Best Place to Buy Silk on the Silk Road

The cities of Istanbul, Damascus and Xi'an all lie along the great historical conduit of trade and culture known as the Silk Road. In their air-conditioned malls you can buy all the silk throws, clothes and cushion covers you could ever desire, and still be back at the hotel in time for lunch and a glass of sauvignon blanc. But why would you want to do that, when you can engage in bouts of vicious bargaining amid the dust, dirt and donkeys of a trading town on the fringes of an arid wasteland? Close to China's border with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan,...

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