Richard Foltz is Professor and Founding Director of the Centre for Iranian Studies at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. A specialist in Iranian Studies, his research also focuses on the relationship between religion and nature, and on Muslim civilizations in general. He has lectured extensively in both America and the Middle East, and is the recipient of several scholarships and awards.His published books include Religions of the Silk Road (Macmillan, 2000) and Mughal India and Central Asia (Oxford University Press, 1998); he is also the author of numerous book chapters and journal articles, and has contributed to the Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature (Continuum, 2004).