Silk Roads
The Silk Roads comprised a network of ancient trade routes across Central Asia that linked people, ideas, goods, technology, and diseases from Rome to China during the period from c. 500 BCE to 1500 CE. See this blog post about how the sites below were selected.
Connected Sites
| Site | Rationale | Link |
| Aleppo | Classic Land Route; commercial hub Al-Madina Souq with caravanserai where silk from Persia was traded | |
| Ancient Merv | Classic Land Route; the oldest and most completely preserved of the oasis cities along the Silk Roads in Central Asia. The cities of the Merv oasis have exerted considerable influence over the cultures of Central Asia and Iran for four millennia. (AB ev) | |
| Ancient Nara | Eastern Route: "Linked to the maritime Silk Roads through the city of Osaka, which lies on the coast just 40 km (25 miles) to the west, Nara developed as a cultural hub where Japanese, Chinese and Korean influences came together, as well as a religious centre of significance both for Buddhists and Shintoists." (Silk Roads Programme) | |
| Ancient villages of Northern Syria | (Near) Classic Land Route; in ICOMOS thematic study but no details on role or function | |
| Ani | Classical Land Route; "medieval city that was once one of the cultural and commercial centres on the Silk Road ..; an important gate of the Silk Roads into Anatolia" (AB ev) | |
| Anjar | Classic Land Route; in ICOMOS thematic study but no details on role or function | |
| Armenian Monastic Ensembles | (Near) Classic Land Route; in ICOMOS thematic study but no details on role or function | |
| Baalbek | (Near) Classic Land Route; in ICOMOS thematic study but no details on role or function | |
| Bam Cultural Landscape | Classic Land Route; "For centuries, Bam had a strategic location on the Silk Roads connecting it to Central Asia in the east, the Persian Gulf in the south, as well as Egypt in the west and it is an example of the interaction of the various influences" (AB ev) | |
| Bamiyan Valley | Southern Land Route; "stopping place on the branch of the Silk Route, which linked China and India via ancient Bactria; ... an important Buddhist centre on the Silk Road" (AB ev) | |
| Bisotun | (Near) Classic Land Route; in ICOMOS thematic study but no details on role or function; "located along the ancient trade route linking the Iranian high plateau with Mesopotamia" (AB ev), but from a much earlier age | |
| Bosra | (Near) Classic Land Route; in ICOMOS thematic study but no details on role or function | |
| Bukhara | Classic Land Route; cultural, trading and religious centre; "situated on the Silk Roads; profound influence on the evolution and planning of towns in a wide region of Central Asia" (AB ev) | |
| Bursa and Cumalikizik | Turkey/Aegean route connecting to Classic Silk Route; "Bursa continued to be extremely important in the Ottoman silk trade, acting as a focal point for the importation of silk from China via Persia, and also, more unusually, as a centre for its production." (Silk Roads Programme) | |
| Damascus | Classic Land Route; commercial hub and "For west-bound traders, the city became a last place of rest before making a short journey to the Mediterranean and transferring goods to transport ships". | |
| Derbent | Caucasus/Black Sea Route; "The significance of the Caspian passage, made it of strategic importance to the numerous nomad and steppe’s tribes such as the Scythians, the Sarmatians, the Mongols, the Alans etc. This was one of the most important Silk Roads corridors as the crossroads of civilizations connecting the East and the West, the North and the South by the maritime and land routes." (Silk Roads Programme) | |
| Divrigi | Turkey/Aegean Route; in ICOMOS thematic study but no details on role or function | |
| Diyarbakir Fortress and Hevsel Gardens | (Near) Classic Land Route; "Silk was grown in the Hevsel Gardens, contributing to the important trade from and through Diyarbakır to Aleppo" (AB ev) | |
| Erbil Citadel | (Near) Classic Land Route; in ICOMOS thematic study but no details on role or function | |
| Gonbad-e Qâbus | Classic Land Route; "Jorjan town was commercially significant in the Roman period due to its location on the Silk Road between Merv and Ctesiphon" (AB ev) | |
| Gyeongju | Eastern Route; The Silk Road contributed to the Golden Age of Silla. Silla Kings allied with the Tang dynasty to defeat rival Korean kingdoms. The flowering of Buddhism in Gyeongju in the 7th and 8th centuries began with the Silk Road extending to the Korean peninsula. | |
| Hatra | Classic Land Route; "In the 2nd century BC, it flourished as a major staging-post on the famous oriental silk road to become another of the great Arab cities" (Silk Roads Programme) | |
| Hoi An | Maritime Silk Road: trading port | |
| Istanbul | Turkey/Aegean route connecting to Classic Silk Route; "during the first two or three centuries of the Silk Road (perhaps until 200 AD), from the 4th century onwards, the “Rome” to which all roads led in the Mediterranean world was “Eastern Rome” or Constantinople." (Silk Roads Programme) | |
| Itchan Kala | Classic Land Route; trading post | |
| Kathmandu Valley | Southern Route; "Kathmandu's trade is an ancient profession that flourished along an offshoot of the Silk Road which linked India and Tibet. From centuries past, Lhasa Newar merchants of Kathmandu have conducted trade across the Himalaya and contributed to spreading art styles and Buddhism across Central Asia." (wiki) | |
| Kunya-Urgench | Classic Land Route; trading centre and caravanserai (wiki) | |
| Land of Frankincense | Maritime Silk Road; "a harbor along the ´Silk Road to the Sea´" (AB ev) | |
| Longmen Grottoes | Eastern Route; "The carving of grottoes into remote mountainsides to serve as Buddhist temples was a practice which originated in India c. 3rd century BCE. Buddhism, along with the practice of grotto carving, passed to China along the silk road, influencing the creation of Buddhist grottoes at Yungang" | |
| Makli, Thatta | (Near) South Land Route; in ICOMOS thematic study but no details on role or function | |
| Masjed-e Jâme' | (Near) Classic Land Route; in ICOMOS thematic study but no details on role or function. | |
| Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi | (Near) Classic Land Route; in ICOMOS thematic study but no details on role or function. | |
| Meidan Emam, Esfahan | (Near) Classic Land Route; in ICOMOS thematic study but no details on role or function | |
| Melaka and George Town | Maritime Silk Road (Melaka): " From at least 200 BCE, Chinese merchants sailed as far south as the straits of Malacca and met and traded with both Indonesian people and merchants from across the Indian subcontinent." (Silk Roads Programme) | |
| Minaret of Jam | (Near) Southern Land Route; in ICOMOS thematic study but no details on role or function | |
| Mogao Caves | Classic Land Route; "the Dunhuang oasis, near which the two branches of the Silk Road forked, enjoyed the privilege of being a relay station where not only merchandise was traded, but ideas as well, exemplified by the Chinese, Tibetan, Sogdian, Khotan, Uighur and even Hebrew manuscripts found within the caves" (AB ev) | |
| Mount Emei, including Leshan Giant Buddha | Southern Land Route (Teahorse road); "Buddhism was introduced into China in the 1st century CE via the Silk Road from India to Mount Emei, and it was on Mount Emei that the first Buddhist temple in China was built." (AB ev) | |
| Mount Qingcheng and Dujiangyan | Southern Land Route (Teahorse Road); "the caravans stopped in the old city and paid respect to city god shrine in Yuleishan, a part of Dujiangyan Scenic Area." | |
| Nalanda | (Near) Southern Land Route; in ICOMOS thematic study but no details on role or function | |
| Nisa | Classic Land Route; "along what some centuries later became part of the Silk Roads network" (AB ev), "From Nisa, the Parthians controlled the Silk Roads and oasis settlements and trading centers like the harsh desert cities of Merv and Serakhs." (Silk Roads Programme) | |
| Okinoshima Island | Maritime Route; "shards of Persian glass presumably brought to Japan by way of the distant Silk Road are important pieces of evidence" | |
| Old Town of Lijiang | Southern Land Route (Teahorse road); "is where the Silk Road in the south joins the Ancient Chama (Tea and Horse) Roads" (AB ev) | |
| Orkhon Valley | Mongolian route; "The broad, shallow river valley provides water and shelter, key requisites for its role as a staging post on the ancient trade routes across the steppes, such as those now known as the "Silk Road", and for its development as the centre of two of the vast central Asian empires." (AB ev) | |
| Palmyra | Classic Land Route; "As such, Palmyra came to occupy a no-man's land criss-crossed with caravan routes. The city profited from its location, for there was a demand from Rome for the luxuries of the East — silks and spices — and Parthia, with its growing interest in Hellenistic culture, wanted the goods of the West. " (Silk Roads Programme) | |
| Persian Caravanserai | "During the Parthian empire (247 BCE-224 CE), trade between the East and the West flourished via the Silk Roads. During the rule of the Parthians over Persia, numerous stations and caravanserais were built" (AB ev) | |
| Potala Palace | (Near) Southern Land Route; "Lhasa attracted merchant caravans from across Central Asia with whom the Lhasa Newars (from the Kathmandu Valley) engaged in trade" (wiki) | |
| Qalhat | Maritime Silk Road; "Qalhat exhibits the cultural and commercial interchange of values within the trading range of the Kingdom of Hormuz, which extended to India and as far as China and South East Asia." (OUV) | |
| Quanzhou | Maritime Silk Road; " functioned as the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road into the Yuan, eclipsing both the overland trade routes and Guangzhou" (wiki) | |
| Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara | Maritime Silk Road; " These Swahili merchant cities prospered by controlling the maritime trade in the Indian Ocean with Arabia, India and China, trading ivory and gold from inland for silver, perfume, Persian earthenware and Chinese porcelain." (Silk Roads Programme) | |
| Safi al-Din Ensemble in Ardabil | (Near) Classic Land Route; in ICOMOS thematic study but no details on role or function | |
| Samarkand | Classic Land Route; "the city and the surrounding area were inhabited by the Sogdians, a people of Iranian origins renowned for their skill at trading. As early as Han times (206 BC-220 AD), when the Chinese first committed to writing their impressions of Inner Asia, Sogdian merchants are recorded in the Chinese descriptions of the region. Sogdian colonies were established all along the trade routes and Sogdian letters have been discovered from 313-314 AD, providing evidence about a network of merchants from Samarkand, reaching various places as far as China, in order to trade precious metals, spices and cloth. Sogdian inscriptions on rocks in northern Pakistan testify to their activity on the routes south into India. Later on, in the 6th century AD, Sogdian merchants seem to have travelled west and developed new routes for trade with Byzantium." (Silk Roads Programme) | |
| Samarra | (Near) Classic Land Route; in ICOMOS thematic study but no details on role or function | |
| Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries | Eastern Route; "According to tradition, the Precepts Platform at Tongdosa temple contains a relic of the historical Buddha brought to Silla by Jajang as a gift from Tang China." - Advisory Body Evaluation | |
| Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple | Eastern Roiue; The Silk Road contributed to the Golden Age of Silla. Silla Kings allied with the Tang dynasty to defeat rival Korean kingdoms. The flowering of Buddhism in Gyeongju in the 7th and 8th centuries began with the Silk Road extending to the Korean peninsula. | |
| Shakhrisyabz | (Near) Classic Land Route; in ICOMOS thematic study but no details on role or function | |
| Shushtar | (Near) Classic Land Route; in ICOMOS thematic study but no details on role or function | |
| Silk Roads: Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor | Classic Land Route; "The Tian-shan corridor bears an exceptional witness to traditions of communication and exchange in economy and culture, and to social development across the Eurasian continent between the 2nd century BC to the 16th century AD." (OUV) | |
| Silk Roads: Zarafshan-Karakum Corridor | ||
| Site of Xanadu | Mongolian route; "an important stopping place on the silk route" (AB ev) | |
| Soltaniyeh | (Near) Classic Land Route; in ICOMOS thematic study but no details on role or function | |
| Sulaiman-Too | Classic Land Route; "In mediaeval times Osh was one of the largest cities of the fertile Fergana valley at the crossroads of important routes on the Central Asian Silk Roads system, and Sulaiman-Too was a beacon for travellers." (AB ev) | |
| Susa | (Near) Southern Land Route; in ICOMOS thematic study but no details on role or function. Had its heydays much earlier. | |
| Sviyazhsk | Caucasus/Black Sea Route; "crossroads of the Silk and Volga routes" (AB ev) | |
| Tabriz Bazaar | Classic Land Route; "one of the most important commercial centres on the Silk Road" (AB ev) | |
| Takht-e Soleyman | (Near) Classic Land Route; in ICOMOS thematic study but no details on role or function | |
| Takht-i-Bahi | (Near) Southern Land Route; in ICOMOS thematic study but no details on role or function | |
| Taxila | Southern Land Route; "Situated strategically on a branch of the Silk Road that linked China to the West" (AB ev), "Buddhist monuments were erected throughout the Taxila valley, which was transformed into a religious heartland and a destination for pilgrims from as far afield as Central Asia and China." (Silk Roads Programme) | |
| Tyre | Classic Silk Route; connected with Mediterranean sea routes: "the merchants of Tyre who navigated the Mediterranean waters and filled their warehouses with goods from their extensive colonies all around the Mediterranean coasts." (AB ev) | |
| Venice and its Lagoon | Maritime Silk Road; "Venetian merchants of this era established links that reached as far as the Mongol Empire and Persia, as well as Armenia, the Caucasus and Asia Minor, spanning many branches of the historic Silk Roads." (Silk Roads Programme) | |
| Walled City of Baku | Caucasus/Black Sea Route; " lies on an ancient trade route from the Central Asian steppe towards Europe, being the main port that received trade from the east as it was shipped across the Caspian Sea" (Silk Roads Programme) | |
| Yazd | Connecting Southern Route with Maritime Silk Road; "located in the deserts of Iran close to the Spice and Silk Roads." (AB ev) | |
| Yungang Grottoes | Eastern Route; "Buddhism arrived in this location via travel on the ancient North Silk Road" (wiki) |
Suggestions?
Do you know of another WHS we could connect to Silk Roads?
A connection should:
- Not be "self evident"
- Link at least 3 different sites
- Not duplicate or merely subdivide the "Category" assignment already identified on this site.
- Add some knowledge or insight (whether significant or trivial!) about WHS for the users of this site
- Be explained, with reference to a source