A historical approach to the Central Asian conflicts on the Silk Road and the Great Game and beyond

Phil Cooper


Organisation:
Phil Cooper HistoricTravelTalks
Regions:
East Midlands, South Yorkshire, North East, Staffordshire, Warwickshire
Notice Period:
Short (maybe less than one month's notice)
Type:
U3A, Probus, Womens Institutes, Ladies Groups
Fee:
Expensed
Category:
History
Updated:
21st September 2018

This talk is slightly different from my travel talk, as it from focuses on the history of the area and particularly on the Great Game, which was a political and diplomatic struggle between Russia and Britain. Please copy and paste to view the scenes. https://youtu.be/GPowByzqZBA

The Golden Road to Samarkand.

"Sweet to ride forth at evening from the wells, When shadows pass gigantic on the sand, And softly through the silence beat the bells, Along the Golden Road to Samarkand"

James Elroy Fleckner.

Starting in Ashgabat, the oil rich capital of Turkmenistan I move on to Kunya Urgench, a Unesco protected site. This was the capital of the Khorezmid empire and a major trading and cultural city on the Silk Road, which attracted poets, writers and scientists. Important buildings remain, after attacks by Genghis Khan and Tamerlane. This includes the Turabek Kjanum mausoleum, with one of the most notable domes in Central Asia.

Alexander the Great probably established the first major empire in the region and parts of the city wall remain in Nurata, Uzbekistan.

Khiva,it is thought, was founded by Shem, son of Noah. It was known as "the city of slaves". The Ark (citadel) and the Chauli palace are impressive, of course with splendid accommodation for concubines. The "Friday" Juma mosque still bears burn marks on the pillars from the attack by Genghis Khan.

Bukhara was the holiest city in the area and boasts the impressive Kalyan mosque. The Tagi Zarga Trade domes have been restored and then you pass madrasahs before reaching the impressive Ark. In Bukhara I became aware of the demise of the two British intelligence officers, Stoddart and Conolly in Bukhara. They travelled to the region to gain intelligence on the area and the intentions of Tsarist Russia and to free Russian slaves. This would help to prevent legitimising Russian encroachment. The photo is of the Zindan goal where they were incarcerated, near to the impressive Ark and royal palace of the evil Emir Nasrullah.

Samarkand is a place of fabulous buildings, starting off with the Registan, where 3 ancient Madrasahs enclose the square. It is know for being the capital of the empire of Tamerlane (1360- 1405), which covered an area which now encompasses parts of 22 countries. His mausoleum, the Gur- e – Amir is a most impressive building. He also started the construction of the Bibi – Khanym mosque, named after his wife, which is the largest in central Asia.

Tashkent contains buildings, more associated with Russian occupation, such as St Alexander Nevsky Orthodox Cathedral.

The final throes Great Game were played out in Kashgar, Western China, where the British and Russians installed "listening posts". It gave me the opportunity to seek out the former consulates, one of which is now a Chinese "Restaurant"!

1907, with an agreement between the two powers. It was to restart with the establishment of the Bolshevik government of course created a new threat.

The stories surrounding Frederick Bailey and Wilfred Malleson rank with the best spy stories. In 1918 the "Army of God" was assembled with Soviet back, with the intent of invading northern India under the control of an Indian revolutionary Manabendra Nath Roy. Fortunately the British were well aware of this, with intelligence gathering co-ordinated by "C".

The area demands that the background be covered and my photos I feel give justice to some spectacular buildings, which I visited along the route.

Views: 2206 | Enquiries: 5

About Phil Cooper

I am registered on Zoom and have undertaken 5 presentations using this. One of these to a Rotary Club in Victoria Australia. This was by using screen share, as my talks revolve around photographs I have taken of various places I have visited.

I have used donations to support charities at home and in parts of the world which have experienced natural disasters. I would stress that for me it isn't a money making venture. Any donation from the Costa Rica talk will go to the reforestation project "Rainforest of the Austrians". Please google this to see details of their tremendous project. There is a PayPal reference if a group wants to support this. More details are on the website.

The accent is on the visual, with enough verbal to explain the story of where I have visited. I have accumulated what I feel are good photographs to illustrate my talks which relate to my travel experience. I had 19 speaking engagements in 2019, to various organisation. These presentations relate to places, often with a historical background and often not readily visited. These include Syria and Jordan, the Silk Road in Central Asia and Western China,, India and Cuba. Cuba and Panama. “Great presentation – I spoke to people tonight they were the cleanest photos seen at a Travel Club Presentation. Very good 9 out of 10. It must have been good, hardly anyone dropped off to sleep!” (Taradale Travel Club New Zealand).

My blog site is http://historictraveltalks.blogspot.co.uk (Copy and paste)

One trip I wish to really promote is the trip to Costa Rica. Anyone who is interested in wildlife will enjoy this. There are some excellent photos provided by a colleague on the trip and lots of video. One particular scene involving sloths was something the guide had never seen in his 18 years experience. It also features a superb reforestation project "The Rainforest of the Austrians", re establishing habitats and adding to the carbon trapping capacity. I have liaised with the inspirational Michael Schnitzler and ALL funds generated are sent to Costa Rica to continue this.

I look back at my trip in the Middle East - from Cairo to Istanbul and reflect on what I saw then and what I see currently in places like Aleppo. However the highlight for me was the crusader fortress of Krak des Chevaliers, which is shown on the photo I have included. This was described by TE Lawrence as "perhaps the best preserved and most wholly admirable castle in the world". Indeed he associated with many places along this journey.

I research the topics thoroughly and I provide a narrative and background to illustrated talks. I operate on a voluntary basis and am prepared to travel within reasonable distances from my home in North Nottinghamshire.

 Along the Silk Road in Central Asia Talk Feedback

This part of Central Asia included in particular Kunya Urgench, Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand. The buildings are simply stunning and the area is historically very interesting. It is the arena where the Great Game was played out, the political and diplomatic confrontation between Britain and Russia in the 19th century, which was described by one of the audience as fascinating.

"Very interesting talk. I could hear every word. I knew nothing about this area and learnt a lot. Pleased I came!!"

“Your talk was extremely interesting and I do believe, if you had spoken for much longer   everyone should enjoy it, and no-one would be bored. I did like the aspect that you kept referring to the map when relating to the history this indeed helps when discussing reasons and timings when situations occurred in the distant past. I also feel that your talk appeals to almost all  age groups, and both male and female.”

I am a former graduate Biology teacher and also coached cricket for 24 seasons. mainly in New Zealand,Scotland and Amsterdam. as a professional.


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