|
 |
| |
|
| Crossing 16 countries, The Silk Road offers an amazing number of places to visit |
 |
|
| |
|
China
China was the raison d'être of The Silk Road as the Chinese discovered silk, were the first to cultivate it for commercial purposes and sent out emissaries to the West.
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Temples, palaces, tombs and other ruins mark the route of The Silk Road as it reached its extreme eastern terminus on the Korean Peninsula.
Egypt
With 7,000 years of history, Egypt has long been at the centre of global commerce and at the axis of trade routes linking Asia, Europe and Africa.
Georgia
There are indications that goods from as far away as India passed through Georgia centuries before there was trade from China heading west on The Silk Road.
Greece
Located on the edge of the eastern world, Greece was a major player in the commerce of the valuable textile.
Iran
When The Silk Road was at the height of its glory, the Persians acted as middlemen in the trade of the brilliant fabric.
Italy
The rise and fall of the Roman Empire coincides fairly closely with The Silk Road's traffic, roughly 100 BC to 400 AD.
Japan
As the Land of the Rising Sun, Japan was for much of the world the most beguiling country in the East, fabled throughout the ages for its traditions, wealth and stunning art.
Kazakhstan
Larger than all Western Europe, Kazakhstan is a vast country of steppes and mountains rich in natural beauty.
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan's landscape of high, forested mountains and lush, grassy steppes attracted Silk Road travellers thankful for the region's cool climate.
Pakistan
For centuries, part of The Silk Road wound its way south from Central Asia, across some of the highest mountains in the world, down through what is today Pakistan.
Republic of Korea
Across the centuries, the Korean Peninsula has served as a cultural bridge between the Asian continent and the islands of Japan.
Tajikistan
Rugged and mountainous, Tajikistan sits at the heart of Central Asia, with China to the east and the Indian subcontinent to the south.
Turkey
Turkey has been a centre for cultural and commercial exchanges through the ages.
Turkmenistan
Elaborately woven, bright crimson carpets created by the delicate hands of nomadic tribal women have become the artistic symbol of Turkmenistan.
Uzbekistan
The fabled mosques and madrasas of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, with their marvellous design and colourful tile work, are just some of the sites in Uzbekistan linked to The Silk Road. |
|
|
