Insight Guide Silk Road is the complete illustrated guide to one of the world's ultimate travel adventures. Passing right through the heart of Asia, the ancient trade route traverses a quarter of the globe from the heart of China to the Mediterranean via a vast, inhospitable expanse of mountains and desert. The guide covers all the sights along the way across 13 countries and 6 time zones, with authoritative chapters on the Silk Road's history and culture to put it all into context. The magic of the journey is brought to life through evocative photography, and is complemented by lavish Photo Features which offer a unique insight into various aspects of the route: these include details of silk production, the ancient treasures that have been discovered along the route, and the colourful bazaars - which are a reminder of the Silk Road caravanserais of the distant past. Our inspirational Best of The Silk Road section highlights the unmissable sights and experiences, while a comprehensive Travel Tips section gives you all the practical information you need to plan your trip - whether it be a short section or the entire Silk Road - and our selective listings bring you the best hotels and restaurants.

This Silk Road guidebook is ideal for travellers seeking inspirational guides and planning a more extended trip. It provides interesting facts about the Silk Road's people, history and culture and detailed coverage of the best places to see. This Silk Road travel book has the style of an illustrated magazine to inspire you and give a taste of the Silk Road. The book is printed on paper from responsible sources, and verified to meet FSC's strict environmental and social standards. This Silk Road guidebook covers: China (Shaanxi, Ginsu, Xinjiang), Central Asia (Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan), Western Asia (Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey). In this Silk Road travel guidebook, you will find: Unique essays – country history and culture, and modern-day life, people and politics Silk Roadhighlights – Mingsha Shan and Crescent Moon Lake; Heavenly Lake Tianchi; Flaming Mountains near Turpan, China; Lake Karakul; Tajikistan's Pamir Highway; Hunza Valley, Pakistan; Tehran Bazaar; Sunday Market, Kashgar; Peshawar, Pakistan; Isfahan architecture; Xi'an city; Samarkand; Istanbul Practical travel information – getting there and around, budgeting, eating out, shopping, public holidays, information for LGBTQ+ travellers and more When to go to the Silk Road - high season, low season, climate information and festivals Insider recommendations – tips on how to beat the crowds, save time and money and find the best local spots Main attractions & curated places – narrative descriptions of where to go and what to see, covered geographically Tips and facts – interesting facts about the Silk Road and useful insider tips High-quality maps of the Silk Road – must-see places cross-referenced to colourful maps for quick orientation Colour-coded chapters – each place chapter has its own colour assigned to aid easy navigation of this Silk Road travel guide Striking pictures – rich, inspirational colour photography on all pages, capturing attractions, nature, people and historical features Fully updated post-COVID-19 This Silk Road guidebook is just the tool you need to get under the skin of the destination and accompany you on your trip. It also makes a great gift because of its premium quality. This book will inspire you and answer all your questions while preparing a trip to the Silk Road or along the way. It will also remain a beautiful souvenir after your trip.

Insight Guide The Silk Road is the complete illustrated guide to one of the world's ultimate travel adventures. Passing right through the heart of Asia, this ancient trade route traverses a quarter of the globe from the heart of China to the Mediterranean via a vast, inhospitable expanse of mountains and desert. The guide covers all the sights along the way across 13 countries and 6 time zones, with authoritative chapters on the Silk Road's history and culture to put it all into context. Inside Insight Guide The Silk Road:A fully-overhauled major new edition by our expert Silk Road author.Stunning, specially-commissioned photography that brings the countries along this evocative route to life. Highlights of the Silk Road's top attractions, including the great city of Isfahan, the ancient splendor of Persepolis and China's Terracotta Army in our Best of the Silk Road.Descriptive country-by-country accounts cover the whole route from China to Turkey by way of the 'Stans of Central Asia and the geopolitical nerve centres of the Middle East.Features detail silk production, the ancient treasures that have been discovered along the route, and the colourful bazaars - a reminder of the Silk Road caravanserais of the distant past.Detailed, high-quality maps throughout will help you get around and travel tips give you all the essential information for planning the trip of a lifetime. About Insight Guides: Insight Guides has over 40 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps as well as picture-packed eBooks to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture together create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure. 'Insight Guides has spawned many imitators but is still the best of its type.' - Wanderlust Magazine

Lonely Planet Iran is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Hike among the Castles of the Assassins in Alamut Valley, Lose yourself in Esfahan's historic bazaar, or ski in the Alborz Mountains; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Iran and begin your journey now! Inside Lonely Planet Iran Travel Guide: Full-colour maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - festivals, cuisine, religion, history, architecture, literature, music, crafts, environment Over 50 maps Covers Tehran, Esfahan, Yazd, Shiraz, Persepolis, Kashan, Choqa Zanbil, Takht-e Soleiman, Tabriz, Masuleh, Mashhad, Garmeh, Alamut Valley, Alborz Mountains, Kaluts, Qeshm Island and more eBook Features: (Best viewed on tablet devices and smartphones) Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data charges Effortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviews Add notes to personalise your guidebook experience Seamlessly flip between pages Bookmarks and speedy search capabilities get you to key pages in a flash Embedded links to recommendations' websites Zoom-in maps and images Inbuilt dictionary for quick referencing The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet Iran, our most comprehensive guide to Iran, is perfect for both exploring top sights and taking roads less travelled. Looking for more extensive coverage? Check out Lonely Planet Middle East guide. About Lonely Planet: Since 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel media company with guidebooks to every destination, an award-winning website, mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet covers must-see spots but also enables curious travellers to get off beaten paths to understand more of the culture of the places in which they find themselves. The world awaits! Lonely Planet guides have won the TripAdvisor Traveler's Choice Award in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016. 'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' -- Fairfax Media 'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times Important Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.

This volume complements the best-seller and award-winning General Maps of Persia. Cyrus Alai continued his research and collected further material to produce this volume, covering every map of that region, other than general maps.

Iran is completely different to the cartoon-like image portrayed in the West, of a land of religious fanatics chanting Death to America. In reality it's a fabulous ancient civilisation and a country that's full of intelligent young people. This book, Iran: Make Love not War is an impression of Iran, gleaned from a three-week visit in 2018. I visited Tabriz, Teheran, Isfahan, Shiraz, the ancient capital of Persepolis, royal graves and the desert city of Yazd. I saw smugglers and prostitutes whose practice was sanctioned as a temporary marriage by clerics; the most fabulous mosques and palaces anywhere; one of the first planned cities at Isfahan; Shiraz, the abode of poets and the stained glass mosque of Nasir-ol-Molk; and much more.

This authoritative reference contains a vast amount of information about Oriental rugs. Oriental Rugs: A Complete Guide is the first large volume on the subject to be printed in the past forty-five years is meant for the individual who is interested in purchasing his first Oriental Rug, as well as the collector, museum, and rug importer. The volume is divided into three main parts. Part I, entitled "General Discussion devotes one chapter to each of the large rug weaving countries and includes helpful hints as to what the rug buyer should look for in an particular rug. Part II, "Description of Types," is an alphabetical list of all the names that have been used to identify rugs in the past, as well as the names that are being used at present. Each entry is followed by a full discussion and description of the rug. Part III, “Plates,” contains 194 pictures of different types of rugs, complete with descriptive captions for each. Thirty-nine of the plates are in full color. All of the plates are large, allowing the reader to see the design, and in some cases, the colors used in the particular rug.