A series of stories about life on and around the River Ganges, including poetic and mystical musings, as recounted by a female personification. Here she recounts tales of the many visitors who, over time, came to her shores, as well as those who have sailed on her waters to embark on adventures and discover new bounties. Visitors mentioned, include the first Aryans, as well as the film director, Frederico Fellini.

Objects, including those found in the Fukinoki tomb in Nara, demonstrate the cultural and artistic influences that arrived in Japan via the Silk Road. The designs of dragons and phoenixes, which can be seen on gilt belt plaques, bear a striking resemblance to similar ones that have Scythian origins. Meanwhile a gilt bronze crown that was found there, is very similar to a crown discovered in North Afghanistan.

As a meeting point for travellers by land and sea routes, Thailand’s situation in Southeast Asia acted as a land bridge between the mainland to the north and the archipelagos to the south. Archaeological finds, including coins, ceramics, and beads provide evidence of cultural interactions, migration, and the settlement of a variety of ethnic groups. Indians were among the first visitors (by land), sharing trade links and spreading their faiths (Buddhism and Hinduism).

The use of sea-charts as an aid to practical navigation was in vogue much before the advent of the European colonial traders in the North Indian Ocean is almost an accepted fact. Yet, such sea-charts do not appear to have survived on the Indian, Arab or African shores. Marco Polo, on his return voyage from China to Venice towards the end of 13th century, is reported to have seen the use of sea-charts by Indian seamen.

Until recently, Basra was not considered as a producer of some of the finest Chinese-inspired porcelain. However recent studies suggest that Basra was in fact a centre of some of the finest luxury wares of the time. Being the port where, in the 9^th century, imported Tang stoneware and porcelain were first off-loaded from ships, meant that local potters were exposed to new inspiration, which led to experimentation in their own production techniques.

Underwater archaeological sites and wreck sites provide important information on the history of nations and mankind. The Gulf of Siam is one such important site, having been a territorial waterway to and from the Malay Peninsula since the 4^th and 5^th centuries. Despite reasonably stable weather in the Gulf, conditions could be perilous. The number of shipwrecks to be found here, many of which are still intact owing to the relatively good underwater conditions that enable material objects to be preserved, reflects the risks.

The precise date when exactly Muslims reached the Korean peninsula has been difficult to determine. References to “Ta-shi” (Arab Muslims) can be found in Oriental records that date from the 11^th century AD, but there is also evidence that Muslims were in contact with the Korean peninsula from as early as the 7^th century. In fact by the 8^th century, Muslim navigation manuals reveal that they were plying the eastern seas regularly, establishing colonies along their routes.

Founded in 1351, the city of Ayudhya was an important economic and political center of Siam for more than 400 years. Despite being situated about 90 kilometers from the coast and away from the main international sea-routes that pass Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, by the second half of the fifteenth century Ayudhya had become a major political center in the Menam Basin, as well as an important trading post.

The Omani people’s initial interest in the sea in the third century BC was probably a result of the following: Oman’s location at the cross-roads between South East Asia, the Middle East and Africa; its long shorelines; and its safe natural harbours in Muscat, Sohar and Qalhat, which become successful trading posts for maritime trade from and to East and West.

Remote and mysterious 7^th–8^th century China provided a natural source of stories that could neither be verified nor disputed. As a consequence, knowledge of China of early Arab/Islamic traders on the Silk Route was based on rather basic, mythical, information. These stories were easily categorized into the three literary genres of the time, The Rihla (travelogues); The ‘Aja’ib (miracles); and Al-Faraj ba'da a-Shidda wa-l-diq, which drew both a cultured readership and an avid oral audience.