path meant wandering through uncharted territory, which someone like Xuanzang was probably not prepared to do.  It isn't like he had GPS and Google Maps to help him find his way, and if you got lost in the desert, then who knows what might happen to you. By the way, this was true even in relatively settled places, like the Japanese archipelago, up until modern times.  While there were some areas where it was relatively flat, and you could navigate by certain landmarks, if you left the roads and trails you might easily find yourself lost without access to food or shelter.  Maps were not exactly accurate.  The safest way to travel was to stick to the more well-traveled routes. Unfortunately, that meant going through the Yumen Gate itself.  There was a garrison where the road left the territory of the Tang Empire , and that garrison would be responsible for checking the papers of anyone coming into or leaving the empire.  Xuanzang, of course, didn't have the proper papers, since he didn't have permission to be there.  Fortunately, he had a guide, who seemed to know the area, and that would allow him to bypass the official checkpoint, which Xuanzang recalls seeing off in the distance.  Together, Xuanzang and Vandak snuck past the Yumen gate, and traveled several miles up the river.  There, they found a spot where the river was only about 10 feet across, near a grove of trees, and so they chopped down a few of them and made an impromptu bridge for them and their horses to cross. From that point on, until they reached Yiwu, they would have to get past the watchtowers.  Not only were these watchtowers garrisoned with men of the Tang army, but they were also the only place to get fresh water.  The travelers would need to sneak in at night to steal water from the watchtowers without getting caught. The farther they traveled, the more Vandak seemed to be getting cold feet.  Normally, this wouldn't have been an issue had they been normal travelers, but in trying to avoid the watchtowers they were making themselves into fugitives.  If they were caught they could both be killed.  He protested several times that they should just go back, and at one point Xuanzang seemed worried that Vandak was contemplating how much easier this would be for him if he just killed the old monk.  Finally, Xuanzang told Vandak that he should leave, and solemnly swore that if he was caught he wouldn't rat out Vandak for his help.  Vandak, who had been worried about just such a scenario, nonetheless took Xuanzang's word and the two parted ways. From that point on, Xuanzang recounted that the trail through the desert was marked by nothing but skeletons and horse droppings.  He thought at one point he saw an army in the desert, but it turned out to be a mirage.  Finally, he saw one of the watchtowers he had been warned about.  Not wanting to get caught, he lay down in a ditch and hid there until the sun went down. Under cover of darkness, he approached the tower, where he saw water.  He went to have a drink, and maybe wash his hands, but as he was getting out his water bag to refill it and arrow whizzed through the air and he almost took an arrow to the knee.  Knowing the jig was up, he shouted out: "I'm a monk from the capital!  Don't shoot!" He led his horse to the tower, where they opened the door and saw he really was a monk.  They woke up the captain, who had a lamp lit so he could see whom it was they had apprehended.  Right away it was clear that this traveler wasn't from around those parts—not that anyone really was, it seems. The Captain had heard of Xuanzang, but the report that had been sent said Xuanzang had gone back to Chang'an.  Xuanzang, for his part, showed a copy of the petition he had sent to the Emperor--one that he hadn't actually heard back from.  He then told the captain what he planned to do.  The captain was moved, and decided to look the other way.  He gave him a place to stay for the night and then showed him the way to the fourth watchtower, where the captain's brother was in charge, and would give him shelter. Sure enough, Xuanzang made it to the fourth watchtower, but he wasn't sure if he could entirely trust the captain, so again he tried to just secretly steal the water, but again he was caught.  Fortunately, the captain there was also sympathetic.  He let Xuanzang stay and then actually told him how to get around the fifth watchtower, since the captain there might not be as lenient.  He also told Xuanzang about an inconspicuous oasis where he could get water for himself and his horse. Reinvigorated, Xuanzang had another challenge to face.  Beyond the watchtowers was a long stretch of desert.  It was a journey of several hundred miles, and it started poorly.  First off, he missed the oasis that the captain of the fourth watchtower had indicated he could use without anyone firing arrows at him.  Then, he dropped his water bag, such that he was left with nothing.  He thought of turning back, but he continued, chanting mantras to himself.   He was dehydrated and exhausted, but he continued onward.  Some days into his journey, his horse suddenly changed course of its own accord.  Despite his efforts, it kept going, eventually coming to a pasture of grass around a pond of clean, sweet water.  That ended up saving him, and he rested there for a day, before traveling on.  Two days later, he arrived at Yiwu, aka Hami.  He had made it.  He was free. Or at least, he was until he returned to the Tang empire.  After all, Xuanzang did plan to come back, and when he did, he would have to face the music.  That was a problem for future Xuanzang.  Of course, he was also a lone traveler.  He might be free, but he was far from safe.  He was now entering the Western regions, and he would need to be on the lookout. The people of Hami, also known as Yiwu, were known to the Han dynasty as members of the Xiao Yuezhi—the kingdom or coalition that once controlled much of the northern edge of the Tarim basin.  They had been displaced by the Xiongnu, and the area would go back and forth between different hegemons, so that by the time of the Sui and early Tang dynasties they were under the sway of the Gokturks.  Still, as close as it was to the Tang borders, they no doubt had contact, and indeed, Xuanzang was given lodging at a monastery with three other monks who were “Chinese”, for whatever that meant at the time. If you've heard of Hami today you may know it for something that it was famous for even back in the 7th century:  their famous melons.  You can sometimes find Hami melons in stores to this day. Regarding the melons and other such fruits and vegetables—the area of Hami is a fairly arid land.  Hami does get some water from the Tianshan mountains, but in order to have enough for agriculture they instituted a system that is still found today in Hami, Turpan, and other parts of the world, including arid parts of northwest India and Pakistan through the middle east to north Africa.  It is called a Karez, or in Persian it is called a Qanat, and it is thought to have originated in ancient Persia around the first millennium BCE and spread out through the various trade routes. The idea is to basically create underground aqueducts to take water from one place to another.  This would keep them out of the heat and dry air above ground to allow them to continue to flow without losing too much to evaporation.  To do that, however, required manually digging tunnels for the water.  This would be done by sinking wells at regular intervals and connecting the wells to each other with tunnels.  But it wasn't enough for the tunnels to be connected, they had to also slope slightly downwards, but not too much.  You want enough flow to keep the water clear, but if it flows too quickly or creates waves, the water might erode the underground channels in ways that could cause problems, such as a collapse.  All in all, they are pretty amazing feats of engineering and they can carry water a great distance.  Many are under 5 km, but some are around 70 km long. These karez would have been the lifelines of many towns, creating a reliable oasis in the desert.  Rivers were great, but the flow could vary from floods to a mere trickle, and the karez system provided relatively constant flow.  This allowed for agriculture even in the dry areas of the Western Regions, which helped facilitate the various kingdoms that grew up in this otherwise inhospitable region. While eating his melons in Hami and chatting it up with his fellow eastern priests, Yiwu was visited by an envoy from the neighboring kingdom of Gaochang.  Now Hami, or Yiwu, sits at the eastern edge of the Turpan-Hami basin, aka the Turfan depression, a large desert, much of which is actually so low that it is below sea level.  In fact, the basin includes the lowest exposed point in the area of modern China at Ayding Lake, which is 158 meters below sea level.  From Yiwu to Gaochang, you would follow the edge of the mountains west, to an area near a small break in the mountain range.  Follow that break northwest, and you would find yourself at the city of Urumqi, the current capital of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region in modern China. Xinjiang covers much of the area known in ancient times as the “Western Regions” that remains within the modern political boundaries of the PRC. The envoy from Gaochang heard about Xuanzang, and reported back to his lord, King Qu Wentai, who immediately sent a retinue out to escort the Buddhist monk across the desert to his city.  They included multiple horses for Xuanzang, so he could change at regular intervals.  His own horse was left behind, to be brought along later.   After six days on the road, they came to the city of Paili, and since the sun had already set, Xuanzang asked to stop for the night, but the escorts urged him on to the Royal City, which was not much farther on. And so he arrived around midnight, which means he likely couldn't immediately take in the size of the city.  Gaochang was an immense walled city, and even today, ruined as it is, the site of it is quite formidable, and it is so well preserved it is considered a UNESCO world heritage site.  Perhaps since wood was relatively scarce, this is why so much of the construction was made of brick and earthworks.  Fortunately, this means that many of the walls remain, even today—eroded and crumbling, but still towering over those who come to see them.  In places they have also been rebuilt or reinforced.  And in a few, very rare instances, you can still see some of the traces of paint that would have once been so prevalent throughout a city like this.  At this time in history, Gaochang, also known as Karakhoja, was under the command of the Qu family.  The population was largely Han Chinese, and it had often been overseen or at least influenced by kingdoms in the Yellow River basin.  But it was also the home of Turks, Sogdian merchants, local Turfanians, and more.  It was even called “Chinatown” by the Sogdians, and yet attempts to further sinicize the region had provoked a coup only a couple of decades earlier.  Even though he showed up in the middle of the night, Xuanzang is said to have been welcomed by the ruler of Gaochang, Qu Wentai, as he entered the city.  Perhaps this is why the escorts had been pushing so hard—the King himself was awake and waiting for Xuanzang to make an appearance.  The King and his attendants came out with candles in their hands, and they were ushered behind curtains in a multi-storey pavilion.  The king apparently grilled him through the night, asking about his journey until it was almost daybreak, at which point Xuanzang requested rest.  He was finally shown to a bedroom that had been prepared for him and allowed to sleep. The next day king assembled the leading monks of his kingdom before his guest.  These included the monks Tuan Fashi and Wang Fashi.  Tuan Fashi had studied in Chang'an for many years, and he knew his Buddhist scholarship. And Wang Fashi was a superintendent, and it was his duty to look after Xuanzang and butter him up with the hope that he might stay and provide the king with the prestige of having such an esteemed monk.  They put him up at a monastery next to the royal palace—the “daochang”, aka “dojo” in Japanese, which would be a whole different diversion. Ding Wang suggested that this might be the same as the Chongfu Monastery mentioned in a colophon on a 7th century copy of the Sutra of Perfection of Wisdom for Benevolent Kings. It was found by a German expedition at a site in the Turfan basin in the early 20th century, and now sits in the possession of Shitenno-ji, in Osaka—rather appropriate given that Shitenno-ji was around at the same time all of this was happening.  The colophon is attributed to a “Xuanjue”, and a “Xuanjue” from Gaochang, in the Turpan basin, was associated with helping Xuanzang in his later years.  Perhaps this Xuanjue first met Xuanzang during this first trip to Gaochang. Qu Wentai tried his best to dissuade Xuanzang from continuing on.  This may be simple platitudes from his biographers, but it also may have been genuine.  Having a learned foreign monk from the Tang dynasty staying at the palace monastery would likely have added to Qu Wentai's prestige by association, and it would have potentially brought more individuals to the city of Gaochang. Speaking of which, all of this first part of the journey—up to Gaochang—comes primarily from Xuanzang's biography by the monk Huili.  Xuanzang's own “Records of the Western Regions” didn't include much on it, probably because by the time that he returned to the Tang empire, Tang Taizong had annexed Yiwu and Gaochang, so all those were now considered part of the empire, rather than foreign regions to the West. After staying a month at Gaochang, Xuanzang decided it was time to continue his journey.  Disappointed though Qu Wentai may have been that his guest would be leaving, he nonetheless outfitted him handsomely.  He provided goods, including coins, as well as 24 letters to the 24 countries that he would pass along the road, adding a roll of silk to each as a sign that they came from the King of Gaochang.  He also gave him food, a small retinue, and horses to help carry everything.  Letters of introduction would have been important across the Silk Road.  There was, after all, no way to contact someone ahead of time, unless you sent runners. Merchant communities, in particular, would often be connected across long distances through regular caravans, which carried letters to their relatives, facilitating communication across vast distances.  Merchants who were bringing in a caravan of goods would know that there was a friendly community waiting to help them when they arrived, and would likely even have an idea of what was happening and what to bring. For someone traveling alone, however, having a letter of introduction would have been important, as they didn't necessarily have access to those communities by themselves.  The letters would provide introduction and let people know who you were and may even ask for assistance on your behalf.  It may seem a small thing, but it was the kind of gesture that was likely a great help to a traveler like Xuanzang.  Remember, he was not on an official mission from the Tang court—almost expressly the opposite, as he had not been given permission to leave.  So he wouldn't have had anything identifying him, and after Gaochang he likely couldn't count on being able to communicate with his native tongue. And so he was sent on his way.  As he left the city of Gaochang, the king and others accompanied Xuanzang about 10 li, or about 3 or 4 miles, outside of the city.  As they watched him head off, who could have known if he would complete his quest?  Or would he just end up another ghost in the desert? Next episode, we'll pick up Xuanzang's story as he strikes out for Agni and beyond.  Until then thank you for listening and for all of your support. If you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.

Seine Verletzung müsste ein Todesurteil sein, doch Timur Lenk errichtet trotzdem ein Großreich vom Schwarzen Meer bis Indien. Im Februar 1405 stirbt der asiatische Eroberer. Von Murat Kayi.

Abram Iskhakov is the caretaker of the oldest synagogue in Bukhara, one of the sacred cities of Islam. He is keeper of a Torah inscribed on deer velum and kept safe for 1000 years, or so the story goes. Abram has a powerful voice and recites for us a very special prayer, the Haqqoni, recited at both Jewish and Muslim mourning services in Persian, the language of his city and of Central Asian Jews from Samarkand to the borders of China. What does Haqqoni tell us about the culture of Central Asia? And as the Bukharan Jewish population migrates across the world, what is becoming of the Haqqoni?

Caroline Eden is a writer and literary critic. She's also the author of many terrific food and travel books, including Samarkand, Black Sea, and Red Sands. She has been awarded both the Art of Eating Prize and an André Simon Award, and Red Sands was a book of the year for the Financial Times, the Sunday Times, and the New Yorker. In this episode, we talk about Caroline's terrific new book, a memoir titled Cold Kitchen. The book is a real journey through parts of Eastern Europe, the Baltic region, and beyond, and it dives into Caroline's travels through Russia, Bulgaria, Georgia, and many other locations that perhaps don't get the time they deserve. Caroline is a brilliant reporter and we had such a great time catching up with her.Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

В ГОСТЯХ: Samarkand Marathon, Bukhara Night Race, Sky Camp, Zaamin Ultra - это всё он, Мирхан Сагитов. Колоритные, красивые, с запахом вкусной еды на узких улицах, под сводом древних минаретов и куполов истории, такие неповторимые и теплые забеги Узбекистана. Разговариваем с их куратором (рейс-директором по-нашему) обо всем, что можно успеть за час._____________________________________________КУПИТЬ МЕРЧ ПОДКАСТАhttps://t.me/beguibasta_____________________________________________СПИСОК АКТУАЛЬНЫХ НА МОМЕНТ ПУБЛИКАЦИИ ПАТРОНОВ:Rinat Rakhmatullin, Lena_mko, Murat Mamekov, Andrey Shel, Meruyert Mukhamed-Rakhimova, Aybar Uatay, Bogdan Gubin, Daniyar Zhaketov, Tatyana, Indira Guryeva, Himmel GB, ildar zn, Kirill Rozengurt, Al'firad, Михайлова Ирада, Kamila Kussainova, Pedro Vizuette Castro, Konnykh Andrey, Gaukhar Zhumabek, Alma, Inna Li, Каримжан, Assylbek Dossanov, Нурсултан Дарибек, Айжан Калыбековна, Aigerim Kuzhakhmetova, Дмитрий Аксёнов, Yuliya Soldatova, Айголек, О Наталья, SMM агентство 4Dclick, Филипп Полутин, telegram канал MyStart, Stanislav 13, Erjan K, Kate P, Kristina_run_fit, Snowcat, Anel Kamanova, Евгения Онбаева, Anara Abeuova, Аида, Marat Shaimardanov, Diana Smagulova, erb22, MyStart.kz, Дмитрий Докучаев, Saduov Radmir, Askar Zhussupov, Толкын Нурушева, chillkaef, Yuliya Korolkova, Мадошка, Aigul M, Алина, Даулет Суинтаев, RunZA страница бегового юмора, Akhtan Yerezhepov, Sergey Fyodorov, shakh -.-, Aidar Turmukhambetov, Айгерим Мурзалина_____________________________________________СТАНЬ ПАТРОНОМ и услышь своё имя в каждом эпизоде, получай эксклюзивы и выпуски раньше других, участвуй в розыгрыше мерча, получи его мгновенно или стань сразу моим гостем подкаста: ⁠ https://patreon.com/tentser⁠  Для тех, кто из России: https://boosty.to/tentser/donate_____________________________________________Страничка серии забегов: https://www.instagram.com/samarkandmarathonСтраничка Мирхана: https://www.instagram.com/sagitov.mirkhanМоя страничка: ⁠ https://www.instagram.com/paveltentserblogМой телеграм: https://t.me/tentserСаунд: Turan - "Argymaq"Монтаж: https://www.instagram.com/alisher_gumarВизуал: ⁠ https://www.instagram.com/izhankinn_____________________________________________

Der Timuridenfürst Ulugh Beg (1394-1449) übernahm den Thron in Samarkand, heute Usbekistan, von seinem Großvater. Doch statt wie dieser als gefürchteter Herrscher andere Reiche zu erobern, zog er die Wissenschaft vor: Als Astronom und Mathematiker leistete er in seinem Observatorium Erstaunliches - lange vor Erfindung des Teleskops. Von Julia Smilga

“To wander from mountain to mountain, hopeless and homeless, has nothing to recommend it” - Babur Before he became the father of the Mughal dynasty, and the author of one of the most important memoirs in world history, Babur was a provincial young prince in modern-day Uzbekistan. His family tree stretches back to Genghis Khan and Timur, and his fighting spirit was as strong as his ancestors'. As a teenager he sets his sights on the capital city of Samarkand and lays siege to it. But he meets his match when faced with the great Uzbeg warlord, Shaybani Khan. At just 21 years old, Babur is left defeated and homeless, wandering as a nomad around Central Asia. How will he recover from this? Join William and Anita as they explore the early life of the first Great Mughal, Babur.  To buy tickets for Great Mughals: Art, Architecture and Opulence visit: https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/great-mughals-art-architecture-opulence?utm_source=empire_podcast&utm_medium=paid_editorial&utm_campaign=great_mughals_empire_podcast Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anonco: Franciska Komuna kore-japana kongreso ,intervjuo de Heasim Kanto: el la kompaktdisko Planedo mia de Voĝaĝo “ La bluso de sezonoj”  Anonco: Franciska “ Tago de la urbo Samarkand “ de Anatolij Oinesov . Legado: “Paradizo ŝtelita” de Trevor Steele parto 9 en la rolo de doktoro Lachlan kaj la filo de Robinson Andrew Woods […]

Александр Лось - руководитель детского циркового коллектива «Арлекин», капитан народной команды и победитель ТНТ проекта "Выжить в Самарканде", участник реалити "Последний герой. Русский сезон" на TB-3. Alexandr Los is the director of the children's circus troupe "Arlekin," the captain of the national team, and the winner of TNT's project "Survive in Samarkand." He was also a participant in the reality show "Last Hero: Russian Season" on TV-3. FIND ALEXAND ON SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram | Telegram ================================== SUPPORT & CONNECT: Support on Patreon: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/denofrich⁠⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/denofrich⁠⁠ Facebook: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/mark.develman/⁠⁠ YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/denofrich⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/den_of_rich/⁠⁠ Hashtag: #denofrich Type of unconscious: 6 © Copyright 2024 Den of Rich. All rights reserved.

Heute geht es auf große Triathlon-Reise: Von den grandiosen Rennen von Caro Pohle und Mika Noodt in Zell am See, über die bevorstehenden Wettkämpfe in Beijing mit Fred Funk, bis hin nach Samarkand mit Iden, Blummenfeld, Hug und Zepuntke. Und natürlich darf Coach Goerkemans Saisonhighlight "Bockis Biest" nicht fehlen! Hört rein, um zu erfahren, wen der Coach dieses Mal beim Schwimmen schlagen will. Viel Spaß beim Zuhören! Anzeige: WHOOP!WHOOP ist wieder am Start! Das smarte Gerät darf an keinem Handgelenk in der Triathlonwelt mehr fehlen. Immer mehr Profis schwören auf das Gadget. Kein Wunder, schließlich liefert es Dir Echtzeit-Feedback zu Schlaf, Training, Erholung, Gesundheit, Trainingsbereitschaft, Leistungsoptimierung und sogar In-App-Coaching-Funktionen.Was Dich daran freuen dürfte, ist: Mit Pushing Limits wirst Du nicht nur für 0 Euro WHOOP-Mitglied, sondern erhältst auch einen kostenlosen Monat. Auch das WHOOP 4.0 Band ist inbegriffen. >>> Starte jetzt mit WHOOP: Am besten direkt hier bestellen! Werbung | Sichere dir jetzt KOSTENLOS 10 praktische AG1 Travel Packs und informiere dich auf drinkag1.com/pushinglimits zu den gesundheitsbezogenen Angaben. Hole dir AG1 im Abo nach Hause, ganz ohne Vertragslaufzeit.

We dive into the fascinating history of the Samarkand community in Santa Barbara. Exploring the origins of the neighborhood's unique name, its transformation from grazing land to a luxury hotel, and its eventual evolution into a popular retirement community. This episode touches on the real estate lessons learned from the area's past, highlighting the importance of location and timing in the success of any venture. Tune in to discover more about this neighborhood. Scott Williams Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties Scott@ScottWilliams.com 805-451-9300 DRE# 00628741

Sophie Ibbotson is a Central Asia specialist who has worked in the region since 2008, focusing on economic development — in particular tourism development — and water security. Through her company Maximum Exposure, she is a consultant to national governments and to the World Bank, and is Uzbekistan's Tourism Ambassador to the UK.  Sophie is the author of six guidebooks for Bradt Travel Guides, and has written for Lonely Planet, National Geographic Traveller, and Culture Trip, amongst many other publications.  She is also Chairman of the UK's Royal Society for Asian Affairs, founded in 1901 as the Central Asia Society.  On this episode of the show, Sophie shares her one way ticket destination is to Samarkand in the early 1420s, when Ulugbek - a grandson of Amir Timur (Tamerlane) - was governor. Sophie points out that at this point, before he became the Timurid Emperor, Ulugbek had just finished constructing his madrassa and astronomical observatory, solidifying Samarkand as one of the great intellectual and cultural centers of the Islamic world.  In our conversation, Sophie also highlights: What surprises most visitors to Uzbekistan Why the Registan (central square) in Samarkand is one of the top 5 places in the world to visit along with Angkor Wat and the Taj Mahal Tashkent's dazzling subway Bukhara's unique Jewish community and the city as the most beautiful on the Silk Road The backstory behind suzani textiles The world's second largest collection of Russian avant-garde art is housed in the Savitsky Museum in the Karakalpakstan capital of Nukus (thus making it known as the Louvre of the Steppe!) The gem that is the walled city of Khiva What makes Sudan such a fascinating destination – apart from it having more pyramids than Egypt. We wind down the conversation with Sophie sharing her philosophy on travel which is: “If you have the opportunity, go”!  Follow Sophie on Instagram & X: @uzambassador For more on Sophie, visit: www.uzbekistan.travel/en & www.maximumexposure.co

Shaykh C Hamzah Wald Maqbul shocked not only me, but also the barista when he ordered in fluent Uzbek at a coffee stand outside the Registan Square in Samarkand a few years ago. That's when I knew we were in the best possible hands in Uzbekistan with Shaykh Hamzah leading our Muslim Legacy tour group.Shaykh Hamzah learned Uzbek while doing a double major in Biochemistry and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Washington. While he initially intended to go to med school he was also drawn to his faith and was actively looking for a path to study Islam.During his undergrad years, the doors opened for him when he was able to do a combined independent study and study abroad trip to Mauritania. He was able to study with scholars in Mauritania and the UAE. He then went to study for four years in Pakistan at Jamia al Madaniya.Currently he works with Imam Ghazali Institute, teaching aqidah intensives across the country as well as organizing heritage trips to explore Muslim history in Turkey, Uzbekistan, Sicily and Bosnia. He also founded The Ribat Institute and teaches locally in the Chicago area.In this episode, he discusses the value of connecting with Muslim history and tradition in an immersive way, connecting with the layman as a scholar, and the importance of zuhd and detaching from one's wealth.His story intersects with many familiar names:Murabit al-Hajj, Murabit Haddamin, Murabit Ahmad Fal, Mufti Abdul Wahid, Syed Nafees Hussaini, Mawlana Abdul Haleem Chishti, Dr. Imam Zijad Delic Delic; he has also worked closely with Shaykh Mohammed Amin Kholwadia's Darul Qasim College, Musa Sugapong, and HFSAA Midwest. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

By the time of this entry, I have been in exile for half a year and am forced to draw disappointing conclusions. I never managed to assimilate and form any working contacts. The formats of sound work in which I have worked and want to continue working are not in demand in the local context. I am actively involved in field recording, keeping a kind of sound diaries, trying to record the maximum sounding environment and myself in it. An old zoom H4N recorder, a mobile phone recorder and a cassette voice recorder are used.  At the time of this recording, my partner and I (who also came to the residence but will soon return to Russia) decided to take the opportunity to visit Samarkand and Bukhara, here I am filled with hope for the therapeutic potential of this trip, inspired by the opportunity to spend time with a loved one and looking forward to the potential of sound impressions awaiting me. In this recording, you can hear the drone of a train awaiting departure, as well as infrequent remarks from passengers and train conductors. Recorded by Vladimir Bocharov. Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world's first collection of the sounds of human migration.  For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration IMAGE: Bobyrr, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

"The audio that I selected for this project is of a call to prayer in Uzbekistan. In the sound I created I wanted to showcase the role and the power that religion has for people who are in migration.  "This work is drawn on an intersection between the fieldwork I did while working along the Bosnian/Croatian borders and the field recordings I took. These sounds can be heard in the background such as the sounds of walking, speaking, cars driving, etc. "I wanted to mix the story of my experience doing migrant justice work in Bosnia, to the sounds of the call of prayer. My desire to do this, came from coming to understand the power of religion in spaces of migration, liminality and precarity, and the way religion can be used as a source of hope and strength.  "The people I met while working in Bosnia, would always say phrases like “al hamdillah”, god bless, after describing happy moments in life, but also after describing tragic encounters of border violence while trying to cross the borders. I was always shocked that even in telling stories of the violence they experienced they would follow it by using this phrase.  "But through the many conversations I had with people, I have come to understand that through moving in the borders they are confronting by the fullest and truest extent of state sanctioned violence. They are confronted by the magnitude of the state, but what is bigger than these governments which are inflicting injustice on them? God.  "There is something incredibly powerful in knowing that there is something higher than that which is oppressive. So, for my sound piece I decided to depict a journey, as described in countless testimonies of movement, but mix it with the sounds of the call to prayer in Uzbekistan. The call to prayer fades in and out, yet it is always there, always protecting and empowering."  Samarkand old city reimagined by Masa Nazzal. Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world's first collection of the sounds of human migration.  For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration IMAGES: RyansWorld, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

This recording was made in the midst of my migration from Russia to Uzbekistan, through Kazakhstan. This recording was also made in the Hamida guest house in Samarkand, but in the internal open courtyard. In the recording, you can hear the hum of the air conditioner, the quiet conversation of guests and the distinct speech of the muezzin coming from the mosque on the next street.  Despite the fact that I am not a religious person at all, I am impressed by the beauty of the phonetic pattern of the Arabic language performed by the muezzin. The contradiction between the beauty of rituals, visual ornaments, architectural pearls on the one hand and the cruelty of the orthodox tradition on the other hand direct my attention to the existing contradictions in my own judgments. I am immersed in contemplation and reflections. Recorded by Vladimir Bocharov. Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world's first collection of the sounds of human migration.  For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration IMAGE: RyansWorld, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Benjamin Franklin's warning, the course of empire, and the 1965 Yankees, Joe DiMaggio versus Casey Stengel versus the Detroit Tigers and the Red Sox, how to solve an abundance of outfielders and a lack of first basemen, and much more. The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman discusses the game's present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they'll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can't get anybody out?

Das zentralasiatische Land ist in Deutschland kaum bekannt, nur wenige Menschen wissen genau, wo es liegt. Es lohnt, dies herauszufinden. Das Land entlang der alten Seidenstraße ist abwechslungsreich und spannend. Usbekistans Städte vermittelt an vielen Ecken noch einen Eindruck, wie es früher in der Sowjetunion ausgesehen hat. Ihre Zentren wirken oft wie Freilichtmuseen und versprühen einen Charme von Tausendundeiner Nacht. Samarkand, Buchara und Xiva beeindrucken mit Plätzen, Moscheen und Medressen. Modern und schnelllebig wirkt dagegen die Hauptstadt Taschkent, deren Bauten und deren Metro stark an ihre großen Vorbilder in Moskau erinnern. Nach dem Erdbeben von 1966 tobten sich hier die Städtebauplaner des Sowjetregimes aus. Große Straßen, mächtige Gebäude - nirgendwo sonst - außer in Russland selbst - gibt es so viele Bauwerke im Brutalismus-Stil. Nostalgie versprüht das Zugfahren in Usbekistan. Nicht nur weil die Fahrten hier günstig sind. Die Waggons sind alt, oft sitzt man in ehemaligen DDR-Reichsbahn-Abteilen. Einen Speisewagen gibt es auch. Die meist stundenlange Fahrt durch die Steppe Usbekistans ist auf jeden Fall eine gute Möglichkeit zum Entschleunigen. Eine Reportage von Dennis Burk

As he feels the inevitable passage of time take its toll on his body and soul, Genghis Khan looks for answers - about how to extend his rule and his life, perhaps even how to gain life everlasting. Thus, when word reaches him on the eve of his Khwarazmian campaign of a Daoist Immortal living in the mountains of Shandong, he will seek this master out in order to gain his wisdom. But this supposed immortal isn't quite what he claims to be... Time Period Covered: ca. 1219-1224 CE Major Figures: Genghis Khan (Temüjin) Master Changchun, Leader of the Daoist Quanzhen Sect (Qiu Chuji) Temuge-otchigin, Hearthkeeper of Mongolia Liu Wen, alchemist, arrow-maker, caravan-leader Yelu Chu Chi, brother of the Governor of Samarkand, translator for the Great Khan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Caroline Eden returns to discuss with Ivan six things which should be better known. Caroline Eden is a writer and book critic contributing to the Financial Times, Guardian and the Times Literary Supplement. Her new book is Cold Kitchen: A Year of Culinary Journeys. Her earlier books include Samarkand, Black Sea and Red Sands, winner of the prestigious André Simon Award and a Book of the Year for the New Yorker. Ukrainian borsch Uzbek melons Russian pirozhki Polish pierogi  Armenian lavash Turkish boza This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

In the aftermath of the Covid19 pandemic, the Convention on Migratory Species of the United Nations renewed their focus on One Health and migratory species. In the wake of this renewal, researchers from the University of Edinburgh in the UK wrote a review titled "Migratory Species and Health: A Review of Migration and Wildlife Disease Dynamics, and the Health of Migratory Species, Our host Cat Vendl is joined by two of the authors, Dr Marja Kipperman and Dr Ruth Cromie. Ruth and her colleague, Katie Beckmann, presented the review at the 14th Conference of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in February this year. Links:Resolution 12.6(Rev.COP14) on Wildlife Health and Migratory SpeciesMigratory Species and Health Review Avian Influenza (Resolution 14.18)Migratory Species and Health ReviewPreventing Poisoning of Migratory Birds (Resolution 11.15(Rev.COP14))We'd love to hear from you ... share your thoughts, feedback and ideas.

We let the cat out of the bag early on in this episode that we did NOT like this book. Honestly though we let that particular cat out at the 1/3 mark as well so not much has changed. In this part, our hero and unnamed King goes to battle with a SUPER HOT Empress and he loses and all his friends leave him and then the book ends? Or that's what YOU think right? Also the Queen has trust issues over on the other side of the world. Follow us at patreon.com/pixellitpod and hop into our Discord! Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/pixellitpod.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/pixellitpod Book Synopsis It's been almost a decade since the events of Fable 3, when the Hero vanquished the threat across the sea and claimed his throne. As king he led Albion to an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity. But on the night of his wedding to his new queen, ominous word arrives: The darkness has returned. Beyond a harrowing mountain pass, the exotic desert country Samarkand has been overrun by shadowy forces. Within the walls of its capital city, a mysterious usurper known only as the Empress has seized control. To protect his realm, the king must lead his most trusted allies into a strange land unknown to outsiders. As they forge ahead along Samarkand's ancient Great Road, populated by undead terrors and fantastic creatures once believed to be the stuff of legend, the king is drawn ever closer to his greatest challenge yet. But soon Albion is engulfed in a war of its own. As the darkness spreads, town by town, a treacherous force has infiltrated the queen's circle. Now the fate of all that is good rests with a faint flicker of hope . . . that somewhere, somehow, heroes still do exist. 

Phil and Kevin continue with the book, Fable: Edge of the World, because they started it and there wouldn't be a show if they stopped reading every book they didn't like. There! Ya happy! Anyway the King and his gang continue to adventure into foreign lands to practice a little unasked for "FREEDOMING" and run into a number of hurdles, like Sirens, water that turns people into werewolves, and just general malaise and ennui.  Wait that last one is us. Back on the homefront, Queen Layla has got people begging darling please to shoot guns better and she yells at all over her advisors for being just... terrible handlers. Follow us at patreon.com/pixellitpod and hop into our Discord! Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/pixellitpod.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/pixellitpod Book Synopsis It's been almost a decade since the events of Fable 3, when the Hero vanquished the threat across the sea and claimed his throne. As king he led Albion to an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity. But on the night of his wedding to his new queen, ominous word arrives: The darkness has returned. Beyond a harrowing mountain pass, the exotic desert country Samarkand has been overrun by shadowy forces. Within the walls of its capital city, a mysterious usurper known only as the Empress has seized control. To protect his realm, the king must lead his most trusted allies into a strange land unknown to outsiders. As they forge ahead along Samarkand's ancient Great Road, populated by undead terrors and fantastic creatures once believed to be the stuff of legend, the king is drawn ever closer to his greatest challenge yet. But soon Albion is engulfed in a war of its own. As the darkness spreads, town by town, a treacherous force has infiltrated the queen's circle. Now the fate of all that is good rests with a faint flicker of hope . . . that somewhere, somehow, heroes still do exist. 

The Sharjah Archaeology Authority (SAA) inaugurated today, Thursday, the exhibition "From Arabia to Central Asia: treasures from Sharjah at the Silk Road" at the Silk Road Art House in Samarkand, in collaboration with the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The event was attended by Sheikh Fahim Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Department of Government Relations (DGR) in Sharjah, along with an official delegation from the Sharjah government, represented by a number of officials and representatives of the relevant authorities and entities concerned with cultural heritage in the Emirate of Sharjah. Listen to #Pulse95Radio in the UAE by tuning in on your radio (95.00 FM) or online on our website: www.pulse95radio.com ************************ Follow us on Social. www.instagram/com/pulse95radio www.facebook.com/pulse95radio www.twitter.com/pulse95radio

Tales From The Thousand And One Nights词汇提示1.Arabian 阿拉伯的2.mistrustful 不信任3.betrayed 背叛4.brutality 暴行5.compassionate 有同情心6.Hunchback 驼背的人7.choked 噎住8.wrapped 包起来9.sheet 床单10.tripped 绊倒11.alley 小巷12.broker 掮客13.confession 坦白14.revealed 揭露原文Story 1: Arabian NightsArabian Nights is a collection of stories, and it is also known as One Thousand and One Nights.The King is mistrustful because he was betrayed by his previous wife.She had an affair with a kitchen servant.After this, the King started to sleep with one girl every night and then killed them.To stop this brutality, the Wazir's daughter volunteered herself to marry him.She became Queen Scheherazade.She told King Shah Shahryar a story every night.These elaborate stories never ended the same night.To stay alive, she finished the story the next night and started a new story.The King was entertained and didn't kill her.After 3 years, she ran out of stories, but they were married for 3 years and they had had children so The King didn't kill her.Story2: In the Name of Allah the Compassionating the CompassionateOnce long ago, there were two royal brothers, Shahryar and Shah Zaman.They ruled over separate lands.Shahryar ruled India/Indo-China and Shah Zaman ruled Samarkand.They were very close brothers, but couldn't rule together because of certain laws.After being apart for 20 years, Shahryar sent a quest to his brother Shah Zaman to come and see each other.Before leaving to visit his brother, Shah Shahryar found out that his wife was cheating on him with the cook.He was very upset.He could not eat or sleep.King Shahryar ordered his queen to be killed, and swore to marry a young girl each night.After sleeping with them, he killed them the next morning.He wanted to make sure there was no chance for the new wife to be unfaithful.He said, "There never was and never will be a faithful woman!"Story 3: The Hunchback's TaleAlong time ago, in a city in China, a tailor and his wife invited a hunchback to their home for dinner.They wanted to be entertained.While the hunchback was eating and joking, he choked on a sharp fishbone.The two wrapped the dead man up in a sheet and took him to a doctor in the middle of the night.They did not want anyone to see them, so they left the hunchback at the doctor's house and ran away.The doctor was eager to see his patient, and he tripped over the body.The body of the hunchback fell down the stairs.Believing he killed the patient, the doctor put the dead body in his neighbor's yard.The neighbor thought he was a thief and beat him.He thought that he killed him.The neighbor took the body to an alley where he was beaten again.In this way, the hunchback's body was passed around until the King's broker was found with the dead body.Just as the broker was about to be executed, confessions came one by one from all the assumed murderers.He was never dead at all.The King questioned everyone involved.It was revealed that the fishbone was removed from his throat by the barber, andthe hunchback was fine.The King laughed and enjoyed hearing about the crazy events.He said to everyone there, "Did you ever hear a more wonderful story thanthat of my Hunchback?"翻译故事一:天方夜谭《天方夜谭》是一部故事集，也被称为《一千零一夜》。国王不信任他的前妻，因为他被她背叛了。她和一个厨房佣人有染。从那以后，国王开始每天晚上和一个女孩睡觉，然后杀了她们。为了制止这种暴行，瓦齐尔的女儿自愿嫁给他。她成了舍赫拉扎德王后。她每天晚上给国王沙·沙赫拉尔讲一个故事。这些精巧的故事不会在同一个晚上结束。为了活下去，她在第二天晚上结束了这个故事，并且开始了一个新的故事。国王很高兴，没有杀她。三年后，她的故事说完了，但他们结婚三年了，他们有了孩子，所以国王没有杀她。故事2:以慈悲的真主之名很久以前，有两个皇室兄弟，沙赫里亚尔和沙赫扎曼。他们统治着各自的土地。沙赫里亚尔统治印度/印度支那，沙赫扎曼统治撒马尔罕。他们是非常亲密的兄弟，但由于某些法律的原因，他们不能一起统治。在分开20年后，沙赫里亚尔向他的兄弟沙赫扎曼发出了一个请求，让他来见一面。在离开去看兄弟之前，沙赫里亚尔发现他的妻子背着他和厨师在一起。他非常沮丧。他吃不下也睡不着。沙赫里亚尔国王下令杀死他的王后，并发誓每天晚上娶一个年轻女孩。他和她们上床后，第二天早上杀了她们。他想确保新婚妻子不会有不忠的机会。他说:“从来没有，将来也不会有忠实的女人!”故事三:驼子的故事很久以前，在中国的一个城市里，一个裁缝和他的妻子邀请了一个驼背的人到他们家吃饭。他们想要娱乐放松一下。驼背人在吃东西和开玩笑的时候，被一根锋利的鱼刺噎住了。两人用床单把死者包起来，半夜带他去看医生。他们不想让任何人看到他们，所以他们把驼子留在医生的房子里跑了。医生急于看他的病人，结果被尸体绊倒了。驼背的尸体从楼梯上摔了下来。医生相信病人是他杀的，就把尸体放在邻居的院子里。邻居以为他是小偷，打了他一顿。他以为他杀了他。邻居把尸体带到一条小巷，在那里他再次遭到殴打。就这样，驼背的尸体被四处传递，直到国王的掮客和尸体一起被发现。就在掮客即将被处决的时候，所有被认为是凶手的人都一个接一个地招供了。他根本就没有死。国王询问了所有相关人员。结果发现，理发师已经把鱼刺从驼子喉咙里取出来了，这个驼子已经好了。国王笑了，他喜欢听这些疯狂的事情。他对在场的每一个人说:“你们听过比我的驼子故事更奇妙的故事吗?”

Welcome to the Molyneux-iverse. I wish I had made that joke in the episode itself but here we are. Phil and Kevin are taking on Fable: Edge of the World! It's written by Christie Golden, last seen on the show as the author of World of Warcraft: Rise of the Horde, which was... not great. Higher hopes for this one! Follow us at patreon.com/pixellitpod and hop into our Discord! Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/pixellitpod.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/pixellitpod Book Synopsis It's been almost a decade since the events of Fable 3, when the Hero vanquished the threat across the sea and claimed his throne. As king he led Albion to an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity. But on the night of his wedding to his new queen, ominous word arrives: The darkness has returned. Beyond a harrowing mountain pass, the exotic desert country Samarkand has been overrun by shadowy forces. Within the walls of its capital city, a mysterious usurper known only as the Empress has seized control. To protect his realm, the king must lead his most trusted allies into a strange land unknown to outsiders. As they forge ahead along Samarkand's ancient Great Road, populated by undead terrors and fantastic creatures once believed to be the stuff of legend, the king is drawn ever closer to his greatest challenge yet. But soon Albion is engulfed in a war of its own. As the darkness spreads, town by town, a treacherous force has infiltrated the queen's circle. Now the fate of all that is good rests with a faint flicker of hope . . . that somewhere, somehow, heroes still do exist. 

Ein Geheimtipp im touristischen Aufstieg und das im Herzen der alten und neuen Seidenstraße, das ist Usbekistan. In dieser Folge von Deutschlands meistgehörten Touristik Podcast sprechen Sven Meyer und Andy Janz (in Samarkand aufnehmend) über das was das zentralasiatische Land zu bieten hat, was die beiden mit Usbekistan verbindet und wie man da überhaupt hinkommt. Andy erzählt wie das früher auch mit dem Auto ging und Sven schwelgt in Erinnerung an die allererste Pressereise, die er zwischen der Hauptstadt Taschkent und der alten Oasenstadt Khiva organisierte. Eine Kopfkino-Podcastfolge die Lust auf Landkarte und Reiseplanung macht. Jetzt online!

Ulugh Beg führte im Auftrag seines Vaters die Verwaltung von Westturkestan. Er begeisterte sich vor allem für Mathematik und Astronomie und errichtete dort vor 600 Jahren die wohl beste Sternwarte seiner Zeit. Lorenzen, Dirk www.deutschlandfunk.de, Sternzeit

#RUSSIA: #UZBEKISTAN: #KAZAKHSTAN: The US competes in Central Asia with Green Tech.  Ekaterina Zolotova, Geopolitical Futures @GPFutures https://geopoliticalfutures.com/the-west-makes-its-case-for-the-green-transition-in-central-asia/ 1913 Samarkand

I'd always thought of Tamerlane as a sort of cut-rate Genghis Khan. It was only when researching a trip to Uzbekistan that I discovered he was one of the world's greatest conquerors. Justin Marozzi joined me to talk about Temur's military genius, his architectural and cultural legacy, and how he's remembered in Uzbekistan today.

സമർഖണ്ഡ് : ഈ നഗരം ഇപ്പോൾ പത്തുലക്ഷം ജനങ്ങളും എന്നാൽ ലോകനാഗരികതയുടെ ഒരമരഖണ്ഡവുമാണ്. ആ നഗരത്തിൽ ജീവിച്ച അഞ്ചുദിന -രാത്രികളിൽ ഒരു പകലിനെക്കുറിച്ചാണ് ഈ ശബ്ദോപന്യാസം. ജ്ഞാനം രക്തം അധികാരം. 1424 ൽ മനുഷ്യനാഗരികതയുടെ ഈ അണുകേന്ദ്രത്തിൽ കാലൂന്നിനിന്നാണ് ഉലുഗ് ബെഗ് (മിർസ മുഹമ്മദ് ബിൻ ഷാ റൂഖ്‌ ) എന്ന രാജകുമാരൻ ആകാശദർശിനിയിലൂടെ നോക്കി അനന്തതയുടെ എഞ്ചുവടി ഉണ്ടാക്കിയത്. ഇവിടെയാണ് അയാൾ കൊല്ലപ്പെട്ടതും. ഈ ഉസ്ബെക് രാജകുമാരനെ മുഗൾ രാജകുമാരനായിരുന്ന ദാര ഷിക്കോഹുമായി അടുപ്പിക്കുന്നത് എന്താണ് ? ജ്ഞാനം രക്തം അധികാരം എന്ന audio essay യിലേക്ക് സ്വാഗതം എസ് . ഗോപാലകൃഷ്ണൻ ദില്ലി -ദാലി 27 ഫെബ്രുവരി 2024 https://www.dillidalipodcast.com/

Hello and welcome to this new format for my solo episodes in 2024, a much more structured concept covering travel news, travel stories, guest reactions, did you know?/travel facts, brand updates, audience questions, and a travel joke. In this episode, I cover the lowest airfare prices since 2009, Venice's new day-visitor tickets, Setouchi in Japan, my wild camping Oman poo story, facts about Samarkand in Uzbekistan, updates about my new website and how to prepare a trip in Oman. Timestamps00:57 - Airfares Lowest Since 200902:06 - Venice's Day Ticket Information04:47 - Safest Places To Travel In 202406:10 - Setouchi, Japan10:00 - Travel Story - Oman Poo Story12:00 - Tyler Wittfofsky Guest Reaction14:25 - Samarkand, Uzbekistan Travel Facts/Did You Know19:25 - New Website Update22:11 - How To Plan A Road Trip In Oman26:16 - Travel JokeWebsite - https://www.wingingittravelpodcast.comWinging It Travel Podcast YouTube ChannelWeekly travel episodes, interviews and Vancouver.YouTube - HereWinging It Travel Podcast CreditsHost/Creator/Writer/Composer/Editor - James HammondProducer - James HammondPodcast Art Design - Swamp Soup Company - Harry UttonContact me - jameshammondtravel@gmail.com Social Media - follow me on:Instagram - wingingittravelpodcast - https://www.instagram.com/wingingittravelpodcast/TikTok - wingingittravelpodcast - https://www.tiktok.com/@wingingittravelpodcastFacebook - Winging It Travel Podcast - https://www.facebook.com/jameshammondtravelReview - Please leave a review and rating wherever you get your podcasts!Support My Podcast - MembershipsPatreon - HereBuy Me A Coffee - HereSupport My Podcast - Affiliate Links If you click one of the below to book something, I get a tiny commission, which helps the podcast.Use Revolut - HereBook Your E-Sim With Airalo - HereBook Hostels With Hostelworld - HereBooking.com - Here Book Experiences With Viator - HereDiscovery Car Hire - HereBook Buses With Busbud - HereBook Trains With Trainline - Here Travel Insurance with SafetyWing - HereBook Flights With Expedia Canada - HereBook Hotels with Hotel.com - HereBook Hotels With Agoda - HereBook Hotels With Trivago - HereBook Accommodation With Vrbo - HereBooking Events With Ticketmaster - HereMerch Store - Here Buy my Digital Travel Planner - HereThanks for supporting me and the podcast! Happy travels and listening!Cheers, James.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/winging-it-travel-podcast--4777249/support.

After conquering much of Eurasia, Timur showed no interest in building institutions and so after his death, like the Mongol Empire before it, the Timurid Empire soon fragmented and collapsed. However, some of Timur's grandchildren took over parts of the Empire and ushered in eras of cultural advancement that matched that of the renaissance in Italy. Under the tutelage of Ulugh Begh, great developments in maths and science were made in Samarkand. Under the watch of Shah Rukh, beautiful artistic endeavours were undertaken in Herat. Some of the greatest artists of the Islamic world, such as Bihzad, came from this period. Listen as William and Anita discuss one of the golden ages of Persian culture. For bonus episodes, ad-free listening, reading lists, book discounts, a weekly newsletter, and a chat community. Sign up at https://empirepod.supportingcast.fm/ Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"We are the Pilgrims, master: we shall go always a little farther..." Analog Shift's James Lamdin is a #watchfam fellow traveller. Let's put it this way... If "The Golden Road to Samarkand" was a metaphor for the path to enlightenment on neo-vintage watches and amazing 1980's television (and old BMW's), then surely James Lamdin would be the Caravan Master. Mr. Lamdin is DEEP into the appreciation of all the good stuff, folks! We chat about the topic of neo-vintage, the need for Breguet to do better in an effort to reclaim its place in the firmament, and of course the #magnumpivibechallenge! This one runs a bit long, but- like a Ferrari 308 GTS- it goes fast. Thanks for listening.

Why does the Torah use the title וישב which means peace, for the MOST tumultuous events of Jacob's life?Support the show

Craig Murray is a former British diplomat who was the ambassador to Uzbekistan and has held posts in Nigeria, Poland and Ghana. His assignments in Poland included work towards the nation's post-communist transition and entry into the European Union. He is better known for his human rights activism, and being a leading advocate for the release of Julian Assange. He has spoken out vocally over the UK's involvement in aiding the US and the conjuring of false evidence leading to the Iraq invasion. After leaving the Liberal Democrat Party, Craig has been more active in the Scottish independence movement. For several years he also served as the rector of the University of Dundee.  He was also arrested in violation of his freedom of speech for blogging about a Scottish scandal involving Scotland's former First Minister, which led to his serving time in prison. This month, Craig took his complaint to the United Nations.  In 2006, he received the Sam Adams Award for Integrity in Intelligence for his campaigning against torture, nd he has rejected three honors from the late Queen Elizabeth. Craig is also the author of several books, notably "Murder in Samarkand" about his experiences in Central Asia, and "Sikunder Burnes: Master of the Great Game" -- an non-fictional historical spy story that revolved around  the rivalry between the British and Russian empires' maneuvers in Central Asia during the 19th century.    He has also authored over 130 peer-reviewed articles for professional and academic publications. Craig's website with articles is CraigMurray.org.uk 

Photo: 1890 Samarkand. No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow #Azerbaijan: Remembering Professor Thomas Goltz and Executive Producer Lee Mason. Ambassador Elin Suleymanov, Republic of Azerbaijan  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Goltz

Photo: 1890 Samarkand. No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow #Afghanistan: ISIS attacks the Taliban. Bill Roggio, FDD https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/30/pakistan-explosion-political-event-khyber-pakhtunkhwa-province

BBC journalist Rayhan Demytrie is from Uzbekistan and was recently invited back to her country to explore how after almost 30 years the government is opening up the country and it's economy. In part one of this two part Business Daily special Rayhan hears how tourists are encouraging business growth in the famous Silk Road city of Samarkand. In an interview with the Uzbek deputy finance minister, Odilbek Isakov, Rayhan asks about selling and privatising state owed assets like a Coca-Cola bottling plant and whether doing this is profitable for the country. We also hear how important ties with Russia are in Uzbekistan and how a very cold winter has put pressure on energy supplies and the economic revival of this former Soviet country. Presenter / producer: Rayhan Demytrie Image: Mosque in Samarkand: Credit: Getty Images

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. 1890, Samarkand @Batchelorshow #ClassicGregoryCopley: Meeting in Samarkand: Journey to a newly-threatened Uzbekistan. Gregory Copley  @Gregory_Copley,, Defense & Foreign Affairs (Originally posted October 20, 2021). https://thediplomat.com/2021/10/quiet-presidential-campaign-nearly-over-in-uzbekistan/

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow 2/2: #PRC: Russia: #SCO: The "No Limits" partnership meet in Samarkand & What is to be done?  Sarang Shidore, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Weifeng Zhong, Mercatus Center. https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-xi-jinping-and-russias-vladimir-putin-to-showcase-growing-ties-11663243097?mod=hp_lead_pos4