KARACHI: A team of adventurers, writers, photographers, documentary makers and historians is set to go on a 30-day, 10,600km journey of rediscovering the historic Silk Route.

They will depart from Shanghai, where they have gathered to finalise preparations for their expedition.

Team leader Khwaja (KM) Ali said they would explore transformation of Silk Road from what it is today to what is planned for tomorrow.

The expedition will follow the silk worms rearing and production in areas around Suzhou near Shanghai then join the main Silk Road at Xi’an to Dunhuang and Kashgar.

The team will explore and travel along the Taklamakan Desert, Tian Shan mountains, Hindu Kush, Karakoram and Himalaya ranges into the less travelled and written southern arm of the trade route to South Asia where it terminates at Multan before branching out.

A distance of over 10,000km will be covered in the month-long journey from Shanghai to Gwadar

The team will also explore the evolution of the New Silk Road on the Karakoram Highway (KKH) down to the port city of Gwadar.

The growth of Silk Road from the period of camel caravans to the motorised highways of the future will be travelled and documented. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the One Belt-One Road has been planned to improve travel, trade and economics of the area. The current activity of construction of roads and conditions of facilities will also be recorded.

Mr Ali will be accompanied by Sabiha Omar, Dr Imran Chaudhry, Dr Nasim Chaudhry, Babar Ali, Mahera Omar, Yasmin Ali, Dr Sayed Amjad Hussain and Lubna Khan. They will be joined in Pakistan by Syed Azam Jaffer and Mohammed Farrukh Khan.

Many of the members have participated in earlier expeditions like the Indus River Expedition (1978), Swat White Water (1981), Ravi-Indus-Chenab Expedition 1984, Team Indus 1985 from the source of the Indus in Tibet, China and Fraser River Kayaking (2016).

Some are active members of OffRoad-Pakistan wilderness explorers. The team plans to write about their adventures to encourage trade, travel and use of this historic trade route which has seen massive exchange of goods, ideas, cultures and religions across continents.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2017