The Great Silk Road

The Great Silk Road was a network of trade and cultural routes between the peoples of East and West. It formed in the 2nd century BCE and kept its importance until about the 16th century. The name “Silk Road” was given in 1877 by the German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen. The road began at Xi’an (Chang’an) in China and ran through Dunhuang, Eastern Turkestan (Yarkand), Central Asia (Samarkand, Bukhara, Termez, Merv), Iran and Mesopotamia to the Mediterranean coast; its length is about 6–7 thousand km, and with its branches up to 12 thousand km. It opened thanks to the journey of Zhang Qian, envoy of the Chinese emperor Wu-Di: around 138 BCE he was sent to find allies against the Xiongnu, was captured and held for about ten years, escaped to Fergana, Sogdiana and Bactria, and on returning to China brought a Fergana horse and alfalfa seeds. From Sogdiana to China went woollen cloth, carpets, jewellery and gems; from Fergana and Bactria horses and camels; from Badakhshan rubies, grapes, pomegranates and walnuts; from China silk and rice, and from India cotton cloth and cotton seeds. Central Asia lay at the crossroads, and merchants, craftsmen, scholars and musicians came here. Along with goods, the road helped the exchange of ideas, religions and inventions (for example, paper).