The origins of the Black Death, the plague that caused a pandemic lasting hundreds of years, have been pinpointed to a lake region in modern-day Kyrgyzstan in 1338.
Less than a decade later, plague first entered the Mediterranean on trade ships transporting goods from the territories of the Golden Horde in the Black Sea.
The disease then spread across Europe, the Middle East and northern Africa, killing up to 60 per cent of the population in an outbreak that was called the Black Death.
This first wave became a 500-year-long pandemic, the so-called Second Plague Pandemic, which lasted until the early 19th century.
Until now, estimates had been put the beginnings of the strain to sometime between the 10th and 14th centuries.
Now, a study of tombstones excavated almost 140 years ago near Lake Issyk Kul, in what is now Kyrgyzstan, show that an epidemic devastated a trading community in 1338 and 1339.
Two sites studied were at the heart of the international trade route known as the Silk Road. They indicate that individuals died in those years of an unknown epidemic or “pestilence”.
Since their first discovery, the tombstones inscribed in Syriac language, have been a cornerstone of controversy among scholars regarding their relevance to the Black Death of Europe, researchers said.
They combined a DNA study with research into the inscriptions on the stones.
Dr Philip Slavin, of the University of Stirling in the UK, told The National: “It is very plausible that the 1338-1339 strain originated and evolved in local marmot plague reservoirs of the Tian Shan region, rather than in a faraway region.”
He said some of the local inhabitants were undoubtedly engaged in international trade based on objects found in their graves including pearls harvested in waters such as the Arabian Gulf, corals and shells likely to have been harvested in the Mediterranean Sea, plus coins, silk and golden brocade cloths.
“Another important question is how did the same plague wave spread from Central Asia into Europe in the 1340s?” he said.
“In our paper, we did touch upon the fact that the local Christian community at Kara-Djigach, from where our sequenced samples come from, were involved in long-distance trade across Eurasia and it was that trans-regional trade that may have been a paramount factor contributing to the spread of the plague.”
The team’s first results were very encouraging, as DNA from the plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis, was identified in individuals with the year 1338 inscribed on their tombstones.
“We could finally show that the epidemic mentioned on the tombstones was indeed caused by plague”, Dr Slavin said.
Researchers have previously associated the Black Death’s initiation with a diversification of plague strains, a so-called Big Bang event.
“We found that the ancient strains from Kyrgyzstan are positioned exactly at the node of this massive diversification event. In other words, we found the Black Death’s source strain and we even know its exact date [meaning the year 1338]”, said Maria Spyrou, lead author and researcher at the University of Tübingen in south-west Germany.
However, the researchers pointed out in their paper, published in the journal Nature, that plague is not a disease of humans, but survives within wild rodent populations across the world, in so-called plague reservoirs.
Hence, the ancient Central Asian strain that caused the 1338-1339 epidemic around Lake Issyk Kul must have come from one such reservoir.
“We found that modern strains most closely related to the ancient strain are today found in plague reservoirs around the Tian Shan mountains, so very close to where the ancient strain was found. This points to an origin of Black Death’s ancestor in Central Asia”, said Johannes Krause, senior author of the study and director at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
They said the study demonstrates how investigations of well-defined archaeological contexts, and close collaborations among historians, archaeologists and geneticists can resolve big mysteries of our past.
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Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
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Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
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Price: From Dh590,000
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
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- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
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How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?
If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.
Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.
Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.
Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).
Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal.
Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.
By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.
As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.
Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.
He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.”
This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”
Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.
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Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
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- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
