The most unexpected innovations and fusions of world’s religions and material culture have taken place along the trade and communication networks known today as the Silk Roads. Term coined by the German geologist Baron Ferdinand von Richthofen in 1877, the Silk Road has attracted much scholarly interest in recent years. The artistic vibrancy of the empires that stretched from China to Byzantium was reflected in their cultural production. Their artistic excellence combined with exquisite decorum was the product of continuous exchanges, mixing and melding of traditions.

The exhibition will feature Islamic architectural monuments (mosques, madrasas, mausoleums) in major urban centres along the Silk Roads. Special focus will be on the cities of Herat (Afghanistan), Mashhad and Sultaniyya (Iran), Turkestan (Kazakhstan), Marv and Anau (Turkmenistan), Samarqand, Bukhara and Shahr-i Sabz (Uzbekistan).