Image source: amazing-iran.com

What does the Silk Roads mean to you? Have you ever thought about it as an ancient symbol for a modern reality? If not, this is your time to check this article out which was written by Professor Richard Foltz for the very issue of SILKROADIA.

“Over the past several decades “The Silk Road” has become a widely-used and easily recognizable term all over the world, with equivalent expressions having now entered many different languages. Evoking the exotic adventures of intrepid travelers and camel caravans facing all manner of hardships from endless parched deserts and sudden mountain blizzards to ruthless bandits and treacherous hosts as they plodded for months or years across the world’s most remote and uninviting regions, the Silk Road concept has inspired countless books and articles, film documentaries, international conferences and cultural events, and even a system for 19 selling contraband on the Dark Web. The government of China has appropriated the idea of the Silk Road as the ideological underpinning for its far-reaching “Belt and Road” development plan. The Silk Road has become one of the world’s most recognized brands, but what exactly is it, and who owns it?”

Richard Foltz is a Professor of the Department of Religions and Cultures, Concordia University, Canada.

© 2019 Richard Foltz All Rights Reserved.