The Silk Road

1. The Silk Road

2. Viewing the Silk Road from Space The Silk Road stretches over 4,000 miles (6,500km) from Beijing, China to Rome, Italy. It was not actually a road. It was not paved. The Silk Road was a name given to any route which led from Beijing to Rome.

3. Many of the trade routes passed through the Seven Stans.

4. Rome had discovered silks, ivory, and exotic spices from the countries they had conquered. They wanted to find the land where these wondrous items originated to set up a trade agreement. Exotic Spices Ivory

5. Rome had gold, silver, and precious gems they were willing to trade. Beijing was definitely interested. These three items cinched the trade agreement.

6. Silk, gold, silver, ivory, and precious gems started out to be the items for trade. More importantly ideas, inventions, stories, and medicines were traded along the way. • The making and use of paper • Printing—moveable type • Irrigation water wheel • Wide spread eating and planting of apples, grapes, oranges, and pomegranates • Saddles • Glass making • Aesop’s fables were shared around many campfires • Plow • Religions • Languages

7. Dangerous Route

8. The route was so dangerous, not even hardened traders would travel the entire route. Traders would work in relays. Each trader would go a certain distance, exchange their goods for other goods and hopefully return. The next trader would move along the road, trade, and hopefully return. There was riches to be won, if you lived through deserts, poisonous snakes, lack of water, marauders, high mountain passes, freezing temperatures, grueling wind and sand storms, and diseases.

9. The Silk road took caravans to the farthest extent of the Han Empire. Sections of the Great Wall of China were built along the northern side of the Gansu Corridor to try and prevent bandits from the north from harming the important trade with Rome.

10. Heading West from Beijing

11. Samarkand, The Heart of the Silk Road The city of Samarkand is located in a fertile valley midway between two rivers. In antiquity the region was part of the Persian Empire; Samarkand was one of the most impressive cities of the ancient world: its walls had a length of eight miles.

15. …and Cross the Tien Shan Mountain Range

16. Kashgar to Merv: More Deserts and Mountains Bactrian Desert Pamirs Ancient Merv

17. Bukhara

19. Khiva Khiva is a very ancient city. In the 10th century Khive is mentioned as a major trading center on the Silk Road.All the caravans had a stop here on their way to China and back. From dawn to dusk, until the gates were opened, an endless stream of moving string of camels with baggage passed them.

20. Marco Polo Marco Polo (1254-1324), is probably the most famous Westerner traveled on the Silk Road. He excelled all the other travelers in his determination, his writing, and his influence. His journey through Asia lasted 24 years. He reached further than any of his predecessors, beyond Mongolia to China. He became a confidant of Kublai Khan (1214-1294). He traveled the whole of China and returned to tell the tale, which became the greatest travelogue.

21. The Silk Road's Decline By 760 AD trade along the Silk Road had declined. It revived again under the Sung Dynasty in the eleventh and twelfth centuries when China became largely dependent on its silk trade. Lastly, trade to Central and Western Asia as well as Europe recovered for a period of time from 1276-1368 under the Yuan Dynasty when the Mongols controlled China. After that, as overland trade became increasingly dangerous, and overseas trade became more popular, trade along the Silk Road declined and ultimately deceased.