MEMBERS gathered to hear a fascinating talk by Peter Jones about his wanderings through Central Asia.

Peter confessed to a long-time interest in the Great Game – a shadowy struggle fought among the lonely passes and deserts of the area between Victorian Britain and Tsarist Russia, with India as the ultimate prize.

He explained that before the dominance of the West came about, in the 17th and 18th centuries, India and China were the biggest economies, as they are expected to be again in the future.

For over a thousand years the Silk Road carried silk, spices, paper, precious stones and horses across vast deserts and mountain passes, between the West, present day Iran and Turkey and China.

He spoke of the great movements of peoples, the invasions of Genghis Khan, Tamburlaine and the Moguls who swept down from Central Asia into Northern India and the West and explained how the ideas of Buddhism and Islam spread along with the trade and the conquering armies.

Peter’s command of his subject, his infectious enthusiasm and interesting slides made this a memorable afternoon.

The topic for the next meeting will be 'Naomi House'.