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The Silk Roads programme at King's College

An interdisciplinary research programme to study the history and culture of the countries of the Silk Roads

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About the Silk Roads programme

Through a generous donation, King’s has initiated a programme for the study of the history and culture of the Silk Road countries, societies, and cultures of Asia from the Western borders of China to the Mediterranean Sea, as well as their relationships with China in the East and Europe in the West.

This broad programme of studies includes lectures, seminars and conferences, as well as graduate scholarships and Research Fellowships, which explore relationships and the movement of materials, knowledge, and technologies between China and the Mediterranean at any period in history up to the present day.

To keep up to date with Silk Roads Programme activities, join the mailing list.

Join the Silk Roads Programme mailing list

Members of the Silk Roads programme

Gareth Austin, smiling man with short hair wearing a blue suit and a yellow tie

Gareth Austin

Official Fellow and Research Director
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Gareth Austin
A man in a blue shirt

Peter Frankopan

Bye-Fellow, Associate Director of the Silk Roads programme
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Peter Frankopan
Mezna Qato, a smiling woman with brown hair wearing a brown headscarf. She is standing in a warmly lit room with plants.

Mezna Qato

Bye-Fellow in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
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Mezna Qato
Dror Weil, a smiling bald man wearing a blue shirt and striped bow tie.

Dror Weil

Official Fellow in History (Early Modern Asia)
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Dror Weil

Silk Roads programme events listings

snowy mountaintop against blue sky with birds flying in front
17 October 2025 2 - 3pm
Keynes Hall, King's College and on Zoom

What’s in a tsam? On boundaries, networks and researcher bias in the Tibetan-speaking Himalayas- Dr Theo Hughes-Morgan (Cambridge)

In early 21st century scholarship (anthropological, historical, political) there is sometimes a tendency to portray networks as vibrant and positive, and - in contrast - to portray boundaries as conservative...
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What’s in a tsam? On boundaries, networks and researcher bias in the Tibetan-speaking Himalayas- Dr Theo Hughes-Morgan (Cambridge)
Poppies and other vegetation blooming in the Spring in Khurasan
31 October 2025 2 - 3pm
Audit Room, King's College and Zoom

A Khurasani Sufi ṭāʾifa faces the Mongol conquest: female leadership, land ownership patterns, and nomad- sedentary interactions - Dr Marc Czarnuszewicz (Cambridge)

Dr Marc Czarnuszewicz is and Issac Newton Trust Research Fellow at Clare Hall, affiliated to the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies He was awarded a BA in Oriental...
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A Khurasani Sufi ṭāʾifa faces the Mongol conquest: female leadership, land ownership patterns, and nomad- sedentary interactions - Dr Marc Czarnuszewicz (Cambridge)
Houses in a sandy and grassy landscape
21 November 2025 2 - 3pm
Audit Room, King's College and on Zoom

From foes to protectors: ‘The Merits of the Turks’ and ninth-century praise writing - Gabrielle Russo (Cambridge)

Gabrielle’s research examines praise writing for the Turkic military elite in the third/ninth century, with reference to al-Jāḥiẓ’s (d. 255/868–9) epistle Manāqib al-Turk (“The Merits of the Turks”) and the...
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From foes to protectors: ‘The Merits of the Turks’ and ninth-century praise writing - Gabrielle Russo (Cambridge)
View across a rocky and sandy scene towards turquoise blue sea and sky
28 November 2025 2 - 3pm
Munby Room, King's College and on Zoom

Church and monastery on Sir Bani Yas Island, UAE: Christianity in the late antique Persian Gulf - Dr Maria Gajewska (Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi & Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, NYU)

The 7th-8th century church and monastery on Sir Bani Yas Island (Abu Dhabi) comprise the first Christian site ever discovered in the UAE, and one of only two found to...
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Church and monastery on Sir Bani Yas Island, UAE: Christianity in the late antique Persian Gulf - Dr Maria Gajewska (Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi & Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, NYU)
decorative tilework

Contact the Silk Roads Programme

If you want to get involved with the Silk Roads Programme, join the mailing list, or find out more about upcoming events using the link below.
Contact us