The Silk Route
Key sites along the Silk Route
Bezeklik Near Turpan, this was one of the earliest points of arrival of Buddhism in China. The 1,000-Buddha Caves contain 67 caves, noted for their exquisite murals dating from the early 4th century AD to the Mongol Yuan dynasty (1279-1368).
Bukhara Conquered by Alexander the Great, Bukhara was the western meeting point of the northern and southern branches of the Silk Route and a great centre of commerce, religion and culture. In Sanskrit, Bukhara means ‘monastery’, and in the Islamic world, the city is still remembered as ‘the noble and glorious stronghold of faith’. In its centre are the three remaining Taqis – vaulted and domed bazaars, each monopolised by a separate trade: money-changers, cap-makers, jewellers. Nearby is Maghoki-Attar, central Asia's oldest surviving mosque, built on top of earlier Buddhist and Zoroastrian temples.
Changan/Xian The first capital of a united China, from 221 BC, and now the capital of China’s Shaanxi province, Changan (present-day Xian) is home of the tomb of the Qin emperor Shi Huangdi (r. 246-210 BC) and his Terracotta Army: more than 6,000 life-size statues of warriors and horses, first excavated in 1974 and which comprise one of the most important archaeological finds of the 20th century. Each one was individually sculpted from clay, with a different costume, height and facial expression. Also at Changan/Xian is the massive brick Big Wild Goose Pagoda, erected in the first decade of the 8th century AD, with walls and doors carved with figures of the Buddha. Changan was visited by Marco Polo in the 13th century.
Dunhuang An important junction on the Silk Route, where it split into different branches, this oasis in Gansu province in north-west China, on the edge of the Gobi Desert, is surrounded by sand dunes. By the 4th century AD, the route had brought the city both commercial prosperity and a growing Buddhist community. Nearby are the Mogao Caves, located within a 1,600-metre-long cliff overlooking a river valley. These house some of the world’s finest Buddhist murals – 45,000 square metres of decorated stucco meant to bless those departing on the next stage of their journey or to celebrate a successful return. The first cave was carved out and painted in AD 366, and eventually there were more than 490 of them, most containing murals. Together they hold more than 2,415 statues, even though these ‘grottos’ are also known as the ‘Caves of the Thousand Buddhas’. They also previously contained manuscripts dating from the 5th to the 14th century. The caves had been largely forgotten when a Taoist monk stumbled upon them in 1907.
Ferghana The Persians called this Paryhona, the ‘city of angels’. Now in Uzbekistan, it is one of the greenest urban centres in the region. The Yodgorlik Factory in Margilan, also in the Ferghana Valley, is the only place in central Asia where silk is still mainly handmade. At Kokand, you can visit the Palace Fort Museum, once home of Khudayar Khan, the last Mongol ruler.
Gaochang In the Turpan basin, next to a pass in the Flaming Mountains, Gaochang began as a garrison town and then became the capital of the Uighur people – a large city built of tamped earth and adobe, defended by nine city gates. It has now been reduced to impressive ruins, with the temples, pagodas and courtyards still distinguishable even though they were abandoned more than 700 years ago. The royal dead of Gaochang during the Tang dynasty (AD 618-907) were buried at the Astana Tombs nearby. Of the more than 1,000 tombs, only three are open. The walls of one chamber display murals depicting ‘Jade Man’, ‘Gold Man’, ‘Stone Man’ and ‘Wooden Man’, said to symbolise Confucian virtues.
Guici/Kucha An oasis town lying at the foot of the Tianshan (‘Celestial Mountains’), Guici (now known as Kucha) was an important centre on the northern branch of the Silk Route. Many of the monks who introduced Buddhist teachings into China from the 3rd to the 7th century AD were from Guici. During the 2nd century AD, Buddhism came to eastern Turkestan (China’s present-day Xinjiang province) via the Silk Route. Guici was at a crossroads of the great cultures of India, Persia, Greece and China, and local painters selected elements of each and combined them to make a distinct painting style. The area is full of Buddhist cave sites and ancient ruins. The huge Kizil Grotto Temples contain 236 caves from the 4th to 5th centuries AD, which are among some of the largest and oldest in China.
Jiaohe Some 1,600 years ago, this natural fortress, sited on top of a high plateau formed by two rivers, was a prosperous trading centre and military stronghold. Built of rammed earth and bricks 2,300 years ago, the beautiful city that existed here was destroyed by Genghis Khan in the early 13th century. However, the dry climate has helped to preserve the ruins, and the remains of temples, workshops, houses and towers can still be seen today.
Kashgar/Kashi The 'crown jewel' of the Silk Route, situated at an altitude of 1,289 metres (4,228 feet) at the Chinese end of the Karakoram Highway (a relatively new road between China and Pakistan), this is still an important trading centre. It first fell into Chinese hands nearly 1,000 years ago when extensions to the Great Wall and explorations along the route opened the area to trade. Its Sunday bazaar remains the largest outdoor market in central Asia. At the Kashgar Silk Road Museum can be seen such artefacts as 4,000-year-old bronzes and 3,000-year-old wooden tomb figures.
Khotan On the southern part of the Silk Route, this was an early centre for the spread of Buddhism from India into China. It fell to the Arabs in the 8th century, and grew wealthy on the proceeds of the caravan trade that travelled between China and the West until it was conquered by Genghis Khan in the early 13th century.
Loulan Once a small, prosperous commercial city on the on the west bank of Lop Nur Lake in China’s Xinjiang province, it is now an expanse of vast sand dunes. Accidentally discovered just over a century ago by Swedish explorer Sven Hedin, archaeologists have since found ruins of government offices, homes, Buddhist pagodas and temples, and also dried rivers, dead poplar trees, farmland and ancient tombs. In 1980, the perfectly preserved body of a woman, dubbed the ‘Loulan Beauty’, was unearthed from one of these tombs.
Samarkand This city in Uzbekistan was probably founded in about 500 BC. Its territories were conquered and occupied by some of the most ferocious armies in history – Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan and, most importantly, Tamerlane (1336-1405). The last of the great nomadic leaders, Timur (‘Iron’) the Lame conquered more than anyone since Alexander. His armies crossed Eurasia from Delhi to Moscow, from the Tienshan mountains of central Asia to the Taurus mountains of Anatolia. Married to a Chinese woman, Tamerlane eventually restored the Mongol empire of Genghis Khan and controlled the majority of the Silk Route. In the centre of Samarkand is the Registan, a beautifully proportioned square surrounded by gorgeously tiled buildings dating from the 15th and 17th centuries. Nearby is the Gur Emir Mausoleum where Timur is buried.
Turpan At almost 150 metres (500 feet) below sea level, the Turpan basin is the second lowest point on Earth, after the Dead Sea. The temperature soars during the summer, hence its name, which means 'Fiery Land', but despite this, the town is shaded by poplar trees and grape arbours. Turpan is well known for a variety of seedless white grapes and the wine made from them. To provide irrigation, more than 2,000 years ago the local people devised a unique subterranean waterway – the Karez Wells – which is still fed from melted snow conducted to the channels that wind their way beneath the city.
Urumqi This is the capital of Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, a multi-national province with many languages, customs and ethnic traditions, and China's gateway to central Asia. Tianchi (‘Heavenly Lake’) resembles a small part of the Swiss alps, with fir-covered hills dotted with tiny Kazak settlements. In the valley of the Tianshan nearby is a village that was once the prosperous caravan city of Daban Cheng. From here, the caravans had to cross the mountain and then the Gobi Desert.
Yanguan Pass South of Dunhuang, this was built by Emperor Wudi in the 2nd century BC when he opened the areas west of the Yellow River in Gansu. This was a strategic point through which passed the heavily laden camel caravans when travelling westward from Dunhuang to follow the southern route of the Silk Route in central Asia.
Yotkan The ruins of this 2,200-year-old city mark the ancient capital of the kingdom of Khotan (see above). It was here that a 1901 expedition led by Sir Aurel Stein, the British archaeologist who discovered the first finds at Dunhuang, excavated Roman coins dating from AD 364 and Buddhist paintings with Indian influences.
Yumen Guan The ‘Jade Gate Pass’, a two-hour drive west across the desert from Dunhuang, was the western end of the Great Wall, built during the Han dynasty 2,100 years ago.
