Family gathering raw silk in a village in Korat, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Silk industry, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Silk ties for sale, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Silk priest's chasuble, Abondance, Haute Savoie, France, Europe

Garden orb spider (araneus diadematus) in its web, with captured fly, wrapping it up in silk from its spinnerettes, oxfordshire, uk

Uzbekistan statue of amir timur (tamburlaine) in his birth place, shakhrisabz

Uzbekistan old lady of samarkand

Selection of silk items, Chatuchak Weekend Market, Bangkok, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Silk vendor, Chatuchak Weekend Market, Bangkok, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Shop assistant in material and silk shop, The Old Market, Siem Reap, Cambodia, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Uzbekistan men drinking tea at a chaikhana, shakhrisabz.

Uzbekistan men drinking tea at the lyab-i-hauz, bukhara

Uzbekistan craftsman and apprentice repairing the shah-i-zinda necropolis of mausoleums, samarkand

Uzbekistan detail of old door to the city, bukhara

Traditional Moroccan cloth in a souk in Marrakech, Morocco, North Africa, Africa

Uzbekistan boys of shakhrisabz

Uzbekistan the kalon minaret and mosque, bukhara

Uzbekistan woman selling corn, beans and lentils, shakhrisabz

Uzbekistan girls of shakhrisabz

Uzbekistan butchers shop, bukhara

Uzbekistan woman with children, bukhara

Uzbekistan detail of ceiling at the bakhauddin nakshbandi ensemble, a sufic mausoleum complex near bukhara

Uzbekistan girl selling bread, bukhara

Uzbekistan women in the market at shakhrisabz

Uzbekistan detail of tilework at shah-i-zinda necropolis of mausolea, samarkand

Uzbekistan man of shakhrisabz

Uzbekistan man at home, table laid with tea, bread, sweets and nuts. Samarkand

Uzbekistan door of the bolo hauz mosque, bukhara

A solitary mask dancer appears wearing a frightening mask and silk brocade. they circle the courtyard with sprightly leaps. called protectors of faith, or dharmapdla, the origins of figures like these can be traced back to the pre-aryan peoples of india. originally known as yaksas (literally, a wondrous thing), they were tree spirits, who were accepted by the buddhists as defenders of the faith. in nepal and tibet, as in india, local deities were converted into protectors. a devotee of an alien sect devised a means to humiliate the buddha and his disciples. the buddha discovered it and succeeded in converting him to his teaching. due to lack of wisdom, the buddha remarked, some could not realize the goodness of his disciples and he compared the ignorant to the blind and the wise to those who have eyes.nobody is condemned in buddhism, for greatness is latent even in the seemingly lowliest just as lotuses spring from muddy ponds. -the dhammapada. solu khumbu, nepal

Wedding suit worn by James II in 1673, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Embroidering by hand, Suzhou, China, Asia

Traditional Moroccan cloth in a souk in Marrakech, Morocco, North Africa, Africa

Traditional Moroccan cloth in a souk in Marrakech, Morocco, North Africa, Africa

Material and silk shop, Russian Market, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Cloth hanging up a souk in Marrakech, Morocco, North Africa, Africa

Interior of a factory producing silk, Suzhou, China, Asia

Selection of silk items, Chatuchak Weekend Market, Bangkok, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Traditional Moroccan cloth in a souk in Marrakech, Morocco, North Africa, Africa

A daddy long legs spider embalming a house fly caught in its web.

Silk waistcoat dating from 1734, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England, United Kingdom, Europe

La Lonja de la Seda (Silk Exchange), Valencia, Spain, Europe

Silk embroidery at the Handicraft Workshop, Hoi An, Vietnam, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Tailor and fabric shop, The Silk Market, Beijing, China, Asia

Souvenir silk purses, Bangkok, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Souvenir shop, The Silk Market, Beijing, China, Asia

Material and silk shop, The Silk Market, Beijing, China, Asia

Material and silk shop on Wangfujing Street, Beijing, China, Asia

Artist painting, The Silk Market, Beijing, China, Asia

La Lonja de la Seda (Silk Exchange), Valencia, Spain, Europe

Material and silk shop, The Silk Market, Beijing, China, Asia

Japan, Okinawa, Shuri Jo Castle, Antique Silk

Silk waistcoat dating from 1734, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Cloth hanging up a souk in Marrakech, Morocco, North Africa, Africa

Silk embroidery at the Handicraft Workshop, Hoi An, Vietnam, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Selection of silk items, Chatuchak Weekend Market, Bangkok, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Souvenir goods on a street stall, Bangkok, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

A large spider in the Daintree rainforest in Northern Queensland, Australia, Pacific

The young caterpillars once hatched make silk compounds within which they start their growing process which takes about two weeks. The silk enclosure helps to protect them against potential predators. . Isle of White, UK. Isle of White, UK

As the caterpillars grow, they leave their silk protection and continue feeding until they are large and mature enough to seek somewhere safe to change into chrysalis.. Isle of White, UK. Isle of White, UK

As the caterpillars grow, they leave their silk protection and continue feeding until they are large and mature enough to seek somewhere safe to change into chrysalis.. Isle of White, UK. Isle of White, UK

A frozen spider's web, Cumbria, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Morning dew on a spiders web near Ambleside, Lake District, Cumbria, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Nests of the Pine Processionary Caterpiller (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) in pine trees in the Sierra Nevada mountains of Andalucia, southern Spain, Europe

Nests of the Pine Processionary Caterpiller (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) in pine trees in the Sierra Nevada mountains of Andalucia, southern Spain, Europe

Silk webs woven by caterpillars for protection

A frozen spider's web, Cumbria, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Dewdrops on a spider's web on an early autumn morning, United Kingdom, Europe

Nests of the Pine Processionary Caterpiller (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) in pine trees in the Sierra Nevada mountains of Andalucia, southern Spain, Europe

Caucasian woman wearing black dress sleeping on grass

silk scarves, bazaar, Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Hammam Bozori Kord, Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Hammam Bozori Kord, Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Bolo Hauz Mosque, Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Craftsman selling traditional uzbek pottery, Bukhara, Uzbekistan

At right Kalon minaret and mosque. At left Mir-i-Arab medressa , Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Skyline, Kalon minaret and mosque. And Mir-i-Arab medressa, from Ark, Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Hammam Bozori Kord, Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Carpet shop, in Taki Zargaron bazaar, Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Umarova Saida, sunflower seeds vendor, in Taki-Telpak Furushon bazaar, Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Hammam Bozori Kord, Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Craftsman selling traditional uzbek pottery, Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Courtyard of Kalon mosque, Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Kalon minaret and the Mir-i-Arab medressa in the background, Old Town, Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Hammam Bozori Kord, Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Courtyard of Kalon mosque, Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Top of Ulugh Beg Minaret at Memorial Complex of Al Gijduvani, Gijduvan, near Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Ayaz Kala Fortress 2, photo taken from Ayaz Kala Fortress 1, Ayaz Kala, Khorezm, Uzbekistan

Bibi Khanym Mosque, also known as Bibi Khanum Mosque, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Stone birds on front of Afrosiab (Afrosiyob) Museum depicting 2750th anniversary of Samarkand, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Interior of Juma Mosque, also known as Juma Masjidi Va Minorasi, Ichan Kala, Khiva, Uzbekistan

Kalon Mosque courtyard, also known as Kalyan Mosque, Kalon Minaret and Mir-i Arab Madrasah behind, Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Ulugh Beg Madrasah and Minaret at Memorial Complex of Al Gijduvani, Gijduvan, near Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Decorative wall, Tilla Kari Madrasah, also known as Tillya Kari Madrasah, Registan Square, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Carved stone figures on front of Afrosiab Museum, also known as Afrosiyob Museum, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

A yurt, Ayaz Kala Yurt Camp, Ayaz Kala, Khorezm, Uzbekistan

Chor Minor Madrasah, also known as Chor Minar Madrasah, Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Vabkent Minaret, Vabkent, near Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Sardoba historic water cistern and reservoir, near Rabat I Malik, Navoi Province, Uzbekistan

Timur,??s jade tomb, Gur Emir Mausoleum, (Gur Amir, Guri Amir, Gur-E Amir, and Gur-I Amir), Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Outer walls of the Ark Fortress, Registan Square, Bukhara, Uzbekistan