Bettany Hughes, Islam Issa & Colin Thubron

This event will take place in the British Library Knowledge Centre Pigott Theatre. It will be simultaneously live streamed on the British Library platform. Tickets may be booked either to attend in person (physical) or to watch on our platform (online) either live or within 48 hours on catch up. Viewing links for the online version will be sent out in the confirmation email you receive after booking.

The ancient cities along the Silk Road stretched across a vast and diverse region, connecting East Asia with the Mediterranean. These cities served not only as crucial hubs of trade but also as dynamic cultural crossroads, where ideas, religions, and technologies flowed alongside goods. Dunhuang, once a bustling oasis on the edge of the Gobi Desert, was a critical junction at the gateway to China and one of the key centres of this vast network.

We have gathered an expert panel of historians and writers to explore other historic cities along this legendary corridor. Join Bettany Hughes as she uncovers the ancient wonders of Istanbul, travel with Colin Thubron through Uzbekistan to explore the legendary city of Samarkand and accompany Islam Issa as he delves into the magnificence of Alexandria. Our host for the evening is historian Rebecca Rideal. 

Bettany Hughes is an award-winning historian, author and broadcaster. Her books include Venus and Aphrodite (shortlisted for the Runciman Award), the Sunday Times bestselling Istanbul (shortlisted for the Runciman Award), The Hemlock Cup (shortlisted for the Writers Guild Award) and Helen of Troy. She has made many documentaries for the BBC, Channel 4, National Geographic, the Discovery and History channels. Bettany has been a Professor at the New College of Humanities and Research Fellow at King's College London. She has been honoured with numerous awards including the Medlicott Medal, Europe’s Cultural Heritage Prize and an OBE for services to history. 

Islam Issa is an award-winning author, broadcaster and curator, named by the BBC as 'one of the UK’s most significant new thinkers'. He is Professor of Literature and History at Birmingham City University, has written several academic books and curated internationally renowned exhibitions at public venues including Shakespeare’s Birthplace. He writes regularly for newspapers and magazines such as BBC History Magazine, and has presented and featured in television and radio documentaries on the BBC and Netflix. His book, Alexandria: The City that Changed the World, is a Sunday Times and TLS Book of the Year and the winner of this year’s Runciman Award. 

Colin Thubron is an acclaimed travel writer and novelist, and the winner of many prizes and awards.  His first books were about the Middle East, then in 1982 he travelled by car into the Soviet Union, a journey described in Among the Russians.  From these early experiences developed his classic travel books, among them: Behind the Wall (winner of the Hawthornden Prize and the Thomas Cook Travel Award), In Siberia (Prix Bouvier), Shadow of the Silk Road, To a Mountain in Tibet and The Amur River (Stanford Travel Book of the Year).  In 2007 he became a CBE, and in 2008-2017 served as President of the Royal Society of Literature. 

Rebecca Rideal is a historian, a bestselling author, award-winning producer, and the director of the history festival, HistFest.  

This event accompanies the British Library exhibition A Silk Road Oasis: Life in Ancient Dunhuang (27 September – 23 February 2025) 

Doors and Bar open at 18:00. If you’re attending in person, please arrive no later than 15 minutes before the start time of this event. 

Half price tickets available for Members, Students, Under 26 and other concession groups. 

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