The Silk Road 絲綢之路

TheSilkRoad:HistoricalGeography,DevelopedbyJoeNaumann,UMSL,TheSilkRoad,TheSilkRoad,orSilkRoute,isaninterconnectedseriesoftraderoutesthroughSouthernAsiamainlyconnectingChangan(todaysXian)inChina,withAsiaMinorandtheMediterranean.Itextendsover8,000km(5,000miles)onlandandsea.TradeontheSilkRoutewasasignificantfactorinthedevelopmentofthegreatcivilizationsofChina,Mesopotamia,Persia,IndiaandRome,andhelpedtolaythefoundationsforthemodernworld.,TheChineseSection,MajorStopsontheRoad,TaklamakanDesert,TouristsreadytobeginaSilkRoadtour.,CitiesandSights,AlongtheSilkRoad,Changan(Xiantoday),ThesiteoftheHancapitalwaslocated5kmnorthwestofmodernXian.AsthecapitaloftheWesternHanDynasty,itwasthepolitical,economicandculturalcenterofChina,theeasternterminusoftheSilkRoad,andacosmopolitanmetropoliscomparablewiththegreatestcitiesofthecontemporaneousRomanEmpire.,Changanareasatelliteview,ThestatueisatthestartingpointoftheancientSilkRoadofChangan(presentXianCity).,CityWallofChangan,BigWildGoosePagoda,TheGreatMosque50,000MuslimsinXiantoday,Tianshui,TianshuiisthesecondlargestcityinGansuprovinceinnorthwestChina,withapproximately320,300people.AnearbytouristattractionistheMaijishanGrottoesfilledwiththousandsofancientBuddhistsculptures.TheQinstate,latertobecomethefoundingdynastyoftheChineseempire,grewoutfromthisarea,andtheQinnameitselfisbelievedtohaveoriginated,inpart,fromthere.QintombshavebeenexcavatedfromFangmatannearTianshui,includingone2200yearoldmapofGuixiancounty.ItisadioceseoftheRomanCatholicchurch,currentlyvacant.,4thlargestareaofBuddhistgrottoes,MaijiMountain,MarketPlace,ResidentialArea,Lanzhou,EarlysettlementinthisregioncouldbedatedtotheHanDynastyandhasahistoryofover2,000years.ThecityusedtobecalledtheGoldenCity,whenitwasamajorstopontheancientSilkRoad.Toprotectthecity,theGreatWallofChinawasextendedasfarasYumen.,Lanzhouareasatelliteview,MountainScenery,OldIrrigationWaterwheel,SleepingBuddha,TraditionalSheepskinRaft,Lanzhou:SangkePrairielocalfamilyandtheirhome,Dunhuang,ThecityislocatednearthehistoricjunctionofthenorthernandsouthernSilkRoads,andwasthereforeatownofmilitaryimportance.ForcenturiesBuddhistmonksatDunhuangcollectedscripturesfromthewest,andmanypilgrimspassedthroughthearea,paintingmuralsinsidetheMogaoCavesorCavesofaThousandBuddhas.,SatelliteviewofDunhuangarea.,TheMingshaShanduneoverlookingDunhuang,SanddunesoutsideDunhuang,Dunhuangcitywall.,BuddhistTempleGrottoof1000Caves,SpringoasisnearDunhuangontheSilkRoad,Turfan(Turpan),TheOasisofTurfan(withwaterprovidedbykarez)issome260ftundersealevel.AroundTurfanarequiteafewhistoricsites.Turfanhaslongbeenthecentreofafertileoasisandanimportanttradecentre.ItwashistoricallylocatedalongtheSilkRoadsnorthernroute.Theveryheatanddrynessofthesummer,whencombinedwiththeareasancientsystemofirrigation,allowsthecountrysidearoundTurfantoproducegreatquantitiesofhigh-qualityfruit.,TurfanOasissatelliteviewCanyouspottheoasis?,Whatadifferencewatermakes!,Karez(undergroundirrigation),Karez,2000kilometersofundergroundchannels(Karez)bringbringice-coldwaterfromtheTianshanmountainstoTurfan.Theyhavetobeundergroundasotherwisethewaterwouldevaporateontheway.Thissystemis2000yearsold.,DesertRoad,FlamingMountains,HomeinTurfan,ChildrenfromTurfan,Buddhisttemplecaves,Streetandcoveredwalks.,EminminaretinTurfan,Khotan,KhotanisanoasistowninKhotanPrefectureanditscapitalaswell,population114,000(2006).AnimportantstationonthesouthernrouteofthehistoricSilkRoad,ithasalwaysdependedontwostrongriverstheKarakashRiverandtheYurungkashRivertoprovidethewaterneededtosurviveonthesouthwesternedgeofthevastTaklamakandesert.,TaklamakanDesertsatelliteviewnearKhotan,Khotan,TaklamakanDesert,Kashgar,Turfan,TaklamakanDesert,TheTaklamakanisadesertofCentralAsia,intheXinjiangUyghurAutonomousRegionofthePeoplesRepublicofChina.Itisknownasthelargestsand-onlydesertintheworld.SomereferencesfancifullystatethatTaklamakanmeansifyougoin,youwontcomeout;othersstatethatitmeansDesertofDeathorPlaceofNoReturn.Itcoversanareaof270,000kmoftheTarimBasin.ItiscrossedatitsnorthernandatitssouthernedgebytwobranchesoftheSilkRoad.,CaravanintheTaklamakanDesert,Khotanmosque,SundaymarketinKhotan,ManwithgoatontheroadtoKhotan,SchoolchildreninKhotan,CarpetweavinginKhotan,KhotanCarpet,KashgarlaststopinChina,KashgarissitedwestoftheTaklamakandesertatthefeetoftheTianShanmountainrange.SituatedatthejunctionofroutesfromthevalleyoftheOxus,fromKhokandandSamarkand,Almati,Aksu,andKhotan,thelasttwoleadingfromChinaandIndia,Kashgarhasbeennotedfromveryearlytimesasapoliticalandcommercialcentre.TheKashgaroasisiswhereboththenorthernandsouthernroutesfromChinaaroundtheTaklamakandesertconverge.,PamirMts.WestofKashgar,PamirMountains,LocatedinCentralAsia,thePamirMountainsareformedbythejunctionorknotoftheTianShan,Karakoram,Kunlun,andHinduKushranges.Theyareamongtheworldshighestmountains.TheyarealsoknownbytheChinesenameofCongling蔥嶺orOnionMountains.Coveredinsnowthroughouttheyear,thePamirshavelongandbitterlycoldwinters,andshort,coolsummers.Annualprecipitationisabout5inches(130mm),whichsupportsgrasslandsbutfewtrees.,PamirMts.SeenfromtheSilkRoad,OldtownsectionofKashgar,NewdevelopmentinKashgar,SundaymarketitliesinunusuallygoodpasturagenearthesaltworksofSelitrennoiGorodok.Inthenineteenthcentury,Pallasexploredthearea,andsawthattheruinswerebeingpulleddownanddefaced.,NorthwesternTerminus,ThiswastheendofthenorthernroutefromKashgar.,SouthernRoutefromKashgar,ThisrouteterminatedattheMediterraneanSea.,Bactria,Accordingtosomewriters,BactriawasthehomelandofAryantribeswhomovedsouth-westintoIranandintoNorth-WesternIndiaaround2500-2000BCLateritbecamethenorthprovinceofthePersianEmpireinCentralAsia.Itwasintheseregions,wherethefertilesoilofthemountainouscountryissurroundedbytheTuraniandesert,thattheprophetZarathushtra(Zoroaster)wassaidtohavebeenbornandgainedhisfirstadherents.,Bactria,AncientBactria,BALKH-(ancientBactria)CalledtheMotherofCities,Balkhisabout22kms.(13mi.)westofMazar-e-Sharif.TodaynothingremainsofitsancientgloryexceptaseriesofruinssuchasthefamousArchOfNawbaharandtheremainsofaBuddhistStupa.,BuddhiststupasinBactria,PastureinBactria,AlongtheSilkRoad,Merv,Mervincurrent-dayTurkmenistan,wasamajoroasis-cityinCentralAsia,onthehistoricalSilkRoad,locatedneartodaysMary.Severalcitieshaveexistedonthissite,whichissignificantfortheinterchangeofcultureandpoliticsatasiteofmajorstrategicvalue.ItisclaimedthatMervwasbrieflythelargestcityintheworldinthetwelfthcentury.ThesiteofancientMervhasbeenlistedbyUNESCOasaWorldHeritageSite.,NewSilkRoadunderconstruction,WallsofancientMerv,ArchaeologistsatancientMerv.,AncientMervCitadel,NearancientMerv,TehranareasouthoftheCaspianSea,AreawestofTehran,Mesopotamia,Baghdad,BaghdadisthecapitalofIraqandofBaghdadGovernorate.Withanestimatedpopulationofsevenmillion,itisthelargestcityinIraq.Itisthesecond-largestcityintheArabworld(afterCairo)andthesecond-largestcityinsouthwestAsia(afterTehran).LocatedontheTigrisRiverthecitydatesbacktoatleastthe8thcentury,andprobablytopre-Islamictimes.ItwasoncethecenterofDaral-salam,theMuslimworld.,Iraqmap,MosqueinBaghdad.,Mosqueandarch,DuststorminBaghdad,Babylon,ThecityitselfwasbuiltupontheEuphrates,anddividedinequalpartsalongitsleftandrightbanks,withsteepembankmentstocontaintheriversseasonalfloods.Babylongrewinextentandgrandeurovertime,butgraduallybecamesubjecttotheruleofAssyria.IthasbeenestimatedthatBabylonwasthelargestcityintheworldfromc.1770to1670BC,andagainbetweenc.612and320BC.Itwasperhapsthefirstcitytoreachapopulationabove200,000.,RebuiltruinsofBabylon,Babylon,Damascus,DamascusisthelargestcityofSyriaandisalsothecapital.Itisthoughttobetheoldestcontinuouslyinhabitedcityintheworld.beforeAlFayyum,andGaziantep.Itscurrentpopulationisestimatedatabout4.5million.Damascusliesabout80kminlandfromtheMediterraneanSea,shelteredbytheAnti-LebanonMountains.Itliesonaplateau680metersabovesea-level.TheoldcityofDamascus,enclosedbythecitywalls,liesonthesouthbankoftheriverBaradDamascusliesabout80kminlandfromtheMediterraneanSea,shelteredbytheAnti-LebanonMountains.Itliesonaplateau680metersabovesea-level.TheoldcityofDamascus,enclosedbythecitywalls,liesonthesouthbankoftheriverBarada.,Damascusatsunset.,DowntownDamascus,UmmayyadMosqueinoldDamascus,Antioch,AntiochontheOronteswasanancientcityontheeasternside(leftbank)oftheOrontesRiverlocatedonthesiteofthemoderncityofAntakya,Turkey.Foundedneartheendofthe4thcenturyBCbySeleucusINicator,oneofAlexandertheGreatsgenerals,AntiochwasdestinedtorivalAlexandriaasthechiefcityoft