Writer George in Silk Road city missing an old bit of Germany (4)

I believe the answer is:

sand

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'writer george' is the definition.
'sand' can be an answer for 'george' (I've seen this before). I'm not sure about the 'writer' bit.

I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for sand that I've seen before include "Beach grit" , "Polish" , "Very fine grains of rock, as on beach" , "Hourglass contents" , "yellowish-brown" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.

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