Comprised of nearly 100 photographs mounted on 24 photo benches, The Silk Road: A Living History invites the viewer to take a 40,000km journey from London to Beijing.

The show aims to celebrate the diversity of cultural expressions found along the route, highlight examples of how historical practices, rituals and customs live on today, and also reveal some of the connections between what appear at first glance to be very different cultures. It also seeks to engender interest and understanding between distant cultures and challenge perceptions of less well known and understood parts of the world. Photographs from Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, India, China and elsewhere will feature. Additionally, the exhibition aims to raise awareness about AKDN’s contributions to improving the quality of life across social, economic and cultural spheres in Central and South Asia as well as the Middle East.

The exhibition documents an overland journey photographer Christopher Wilton-Steer undertook in 2019 following the historic trade route.

The exhibition is accompanied by a programme of publicly accessible talks and workshops. Learn more at: www.silkroad-livinghistory.org