What the journey
brought back
The record of the expedition exists in three forms: the written account of the road, the photographs, and the film shot along the way.
İpek Yolu’nda Son Kervan
Arif Aşçı’s account of the expedition, written as a caravan journal: the two years of preparation, the ceremonies at Xian, the deaths and purchases of camels, the Yugur of the Gansu mountains, the caves at Dunhuang, the crossing of the Tianshan, and the last night’s storm at Çan.
The text exists in Turkish and in English translation. It closes with the expedition’s thanks — several pages of them, from the Xian provincial governor to the Topkapı ceremony.
The film
Paxton Winters filmed the expedition from Xian onward, alongside the photography. The material covers the whole route, including the Yugur of the Gansu mountains and the desert market at Ashkhabad.
The exhibition
One hundred photographs tracing the caravan, first shown at Çan in a tent hung the day before the fortieth anniversary of the Çanakkale Seramik factories, opened in the presence of President Demirel.
The press
CNN carried the departure on the day the caravan left Xian. At Çankaya the party met the largest press gathering of the whole journey.
Sponsors of the expedition
The expedition was made under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Turkey, with the Kale Group — Çanakkaleseramik and Kalebodur — as main sponsor.
Main sponsor
Çanakkaleseramik · Kalebodur
Kale Group, Çanakkaleseramik and Kalebodur sponsored the Silk Road by Camel Caravan project and organized press trips to visit the caravan along its route. The Group hosted a welcome ceremony at Gürbulak as the caravan entered Turkey and an event at Topkapı Palace in Istanbul. The camels’ final stop was Çan, home to the Group’s factories, where their arrival formed part of the company’s 40th anniversary celebrations.
Turkish Airlines sponsored the team’s travel to China and press trips to visit the caravan along the route.
Atlas, the Turkish geography and exploration magazine, was the project’s official media partner.
Fujifilm supplied slide film for the project.
Leica lent R-series cameras and a set of lenses for the duration of the journey.
Kempinski Hotels provided accommodation for team members during preparations and organized a press event in Beijing before the journey.
Nordstern Sigorta insured the caravan’s team members and equipment.
Caravan — now Nordisk — the Swedish outdoor equipment manufacturer, provided camping gear for the expedition.
