Wool, cotton and silk have each played a crucial role in the fortunes of Central Asia. The felts, carpets, embroideries, robes and veils of the Silk Road stratified wealth, displayed religious and political entrenchments and changed the fortunes of this fascinating part of the world, a meeting place between Mohammed and Marx.

Chris Aslan Alexander, born in Turkey, has had a colourful life in which he has established a UNESCO workshop in Uzbekistan which revived fifteenth century carpet designs and embroideries, trained yak herders in Tajikistan to comb their yaks for their cashmere-like down, and set up a wood-carving workshop in Kyrgyzstan.  He has studied and rowed at Oxford and now writes, lectures for The Arts Society and also leads tours to Central Asia, where he has left a large chunk of his heart.