Fortresses of the Silk Roads, From the Hindu Kush to the Mediterranean

Fortresses of the Silk Roads, From the Hindu Kush to the Mediterranean is a new book authored by Jean-Claude Voisin after many years of academic research, journal articles and published books on fortifications across the Silk Roads, such as in Lebanon and Afghanistan.

In the book, Voisin gives an overview of the crucial empires that helped shape the Silk Roads, provides hundreds of photos of fortifications across the vast Silk Roads. These photos, a part of the Oriental Library of Beirut, demonstrate how fortifications can aid in marking Silk Roads history. One can even imagine while reading, the operations undertaken at each site.

The book is broken down into five sections which each talk about the most relevant moments of Silk Roads history there. They are Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan. For over 20 years and over more than 200,000 km, the author has covered these axes and has been able to observe what reciprocal influences movements of men of all conditions and all professions between East and West have had on this habitat.

Through this book, the reader has the unique opportunity to observe the stark differences, as well as similarities, in the architecture of fortifications in these five countries and notice the common elements that were shared throughout the trade networks.

Jean-Claude Voisin, Doctor of history and archeology of the fortifications, former diplomat stationed in the Middle East (1995-2011), splits his life between Iran and France. He is the author of numerous books and scientific articles on fortifications in the Middle East.