The State Silk Museum of  is one of the oldest museums in Georgia. It was established in 1887 and was a part of The Caucasian Sericulture Station. The complex of the station was located in Mushtaid Park and it worked on the basis of the European model – including practical and educational activities.

In the Republic of Tuva, the indigenous Tuvinians live together with people from other ethnic backgrounds, mostly Russian settlers who emigrated in the late 19^th and early 20^th century. This cultural mixture has led to the emergence of different kinds of bilingualism. The feudal clique of Tuvinians had already learned to speak Mongolian during the 16^th century and later under the Manchu Empire.

Contrary to widespread beliefs, the Mongolian conquest of Central Asia in the 13^th century AD did not extinguish existing pictorial traditions. Thus, for instance, the art of book illuminations was developed under the Mongols who used it for their own purposes. During the Il-Khanid dynasty, an important school of painting was founded in Tabriz, and many books were illustrated in a new style which incorporated elements of Mongolian and Chinese art.

Tibetan sources indicate that Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol Empire, was born in 1182, but this date is contradicted by Mongolian chronicles and Arab writings. A famous Mongolian historian and scientist subsequently fixed the birth date on the 31^st of May, 1162. Starting from the Mongolian astrological birth date of Genghis Khan, it is possible to recalculate the exact day and situate it on the 1^st of May, 1162.

Many petroglyphs in Central Asia and neighbouring areas feature anthropomorphic figures with heads surrounded by rays and widely spread fingers. Some of these images, which can also be found on ceramics, represent headgear or masks made from bird feathers. The “sunheaded” figures were often accompanied by horses and chariots. They certainly spring from Indo-European myths of solar deities, especially Mitra, who appears in the Rigveda and Avesta.

During the Abbasid Caliphate which stretched to the borders of China, its capital Baghdad was a meeting point of the land and sea Silk Routes as well as an important trading centre. Several cities in Iraq became famous for the silk they produced and sold. Thus, for instance, Attabi silk textile from the region of Attabiya was adopted by Persians who produced it in Isfahan, and embroidered silk from Mosul was exported to various countries in Asia and Europe. Other silk-producing cities included Basrah, Kufa, Hira, Anbar and Numaniya.

The funerary site of Maoqinggou provides some interesting insight into social structures and the political order in Inner Mongolia during the Eastern Zhou period. According to the burial objects in the 79 graves dating from the 8^th to the 3^rd century BC, there seem to have been few social differences linked to gender or age.

In Japan, interest in the Silk Road flourished considerably after World War II. Japanese scholars travelled to locations on the Silk Road and wrote a number of important studies on their research. An expedition in 1966 sparked a “Silk Road fever” which led to the publication of numerous popular books on the subject and to the emergence of a “Silk Road” TV series and specialized travel agencies. The Silk Road also became an important topic for artists, writers, scientists and anthropologists.

The Zhu Fan Zhi (“A description of different countries”) which was written in the 13^th century AD by Zhao Rukua, a customs officer in Quanzhou and a descendent of the royal family, provides precious knowledge about the geography and economy in different Southeast Asian countries, as well as about navigation routes during the Song dynasty.