1. Xi'an
Chang'an to the Tang dynasty, and the eastern end of the road: silk set out from here.
Routes example
Read-only showcaseThe Silk Road, from Xi'an to Constantinople
A numbered tour through eight cities on the Silk Road, from Xi'an to Constantinople.
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2. Dunhuang
The oasis where the northern and southern routes round the Taklamakan Desert part; its Mogao caves hold a thousand years of Buddhist art.
3. Kashgar
Where the routes round the desert met again before climbing into the Pamirs.
4. Samarkand
A Sogdian trading city at the crossroads of the road, and later Timur's capital.
5. Rey
An ancient city now inside Tehran's southern suburbs.
6. Baghdad
The Abbasid capital, founded in 762, and a centre of learning and trade.
7. Antioch
A Mediterranean gateway, now Antakya in Turkey.
8. Constantinople
The western end for Byzantine buyers, and the seat of the silk monopoly that smuggled silkworm eggs ended in the sixth century.
The Silk Road
Not one road but a web of caravan routes, used from the second century BC; this is one line through it, east to west. Calling at Xi'an, Dunhuang, Kashgar, Samarkand, Rey, Baghdad, Antioch, Constantinople.
Tanzania
Tanzania.
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan.
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan.
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea.
Indonesia
Indonesia.
Somalia
Somalia.
Kenya
Kenya.
Sudan
Sudan.
Russia
Russia.
Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste.
Burundi
Burundi.
Israel
Israel.
Lebanon
Lebanon.
Jordan
Jordan.
United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates.
Kuwait
Kuwait.
Iraq
Iraq.
Oman
Oman.
Cambodia
Cambodia.
Thailand
Thailand.
Laos
Laos.
Myanmar
Myanmar.
Vietnam
Vietnam.
North Korea
North Korea.
South Korea
South Korea.
Mongolia
Mongolia.
India
India.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh.
Bhutan
Bhutan.
Nepal
Nepal.
Pakistan
Pakistan.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan.
Tajikistan
Tajikistan.
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan.
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan.
Iran
Iran.
Syria
Syria.
Armenia
Armenia.
Belarus
Belarus.
Ukraine
Ukraine.
Moldova
Moldova.
Estonia
Estonia.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria.
Turkey
Turkey.
Solomon Is.
Solomon Is..
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka.
China
China.
Taiwan
Taiwan.
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan.
Georgia
Georgia.
Philippines
Philippines.
Malaysia
Malaysia.
Brunei
Brunei.
Finland
Finland.
Eritrea
Eritrea.
Japan
Japan.
Yemen
Yemen.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia.
N. Cyprus
N. Cyprus.
Cyprus
Cyprus.
Egypt
Egypt.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia.
Djibouti
Djibouti.
Somaliland
Somaliland.
Uganda
Uganda.
Rwanda
Rwanda.
S. Sudan
S. Sudan.
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