This book invites readers on a journey through time, to explore the multifaceted history of Central Asia. Through transcontinental passages such as the Silk Road, the book provides links among the major civilizations of China, India, Persia, and the Mediterranean, which in turn influences the characteristics of the region and beyond. For over seven thousand years, Central Asian residents have left a record of distinguished cultural artifacts. Like creators and innovators of any age or period, they sought to respond as creatively as possible to the necessities of their societies as a whole,...