The
Silk Road/route is one of the world's oldest and most historically important trade
routes that have influenced the culture of China, Central Asia and Europe.
Although
it has been in existence for over a millennium, the appellation was only coined
in 1877 by von Richtofen, author of many classical works on the geography of Asia
(and the uncle of the Red Baron). The
Silk Road was a network of ancient (circa 500 BC to 500
AD) trade routes through the Asian continent mainly connecting
Chang'an (now Xi'an) in China, with Asia Minor and the Mediterranean. It extended
over 8,000 km (5,000 miles) on land and sea, and was a significant factor in the
development of the great civilizations of China, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, Central
Asia, India and Rome. The
Silk Road was not a route that existed solely for the trading in silk as many
other commodities were also carried and traded, although silk was perhaps the
most remarkable for the people of the West. It is probable that silk and other
intriquing goods were beginning to filter into Europe, though only in very small
quantities. The Romans obtained samples of this new fabric, and it quickly became
popular in Rome for its soft texture and attractiveness. With
the gradual loss of Roman territory in Asia and the rise of Arabian power , the
Silk Road became increasingly unsafe and untravelled. In the 13th and 14th centuries
the route was revived under the Mongols, and at that time Marco Polo used the
road to travel to Cathay (China).The road now partially exists in the form of
a paved highway connecting Pakistan and the Sinkiang Uighur Autonomous Region
of China. The old road has inspired a United Nations plan for a trans-Asian highway.
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