Peace Caravan Partnership with IIPT Continues

The Peace Caravan partnership with IIPT continues this September when artist Marla Mossmanand her Peace Caravanjourneys to the ancient Chinese cities of Kashgar, Dunhuang X’ian and Beijing. This is the continuation of a multi-year project to travel from Jerusalem, Israel to X’ian, China by car, foot, horse, mule and camel to document places of historical and religious significance along the ancient Silk Road in a quest to explore theSilk Road connections to Buddhism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam.

Along the way, Marla will meet with Community Leaders with a view to dedicating IIPT Peace Parks at significant junctures of the ancient trade route, continuing an initiative that began in 2007 when Marla similarly partnered with IIPT as an emissary for the IIPT International Peace Parks program on her journey through the Middle East countries of Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Israel.

This is the fifth expedition for Marla and the Peace Caravan. Previous expeditions were to India, Turkey, Afghanistan and the Middle East countries of Syria, Jordan and Israel.

Encroaching modernization, and violence in some regions, threatens the indigenous way of life in several of these countries. Marla is optimistic that by sharing photographs and stories from her travels that readers will find a new appreciation for the religious and cultural heritages of these nations and that a new way to peace will reveal itself.

Mossman’s photos capture the people along her journey in their daily lives and remind us that even though we have differences, we share similar aspirations, fears, hopes and dreams. Her writings and photos capture the intimate moments she experiences with people along the way as she strives to inform and inspire others to achieve understanding and acceptance of the people living along the Silk Road.

In 2005, Marla was the first foreigner, and woman, to visit Waras; a remote part of Central Afghanistan. In an earlier trip to Northern India, Mossman hiked and backpacked to an altitude of 18,000 ft in the Himalayas, to obtain her photos.

To learn more about Marla Mossman and the Peace Caravan visit the website at The Peace Caravan project is a sponsored project of the New York Foundation for the Arts(NYFA).