An extraordinary. beautiful poetic journey through the countries of the Silk Road. Highly Recommended. Karen Jones Journeys Along the Silk Road is a fascinating poetic journey meandering along the ancient Silk Road featuring some of most exciting poets of our generation. The poems in the book reflect the great diversity of the cultures and people of the Silk Road. Drawn from countries traditionally associated with the ancient road they offer a fascinating snapshot of life along the Silk Road in the twenty-first century. In its long history the Silk Road has seen empires rise and fall. The Silk Road has witnessed times of conflict and peace carrying a variety of exotic trade goods such as silks and spices from Asia into Europe and Africa and back again. The Silk Road brought new cultures, religions, languages with it, forever changing the countries it passed through. Today the Silk Road runs through many different sovereign states: the economic sleeping tiger nations, war zones, peaceful democratic countries and military dictatorships. This anthology takes the reader on a fascinating journey of discovery through these countries and beyond.