The Silk Road was a network of trade routes spanning 7,000 miles from China to the Mediterranean between 200 BC and 1400 AD. It connected the economies and facilitated the spread of ideas, culture, and religion between Asia and Europe. Goods like silk, gold, ivory, and exotic animals were traded across multiple routes that traversed Central Asia and parts of India, with stopping points and trading posts developed along the way. Archaeological evidence uncovered over 10,000 rock paintings and 1,500 inscriptions in various languages along the routes.

1. SILK ROUTE AND TRADING
STATIONS

2. 1.Silk road is an unique example from history,
of inter continental co-operation and
collaboration.
2.It spanned a distance of almost 7,000 miles
from China through Central Asia, northern
India, Parthian empire to the Roman empire
during the period of from 200 B.C. to 14th
century A.D.

3. 3.It connecting two continent Asia and
Europe not for trade and commerce but also
for ideas and culture.
4.The phrase Silk Road was coined by the
German scholar and geographer Baron Von
Richtofen in 1877.
5.Since then it has been the subject of much
investigation, research, survey and
academic debate and dither across the
world.

4. 6.It is not a single road but a series of
caravan routes, a network of trails and
trading posts, oases and emporia scattered
all across the vast Eurasia.
7.Its eastern terminus at the Chang’an or
Xian, and the western termini at Byzantium,
Antioch, Damascus and other western cities.

5. 8. Three roads ran through East Turkistan
9. The northern road led to Lake Issyk-kul
and westward along the northern shores
of the Caspian sea, the Caucasus and the
black seat to Asia minor and Byzantium
10. The middle road crossed the Turfan
depression and the northern rim of the
Tarim Basin in the direction of the
Ferghana valley, Samarkand, Bukhara,
Merv and than ran through Iran to the
eastern Mediterranean

6. 11. The southern ran through Khotan and
Wakhan to Tokharistan, Bamiyan, western
and northern India and then by sea route
across Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean.
12. Thus the path of many specific man and
auxiliary roads has been established.
13. At times they left unexpected traces and
remains.

7. 14. Stopping points for travellers have been
discovered in the high mountains in Gilgit.
15. There are also various types of
sanctuaries for worshipping
16. There also developed the custom of
carving a drawing or an inscription
17. More than 10,000 rock paintings
(petroglyphs) have been discovered on the
Karakorum road as well as some 1,500
inscriptions in 17 languages and 24 scripts
are also discovered.

8. 18. Besides silk many other commodities
were also traded on this road such as gold,
ivory, ceramics, glass pottery, exotic
animals and birds etc.