Silk Without Kings

Kings claimed the victories

But trade often survived because of people history ignored

Silk Without Kings: The Women Who Saved Central Asian Trade uncovers the hidden role of women who kept commerce moving across Central Asia during times of war, collapse, and political change

While rulers fought for territory, women managed households, financed caravans, negotiated markets, protected family networks, and preserved the trust that trade depended on

This book explores the marketplaces, caravan towns, and family systems that allowed long-distance exchange to continue when official power failed

Inside, you'll discover how women sustained trade during instability, how family networks supported Silk Road commerce, how markets relied on credit and trust, and why invisible labor often saves economies

Because history remembers crowns

But survival often belongs to those without them

If you love hidden history, forgotten labor, and the human systems behind great trade routes, this book offers a fascinating new perspective on Central Asia's commercial past