Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Silk Road
SAMARKAND
FERGANA VALLEY
From its earliest days as Afrosiab/
Marakanda to its glory days under
Timur, Samarkand has been a great
trade centre for 2500 years and has
became a literary symbol of Silk Road
exotica.
It was China's desire for horses to
battle its northern nomads that
prised open the Silk Road. China's
first expeditions west were to Fergana
to source its famed 'blood-sweating'
Heavenly Horses.
KONYE-URGENCH
Astride a Silk Road branch following
the Amu-Darya en route to the Volga
region, Konye-Urgench (Gurganj)
grew rich on transcontinental trade
until the destruction of its irrigation
canals shifted the capital to Khiva.
Sarai
İstanbul
(Constantinople)
RUSSIA
KAZAKHSTAN
Astrakhan
BLACK
SEA
Aral
Sea
Trabzon
TURKEY
UZBEKISTAN
CASPIAN
SEA
Konye-Urgench
Otrar
(Gurganj)
Antioch
Tashkent
SYRIA
TURKMENISTAN
Bukhara
Tabriz
Palmyra
Kokand
Tyre
Osh
Samarkand
Gaza
Damascus
Margiana
(Merv)
TAJIKISTAN
Rey
(Tehran)
JORDAN
Hecatompylos
(Damghan)
Balkh
EGYPT
Ecbatana
Herat
Baghdad
(Hamadan)
Bamiyan
Ctesiphon
Mashhad
MEDITERRANEAN
SEA
Kapisa (Kabul)
IRAQ
AFGHANISTAN
Basra
IRAN
Peshawar
(PERSIA)
PENJIKENT
The Sogdians were the Silk Road's
consummate middlemen and their
communities dotted the Silk Road as
far as Xi'an (Chang'an). This Sogdian
city was once a thriving bazaar town
with a rich mix of artistic influences.
PAKISTAN
Hormuz
Persian
Gulf
External boundaries shown reflect the requirements of
the Government of India. Some boundaries may not
be those recognised by neighbouring countries.
Lonely Planet always tries to show on maps where
travellers may need to cross a boundary
(and present documentation) irrespective of any dispute.
THE WAKHAN
ARABIAN SEA
A side branch led through the Pamirs
from Tashkurgan towards Balkh and
the Indian borderlands beyond. This
was the path taken by Marco Polo and
Buddhism as it spread east.
Main Silk Road in approx the 2nd century AD
Main Silk Road in approx the 7th century AD
Main Silk Road in approx the 13th century AD
Modern Day International Border
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