Role of different civilizations in evolution of Silk Road; A lecture conducted on the book ‘The Silk Roads’
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April 29, 2018
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By Pashtana Durrani-Afghanistan Business Council China “AFGBCC and Afghanistan Pine Nuts Union, as well as the Afghanistan Times, have taken the initiative while launching a weekly lectureship series on the economy, strategic communication and trade and transactions. The initial lecture was delivered on the book, “The Silk Roads written by Peter Frankopan, a senior research fellow at Worcester College, Oxford, and Director of the Center for Byzantine Research at Oxford University. Khan Wali Khan Basharmal has delivered the lecture, a political economist engaged in the Afghan and international spheres while writing on relevant concepts and strategies.
The contents of the book were discussed in details that how the different civilizations have grown up, developed and contributed in different eras. Peter Frankopan writes about the ancient importance of Kabul, “It was not just small-scale scratching that testify to the energetic spread of Buddhism in this period”.
Kabul ringed with forty monasteries, including one that a visitor described with awe, wrote, “The pavement was made of onyx, the walls of pure marble; the door was made from molded gold, while the floor was solid silver; stars were represented everywhere one looked . . . in the hallway, there was a golden idol as beautiful as the moon, seated on a magnificent bejeweled throne.”
The writer further adds, and says, “There were families like Barmakids, originally a Buddhist family from Balkh who gained influence and power in ninth-century Baghdad and energetically championed the translation of a wide range of texts from Sanskrit into Arabic, even setting up a paper mill to help produce copies for wider dissemination.”
Moreover, the book talked about the great games, economic skirmishes and about the basic needs, superstitions, dogmatic approaches and the solutions of tribes and human groups to the problems of their societies. He discussed deeply the importance but not specifically of Silk Road. He discussed from his own point of view that “The Creation of the Silk Road’, ‘The Roads of Faiths’, ‘The Road to Revolution, ‘The Road of Concord’, ‘The Slave Road’, ‘The Road of Gold’ and many others in general some twenty-five chapters in total about the economic, political, religious and social importance of Silk Road for the world.’
Meanwhile, the writer talks about the current situations and superpower rivalries as well as skirmishes. Simply, the book is nicely entitled as the “New History of the World”. Mr. Basharmal said that “The book was written by Peter, has many things to give to the policymakers and it can bring excellent implications for the relevant fields in order to bring solutions to the problems of the region”.
Many participants from all walks of life have taken part in the event. They appreciated the initiation. The Chairman of Afghanistan Business Council China, Mr. Nasim Malekzai has applauded the move and declared it an initiative for establishing Afghanistan Economic Forum in the future. Furthermore, he said “Peter Frankopan writing has appeared in the time when the discourses are made on BRI. He declared the book a masterpiece. He further added, “Economic discourses can certainly bring social awareness, opportunities, and endurable solutions to the problems of Afghanistan’s nascent economy.
Other key speakers including Mr. Etebar Khan Zadran, the President of Zadran Group of Companies and Member of Board of Directors of International Chamber of Commerce in Afghanistan (ICC Afghanistan), said while passing remarks, “Afghanistan’s vision is to be transferring itself as a roundabout for the Asia and it can certainly bring peace to the region. Mr. Mowdood Popal, the President of Afghanistan Builders Association and Senior Advisor to AFGBCC, said while addressing the audience, “Afghanistan needs a platform to speak on regional and international platforms. Mr. Hashem Rasooli, the Senior Executive Advisor to AFGBCC, also talked about the event and he said, “Afghanistan’s institutions have to be practical and practices according to the lines of the modern era. Mr. Khushal Khalil, a senior writer at Presidential Place of Afghanistan said, “Fortunately, we are talking about the economic prosperity and stability of Afghanistan”. Mr. Yahya Khan Zadran, the President of Afghanistan Pine Nuts Union and many other entrepreneurs and economists participated in this event.
Afghanistan Times
