Chris Aslan was born in Turkey and spent his childhood there and in war-torn Beirut. He lived in the deserts and mountains of Central Asia for 15 years, and still returns regularly to the region.
I absolutely adore the writing style of this author, as we know this is a subject he has lived a great part of his life. The familiarity with which he writes conveys his love and knowledge of this very exotic part of the world. The Silk Road has fascinated me for a long time and I imagine the many centuries where traders passed each other to and from their distant destinations. Of the many books I have read, this tops them. Part travelogue and part history lesson, the author betrays his obvious love for the place. I encourage the reader to take this journey and breath in the air and exoticism in Unravelling the Silk Road. Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the chance to review this fascinating book.

First of all, and refreshingly, Aslan is not your traditional White male travel writer, all misery and looking down at tourists and purist and thinking he's the best thing since sliced bread. Aslan gives a wamr, honest and self-deprecating account of his own times in Central Asia, interrogating his younger self's opinions and reactions and pointing out where they are lacking. He talks a lot about the different initiatives he helped to set up to aid women and textile workers to revive different techniques and make a living but makes sure it's clear it's not all his work and to appreciate the people who did the work on the ground. He's also obviously an expert on the region and a lover of its textiles and this shines through. I really liked the first person narrative as a result.

The history side of things does need to be told. Aslan is really good at explaining wide shifts and cultural travels - for example the way that bright Indian chintz motifs were copied by teh British, then copied by the Russians and sold in brighter versions in Turkestan, then being copied and adapted for a million middle-class women by Laura Ashley. The way the Wool, Silk and Cotton Roads have brought misery to the long-term nomadic inhabitants of the -stans that make up Central Asia is told really well and clearly, both old disputes and sweeping colonialism and more recent disputes whipped up between different ethnic groups cohabiting uneasily in lands with borders created in the main by Soviet Russia without a thought about who lived there and who might try to escape there. This made for unremittingly grim and sad reading - which is fine, of course, and it's necessary to record this, but it's not your travel memoir with a bit of history thrown in.

Aslan does a fine job of writing a bit of a different book to how it was portrayed, and clearly has a deep love for the region and its people and a deep respect for and impetus to help those people and especially craftspeople.

Review will be published on my blog on 11 November https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2023/11/11/book-review-chris-aslan-unravelling-the-silk-road/

Having been fascinated and read many books about the Silk Road, anything new publication is always a pull… but many books feel like facts have just been regurgitated. However, Unravelling the Silk Road by Chris Aslan brings a fresh perspective and understanding to the Silk Road
The focus of the book explores the trading of three key products - wool, silk and cotton - digging into the history of each and the impact on the lives of individuals and the regions.
Using Chris Aslan’s personal knowledge and experiences of living and working in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, this book is as much a fascinating travelogue / personal autobiography as it is a fascinating historical and geographical read.
Digging into the past of these three textiles and their commercial routes between China and Europe over centuries , Chris takes us on a journey as to how these products carried so much commercial and cultural power and influence - in particular the impact of soviet occupation resulted in the decimation of many crafts associated with wool, silk and cotton.
This is a book about the past, the present and the future ( how new trade routes and lives are being affected. Y political and cultural changes) This is a book for historians, those with a deep appreciation of geography and cultures or readers who just want to broaden their knowledge of the wider world around them.
Written with warmth, compassion to save dying creative and art forms and deep knowledge of a fascinating part of the globe and its history, this is a wonderful read. Highly recommended

Books like this are why I read. Aslan takes you on a journey along the three textile roads in central Asia covering the Silk Road, the Wool Road and the Cotton Road. Part historical, part biographical, there are sad stories, happy stories and some down right wild stories, like run-ins with the KGB, Kyrgyz bride-napping, and a rescued snow leopard cub - without spoiling it too much.

Not only did this book make me think about how textiles are sourced, the impact to the planet and the working conditions of those working tirelessly to produce these textiles, it also provided me with some fascinating facts and explanations of cultural differences highlighting just how little I understood about this part of the world.

Aslan has lived in or visited many of the places discussed in the book and his writing overflows with affection and admiration for all the people he has met along the way. He weaves together the history of the three textile roads with stories of the people you don't think of when you put on your clothes or close your curtains at night.

Interesting, detailed and at times heart-warming, definitely worth a read.

Enormous thanks to @NetGalley and @iconbooks for the #arc in exchange for my honest review.