Nasser Haghighat, Ph.D.
My fascination with the ancient Silk Road originated from my high school studies in Persian literature and history.
I dreamed of exploring the world in my younger days, but the work responsibilities kept me grounded. However, as soon as I retired, I embarked on a journey to explore countries on the ancient Silk Road. In 2014, I embarked on my first journey to Uzbekistan, exploring Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara. In the following years, I continued my travels to Türkiye, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia. My adventures always began with a flight from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to Istanbul, Türkiye, serving as a gateway to other destinations. Additionally, I frequently visited Iran, my homeland, visiting 50 cities and villages along the historic Silk Road.
My travels along the ancient Silk Road aimed to capture daily life in each city through photography. This historic route stretched from East Asia through Central Asia to the Mediterranean, connecting the Chinese city of Chang’an (Xi’an) with Asia Minor and the Mediterranean Sea. The Silk Road was crucial as a vast network of trade routes linking East and West. It facilitated not only the exchange of goods like silk, spices, and precious metals but also the transfer of ideas, cultures, religions, technologies, and knowledge across Eurasia, profoundly influencing the development of civilizations in the region for centuries.
The innovative Chinese project, the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, commonly known as the Belt and Road Initiative, marks the revival of the historic Silk Road.