At Kerkouane in Tunisia, you crunch as you walk. Not gravel. Shells. Purple murex shells — thousands of them — ground into the earth beneath your feet. This is what’s left of an industry that built an empire. The Phoenicians weren’t here for conquest. They were here for color. Most people have never heard of...Read More
Three mud-brick forts rise out of the Kyzylkum Desert, two hundred kilometers from the nearest city. They are called the Qalas. They were built over two thousand years ago to guard the trade routes that would eventually become the Silk Road. You have almost certainly never heard of them. We walked through them on a...Read More
Follow in the path of merchants, traders, and warriors at China’s Mogao Caves. Caves carved into the cliffs filled with brightly painted murals are some of western China’s best kept secrets. Located in the arid climate of the Gobi Desert, the Mogao Caves have preserved thousands of sculptures and paintings of Buddha for over 1500...Read More
