Exhibition: Central Asian Chronicles – Echoes of the Silk Road in Manuscripts and Imagery (Houghton Library)

Date of event:   03/01/2024 − 08/05/2024

Title: Central Asian Chronicles: Echoes of the Silk Road in Manuscripts and Imagery
Duration: 3 January 2024 to 8 May 2024
Location: Houghton Library, Cambridge, MA, USA

Through eight meticulously prepared manuscripts and evocative images, this exhibition re-tells stories woven through the heart of the Silk Road, the historic trade route in Central Asia. Among these are the political intrigues of a 19th-century Turkic ruler; chronicles of the Khans (nobles, the most recognizable of whom is the 13th-century Mongol, Chingiz—or Genghis—Khan); and teachings of revered leaders of Sufism, an Islamic form of mysticism. The exquisite calligraphy and illuminations in the manuscripts displayed convey the ideals, aspirations, and soul of an entire region.

For more information, please visit the website here.

Image: Detail, Tavārīkh-i Chingīz shajarat al-Atrāk, undated. MS Persian 6. Houghton Library.