"Al-Andalus (Islamic Spain), like no other region of the Islamic world evokes a nostalgic perception of a lost paradise: For many, it provides a model of medieval cultural and religious tolerance, intellectual endeavor, and artistic excellence.…
"The Mogao cave temples on China's fabled Silk Road constitute one of the world's most significant sites of Buddhist art. Founded by monks as an isolated monastery in the late fourth century, Mogao evolved into a spiritual and artistic mecca…