The silk route to the far east has come to London, in the form of an open-air exhibition by travel photographer Christopher Wilton-Steer.

The exhibition aims to celebrate the diversity of cultural expressions found along the Silk Road, highlight examples of how historical practices, rituals and customs live on today, and also reveal some of the connections between what appear at first glance to be very different cultures.

It’s an exciting mix therefore of grand landscapes and close-ups of people and crowds showing the massive diversity of life along the silk route. Also of wealth from the riches of Venice and the beauty of Islamic art to the hard manual labour of a stone breaker.

Although there is a small panel describing each photo, if you want, there’s additional content including videos and music via QR codes on each panel.

The exhibition has been put on by the Aga Khan Foundation, which is active in most of the countries featured in the exhibition.

The outdoor exhibition, The Silk Road: A Living History opened yesterday and will run until 16th June 2021 in Granary Square just behind Kings Cross station.