About the Silk Road Atlas

The Silk Road Atlas is a demonstration project of the Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative (ECAI). It is intended to showcase the ECAI vision: creating a clearinghouse of globally distributed datasets about culture and history that can be used to create interactive, time-enabled digital maps based on user interests.

In Fall 2001, ECAI was approached by Cal Performances and by the UC Berkeley Institute for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies. ECAI was invited to create a digital atlas in conjunction with the Silk Road Project concerts and symposium scheduled for April 2002. A grant of $5000 from Cal Performances enabled us to begin work on the Atlas with a focus
on the music of the Silk Road.

A subsequent grant of $5000 from the UC Berkeley Center for Middle Eastern Studies
Al-Falah Fund is supporting the extension of the Atlas to include the theme of Islamic Cultures in History and Context.

An additional grant of $4000 from the UC Berkeley Chancellor's 9-11 Fund (administered through International and Area Studies) will fund Atlas content, website development, and outreach to bring the Atlas into Berkeley classrooms. It is our hope that in this way, the Atlas will help to raise understanding about the rich and diverse culture and history of Central Asia and the Silk Road.

ECAI is a collaborative, voluntary project. ECAI associates have contributed the photographs, texts, maps, spatial datasets, and knowledge that constitute the Atlas itself. These individuals include: Guitty Azarpay, Dru Gladney, Sanjyot Mehendele, Susan Whitfield, and Jeanette Zerneke. We invite anyone with an interest in Central Asia and the Silk Road to contact us about contributing to the expansion of the Atlas.

This Web site is developed and maintained by ECAI with support from UC Berkeley's International and Area Studies. Initial site development was made under the direction of Jeanette Zerneke, with contributions from Kim Carl, Peter H. Chang, Jessica Lee and Ruth Mostern. Site and graphic design was created by Peter H. Chang.

Sponsors: