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Best Place to Buy Silk on the Silk Road
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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,...