'Caravans' tells the fascinating story of countless Punjabi Khatri merchants who built great business empires through their ingenuity and spirit of adventure. Operating during the 16th through 19th centuries, these merchants risked everything and travelled across Afghanistan, Central Asia, Iran and Russia. They used sophisticated techniques to convert a modest amount of merchandise into vast portfolios for trade and moneylending ventures. 'Caravans' challenges the belieft that the rising tide of European trade in the Indian Ocean usurped the overland 'Silk Road' trade, and demonstrates how thousands of Punjabis created a booming market in Central Asia at precisely this historical moment.