Commercial Queens: Mongolian Khatuns and the Silk Road

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 89-106
Author(s):  
TIMOTHY MAY
Keyword(s):  
Silk Road ◽  
Politics And Government ◽  
The World ◽  
Mongol Empire ◽  
The Silk Road

AbstractThree women dominated the politics and government of the Mongol Empire in the decade of the 1240s. Töregene and Oghul-Qaimish ruled as regents and are credited with corruption and petty politics throughout their regencies, while Sorqoqtani Beki became a paragon of virtue throughout the world for her adherence to the yasa of Chinggis Khan. Curiously, very little attention has been paid to this period to verify the accuracy of the statements. This study examines the role of all three women, but also attempts to place their actions in context, examine their role in commerce and how that affected their activities and their legacies. It argues that while the overall depiction of Töregene and Oghul-Qaimish may not be inaccurate, it overlooks some crucial elements and motives in their actions which also reveal that Sorqoqtani's actions were not as virtuous as the sources state.

Silk Road Christians and the Translation of Culture in Tang China

2017 ◽  
Vol 53 ◽  
pp. 15-38
Author(s):  
Scott Fitzgerald Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Silk Road ◽  
Cultural Translation ◽  
Cultural Environment ◽  
Christian Identity ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
The World ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Silk Road ◽  
Previous Scholarship

This article attempts to analyse the famous ‘Nestorian Monument’ from Xi'an, set up in 781 by Syriac Christians, as a document of cultural translation and integration. Previous scholarship on the monument has tended to privilege either the Syriac or the Chinese sections of the inscription. By combining the two, and by making use of recent advances in the study of Syriac Christians along the Silk Road, this article argues that the Syriac Christians who set up the monument were using their long history, extending from Persia to China, as a means of establishing their community publicly in new political circumstances of China in the 780s. The role of Syriac on this monument was twofold: it signalled to the local Syriac-speaking community their fundamental ties to the world of Persian and central Asian Christianity, while it also allowed, through ideological and linguistic interaction with Chinese, the maintenance of a Syriac Christian identity through the process of translation. The language of Syriac therefore provides the background of a community looking both backward and forward in a foreign, changing cultural environment.

The ‘Silk Road’: Historical Perspectives and Modern Constructions

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-39
Author(s):  
Ravi K. Mishra
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Silk Road ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Late Nineteenth Century ◽  
Historical Perspectives ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
Mongol Empire ◽  
Historical Past ◽  
The Silk Road

As it is frequently the case in the modern world, the term ‘Silk Road’ or ‘Silk Roads’ is of colonial provenance. The elaborate network of ancient routes originating in the fourth millennium bc and linking various parts of the Eurasian landmass through Central Asia was re-imagined and reinvented in the late nineteenth century as a ‘Silk Road’ connecting China with the Roman Empire, thereby undermining the role of the steppe with its various nomadic and oasis cultures which had always been at the heart of this Eurasian system of trade and other exchange. Ever since, historiography has focussed on the role of sedentary civilisations in this system of exchange, with a particular emphasis on China and the West, thus undermining the role of other sedentary civilisations such as India. Contrary to the dominant narrative, the antiquity of the Eurasian trade network goes back to several millennia before the rise of either the Han Empire or Rome. Whereas this network did connect the agrarian civilisations, this happened primarily through the agency of central Asian intermediaries whose culmination is represented by the rise of the vast Mongol Empire in the thirteenth century. The idea of the ‘Silk Road(s)’ is thus anachronistic in the sense that it is a backward projection of present into the historical past, especially in view of the fact that silk was only one among several important items of exchange, such as horses, cotton, precious stones, and furs.

scholarly journals European and Italian trades on the Silk Road: a reassessment

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 131-135
Author(s):  
Salvatore Ciriacono
Keyword(s):  
18Th Century ◽  
World Market ◽  
Silk Road ◽  
Chinese Economy ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
The World ◽  
The Silk Road

The principal aim of my essay is looking at the presence and the role of  the European and particularly Italian merchants on the so called “Silk Road” during the 17th and 18th century. We have to remember that this expression was introduced by the German geologist Ferdinand von Richthofen, a topic that is receiving a growing attention from the contemporary historians. Indeed this focus is connected to the attention that is given by contemporary economic/political actors to the fortune of the Chinese economy. It is not an accident that Chinese advance is seen by many as the cause of the declining role of Western economies inside the world market.

Mobility

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Rutherford-Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Contemporary Music ◽  
Silk Road ◽  
Cultural Hybridity ◽  
International Exchange ◽  
The Internet ◽  
The West ◽  
The World ◽  
Networked Music ◽  
The Silk Road

Globalization has increased opportunities for international exchange and cooperation, as well as exploitation and conflict. This chapter approaches the contemporary music ecosystem through the concept of mobility–of ideas, sounds, and musicians–around the world. It considers cultural hybridity as exemplified by the Silk Road Ensemble, transnational embodiment in composer-performers from Tarek Atoui to Pamela Z, the role of institutions and funding bodies in shaping global flows, the meaning of Western music outside the West, networked music created for the Internet, and varieties of cultural opacity and relatedness expressed in music by Liza Lim and Michael Finnissy.

scholarly journals The educational-mystical role of intermediate centers (Ribat) along the Silk Road from China to Iran El rol educativo-místico de los centros intermedios (Ribats) a lo largo de la Ruta de la Seda de China a Irán

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (24) ◽  
pp. 167-175
Author(s):  
Maedeh Karimyan
Keyword(s):  
Silk Road ◽  
Religious Schools ◽  
Architectural Style ◽  
Architectural Form ◽  
Special Place ◽  
Historical Monuments ◽  
Mystical Literature ◽  
The Silk Road ◽  
Over Time

The silk road path to the northern part from China to Europe and from southern paths to lateral paths of Iran- Mesopotamia to Antioch and Mediterranean, had been the place of construction the historical monuments and works such as castles, towers, mills, graves, and intercity Ribats. Sufi Ribats as the mystical orientation and educational centers had a special place in the Silk Road, these intermediate buildings are buildings that functioned militarily in the first centuries of Islam (8th, 9th, and 10th centuries AD), and over time have been used to mean monasteries. The architectural style of the Ribats was similar to that of a military castle, and most of them consisted of a rectangular building with four watchtowers. Examining the Ribats of the Silk Road, it will become clear that the architectural form and plan of the Ribats are very similar to those of religious schools and Caravanserais. The Sufi historians and researchers have recorded many reports over these Ribats, have investigated the introduction, application, and position of Ribats in detail and have left fairly invaluable information to the futures. In this regard, the historical books and Sufi educational books and mystical literature are endowed with reports over intra-city and intercity Ribats built mainly on the way of main paths, particularly the main path of the Silk Road and its lateral ways. In this article, these Ribats have been described in detail as well as their role on the Silk Road.

China’s Integration Projects in Asia-Pacific and Eurasia

2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 5-12
Author(s):  
S. Sevast'yanov
Keyword(s):  
Financial Institutions ◽  
Common Good ◽  
Regional Governance ◽  
Silk Road ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
External Interference ◽  
China Sea ◽  
The World ◽  
Silk Road Economic Belt ◽  
The Silk Road

Until recently, only economically developed West-oriented states launched integration initiatives encompassing the entire Asia-Pacific region. However, over the last few years Beijing proposed several such initiatives embracing territories from America to Africa. The paper discusses the changes in Chinese views towards the leadership in modern world. Recent events in Syria, Ukraine, South China Sea and East China Sea made it clear that the world becomes more polycentric, with Russia and China resistant to external interference in the territories of their vital interests. The latest trends in East Asian and Asia-Pacific regionalism are singled out. China and USA have been the main rivals in initiating and supporting competing integration models. China has demonstrated unprecedented activity and launched several integration projects of trans-regional (Asia-Pacific and Eurasia) and on regional levels (East Asia). However, despite its growing geopolitical and economic aspirations, Beijing is not frontally challenging Washington-led system of intergovernmental agreements and financial institutions in Asia. Instead, Beijing is forming an alternative pro-Chinese model of integration without US participation (or with their secondary role) thus trying to gradually transform the Asia-Pacific to post-American hegemony model. President Xi Jinping put forward a concept of “Asia-Pacific Dream”. It incorporates formation of the “Silk Road Economic Belt” and the “New Maritime Silk Road” that will link the economies of Asia, Europe and Africa. By proposing these large scale infrastructure projects and two new regional financial institutions (Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank and New Development Bank), the Chinese leadership renewed its global and regional politics, attempting to create a Eurasian “economic corridor” which could serve not only its regional and global interests, but for the common good of whole Asia and the world. Obviously, “New Silk Roads” strategy faces geopolitical and other challenges; yet, even it partial realization would make China a leader of the continental part of Eurasia. In terms of global and regional governance these trends can be strengthened through coordinated policy of Moscow and Beijing towards including these projects into the agenda of non-Western intergovernmental institutions, such as BRICS, SCO, Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), and others. Moreover, strategic cooperation with Russia is one of the principal factors to secure the success of China’s integration plans in the Asia-Pacific and especially in Eurasia. For its part, Moscow should deepen interaction and effectively utilize the resources of “rising” China to support Russia’s interests in Eurasia and the Asia-Pacific. It is necessary for Moscow to coordinate efforts with Central Asian states and China to elaborate co-development plans for infrastructural initiatives put forward by the SCO, EEU and the “Silk Road Economic Belt”. At the same time, Moscow should increasingly encourage Chinese investment into the Russian Far East. Acknowledgements. This article has been prepared in the framework of contract with the RF Ministry of Education and Science “Formation of the New International Order in the Asia-Pacific and National Interests of Russia”, project № 1430.

Prospects of Development of Silk Road Economic Belt and New Opportunities of Economic Growth

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 2636
Author(s):  
Zhanibek ZHARTAY ◽  
Zhibek KHUSSAINOVA ◽  
Gulzhan ABAUOVA ◽  
Botagoz AMANZHOLOVA
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Regional Integration ◽  
Silk Road ◽  
Limiting Factors ◽  
New Regionalism ◽  
The World ◽  
Silk Road Economic Belt ◽  
Dialectical Relationship ◽  
Further Development ◽  
The Silk Road

The article analyzes the genesis and the potential of the Chinese Program ‘Silk Road Economic Belt’, as well as limiting factors and perspectives of further development. The article explains the dialectical relationship and the dualistic nature of regionalization. The author's hypothesis is based on the idea that the dominant purpose of regional integration as a model of the active participation of the consolidated group of countries in the region in the globalization process of stratification of the world is the desire of the participating countries to take a higher position (stratum) in the global hierarchy, and eliminate the possibility of a drift towards the periphery. The author used the concept of methodological possibilities of the ‘theory of the new regionalism’ and geopolitical doctrine of Eurasianism to explain the background and development of the capacity of the Silk Road Economic Belt, that allow to evaluate the quantitative and qualitative parameters of the Silk Road Economic Belt functioning, limiting factors and perspectives for its further development.

Potential Predictability of the Silk Road Pattern and the Role of SST as Inferred from Seasonal Hindcast Experiments of a Coupled Climate Model

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (22) ◽  
pp. 9567-9580
Author(s):  
Ronald Kwan Kit Li ◽  
Chi Yung Tam ◽  
Ngar Cheung Lau ◽  
Soo Jin Sohn ◽  
Joong Bae Ahn
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Silk Road ◽  
Potential Predictability ◽  
The North ◽  
Silk Road Pattern ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
Upper Level ◽  
The Silk Road ◽  
Wind Bias

AbstractThe Silk Road pattern (SR) is a leading mode of atmospheric circulation over midlatitude Eurasia in boreal summer. Its temporal phase is known to be unpredictable in many models. Previous studies have not reached a clear consensus on the role of sea surface temperature (SST) associated with SR. By comparing seasonal hindcasts from the Pusan National University (PNU) coupled general circulation model with reanalysis, we investigate if there are any sources of predictability originating from the SST. It was found that the PNU model cannot predict SR temporally. In fact, SR is associated with El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the model hindcasts, in contrast to reanalysis results in which SR is more associated with North Atlantic SST anomalies. The PNU system, however, shows potential predictability in SR associated with tropical Pacific SST. Bias in stationary Rossby waveguides is proposed as an explanation for the SR–ENSO relationship in hindcast runs. Model upper-level wind bias in the North Atlantic results in a less continuous waveguide connecting the North Atlantic to Asia, and may hinder wave propagations induced by North Atlantic SST to trigger SR. On the other hand, model upper-level wind bias in the subtropical western Pacific may favor westward propagation of zonally elongated waves from the ENSO region to trigger SR. This study implies that the role of SST with regard to SR can be substantially changed depending on the fidelity of model upper-level background winds.

scholarly journals The Role of the Broad-Gauge Metallurgy Line PKP Linia Hutnicza Szerokotorowa Sp. z o.o. and the Belt and Road Initiative: Transportation in the Development of the Lublin Province

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Mirosław Antonowicz ◽  
Zbigniew Tracichleb
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Silk Road ◽  
Border Crossings ◽  
Belt And Road Initiative ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
The Belt And Road ◽  
The Silk Road

<p>The article presents the railway entity PKP LHS Sp. z o.o. and its role in the development of the New Silk Road. In consequence, the increase in traffic on the Silk Road with the participation of Polish companies translates into the economic development of the Lublin Province and the development of border crossings in that province. The importance of transport corridors and the participation of PKP LHS in the development of those corridors have been highlighted. Investment assumptions have been presented, the effects of which will be visible in a few years, strengthening the potential and economic capabilities of the province.</p>

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