TRAVEL: TRAVERSING AN ANCIENT ROUTE
In the not too distant past, the famous Qissa Khawani Bazaar — Street of Storytellers — in Peshawar was frequented by faces from lands near and far, faces that later became a story of a kind. Persians, Aryans, Mongols, and later the Mughals in the 17th century wandered through its antiquated streets. It was here the merchants, travelling along the ancient Silk Road, carried on their business during the day, and gathered at night to swap yarns. For the curious Western tourist, Peshawar was a visual, if not chaotic, treat.
Intrigued by tales of the past, a Pakistani aeronautical engineer in Seattle got together a team of curious explorers to embark on a 7,000-km journey that they call the ‘Silk Road Expedition’.
“As I was growing up in Pakistan,” Khwaja (K.M.) Ali tells Eos, “I was fascinated by the stories of trade caravans coming to Peshawar through the Khyber Pass. They would bring precious cargoes of silk, gold and ivory, ideas and experiences from faraway places, a fresh air of culture as they [plugged] along the Silk Road.”
Eleven Pakistanis from around the world team up to travel along the Silk Road
The team members also came from different parts of the world, emulating the tradition of travelling to the Orient as traders did in bygone days. Pakistanis by origin, the expedition gathered at Shanghai from various destinations — Seattle, Boston, Ohio, Lahore and Karachi. The team comprised Khwaja (KM) Ali, Sabiha Omar, Dr Imran Chaudhry, Dr Nasim Chaudhry, Babar Ali, Mahera Omar, Yasmin Ali, Dr Sayed Amjad Hussain, Lubna Khan, Mohammad Khan and Mehvash Ali.