Return To The Silk Routes

Scandinavian studies of central Asia date back to the nineteenth century and the work of Sven Hedin, the Swedish explorer of eastern Turkestan and Tibet. The political seclusion of central Asia is ending, and Scandinavian scholars are re-entering the Silk Routes to uncover the cultural roots of central Asian societies. The twelve papers cover a range of topics, including politics in Afghanistan and former Soviet central Asian republics; archaeological exploration in Xinjiang; a recently-discovered Mongolian manuscript of Chinggis Khan; stories about Tibetan travelers to the other world; and linguistic issues related to Mongolian and its relationship between the "Altaic" languages.