The upper section of the cover shows desert – the home of nomads. The lower section is a market square in one of the many towns and cities resting on the Silk Road in Central Asia. This was the first transcontinental highway in the ancient world. It connected the Yellow River in Central China to Byzantium, the Mediterranean and the Indian subcontinent. Along the Silk Road passed traders, diplomats, pilgrims and great armies intent on conquest and empire-building.

The oasis towns of the Silk Road are islands of greenery, fed by springs of sweet water. Fresh fruit grows here in abundance, and trees offer shade from the harsh elements of the desert. These oases became centres for never-ending wars – between the nomads who lived outside, in the huge expanses of desert, and the urban dwellers within the fortified walls.

There are many levels to the story of Seven Days in Mozandah. At one there is the age-old conflict between nomads and the citydwellers – between those who live in harmony with nature and those who seek to plunder it.