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The Grand Canal and the Maritime Silk Road in China are globally significant cultural routes, which have contributed a wealth of cultural heritage through their historical development. The study on the cultural heritage of the Grand Canal (East Zhejiang section)-Maritime Silk Road is of great significance for constructing the Grand Canal Cultural Belt and advancing the Belt and Road Initiative. Focusing on the Ningbo area, this study analyzes the spatial and temporal distribution of 1,755 cultural heritage sites over five historical periods and explores the influencing factors through spatial and statistical analysis. The results show that: (1) Ancient buildings, along with modern important historical sites and representative buildings, are the most numerous. The total number of cultural heritages shows an upward trend before the modern period, peaking in the Ming to Qing period. (2) The cultural heritage exhibits an overall aggregated spatial distribution, with varying patterns across different types. The Three-River Estuary is the high-density core area, with the number and density of cultural heritage decreasing as its distance increases. (3) Distribution characteristics of cultural heritage vary across different periods. More recent cultural heritage is increasingly concentrated around the Three-River Estuary. Over time, the center of gravity of cultural heritage has shifted sequentially to the south, southeast, west, and north. (4) The cultural heritage tends to be distributed in plain with low altitude and small slope, and shows strong hydrophilicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper undertakes a multi-dimensional exploration of the glass imitation jade culture under the context of the ancient Silk Road, tracing the historical trajectory of glass manufacturing technology from West Asia to China, especially after the Han Dynasty, when the flourishing trade along the Silk Road facilitated the integration of foreign glass craftsmanship with China's indigenous imitation jade tradition. This integration prompted Chinese glass artifacts to not only incorporate foreign techniques but also emphasize the texture and cultural symbolism of jade. Through systematic archaeological excavations and historical text analysis, this study delves into the unique phenomenon of glass imitation jade on the ancient Silk Road in China, providing detailed exposition on the formation, characteristics, and profound impact of this cultural practice. Imitation jade culture extends beyond physical forms, permeating material selection, technological innovation, and cultural symbol inheritance. As a gem of ancient Chinese craft art, the glass imitation jade culture offers valuable insights into understanding the aesthetic features of ancient cultures, cultural exchange patterns, and the evolution of craft technologies. This paper innovatively proposes that ancient glass-making practices imitation jade can serve as a new means to actively protect natural jade resources in modern times, offering a fresh perspective for the exploration and study of the Silk Road cultural heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the origins and symbolic meanings of the iconography of Vaiśravaṇa, which gained prominence in East Asia during the 200 years after the 8th century, through the lens of royal imagery as both a devotee and protector. As Vaiśravaṇa's iconography spread along the Silk Road, it integrated diverse cultural traditions from the ancient Near East and the Indo-Iranian world, with Gandhāra and Khotan as central hubs. The iconography evolved into a distinctive form, featuring a cylindrical crown adorned with bird motifs, shoulder flames, a cross belt, a Stūpa, a spear, and celestial maidens. Previous studies often limited its origin to either Gandhāra or Khotan; however, this research highlights contributions from both regions, emphasizing their roles in shaping iconography. By focusing on Gandhāra and the Kushan Empire, this study explores how these elements reflect the diversity of regional cultures, political ideals, and religious values. It contextualizes these developments within historical and cultural exchanges between regions, offering a broader understanding of Vaiśravaṇa's formation. The findings reveal that Vaiśravaṇa's iconography reflects cultural exchange and symbolizes the sacred earthly ruler. This perspective highlights how regional diversity and intercultural interactions shaped its development, enriching the study of Buddhist iconography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While historians extensively research narrative and use a significant number of concepts that linguists traditionally see as their own, the properties of historical narrative have not received sufficient coverage in linguistics yet. This article analyses the similarities and differences in the approach to narrative by historians and linguists, formulates the linguistic criteria of narrativity and discusses the relationship between factuality and fictionality. The constitutive features of historical narrative identified and described in the present study include temporality, spatiality, eventfulness, informativeness, interpretability, ideologization and semioticity. Language is treated as a tool of verbalising historical narrative, structuring its chronology and logic, shaping the perception of events through a system of presuppositions, connotations, and allusions, creating historical ambiance and constructing mythologised designations. The linguistic means used in the construction of historical narrative comprise: 1) the language of the historical source; 2) the narrator’s language; 3) historical terminology; 4) historicisms and archaisms; 5) precedent names; 6) obsolete and modern toponyms. The study emphasises the importance of perceiving history as a hypertext – multiple narratives united by a network of intertextual connections. The study is illustrated by examples from narratives about the Silk Road in Chinese, Russian and English. The Silk Road symbolises the crossroads of civilisations, the interaction between East and West, the economic and cultural exchanges between Asia and Europe, peaceful cooperation, good neighbourliness, and shared cultural experience.

In the new international context of the conflicts that have broken out in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, we can speak of a very sensitive economic environment in which analysts have described the threats of the disrupting global trade. This risk is made possible by the potential economic opportunities and supremacy of China, whose influence in the Middle East has grown considerably over the past 15 years. The reconfiguration of the American policy and the shift of the center of gravity of the United States from the Indo-Pacific area, due to the war generated by the Russian invasion, has left uncovered an extremely important area in the trade flows that ensure global trade. The article presents the main vulnerabilities that the two conflicts create in the global economy and how the disruption of trade flows would generate major crises globally.

Abstract Background Ancient Chang’an in the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD) was one of the world’s largest and most populated cities and acted as the eastern end of the world-famous Silk Road. However, little is known about the genetics of Chang’an people and whether the Western Regions-related gene flows have been prevalent in this cosmopolitan city. Results Here, we present seven genomes from Xingfulindai (XFLD) sites dating to the Tang Dynasty in Chang’an. We observed that four of seven XFLD individuals (XFLD_1) were genetically homogenous with the Late Neolithic Wadian, Pingliangtai, and Haojiatai populations from the middle reaches of the Yellow River Basin (YR_LN), with no genetic influence from the Western Eurasian or other non-Yellow River-related lineages. The remaining three XFLD individuals were a mixture of YR_LN-related ancestry and ~ 3–15% Western Eurasian-related ancestry. Mixtures of XFLD_1 and Western Eurasian-related ancestry drove the main gradient of genetic variation in northern and central Shaanxi Province today. Conclusions Our study underlined the widespread distribution of the YR_LN-related ancestry alongside the Silk Road within the territory of China during the historical era and provided direct evidence of trans-Eurasian communication in Chang’an from a genetic perspective.

When the Western press and media report on Xinjiang, they tend to focus on the situation of the Uyghurs in this autonomous region of China. The fact that Xinjiang is of the highest strategic importance for China as a raw materials base, gateway to Central Asia and starting point of the New Silk Road, which is orientated towards Europe, and that real geopolitics is all about precisely these things, is often neglected. Of course, the starting point of the New Silk Road is in the strategists' crosshairs and it goes without saying that Central Asia and the South Caucasus are also targeted. After all, the shortest transport corridors to Europe run through these areas, now that the transport routes via Russia have been cancelled by Russia's war in Ukraine. This is where the Chinese New Silk Road and the European Global Gateway meet. What is the situation in Central Asia? What role does the International Trans-Caspian Transport Route play? How are China, the USA and Europe acting where the future of the New Silk Road is ultimately at stake? This article aims to provide a few answers to these questions, which should therefore only be understood as an approach to the topic of "Central Asia as a continental bridge or Thucydides' trap?".

The Arctic policy and strategy of the Russian Federation (RF) has chronologically emerged in four phases. The first phase was realized within the framework of the post-Cold War conditions. During this period, the RF tried to conduct its Arctic policy through regional and international cooperation mechanisms. The second phase covered the coordination process of the RF's policies towards the Arctic region, which initiated in the 2000s. At this phase, the RF elevated its socio-economic interests in the Arctic region into a national security matter. The third phase started to manifest itself with the geopolitical transformation that emerged after the annexation of Crimea. Due to its problems with the West, the RF started to prioritize the Eastern hemisphere in its foreign policy. In this period, it is possible to say that the Arctic strategy of the RF matured gradually and became complementary and constant. The fourth phase developed in response to the new international conditions emerged after 2020. In this process, the RF consolidated its geoeconomic and geostrategic interests in the Arctic region. New cooperation mechanisms were established with China, particularly in the transportation and energy fields. Initiatives such as the Arctic Silk Road reveal the geoeconomic and geostrategic scope of these mechanisms. In this article, RF's Arctic strategy is analyzed on the basis of this chronological progress. The question of the dimensions and priorities within which the RF's Arctic strategy emerged constitutes the basic construct of the article. In this context, the article emphasizes the importance of the periodic conditions that paved the way for the formulation of RF's Arctic strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ancient oasis of Turfan, located on the Northern Silk Road, was a centre for interactions between the East and the West and witnessed numerous cultural, religious, and linguistic changes throughout history. A large number of texts were composed, translated, copied, and published there. One of the outcomes of these efforts is the Old Uyghur Buddhist narrative literature, parts of which have remained almost completely preserved, while a significant portion has survived as single fragments or small pieces of a fragment. For some of these texts, definitive conclusions about their original content or which work they belong to have yet to be reached. The Old Uyghur Bāvari narrative discussed in this study bears parallels, particularly in terms of themes, settings, and characters, with sections of the Pārāyaṇasūtra—known for its resemblance to the final chapter of the Sutta Nipāta, i.e., the Pārāyanavagga—as well as parts of the Maitreyasamitināṭaka and Xianyujing. This study first introduces this narrative formed by the Old Uyghur fragments preserved in the Turfan Collection of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences. Then, the text is transcribed and translated. Finally, the similarities and differences with other parallel narratives are analysed and presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pratītyasamutpāda, the doctrine of dependent origination, has a long history in Old Uyghur Buddhism. It was first articulated in the Early Old Uyghur Buddhist texts and is evident in the terminology of Maitrisimit and the Daśakarmapathāvadāna-mālā. The dependent origination is systematically illustrated in at least three Pratītyasamutpāda texts, one text with Brāhmī elements, and the other two in Dunhuang and Turfan prints. The latter two are discussed in detail in this paper. The Dunhuang print provides the most comprehensive demonstration of the Old Uyghur understanding of dependent origination. The structure of the text is largely consistent with the corresponding passages in the Abhidharmamahāvibhāṣaśāstra and other Abhidharma texts. The text offers a more comprehensive account than the Chinese text. The Turfan prints, which consist of four fragments, are derived from two distinct prints. Print U 4170 is an Abhidharma text, and it has parallels in the Abhidharmakośabhāṣya. It seems plausible to suggest that the print bearing the abbreviated titles Pratyitasamutpad in Old Uyghur and Buladi 布剌帝 in Chinese may have been translated from a Chinese text sharing the same or a similar Chinese name. However, as with the Dunhuang print, the Turfan prints may have been produced by the Old Uyghurs from some Abhidharma texts. The Dunhuang print and the Tufan prints are unique within the corpus of known Old Uyghur prints. These texts represent the first known printed examples of the Abhidharma tradition. Moreover, the illustration employed in the Dunhuang print is not known in other printed texts discovered in Dunhuang and Turfan, representing the first instance of such an illustration in printed form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Turkish Culture & Haci Bektas Veli Research Quarterly is the property of Turkish Cultur & Haci Bektas Veli Research Quarterly and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of History & Historian / Tarih ve Tarihçi is the property of Ataturk University Coordinatorship of Scientific Journals and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the past, the Silk Road was a vital trade route that spanned Eurasia, connecting East Asia to the Mediterranean Sea. The genus Prunus, belonging to the Rosaceae family and encompassing plums, peaches, apricots, cherries, and almonds, thrived as human travel along the Silk Road increased. The majority of fruits within this genus, whether wild or cultivated, are naturally sweet and easily preserved by drying for storage and transport. The interaction along the Silk Road between wild populations and diverse varieties of Prunus fruits led to the development of various hybrids. This article provides a summary of archaeological findings related to prominent Prunus fruits such as peaches, apricots, plums, cherries, and almonds, shedding light on their evolutionary history, genetic diversity, population structure, and historical dynamics crucial for species conservation. The origins of biodiversity may involve factors like migration of pre-adapted lineages, in situ variation, or the persistence of ancestral lineages. Furthermore, climate change is affecting spatial genetic patterns and potentially further threatening rare Prunus species. Evaluating the scope and composition of genetic diversity within germplasm collections is essential for enhancing plant breeding initiatives and preserving genetic resources in this changing context. From a molecular point of view, techniques such as genome-wide association studies (GWASs) and the identification of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and genes responsible for phenotypic changes in cultivars and germplasm collections should be of great interest in these breeding programs, while genomic estimated breeding values (GEBVs) derived from genome-wide DNA polymorphism information can facilitate the selection of superior genotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ancient Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD) was one of the world's largest and most populated cities and acted as the eastern end of the world-famous Silk Road. However, little is known about the genetics of Chang'an people and whether the Western Regions-related gene flows have been prevalent in this cosmopolitan city. Results: Here, we present seven genomes from Xingfulindai (XFLD) sites dating to the Tang Dynasty in Chang'an. We observed that four of seven XFLD individuals (XFLD_1) were genetically homogenous with the Late Neolithic Wadian, Pingliangtai, and Haojiatai populations from the middle reaches of the Yellow River Basin (YR_LN), with no genetic influence from the Western Eurasian or other non-Yellow River-related lineages. The remaining three XFLD individuals were a mixture of YR_LN-related ancestry and ~ 3–15% Western Eurasian-related ancestry. Mixtures of XFLD_1 and Western Eurasian-related ancestry drove the main gradient of genetic variation in northern and central Shaanxi Province today. Conclusions: Our study underlined the widespread distribution of the YR_LN-related ancestry alongside the Silk Road within the territory of China during the historical era and provided direct evidence of trans-Eurasian communication in Chang'an from a genetic perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Silk Road connected the east of Iran to the western world. Roue city is close to the Road. Six glass samples from Roue were classified on the basis of morphology, archaeological context and compositions. The samples were analysed by means of XRF and Raman spectroscopy and two specific groups, namely Roue type 1 and Roue type 2, with close composition to high alumina plant-ash glass in circulation from the 6th to 10th centuries CE in Mesopotamia, Iran and Syria, were identified. The simultaneous occurrence of two types of glass in the excavated layers shows that the house was inhabited in the early Islamic period. Colours (black, amber-green, light and aqua blue) were produced mainly by the amount of iron and sulphur ions required for the amber chromophore and copper ions for the blue colour and the controlling of reducing conditions in the furnace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Three-Body Trilogy, published in English, is arguably the best-selling Chinese literature, with the most attention garnered from the English-language media. Literature is viewed as a symbolic product, as a nation's literary works are naturally seen as a literary prestige or reserving the status of a sacred classic. While some literary fields are considered dominant, others ending up in being dominated. Thus, the conflict between the dominant and dominated in the field of literature serves as the field's fundamental driving force. Such competition may derive from political influence, financial gain, social standing, or even the cultural standing of the field the participants occupy. By adopting the keyword " The Three-Body Trilogy," this study searched the BCC and NOW corpora. It was found that the Classic China International Publishing Project, Silk Road Literary Project, Ken Liu, Tor Books all provided varying degrees of support for the translation and dissemination of The Three-Body Trilogy, which jointly form the field and translation context for it to move from the dominated literary field to the dominant literary field. Plain Language Summary: The Three-Body Trilogy is arguably the best-selling Chinese literature, with the most attention garnered from the English-language media. By using the keyword " The Three-Body Trilogy ", this study searched the BCC and NOW corpora. It was found that the Classic China International Publishing Project, Silk Road Literary Project, Ken Liu, Tor Books all provided varying degrees of support for its translation and dissemination, which jointly form the field and translation context for it to move from the dominated literary field to the dominant literary field. The findings demonstrate that, in the hierarchical world literary field, translation is no longer just a straightforward translation between texts but rather a significant medium for the dissemination of world literature within the boundaries of power. Based on the research presented in this study, it is challenging to promote a nation's books abroad using only the internal competition mechanism of the book rights trade market when the nation's language and culture are still not well-positioned. In turn, enforcing the external influence of government funding for translation and publication can shorten the translation and publication production cycle, which in turn permits dominated language books to emerge in the dominant language book market. A drawback of this study is that it only considers The Three-Body Trilogy in English and pays scant attention to habitus and capital. Further research may: (a) explore the translator's habitus with the help of paratext, and (b) analyse the capital feedback of the participants entailing the translation's success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study was focused on a specific blue‒green pigment applied on the edges of the green blocks of wall paintings in the Kizil Grottoes, the earliest Buddhist cave complex in China containing many wall paintings. Based on in situ portable XRF analyses, μ-Raman spectroscope, elemental analysis (SEM–EDS and EPMA-WDS) and μ-XRPD analyses, the pigment was proven to be lavendulan [NaCaCu5(AsO4)4Cl·5H2O], which has not been reported in ancient wall painting studies before. Lavendulan was found to coexist with atacamite [Cu2(OH)3Cl] in some of the samples in the study and showed a nanoneedle-like morphology. Further investigations of lavendulan revealed that it was probably not originally used as a pigment but was generated by the transformation of atacamite under the influence of arsenates [As(V)] and Na+. This phenomenon and the related mechanism were discovered in this study and are discussed in this paper. As an important cultural heritage site in the Silk Road, the Route Network of the Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor and the Kizil Grottoes are listed as UNESCO World and Natural Heritage sites. The pigment types and preservation conditions of wall paintings are similar to those of many wall paintings found along the Silk Road, and further attention should be given to this discolouration mechanism for heritage site conservation.

To achieve the color matching rules for the textiles discovered during Silk Road excavations between the 4th and 8th centuries, this research proposed an image-based matching network modeling method. The Silk Road facilitated trade and cultural exchange between the East and West, and the textiles found along the way depict the development of fabrics in a color scheme with great cultural significance. A total of 165 images with brocade patterns were collected from a book with a detailed description of the Western influences on textiles along the Silk Road. Two different clustering methods, including the K-means clustering method and octree quantization approach, were used to extract the primary and secondary colors. By combining the HSV color space with the PCCS color system, the color distribution was analyzed to discover the features of representative color patterns. The co-occurrence relationship of the auxiliary colors was explored using the Apriori algorithm, and a total of eight association rules were established. The results showed that the K-means clustering algorithm can show a better effect of color classification to obtain three primary colors and nine secondary colors. The matching mechanism with a visualized network model was also proposed, which showed that reddish-yellow tones are the main colors in the brocade patterns, and the light and soft tones separately account for 27% and 20%. Beige and brown are the most common colorways, with a confidence level of 47%. One style of brocade pattern was used to demonstrate different appearances within various color networks, which could be applied to 3D virtual fitting. This image-based matching network modeling approach makes the color matching schemes visible, and can assist fashion design with fabric features influenced by historical and cultural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on the observation of gaps in current research, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of the spatial patterns of heritage sites along the Silk Road, focusing on how historical trade routes shaped what are now recognized as heritage sites. Using data from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List, the research examines heritage sites across Eurasia and North Africa, with a specific emphasis on the Silk Road corridors. This study employs a spatiotemporal approach, categorizing sites into northern overland routes and southern maritime routes to highlight regional variations in network development. The key findings of this study reveal the significant influence of historical trade routes on the development of settlements, cities, and cultural landmarks along the Silk Road. These findings identify clear trends in the Silk Road network's evolution over time, illustrating a shift in its spatial focus across different historical periods. Initially, the network was centered in the eastern Mediterranean during the Classical Period. In the medieval period, this focus expanded to include a dual core area in both the eastern Mediterranean and Central Asia. By the late Medieval period, the network had shifted again, with a new core emerging in Europe. This chronological and spatial analysis allows for a detailed examination of the Silk Road network's heritage landscape evolution. The study underscores the interconnectedness of heritage sites across these regions, contributing to a deeper understanding of how landscape connectivity and trade network dynamics evolved over time. Furthermore, by identifying patterns of network development and shifts in centrality and density, this research offers valuable insights for the conservation and management of heritage landscapes. These findings are particularly crucial for preserving the historical and cultural integrity of Silk Road heritage sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a significant trade item on the ancient Silk Road, the evolution of mug shapes represents a confluence of Eastern and Western economic history and cultural-artistic exchanges, also reflecting the flourishing export culture of Guangzhou. This paper analyzes the functional and social factors influencing the morphological changes of Lingnan mugs from 1616 to 1949 from the perspective of quantitative typological analysis. The overall design trend of these mugs transitioned from complex to simple, enhancing user comfort, while variations in mug scale reflect the diversity of consumer classes and regional drinking cultures. Among the 30 mugs analyzed, the average capacity was 356ml, with a range of 1588ml. Common shapes included cylindrical bodies and ear-shaped handles. Morphologically, the belly of the mugs transformed from arc-barrel bodies (emphasizing heat retention) to bulbous bodies, and eventually to cylindrical bodies (combining heat retention, practicality, and economy), with handles also showing signs of East-West integration. The analysis of the mug body' s inclination, with handle-side junction angles ranging from 34° to 53° and wall-side junction angles from 50° to 90°, indicates that these features are associated with stability in placement, aesthetic design, and practicality in liquid containment. These morphological evolutions reflect genuine responses to market demands and advancements in production technology, manifesting as products of market orientation and societal needs. By measuring changes in morphology, scale, volume, and external contour curves, this paper addresses how social factors shape material morphology in an academic context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The Xinjiang Mongolians, located along the Silk Road, migrated westward from Northeast Asia in the 13th and 14th centuries. Despite its significance, genetic studies on Xinjiang Mongolians have been limited compared to other Mongolian populations. Methods: In this study, we analyzed the non-recombining region of the Ychromosome in 165 Xinjiang Mongolian males using 108 biallelic markers and 44 STRs. Results and discussion: Our study identified prevalent haplogroups C2a1a3-F1918 (10%), C2a1a2-M48 (8%), N1a1a-M178 (5%), and R1a1a-M17 (10%) in the Xinjiang Mongolians. Additionally, our study suggested a genetic affinity between Xinjiang Mongolians and Inner Mongolia Mongolian populations, as well as other ethnic groups from northwest China, based on the PCA analysis. The Network analysis revealed distinct branching expansion patterns in haplogroups C2a1a3a-F3796, C2a1a2-M48, and N1a1a-M178, with estimated timeframes aligning with Genghis Khan's invasion of Xinjiang in the Yuan Dynasty. Notably, our analysis of the R1a1aM17 Network highlighted the role of Xinjiang Mongolians in the expansion of Turkicspeaking populations in Xinjiang and surrounding regions. The integration of ancient DNA data suggested that the high frequency haplogroups C2a1a3a-F3796, C2a1a2M48, and N1a1a-M178 could be traced back to their origin in Northeast Asia. Furthermore, the estimated TMRCA of haplogroup R1a1a-M17 implied cultural and genetic influences from Turkic populations during the Qagatay Khanate period. Overall, our study provided a genetic explanation for the ethnic origin of Xinjiang Mongolians, highlighting their migration from Northeast Asia and subsequent assimilation with the local populations in Xinjiang. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peach (Prunus persica), a significant economic fruit tree in the Rosaceae family, is extensively cultivated in temperate and subtropical regions due to its abundant genetic diversity, robust adaptability, and high nutritional value. Originating from China over 4000 years ago, peaches were introduced to Persia through the Silk Road during the Han Dynasty and gradually spread to India, Greece, Rome, Egypt, Europe, and America. Currently grown in more than 80 countries worldwide, the expansion of peach cultivation in Egypt is mainly due to the development and utilization of peach varieties with low chilling requirements. These varieties exhibit unique phenotypic characteristics such as early maturity, reduced need for winter cold temperatures, low water requirements, and high economic value. In this study, a systematic analysis was conducted on the genetic characteristics and kinship relationships of peaches with low chilling requirements in Egypt. We conducted a comprehensive evolutionary and Identity-by-Descent (IBD) analysis on over 300 peach core germplasm resources, including Egyptian cultivars with low chilling requirements, to investigate their origin and genetic characteristics. The evolutionary analysis revealed that 'Bitter almond' is closely related to China's wild relative species Prunus tangutica Batal, while 'Early grand' shares one branch with Chinese ornamental peach cultivars, and 'Nemaguard' clusters with some ancient local varieties from China. The IBD analysis also indicated similar genetic backgrounds, suggesting a plausible origin from China. Similarly, the analysis suggested that 'Swelling' may have originated from the Czech Republic while 'Met ghamr' has connections to South Africa. 'Desert red', 'Early swelling', and 'Florida prince' are likely derived from Brazil. These findings provide valuable insights into the genetic characteristics of Egyptian peach cultivars. They offer a significant foundation for investigating the origin and spread of cultivated peaches worldwide and serve as a valuable genetic resource for breeding low chilling requirement cultivars, which is of considerable significance for the advancement of peach cultivation in Egypt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pre-modern Indian subcontinent provides a treasure trove of art historical data in the form of stone sculptures and reliefs to study dance. While significant steps towards understanding the literary and visual language of dance have been made, artistic production from Gandhāra (the ancient region broadly covering the northwestern part of the subcontinent) largely remains absent in scholarly discussions. Ancient Gandhāra readily lends itself to a global approach as an active participant alongside the so-called ancient Silk Roads connecting the Mediterranean regions with China. Furthermore, as part of the Buddhist pilgrimage routes, Gandhāra also developed ties with Buddhist sites located further east and participated in the spread of Buddhism to China. Within this context, this article discusses the most common dance depicted in Gandhāran art to understand how artists represented dance in the static medium. Using this dance as an illustration, this article also argues that the iconographic conventions of the Gandhāran artistic repertoire for dance are shared outside the region, notably in Kizil, which is located alongside the northern branch of the Silk Roads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Silk Road, one of the most ancient trade routes in history, connected China with the West, traversing Central Asia, India, Persia, and extending into Europe. This network facilitated a rich cultural exchange, as reflected in the art and decorative elements that flourished along its path. The study of folk patterns along the Silk Road serves multiple purposes, depending on the researcher's focus. Key research objectives include examining the significance of ornamentation within the traditional cultural and artistic expressions of the peoples along this historic route, as well as reconstructing historical narratives and processes through the analysis of these decorative elements. This paper aims to undertake a cross-cultural study of ornamentation in the Great Steppe along the Silk Road, with particular attention to Kazakh baskur—a decorative woven band used to secure the felt covering to the wooden frame of traditional nomadic dwellings. The study explores the key aspects of the centuries-old, unaltered handcrafting techniques of baskur, as well as the unity and symbolism embedded within the various types of ornamentation. The utilitarian and decorative functions of baskur are characteristic not only of the Kazakhs but also of other nomadic peoples along the Silk Road, underscoring the relevance of cross-cultural research in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When it comes to relations between Thailand (Siam) and Sri Lanka (Ceylon), the Buddhist connections between the two countries are often discussed and are highly valued. Communications between Thai and Sinhalese monks can be traced back to the 13th century: the Sukhothai era. These communications were then continuously maintained in the Ayutthaya era and have been up until the present day. Despite being situated far from each other and being separated by the sea, the people in these countries have been interacting through maritime routes and cooperating with each other regarding religious, cultural, financial, diplomatic, and political matters for centuries. The continuous interactions between the two came to a halt in the 18th century due to political instability in both countries. Only in the middle of the 19th century did Buddhists from the two countries resume their travels and interactions, rebuilding their bilateral relations and cooperation. There are very few studies that provide information regarding the religious cooperation between Siam and Ceylon in the 19th century. Religious cooperation between the two countries in the 19th Century has never been thoroughly studied and presented in detail. The purpose of the research paper is to investigate how Buddhists in these two countries cooperated with each other to achieve continuity and solidarity in Theravada Buddhism in both countries. We will address this question by analyzing the available data, which can mainly be found in the form of letters written in the Pāli language exchanged between Buddhists in the two countries. These letters have been published in Pālisandesāvalī in Sri Lanka and in Samaṇasāsana in Thailand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyze the relationship between China's maritime security policy and territorial disputes in the gray zone in the South China Sea. The study examines this relationship through the strategy and means of Chinese maritime security policy, aiming to clarify the factors that influenced this policy to drag its territorial disputes into the gray zone. The article argues that the rivalries between countries in the region fostered by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) operated as an external pressure on China. Furthermore, geopolitical factors and the perception of the Chinese ruling elite have contributed to considering the UNCLOS as a threat to China's maritime interests in the South China Sea. Consequently, the Chinese maritime security policy seeks to shift the status quo in the region to establish China as a hegemonic regional power with its sphere of influence while avoiding an open war with its neighbors and the US. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of College of Sharia & Islamic Studies is the property of Qatar University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Kazakh people, like many other populations that settled in Central Asia, demonstrate an array of mixed anthropological features of East Eurasian (EEA) and West Eurasian (WEA) populations, indicating a possible scenario of biological admixture between already differentiated EEA and WEA populations. However, their complex biological origin, genomic makeup, and genetic interaction with surrounding populations are not well understood. To decipher their genetic structure and population history, we conducted, to our knowledge, the first whole-genome sequencing study of Kazakhs residing in Xinjiang (KZK). We demonstrated that KZK derived their ancestries from 4 ancestral source populations: East Asian (∼39.7%), West Asian (∼28.6%), Siberian (∼23.6%), and South Asian (∼8.1%). The recognizable interactions of EEA and WEA ancestries in Kazakhs were dated back to the 15th century BCE. Kazakhs were genetically distinctive from the Uyghurs in terms of their overall genomic makeup, although the 2 populations were closely related in genetics, and both showed a substantial admixture of western and eastern peoples. Notably, we identified a considerable sex-biased admixture, with an excess of western males and eastern females contributing to the KZK gene pool. We further identified a set of genes that showed remarkable differentiation in KZK from the surrounding populations, including those associated with skin color (SLC24A5 , OCA2), essential hypertension (HLA-DQB1), hypertension (MTHFR , SLC35F3), and neuron development (CNTNAP2). These results advance our understanding of the complex history of contacts between Western and Eastern Eurasians, especially those living or along the old Silk Road. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban development under a changing climate pose threats to heritage conservation, necessitating vigilant monitoring of human activities and natural disasters. This study proposes a dynamic monitoring and risk assessment technology aimed at identifying interferences to heritage sites along the Silk Road. The characterization of land use was investigated, and changes within the protected areas were extracted using an object-based deep learning method to reveal instances of human interference. Nighttime light changes were analyzed to assess socio-economic development in heritage regions and cross-referenced with results indicating human interference to examine the relationship between urban development and heritage conservation. Additionally, we extracted various environmental and climate variables to evaluate the risk of flood disasters for these heritage sites. The findings suggest that heritage sites along the Silk Road are generally in good condition. Nevertheless, the substantial increase in construction land highlights challenges in heritage conservation and economic development. This study highlights the importance of vegetation coverage and water diversion measures to prevent floods, emphasizing the effectiveness of space observation in identifying risks. Such observation can help the government manage and protect valuable sites, advancing heritage protection within the framework of sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The contemporary ecological condition has understandably precipitated diverse apocalyptic narratives that present a monumentally dismal account of the future. Against the backdrop of these overwhelmingly bleak and dystopic narratives, I ask a foundational question: How and who may speak of the future? My practice-based research in documentary film is an exploration of practice methodologies that respond to this question. In this paper I turn to Yiwu, a relatively small but cosmopolitan trading city in China as a site of “future making” (Montfort, 2017). The paper contends that Yiwu, a space replete with low-cost goods, can offer us a quotidian image of the future and serve as a site from which we can think about the creation of liveable concepts for an entangled future that may already have arrived.

This study identified four patterns of regional extreme precipitation events (REPEs) in Central Asia (CA) and their crucial synoptic systems and multiscale interactions. Four patterns with distinct spatial distributions were identified in: northern Kazakhstan, southern Xinjiang, western CA, and the Tianshan Mountains. Focusing on the three most frequent REPEs, the kinetic energy (KE) cross‐scale transfer from the basic‐to synoptic‐scale windows exhibited a zonal dipole, resulting in the development and enhancement of REPEs in northern Kazakhstan. The available potential energy (APE) cross‐scale transfer exhibited opposing patterns between the upper and lower troposphere, indicating baroclinic instability in the lower troposphere and barotropic instability of the basic flow in the upper troposphere. Both mechanisms enhanced the Central Asian vortices (CAVs) in southern Xinjiang and induced REPEs. Conversely, the energy budgets exhibited baroclinic instability of the basic flow throughout the entire region when the Tianshan Mountains REPEs occurred, providing energy for prevalent CAVs. Plain Language Summary: A self‐organizing map was employed to classify the regional extreme precipitation events (REPEs) in Central Asia (CA) into four patterns with unique spatial distributions (northern Kazakhstan: P1, southern Xinjiang: P2, western CA: P3, and Tianshan Mountains: P4). This study further illuminated the multiscale interaction mechanisms for the development of key synoptic systems that generate REPEs for the three most frequent patterns (P1, P2, and P4). A zonal dipolar kinetic energy (KE) cross‐scale transfer occurred throughout the region in P1, resulting in the development of a long‐wave trough and the enhancement of REPEs. P2 is characterized by a negative eastward shift of the North Atlantic Oscillation‐like in the original field and the reconstructed intraseasonal‐scale field, which promotes the development of Central Asian vortices (CAVs) over southern Xinjiang. The available potential energy (APE) and KE cross‐scale transfer from the basic‐to synoptic‐scale windows indicate that baroclinic and barotropic instability occur in the lower and upper troposphere, respectively. Thus, providing sufficient energy and dynamic conditions for CAVs enhances REPEs. Furthermore, the Silk Road pattern‐like dominates over Eurasia, and CAVs occur over the northwestern Tianshan Mountains, as observed in P4. APE cross‐scale transfer induces strong baroclinic instability throughout the troposphere and provides energy for more prevalent CAVs that intensify the REPEs. Key Points: The long‐wave trough and Central Asia (CA) vortex are the crucial synoptic systems of summer regional extreme precipitation in CAThe crucial synoptic systems are powered by the basic‐ and intraseasonal‐scale baroclinic instabilityThe spatial inconsistency of local multiscale interactions affects the formation of the crucial synoptic systems and extreme precipitation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Unusual clinical course Background: Vascular Behçet's disease (VBD) is a rare but potentially life-threatening subtype of Behçet's disease that is characterized by multisystemic vasculitis. It primarily affects males with ancestry traced back to regions along the ancient Silk Road. Both arteries and veins, regardless of size, may exhibit complications, including aneurysmal degeneration or occlusion. While venous involvement is observed in two-thirds of VBD cases, arterial complications are notably the most severe and lethal. Arterial aneurysmal degeneration is more common than occlusive complications, with larger arteries being predominantly affected in VBD. Data regarding isolated small-vessel arterial occlusive disease in VBD are limited. Given the rarity of this presentation in this patient population, it becomes mandatory to thoroughly evaluate such patients to differentiate small-vessel vasculitis from other similar diseases, such as Raynaud's phenomenon, which has a different etiology and management and generally has a more benign course. Here, we delineate the concept of isolated small-vessel vasculitis as a cause of blue toe syndrome in patients with VBD. Case Report: This report describes a distinctive case of vascular Behçet's disease in a 51-year-old man who initially exhibited unilateral blue toe syndrome, which swiftly progressed to dry gangrene of the toes. Despite reports of large-vessel involvement, there is a paucity of data on isolated small-vessel vasculitis-induced digital ischemia in VBD. Conclusions: This atypical case underscores the necessity of clinical discernment in differentiating inflammatory microvascular occlusive disease from vasospastic Raynaud's syndrome, both of which can complicate Behçet's disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of the Metaverse, a convergence of virtual and physical realities, presents unprecedented opportunities for promoting cultural tourism along the historic Silk Roads within the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) framework. However, this emerging technology's potential remains largely unexplored in the context of cultural heritage preservation and its promotion. The aim of this study is to address this gap by empirically examining how the Metaverse can be harnessed to improve tourists' experiences, support sustainable tourism development, and promote cultural exchange along the Silk Roads. In this study, we employed a mixed-methods approach grounded in attribution theory, using both surveys and semi-structured interviews with Silk Road tourists who had been exposed to Metaverse applications. To investigate the relationships between Metaverse features, tourists' attributions, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions, we used structural equation modeling and thematic analysis. The findings revealed that perceived immersion, avatar identification, and cultural authenticity significantly influenced tourists' internal, stable, and controllable attributions. Interviews further highlighted the Metaverse's potential to promote accessibility, interpretation, and engagement with Silk Road heritage, while also raising sociocultural and ethical considerations. This paper also showcases the development of Metaverse digital twin prototypes for several iconic Silk Road cities to demonstrate the potential for participatory virtual environments to promote cultural heritage preservation, accessibility, and sustainable tourism. The study's findings contribute to the theoretical understanding of Metaverse tourism and the application of attribution theory, offering practical insight for the responsible and effective harnessing of this transformative technology. This research provides actionable recommendations for policymakers, destination managers, and technology providers to optimize the Metaverse's potential for cultural tourism along the Silk Roads. This has great potential in promoting the BRI's connectivity and cooperation objectives. This paper lays the foundation for future research and responsible innovation at the intersection of emerging technologies, cultural heritage, and sustainable tourism development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed ancient DNA from the remains of horses unearthed from the Shihuyao tombs. These were found to date from the Han and Tang Dynasties in Xinjiang (approximately 2200 to 1100 years ago). Two high-quality mitochondrial genomes were acquired and analyzed using next-generation sequencing. The genomes were split into two maternal haplogroups, B and D, according to a study that included ancient and contemporary samples from Eurasia. A close genetic affinity was observed between the horse of the Tang Dynasty and Akhal-Teke horses according to the primitive horse haplotype G1. Historical evidence suggests that the ancient Silk Road had a vital role in their dissemination. Additionally, the matrilineal history of the Akhal-Teke horse was accessed and suggested that the early domestication of the breed was for military purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The international recognition of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has continuously increased, and that medical practice has gradually become incorporated into the medical systems of many nations. As an important country in the Belt and Road Initiative, Iran has enormous potential for cooperation with China in medical and health care. High-level officials of the two countries attach great importance to cooperation in both areas. Despite the recent rapid development of TCM in Iran, that medical practice still faces many problems; examples here are the lack of practitioners of TCM as well as the paucity of comprehensive cooperation among herbal medicine factories, publishing houses, traditional medicine colleges, and universities in the two countries. The present study collected and analyzed materials related to the practice of TCM in Iran; it made a deep examination of the current situation, problems, and development prospects regarding TCM in Iran with the aim of providing ideas and references to promote the international development of that form of medicine. Following an analysis of the development trends of TCM in Iran in recent years, it became evident that the prospects for TCM in that country are extensive, and the practice has excellent potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is currently being forced into a dilemma in policy terms, needing a more open economy to boost growth at a time when conditions are poor, but also seeking to close society in the name of security. A range of issues currently constrain the Chinese economy, including a weak property market, demographics that will lead to an increasingly ageing population, and increasingly large numbers of unsuccessful loans from the Belt and Road Initiative. Furthermore, rural dwellers are unlikely to be able to reap the benefits of training and technology available to urbanites. However, openness seems troubling to many policy-makers when China defines itself in terms of its own modern history, in which it was repeatedly invaded or occupied, creating a wary attitude toward the outside world. However, overall, China is likely to find opportunities to try out new economic opportunities in its own region, which may be successful as long as there is no confrontation over issues such as the status of Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new stage in promoting the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt Core Area, and Xinjiang has been transformed from a relatively closed inland area into an open border. In order to promote the high-quality development of Southern Xinjiang and solve the imbalance contradiction between the development of the Northern Xinjiang and Southern Xinjiang, taking the four districts in Southern Xinjiang as the study area, constructing a high-quality development ecological niche index system of three levels, namely economic, social and ecological, adopting the entropy method to assign weights to the evaluation indexes, and measuring the ecological niche width and the degree of ecological niche overlap of this region in the period from 2011 to 2020. The results show that: Firstly, tourism has the greatest impact on the ecological niche of economic development in state N, with a weighting of 14.18%; Secondly, the ecological status width of economic development in state N demonstrates a structural characteristic of "low level and low gap". The average value of ecological niche width is at class III, indicating a low development status and weak regional influence; Thirdly, the ecological niche overlap of state N is significantly influenced by spatial factors. Regions Z and S are closer together, resulting in higher competition for resource utilization and an average ecological niche overlap at class II. The other two regions are at class III. According to the theory of ecological niche expansion and separation, a specialization separation strategy should be adopted for areas with "low width and high overlap", and a strengthening expansion strategy should be adopted for areas with "low width and low overlap", to optimize the structure of ecological niches and promote high-quality development of the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due largely to demographic growth, agricultural populations during the Holocene became increasingly more impactful ecosystem engineers. Multidisciplinary research has revealed a deep history of human–environmental dynamics; however, these pre-modern anthropogenic ecosystem transformations and cultural adaptions are still poorly understood. Here, we synthesis anthracological data to explore the complex array of human–environmental interactions in the regions of the prehistoric Silk Road. Our results suggest that these ancient humans were not passively impacted by environmental change; rather, they culturally adapted to, and in turn altered, arid ecosystems. Underpinned by the establishment of complex agricultural systems on the western Loess Plateau, people may have started to manage chestnut trees, likely through conservation of economically significant species, as early as 4600 BP. Since ca. 3500 BP, with the appearance of high-yielding wheat and barley farming in Xinjiang and the Hexi Corridor, people appear to have been cultivating Prunus and Morus trees. We also argue that people were transporting preferred coniferous woods over long distances to meet the need for fuel and timber. After 2500 BP, people in our study area were making conscious selections between wood types for craft production and were also clearly cultivating a wide range of long-generation perennials, showing a remarkable traditional knowledge tied into the arid environment. At the same time, the data suggest that there was significant deforestation throughout the chronology of occupation, including a rapid decline of slow-growing spruce forests and riparian woodlands across northwestern China. The wood charcoal dataset is publicly available at 10.5281/zenodo.8158277 (Shen et al., 2023). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the current calm in broader US-China relations, and likely because of it, Chinese offensive actions around Second Thomas Shoal have kept security in the South China Sea as the organizing principle for Washington's relations with the maritime Southeast Asian states, most notably the Philippines. In April President Biden hosted the first-ever trilateral summit with Japan, the Philippines, and the United States, on the margins of a major agreement to expand the US-Japan alliance that will reverberate in Southeast Asia. In Myanmar, the United States moved cautiously toward the provision of non-lethal aid to resistance forces as they made headway against the military. This aid will be limited, but it could put Washington in competition with China and Russia, both of which provide arms to the junta. Although Southeast Asian leaders continue to worry about US distraction in the face of wars in other regions and the November elections, Washington continued to act as a fulcrum in major multilateral exercises in the region. In Thailand, Cobra Gold was expanded to include cooperation in space, while the Balikatan exercises in the Philippines expanded to include new participants, most notably the French Navy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China (XUARC) harbors almost 50 ethnic groups including the Uyghur (UGR: 45.84%), Han (HAN: 40.48%), Kazakh (KZK: 6.50%), Hui (HUI: 4.51%), Kyrgyz (KGZ: 0.86%), Mongol (MGL: 0.81%), Manchu (MCH: 0.11%), and Uzbek (UZK: 0.066%), which make it one of the most colorful regions with abundant cultural and genetic diversities. In our previous study, we established allelic frequency databases for 14 autosomal short tandem repeats (STRs) for four minority populations from XUARC (MCH, KGZ, MGL, and UZK) using the AmpFlSTR® Identifiler PCR Amplification Kit. In this study, we genotyped 2,121 samples using the GoldenEye™ 20A Kit (Beijing PeopleSpot Inc., Beijing, China) amplifying 19 autosomal STR loci for four major ethnic groups (UGR, HAN, KZK, and HUI). These groups make up 97.33% of the total XUARC population. The total number of alleles for all the 19 STRs in these populations ranged from 232 (HAN) to 224 (KZK). We did not observe any departures from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) in these populations after sequential Bonferroni correction. We did find minimal departure from linkage equilibrium (LE) for a small number of pairwise combinations of loci. The match probabilities for the different populations ranged from 1 in 1.66 × 1023 (HAN) to 6.05 × 1024 (HUI), the combined power of exclusion ranged from 0.999 999 988 (HUI) to 0.999 999 993 (UGR), and the combined power of discrimination ranged from 0.999 999 999 999 999 999 999 983 (HAN) to 0.999 999 999 999 999 999 999 997 (UGR). Genetic distances, principal component analysis (PCA), STRUCTURE analysis, and the phylogenetic tree showed that genetic affinity among studied populations is consistent with linguistic, ethnic, and geographical classifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The origins and dispersal of the chicken across the ancient world remains one of the most enigmatic questions regarding Eurasian domesticated animals. The lack of agreement concerning timing and centers of origin is due to issues with morphological identifications, a lack of direct dating, and poor preservation of thin, brittle bird bones. Here we show that chickens were widely raised across southern Central Asia from the fourth century BC through medieval periods, likely dispersing along the ancient Silk Road. We present archaeological and molecular evidence for the raising of chickens for egg production, based on material from 12 different archaeological sites spanning a millennium and a half. These eggshells were recovered in high abundance at all of these sites, suggesting that chickens may have been an important part of the overall diet and that chickens may have lost seasonal egg-laying The origin and dispersal of the chicken across Eurasia is unclear. Here, the authors examine eggshell fragments from southern Central Asia with paleoproteomics to identify chicken eggshells, suggesting that chickens may have been an important dietary component as early as 400BCE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influenced by rapid changes in climate and landscape features since the Miocene, widely distributed species provide suitable models to study the environmental impact on their evolution and current genetic diversity. The dice snake Natrix tessellata , widely distributed in the Western Palearctic is one such species. We aimed to resolve a detailed phylogeography of N. tessellata with a focus on the Central Asian clade with 4 and the Anatolia clade with 3 mitochondrial lineages, trace their origin, and correlate the environmental changes that affected their distribution through time. The expected time of divergence of both clades began at 3.7 Mya in the Pliocene, reaching lineage differentiation approximately 1 million years later. The genetic diversity in both clades is rich, suggesting different ancestral areas, glacial refugia, demographic changes, and colonization routes. The Caspian lineage is the most widespread lineage in Central Asia, distributed around the Caspian Sea and reaching the foothills of the Hindu Kush Mountains in Afghanistan, and Eastern European lowlands in the west. Its distribution is limited by deserts, mountains, and cold steppe environments. Similarly, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan lineages followed the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya water systems in Central Asia, with ranges delimited by the large Kyzylkum and Karakum deserts. On the western side, there are several lineages within the Anatolia clade that converged in the central part of the peninsula with 2 being endemic to Western Asia. The distribution of both main clades was affected by expansion from their Pleistocene glacial refugia around the Caspian Sea and in the valleys of Central Asia as well as by environmental changes, mostly through aridification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Turkic Studies Journal is the property of L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)