TheSilkRoad:

HistoricalGeographyDevelopedbyJoeNaumann,UMSL1.TheSilkRoadTheSilkRoad,orSilkRoute,isaninterconnectedseriesoftraderoutesthroughSouthernAsiamainlyconnectingChang'an(today'sXi'an)inChina,withAsiaMinorandtheMediterranean.Itextendsover8,000km(5,000miles)onlandandsea.TradeontheSilkRoutewasasignificantfactorinthedevelopmentofthegreatcivilizationsofChina,Mesopotamia,Persia,IndiaandRome,andhelpedtolaythefoundationsforthemodernworld.2.TheChineseSection3.MajorStopsontheRoadTaklamakanDesert4.TouristsreadytobeginaSilkRoadtour.5.CitiesandSightsAlongtheSilkRoad6.Chang’an(Xiantoday)ThesiteoftheHancapitalwaslocated5kmnorthwestofmodernXi'an.AsthecapitaloftheWesternHanDynasty,itwasthepolitical,economicandculturalcenterofChina,theeasternterminusoftheSilkRoad,andacosmopolitanmetropoliscomparablewiththegreatestcitiesofthecontemporaneousRomanEmpire.7.Chang’anarea–satelliteview8.ThestatueisatthestartingpointoftheancientSilkRoadofChang'an(presentXianCity).9.CityWallofChang’an10.BigWildGoosePagoda11.TheGreatMosque–50,000MuslimsinXi’antoday12.TianshuiTianshui

isthesecondlargestcityinGansuprovinceinnorthwestChina,withapproximately320,300people.AnearbytouristattractionistheMaijishanGrottoesfilledwiththousandsofancientBuddhistsculptures.TheQinstate,latertobecomethefoundingdynastyoftheChineseempire,grewoutfromthisarea,andtheQinnameitselfisbelievedtohaveoriginated,inpart,fromthere.QintombshavebeenexcavatedfromFangmatannearTianshui,includingone2200yearoldmapofGuixiancounty.ItisadioceseoftheRomanCatholicchurch,currentlyvacant.13.4thlargestareaofBuddhistgrottoes14.MaijiMountain15.MarketPlace16.ResidentialArea17.LanzhouEarlysettlementinthisregioncouldbedatedtotheHanDynastyandhasahistoryofover2,000years.ThecityusedtobecalledtheGoldenCity,whenitwasamajorstopontheancientSilkRoad.Toprotectthecity,theGreatWallofChinawasextendedasfarasYumen.18.Lanzhouarea–satelliteview19.MountainScenery20.OldIrrigationWaterwheel21.SleepingBuddha22.TraditionalSheepskinRaft23.Lanzhou:SangkePrairie–localfamilyandtheirhome24.DunhuangThecityislocatednearthehistoricjunctionofthenorthernandsouthernSilkRoads,andwasthereforeatownofmilitaryimportance.ForcenturiesBuddhistmonksatDunhuangcollectedscripturesfromthewest,andmanypilgrimspassedthroughthearea,paintingmuralsinsidetheMogaoCavesor"CavesofaThousandBuddhas."25.26.SatelliteviewofDunhuangarea.27.TheMingshaShanduneoverlookingDunhuang28.SanddunesoutsideDunhuang29.Dunhuangcitywall.30.BuddhistTempleGrottoof1000Caves31.SpringoasisnearDunhuangontheSilkRoad32.Turfan(Turpan)TheOasisofTurfan(withwaterprovidedbykarez)issome260ftundersealevel.AroundTurfanarequiteafewhistoricsites.Turfanhaslongbeenthecentreofafertileoasisandanimportanttradecentre.ItwashistoricallylocatedalongtheSilkRoad'snorthernroute.Theveryheatanddrynessofthesummer,whencombinedwiththearea'sancientsystemofirrigation,allowsthecountrysidearoundTurfantoproducegreatquantitiesofhigh-qualityfruit.33.TurfanOasis–satelliteview

Canyouspottheoasis?Whatadifferencewatermakes!34.Karez(undergroundirrigation)35.Karez2000kilometersofundergroundchannels(Karez)bringbringice-coldwaterfromtheTianshanmountainstoTurfan.Theyhavetobeundergroundasotherwisethewaterwouldevaporateontheway.

Thissystemis2000yearsold.36.DesertRoad37.FlamingMountains38.HomeinTurfan39.ChildrenfromTurfan40.Buddhisttemplecaves41.Streetandcoveredwalks.42.EminminaretinTurfan43.KhotanKhotanisanoasistowninKhotanPrefectureanditscapitalaswell,population114,000(2006).AnimportantstationonthesouthernrouteofthehistoricSilkRoad,ithasalwaysdependedontwostrongriverstheKarakashRiverandtheYurungkashRivertoprovidethewaterneededtosurviveonthesouthwesternedgeofthevastTaklamakandesert.44.TaklamakanDesert–satelliteview–nearKhotanKhotanTaklamakanDesertKashgarTurfan45.TaklamakanDesertTheTaklamakanisadesertofCentralAsia,intheXinjiangUyghurAutonomousRegionofthePeople'sRepublicofChina.Itisknownasthelargestsand-onlydesertintheworld.SomereferencesfancifullystatethatTaklamakanmeans"ifyougoin,youwon'tcomeout";othersstatethatitmeans"DesertofDeath"or"PlaceofNoReturn."Itcoversanareaof270,000km2oftheTarimBasin.ItiscrossedatitsnorthernandatitssouthernedgebytwobranchesoftheSilkRoad.46.CaravanintheTaklamakanDesert47.Khotanmosque48.SundaymarketinKhotan49.ManwithgoatontheroadtoKhotan50.SchoolchildreninKhotan51.CarpetweavinginKhotan52.KhotanCarpet53.Kashgar–laststopinChinaKashgarissitedwestoftheTaklamakandesertatthefeetoftheTianShanmountainrange.SituatedatthejunctionofroutesfromthevalleyoftheOxus,fromKhokandandSamarkand,Almati,Aksu,andKhotan,thelasttwoleadingfromChinaandIndia,Kashgarhasbeennotedfromveryearlytimesasapoliticalandcommercialcentre.TheKashgaroasisiswhereboththenorthernandsouthernroutesfromChinaaroundtheTaklamakandesertconverge.54.PamirMts.WestofKashgar55.56.PamirMountainsLocatedinCentralAsia,thePamirMountainsareformedbythejunctionor"knot"oftheTianShan,Karakoram,Kunlun,andHinduKushranges.Theyareamongtheworld’shighestmountains.TheyarealsoknownbytheChinesenameofCongling蔥嶺or'OnionMountains.'Coveredinsnowthroughouttheyear,thePamirshavelongandbitterlycoldwinters,andshort,coolsummers.Annualprecipitationisabout5inches(130mm),whichsupportsgrasslandsbutfewtrees.57.PamirMts.SeenfromtheSilkRoad58.OldtownsectionofKashgar59.NewdevelopmentinKashgar60.Sundaymarket&IdkahMosque61.IrrigationinKashgar62.SundaymarketinKashgar63.SundaymarketinKashgar–readytocookgoatmeat64.SpinningsilkthreadinKashgar65.Kashgar:TombofMuslimpoetYusupHaziHajups66.LeavingChinaTheSilkRoadwestofChina67.SamarkandSamarkand(Tajik:Самар?анд,Persian:???????,Uzbek:Samarqand,Самар?анд,Russian:Самарканд),population412,300in2005,isthesecond-largestcityinUzbekistanandthecapitalofSamarqandProvince.ThecityismostnotedforitscentralpositionontheAsianSilkRoadbetweenChinaandthewest.DespiteitsstatusasthesecondcityofUzbekistan,themajorityofthecity'sinhabitants(90%)arePersian-speakingTajiks.68.Samarkand69.ManattheRegistan–siteofthreeMuslimclergyacademies.70.Viewofthethreeacademies.71.MinaretinSamarkand72.OldcoupleinSamarkand73.Samarkandbazaar74.GurEmir,Tamerlane’smausoleuminhiscapital,Samarkand75.BukharaBukharaisthefifth-largestcityinUzbekistan,andcapitaloftheBukharaProvince.Ithasapopulationof237,900(1999censusestimate).Bukhara(alongwithSamarkand)isoneofthetwomajorcentresofUzbekistan'sTajikminority.Thesetwocities,SamarkandandBukhara,belongedtoPersians,especiallytoeasternpart,whoarenowTajiks.ItisalsohometoalargenumberofJews,whoseancestorssettledinthecityduringRomantimes.76.EntrancetotheArkFortress77.MausoleumofSufiBakhautdinNaqshband78.FigvendorinBukharamarket79.Beautifulmosaicwork80.Bukhararooftops81.Oldshoppingmallstillin

operation82.KhivaIntheearlypartofitshistory,theinhabitantsoftheareawerefromIranianstockandspokeanEasternIranianlanguagecalledKhwarezmian.ThecityofKhivawasfirstrecordedbyMuslimtravelersinthe10thcentury,althougharchaeologistsassertthatthecityhasexistedsincethe6thcentury.Bytheearly17thcentury,KhivahadbecomethecapitaloftheKhanateofKhiva,ruledoverbyabranchoftheAstrakhans,aGenghisiddynasty.83.OldentrancetoKukhanaArk84.SerpentinewallsofKhiva85.CentralsquareofKhiva86.StrollingthroughKhiva87.NewSeraiAtTzarefinsouthernRussia,northoftheCaspianSea,areruinswhichwereonce--possibly--theMongolcitiesofSeraiandNewSerai,seatsofBatuKhanandJanibegKhan.NewSeraiwasalsoknownasGreatSerai,anditwasthecapitaloftheGoldenHorde;itliesinunusuallygoodpasturagenearthesaltworksofSelitrennoiGorodok.Inthenineteenthcentury,Pallasexploredthearea,andsawthattheruinswerebeingpulleddownanddefaced.88.NorthwesternTerminusThiswastheendofthenorthernroutefromKashgar.89.SouthernRoutefromKashgarThisrouteterminatedattheMediterraneanSea.90.BactriaAccordingtosomewriters,BactriawasthehomelandofAryantribeswhomovedsouth-westintoIranandintoNorth-WesternIndiaaround2500-2000BCLateritbecamethenorthprovinceofthePersianEmpireinCentralAsia.Itwasintheseregions,wherethefertilesoilofthemountainouscountryissurroundedbytheTuraniandesert,thattheprophetZarathushtra(Zoroaster)wassaidtohavebeenbornandgainedhisfirstadherents.91.Bactria92.AncientBactriaBALKH-(ancientBactria)Calledthe"MotherofCities,"Balkhisabout22kms.(13mi.)westofMazar-e-Sharif.TodaynothingremainsofitsancientgloryexceptaseriesofruinssuchasthefamousArchOfNawbaharandtheremainsofaBuddhistStupa.93.BuddhiststupasinBactria94.PastureinBactria95.AlongtheSilkRoad96.MervMervincurrent-dayTurkmenistan,wasamajoroasis-cityinCentralAsia,onthehistoricalSilkRoad,locatedneartoday'sMary.Severalcitieshaveexistedonthissite,whichissignificantfortheinterchangeofcultureandpoliticsatasiteofmajorstrategicvalue.ItisclaimedthatMervwasbrieflythelargestcityintheworldinthetwelfthcentury.ThesiteofancientMervhasbeenlistedbyUNESCOasaWorldHeritageSite.97.NewSilkRoadunderconstruction98.WallsofancientMerv99.ArchaeologistsatancientMerv.100.AncientMervCitadel101.NearancientMerv102.TehranareasouthoftheCaspianSea103.AreawestofTehran104.Mesopotamia105.BaghdadBaghdadisthecapitalofIraqandofBaghdadGovernorate.Withanestimatedpopulationofsevenmillion,itisthelargestcityinIraq.Itisthesecond-largestcityintheArabworld(afterCairo)andthesecond-largestcityinsouthwestAsia(afterTehran).LocatedontheTigrisRiverthecitydatesbacktoatleastthe8thcentury,andprobablytopre-Islamictimes.ItwasoncethecenterofDaral-salam,theMuslimworld.106.Iraqmap107.MosqueinBaghdad.108.Mosqueandarch109.DuststorminBaghdad110.BabylonThecityitselfwasbuiltupontheEuphrates,anddividedinequalpartsalongitsleftandrightbanks,withsteepembankmentstocontaintheriver'sseasonalfloods.Babylongrewinextentandgrandeurovertime,butgraduallybecamesubjecttotheruleofAssyria.IthasbeenestimatedthatBabylonwasthelargestcityintheworldfromc.1770to1670BC,andagainbetweenc.612and320BC.Itwasperhapsthefirstcitytoreachapopulationabove200,000.111.RebuiltruinsofBabylon112.Babylon113.DamascusDamascusisthelargestcityofSyriaandisalsothecapital.Itisthoughttobetheoldestcontinuouslyinhabitedcityintheworld.beforeAlFayyum,andGaziantep.Itscurrentpopulationisestimatedatabout4.5million.Damascusliesabout80kminlandfromtheMediterraneanSea,shelteredbytheAnti-LebanonMountains.Itliesonaplateau680metersabovesea-level.TheoldcityofDamascus,enclosedbythecitywalls,liesonthesouthbankoftheriverBaradDamascusliesabout80kminlandfromtheMediterraneanSea,shelteredbytheAnti-LebanonMountains.Itliesonaplateau680metersabovesea-level.TheoldcityofDamascus,enclosedbythecitywalls,liesonthesouthbankoftheriverBarada.114.Damascusatsunset.115.DowntownDamascus116.UmmayyadMosqueinoldDamascus117.AntiochAntiochontheOronteswasanancientcit