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The Silk Road,
or
The Road of War?






The Silk Road, is a real Road of Silk, road of trade, travel and cultural encounters, when there is peace. When there are strong governments. For which many countries, cities, towns and oasis are proud of being on this route.

Instability and lack of security is the enemy of silk and Silk Road. The Asian countries, from Japan, China, India to Iran and Central Asian countries seem to be aware of this.

From calling a pipeline, "Peace Pipeline" to "Promotion of Tourism Between Asian Countries", all are the signs of such awareness.

.... And this is just the beginning.

China is going to declare Iran as a tourist destination which is a great step in cultural understanding. We read that tourism between India and Iran is slowly on the rise, a level of connection and communication which has been long due. Central Asian countries are in favor of any project, from cultural to industrial for reconnecting them to their neighbors; which wer cut off for seventy years along the borderline of former Soviet Union. The good sign from the new Central Asian is their efforts in the last 15 years to translate literature of neighboring countries and introducing new majors in the universitie for knowing more about their neighbors.

Today I was reading about the joint effort of Iranian and Japanese Archeologists to trace Budhism along Silk Road.

Let's hope that the Peace, Security and Friendship along this old route, "The Silk Road" becomes more and more a source of Cultural Understanding.

In many countries on the silk road route, from Iran to Japan, there are permanent exhibitions on silk road. Here are some "Treasures of the Silk Road" at the Edo-Tokyo Museum:

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?fa20050601a1.htm