(no subject)

[lirazel]

Anybody got any book recs for either nonfiction or fiction set in Central Asia and/or Afghanistan prior to the 19th century? (Going back as far as you like.)

I just find this area of the world really interesting but find little information on it. I'm super interested in Samarkand, the Silk Roads, etc.

There are a number of travelogues that people have written, like, tracing the Silk Roads and things. And those are interesting! But I'm really looking for something that isn't filtered through a contemporary perspective.

Comments

[nineveh_uk]

This is not quite what you've asked for, but it's so good that I'm going to mention it anyway. The Devil's Dance, by Hamid Ismailov, who writes in Uzbek and Russian. It is a parallel story, set in the first half of the C19, in 1938, and in the contemporary period, so it is very much looking at the past through a contemporary perspective, but one belonging to an Uzbek writer. Despite being an by an established novelist, it was first published on social media because Ismailov's work was banned in Uzbekistan (he lives in the UK). https://www.tiltedaxispress.com/the-devils-dance. Sorry if this isn't what you are after.

[lirazel]

Ooooooh! That was not what I was asking for, but it sounds so fascinating that I am absolutely going to add it to my to-read list. Thank you!!!

[nineveh_uk]

I hope you like it!