Uzbekistan: Heir to the Silk Road

Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive guide through the ages.
Review: This German collaboration does well in discussing the general history of the region from the pre-Islamic Sogdian and Bactrian kingdoms, to the khanates and the intrigues of the Great Game to the present day independant country.

Uzbekistan itself, strangely enough, is largely a Soviet era creation. The present borders include the historically important towns of Samarkand and Burkhara (and much of the Fergana Valley), much to the annoyance of Tadjikistan. Thus, the work focusses on the regional definition of Uzbekistan rather than as a people. (The Uzbeks trace their name from Ozbeg, a leader of tribes of Mongol descent in the 14th Century).

Vivid pictures of works of art as well as early photographs chronicle the cultural sophistication in what was once the crossroads of the greatest civillizations in antiquity. An in depth analysis of the different patterns and motifs in carpets points attest to the subtle influences in the region. The book cannot be faulted on its detail of its analysis of artifacts and works of art. Long a people with a nomadic inclination, such influences did not necessarily remain rooted for long, and these remain as probably its most reliable catalog of its past.

Thus said, the book is informative to the point of being somewhat staid in its narrative. Not much is said about life after the transition from the former Uzbek SSR to an independant country. The work is obviously of some national importance as the President of the new Republic provides the forward.

Recommended if you hold more than a casual interest in the region.