Follow the Silk Road to Asia’s Lost Kingdoms
Follow the Silk Road to Asia's Lost Kingdoms - The Ancient Trade Routes That Linked East and West
The winding trails of the Silk Road trace back more than two thousand years, to when imperial envoys of the Han Dynasty first crossed the arid lands of Central Asia on a mission of diplomacy and trade. As the Romans coveted the shimmering silk of China, and the Chinese prized the robust grapes of the Mediterranean, an exchange of goods blossomed between East and West. By the 2nd century BC, caravans laden with silk, spices, gems, and other precious cargo were trekking an 8,000 kilometer network of trade routes spanning from the Levant to Eastern China.
While silk lent the evocative name to this network of trade, the goods transported along the Silk Road were as varied as the cultures it connected. Traders hawked lustrous Kashmir shawls in Samarkand bazaars while Mediterranean wines flowed freely in the banquet halls of Chang'an. The Silk Road served as a conduit for products, people, technology, philosophy, and faith. As merchants journeyed across desert kingdoms and mountain passes, they brought new concepts and inventions to foreign lands. Paper and gunpowder spread westward from China while Greco-Buddhist art flourished in the Tarim Basin oases.
Traveling the Silk Road was no picnic - traders braved scorching deserts, forbidding peaks, and marauding bandits. Marco Polo wrote of "deserts so vast that it takes twelve days to cross them" and "mountains where the cold is so intense that all fuel is frozen." While legends swirl of cities paved in gold, the reality of the Silk Road was dust, danger, and monotony. Still, the promise of exotic wares and new horizons lured caravans across the wilds of Central Asia. Where some saw only bleak wastelands, others envisioned bustling markets filled with silks, spices, and opportunity.
What else is in this post?
- Follow the Silk Road to Asia's Lost Kingdoms - The Ancient Trade Routes That Linked East and West
- Follow the Silk Road to Asia's Lost Kingdoms - Discovering Samarkand, Crossroads of Culture and Commerce
- Follow the Silk Road to Asia's Lost Kingdoms - Bukhara's Grand Mosques and Madrasas Recount Centuries of History
- Follow the Silk Road to Asia's Lost Kingdoms - Khiva, a Living Museum of Sand and Stone
- Follow the Silk Road to Asia's Lost Kingdoms - Merv, Capital of the Ancient Kingdom of Margiana
- Follow the Silk Road to Asia's Lost Kingdoms - Kashgar's Sunday Market Revels in Silk Road Traditions
- Follow the Silk Road to Asia's Lost Kingdoms - Dunhuang's Buddhist Caves Hold Fabulous Frescoes and Tales
Follow the Silk Road to Asia's Lost Kingdoms - Discovering Samarkand, Crossroads of Culture and Commerce
Sitting astride the Silk Road in the fertile valley of the Zeravshan River, Samarkand was one of the great mercantile hubs along the ancient trade routes linking China with the Mediterranean. While names like Constantinople and Chang’an enjoy more fame today, during the medieval era Samarkand stood amongst the world’s most illustrious cities. At the crossroads of cultures, commerce, and conquests, Samarkand was the kind of place where turbaned Turkish traders rubbed shoulders with fur-clad Mongols while merchants from Venice and Baghdad hawked exotic wares in crowded bazaars.
As a major stopping point on the Central Asian portion of the Silk Road, Samarkand occupied an enviable location. Caravans traveling the northern route across the Eurasian Steppe converged here before dividing to head towards Mesopotamia, Anatolia, or the Levant. Meanwhile, those journeying along the southern strands of the Silk Road across the deserts of Persia stopped to rest their camels and resupply. With so much commercial traffic, it’s little wonder that Ibn Battuta dubbed Samarkand “one of the greatest and finest of cities, the most perfect and most beautiful in the world.”
While trade made Samarkand prosperous, its location also proved a mixed blessing. Over the centuries, Samarkand was savaged by the likes of Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and Timur, who seized the city to control its lucrative commerce. Despite such turmoil, Samarkand constantly reemerged as one of the gems of the Silk Road.
Much of Samarkand’s medieval marvels remain, offering a glimpse into its heyday as a Silk Road stopover. Must-see sites include the 15th century Registan, a public square ringed by exquisite madrasas flaunting mosaics of cobalt, turquoise, and gold. The mammoth Bibi Khanum Mosque stands as a testament to the vanity of Tamerlane, who erected the structure to honor one of his wives. Just beyond the ancient walls, the ruins of Afrosiab recall Samarkand’s past as the Sogdian capital.
Follow the Silk Road to Asia's Lost Kingdoms - Bukhara's Grand Mosques and Madrasas Recount Centuries of History
Bukhara’s turquoise-tiled minarets and madrasas transport travelers back through the caravanserais of history, evoking Central Asia’s medieval magnificence as a crossroads of culture, learning, and trade along the Silk Road. While theVERY oasis city’s origins fade into mythic antiquity, Bukhara blossomed into prominence over two millennia as it gained wealth and importance along the lucrative east-west trade routes.
By the 9th and 10th centuries, Bukhara emerged as the eminent center of Persian civilization in Central Asia and one of the Muslim world’s great seats of Islamic theology and scholarship. Students traveled from across the far-flung lands of the Arab caliphate to study at Bukhara’s madrasas, or Islamic colleges, where they pored over texts on law, religion, philosophy, mathematics, and astronomy. The eminent scholars who taught here made major contributions to the fields of history, geography, and linguistics.
Wandering the quiet courtyards of Bukhara’s surviving medieval madrasas, elaborate tilework glimmers in the sun, hinting at the ornate decorative sensibilities of the past. At the Lyab-i Hauz plaza, the blue-domed Nadir Divanbegi Madrasa wraps around a tranquil pond while the nearby Ulug Beg Madrasa dazzles with intricate star-shaped mosaics honoring its visionary founder. Not to be missed are the 9th century Ismail Samani mausoleum, an architectural marvel crowned in an intricate brickwork pattern, and the towering Kalyan minaret, which looms over Old Bukhara like a monument to the city’s storied history.
Follow the Silk Road to Asia's Lost Kingdoms - Khiva, a Living Museum of Sand and Stone
Enclosed within mighty mudbrick walls rising from the desert, Khiva stands frozen in time – a living relic of the Silk Road's lost caravan cities. As travelers follow the ancient trade routes of Central Asia, Khiva offers a portal into the medieval past, when camel caravans laden with silks and spices swayed through bustling bazaars bound for distant lands.
Wandering the sandy streets of Khiva's inner town, known as the Ichan Kala, you'll feel whisked back centuries to when Khiva was a remote but vital Silk Road entrepôt. Merchants from across Central Asia gathered at Khiva's sprawling markets to trade livestock, textiles, and gems before venturing deeper into the Kyzylkum and Karakum deserts. In the shaded cloisters of the medieval medressas, students would pore over theological texts and debate mathematics and philosophy.
While the heyday of the Khivan Khanate faded into obscurity, the inner sanctum of the old town remains much as it was centuries ago – a living museum showcasing centuries of architecture and design. The mighty crenellated walls, punctuated by imposing watchtowers, shielded caravans from desert bandits. The turquoise-tiled Nadir Divan-Begi Medressa dazzles with intricate mosaics. Climb the rickety minaret of the Islam Khoja Complex for panoramic views over the clay cityscape.
No place captures the magic of Khiva more than the ancient bazaar. Winding beneath vaulted cupolas, the bustling maze of stalls overflows with carpets, spices, and traditional handicrafts. Wander past stands displaying ceramics from Gijduvan, suzani embroidered textiles, and distinctive Khivan silk scarves. Stop for tea with a spice merchant before perusing his fragrant wares – from dried chillis to cumin, coriander, and caraway.
Follow the Silk Road to Asia's Lost Kingdoms - Merv, Capital of the Ancient Kingdom of Margiana
Hidden beneath the windswept sands east of the Karakum Desert lie the forgotten ruins of Merv, once the splendid seat of power of the Ancient Kingdom of Margiana. Though its glories have faded into the sands of time, Merv was one of the eminent Silk Road metropolises where east encountered west.
The oasis city's auspicious location on the silk, spice and slave routes linking China with Europe and the Middle East brought immense wealth and international repute. By the 11th century, Merv boasted a population nearing one million – one of the largest cities on earth during the era. Wandering through the windswept ruins today, try to envision the cosmopolitan urbanity that once thrived here when Merv sat at the center of the eastern Islamic world.
Under a series of Seljuk rulers, the city enjoyed a golden age of architectural and cultural advancement in the 11th and 12th centuries. Some of the Islamic world's most renowned scholars taught at Merv's libraries and universities, making breakthroughs in astronomy, mathematics, philosophy, and medicine. The celebrated poet Omar Khayyám penned his renowned Rubaiyat while living in Merv.
To protect the prosperous city, massive 12th century walls were erected, enclosing an area of over 345 hectares – remnants of which you can still admire today. Stand before the gaping 60 meter span of Merv's remaining city gates to envision life in this remote but cosmopolitan outpost.
Merv's richly ornamented tombs and mausoleums attest to the wealth and sophistication attained during the medieval era. Marvel at the 12th century mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar, ruler of the Seljuk Empire, bedecked in turquoise tilework and intricate Kufic calligraphy. Nearby lies the strikingly conical Mausoleum of Muhammed Ibn Zaid, ordered built by the sultan. Seek out ancient ice houses, cisterns, and even Seljuk-era bath houses hidden beneath the sands.
Despite the desolation, echoes of Merv's multicultural medley live on. Explore the remnants of a Nestorian Christian church, a Zoroastrian temple with ancient inscriptions, and a Jewish neighborhood. The cultural diversity that once seasoned this melting pot city can still be envisioned today.
Follow the Silk Road to Asia's Lost Kingdoms - Kashgar's Sunday Market Revels in Silk Road Traditions
Kashgar's sprawling Sunday bazaar harks back to the glory days when this oasis town was a vital Silk Road entrepôt. As tourists follow the twisting trails of the ancient trade routes across Central Asia, Kashgar's market provides a vibrant slice of living history.
Each Sunday, an ocean of humanity pours into Kashgar's old town, transforming the district into a heaving mass of shoppers, sightseers, and traders from across the region. The normally quiet lanes swell with an estimated 100,000 people jostling through alleyways lined cheek-to-jowl with stalls spilling over with handicrafts, spices, silks, and traditional medicinal cures.
This bustling bazaar has long served as a meeting point for merchants traveling the Northern and Southern Silk Roads. Uighers, Kyrgyz, Tajiks, and traders from across Central Asia's mosaic of cultures converge to barter and hawk their wares, much as they have for centuries. Expect to rub shoulders with farmers sporting traditional doppa hats, veiled women in vibrant dresses, and beetle-browed Uzbek traders stroking their beards.
While the market retains its age-old character, modernity has crept in too. Many traditional vendors now peddle their wares alongside hawkers flogging Chinese-made plasticware and garish polyester clothing. Here nostalgia collides with globalization in a sensory feast.
Lose yourself wandering the market's labyrinth of stalls festooned with brilliant textiles, handcrafted musical instruments, and displays of fragrant spices mounded into pyramids. Stop for a steaming bowl of laghman noodles or a few sticks of lamb kebabs from a street food stand before browsing again. Seek out Kashgar craft specialties like hand-tooled leather boots, embroidered wool khalats, and iconic Uyghur hats.
When the call to prayer reverberates through the lanes, the crowds delicately shuffle off to quiet courtyards that transform into makeshift mosques. The low murmur of prayers and wafting aroma of musk oil lend an air of tranquil devotion – before the teeming bazaar quickly revives into its usual fervor.
Follow the Silk Road to Asia's Lost Kingdoms - Dunhuang's Buddhist Caves Hold Fabulous Frescoes and Tales
Tucked away in the remote deserts of western China's Gansu province, the Buddhist cave temples of Dunhuang offer a window into the crossroads of cultures that thrived here during the heyday of the Silk Road. These hundreds of grottoes, hewn from cliffs of sandstone, hold some of Asia's most significant Buddhist art, their interiors elaborately painted with exquisite murals and sculptures that blend artistic motifs from across the Asian continent.
Wandering through the cool, dark corridors of the Mogao Caves transports you back through the centuries to envision the cosmopolitan interchange that seasoned this desert outpost. The stunning artwork fusing Indian, Chinese, Tibetan, and Central Asian influences stands testament to Dunhuang's role as a spiritual hub along the great trade routes. As devotees made spiritual pilgrimages through the region, they left offerings of paintings, sculptures, and manuscripts in the sacred grottoes, creating an artistic treasure trove.
The largest Mogao cave stands an astonishing 40 meters tall, its soaring walls and arched ceilings completely enveloped in vivid murals depicting over 2,000 figures. Many artworks highlight Buddhist mythology and folklore, with scenes portraying acts in the life of Buddha, tales of bodhisattvas, and parables from ancient jataka stories. One perennial favorite, the 'Cave of a Thousand Buddhas', dazzles with a barrage of exquisitely detailed figurines arrayed across its chamber.
While depictions of religious figures feature prominently, the everyday life of multicultural Silk Road society comes alive on the walls too. Scenes capture the boisterous ambiance of bazaars and feasts, the travels of foreign emissaries, and snippets of domestic daily life. The eclectic mix of artistic styles with clear Indian, Tibetan, and Central Asian influences embody how spiritual currents from across Eurasia flowed through Dunhuang.
Adding to the allure, many cave interiors hold rare cultural relics placed there centuries ago as ritual offerings. Along with scroll paintings and silk banners, you may spot statues of bodhisattvas cast in bronze, crystal, and clay, some ornately gilded in gold. Literary treasures abound too - remnants of sacred sutras printed in languages from Sanskrit and Tibetan to Uyghur and Chinese scribbled onto bundles of fraying parchment.
While intriguing history shrouds the caves in mystery, an enduring legend recounts how a monk named Yuezun had a vision in a dream around 1900. The message divined the secret location of a long-sealed crypt filled with over 50,000 ancient manuscripts and artworks. This astonishing discovery opened a window into Dunhuang's glory days as a melting pot of multicultural magnetism. Now the British Museum and other institutions around the world house these cultural treasures for new generations to study and enjoy.