The-Silk-Road-丝绸之路

1、2021/8/141The Silk Road:Historical GeographyDeveloped by Joe Naumann, UMSL2021/8/142The Silk RoadThe Silk Road, or Silk Route, is an interconnected series of trade routes through Southern Asia mainly connecting Changan (todays Xian) in China, with Asia Minor and the Mediterranean. It extends over 8,

2、000 km (5,000 miles) on land and sea.Trade on the Silk Route was a significant factor in the development of the great civilizations of China, Mesopotamia, Persia, India and Rome, and helped to lay the foundations for the modern world.2021/8/143The Chinese Section2021/8/144Major Stops on the RoadTakl

3、amakanDesert2021/8/145Tourists ready to begin a Silk Road tour.2021/8/146Cities and SightsAlong the Silk Road2021/8/147Changan (Xian today)The site of the Han capital was located 5 km northwest of modern Xian. As the capital of the Western Han Dynasty, it was the political, economic and cultural cen

4、ter of China, the eastern terminus of the Silk Road, and a cosmopolitan metropolis comparable with the greatest cities of the contemporaneous Roman Empire. 2021/8/148Changan area satellite view2021/8/149The statue is at the starting point of the ancient Silk Road of Changan (present Xian City). 2021

5、/8/1410City Wall of Changan2021/8/1411Big Wild Goose Pagoda2021/8/1412The Great Mosque 50,000 Muslims in Xian today2021/8/1413TianshuiTianshui is the second largest city in Gansu province in northwest China, with approximately 320,300 people. A nearby tourist attraction is the Maijishan Grottoes fil

6、led with thousands of ancient Buddhist sculptures. The Qin state, later to become the founding dynasty of the Chinese empire, grew out from this area, and the Qin name itself is believed to have originated, in part, from there. Qin tombs have been excavated from Fangmatan near Tianshui, including on

7、e 2200 year old map of Guixian county. It is a diocese of the Roman Catholic church, currently vacant.2021/8/14144th largest area of Buddhist grottoes2021/8/1415Maiji Mountain2021/8/1416Market Place2021/8/1417Residential Area2021/8/1418LanzhouEarly settlement in this region could be dated to the Han

8、 Dynasty and has a history of over 2,000 years. The city used to be called the Golden City, when it was a major stop on the ancient Silk Road. To protect the city, the Great Wall of China was extended as far as Yumen. 2021/8/1419Lanzhou area satellite view2021/8/1420Mountain Scenery2021/8/1421Old Ir

9、rigation Waterwheel2021/8/1422Sleeping Buddha2021/8/1423Traditional Sheepskin Raft2021/8/1424Lanzhou: Sangke Prairie local family and their home2021/8/1425DunhuangThe city is located near the historic junction of the northern and southern Silk Roads, and was therefore a town of military importance.F

10、or centuries Buddhist monks at Dunhuang collected scriptures from the west, and many pilgrims passed through the area, painting murals inside the Mogao Caves or Caves of a Thousand Buddhas. 2021/8/14262021/8/1427Satellite view of Dunhuang area.2021/8/1428The Mingsha Shan dune overlooking Dunhuang 20

11、21/8/1429Sand dunes outside Dunhuang2021/8/1430Dunhuang city wall.2021/8/1431Buddhist Temple Grotto of 1000 Caves2021/8/1432Spring oasis near Dunhuang on the Silk Road2021/8/1433Turfan (Turpan)The Oasis of Turfan (with water provided by karez) is some 260ft under sea level. Around Turfan are quite a

12、 few historic sites. Turfan has long been the centre of a fertile oasis and an important trade centre. It was historically located along the Silk Roads northern route. The very heat and dryness of the summer, when combined with the areas ancient system of irrigation, allows the countryside around Tu

13、rfan to produce great quantities of high-quality fruit. 2021/8/1434Turfan Oasis satellite viewCan you spot the oasis?What a difference water makes!2021/8/1435Karez (underground irrigation)2021/8/1436Karez 2000 kilometers of underground channels (Karez) bring bring ice-cold water from the Tianshan mo

14、untains to Turfan. They have to be underground as otherwise the water would evaporate on the way. This system is 2000 years old. 2021/8/1437Desert Road2021/8/1438Flaming Mountains2021/8/1439Home in Turfan2021/8/1440Children from Turfan2021/8/1441Buddhist temple caves2021/8/1442Street and covered wal

15、ks.2021/8/1443Emin minaret in Turfan2021/8/1444KhotanKhotan is an oasis town in Khotan Prefecture and its capital as well, population 114,000 (2006). An important station on the southern route of the historic Silk Road, it has always depended on two strong rivers the Karakash River and the Yurungkas

16、h River to provide the water needed to survive on the southwestern edge of the vast Taklamakan desert. 2021/8/1445Taklamakan Desert satellite view near KhotanTaklamakan DesertKashgarTurfan2021/8/1446Taklamakan DesertThe Taklamakan is a desert of Central Asia, in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region

17、 of the Peoples Republic of China. It is known as the largest sand-only desert in the world. Some references fancifully state that Taklamakan means if you go in, you wont come out; others state that it means Desert of Death or Place of No Return. It covers an area of 270,000 km of the Tarim Basin. I

18、t is crossed at its northern and at its southern edge by two branches of the Silk Road. 2021/8/1447Caravan in the Taklamakan Desert2021/8/1448Khotan mosque2021/8/1449Sunday market in Khotan2021/8/1450Man with goat on the road to Khotan2021/8/1451School children in Khotan2021/8/1452Carpet weaving in

19、Khotan2021/8/1453Khotan Carpet2021/8/1454Kashgar last stop in ChinaKashgar is sited west of the Taklamakan desert at the feet of the Tian Shan mountain range. Situated at the junction of routes from the valley of the Oxus, from Khokand and Samarkand, Almati, Aksu, and Khotan, the last two leading fr

20、om China and India, Kashgar has been noted from very early times as a political and commercial centre. The Kashgar oasis is where both the northern and southern routes from China around the Taklamakan desert converge.2021/8/1455Pamir Mts. West of Kashgar2021/8/14562021/8/1457Pamir MountainsLocated i

21、n Central Asia, the Pamir Mountains are formed by the junction or knot of the Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun, and Hindu Kush ranges. They are among the worlds highest mountains. They are also known by the Chinese name of Congling 葱嶺 or Onion Mountains. Covered in snow throughout the year, the Pamirs h

22、ave long and bitterly cold winters, and short, cool summers. Annual precipitation is about 5 inches (130 mm), which supports grasslands but few trees. 2021/8/1458Pamir Mts. Seen from the Silk Road2021/8/1459Old town section of Kashgar2021/8/1460New development in Kashgar2021/8/1461Sunday market &

23、; Idkah Mosque2021/8/1462Irrigation in Kashgar2021/8/1463Sunday market in Kashgar2021/8/1464Sunday market in Kashgar ready to cook goat meat2021/8/1465Spinning silk thread in Kashgar2021/8/1466Kashgar: Tomb of Muslim poet Yusup Hazi Hajups2021/8/1467Leaving ChinaThe Silk Road west of China2021/8/146

24、8SamarkandSamarkand (Tajik: , Persian: ?L?N? , Uzbek: Samarqand, , Russian: ), population 412,300 in 2005, is the second-largest city in Uzbekistan and the capital of Samarqand Province. The city is most noted for its central position on the Asian Silk Road between China and the west. Despite its st

25、atus as the second city of Uzbekistan, the majority of the citys inhabitants (90%) are Persian-speaking Tajiks. 2021/8/1469Samarkand 2021/8/1470Man at the Registan site of three Muslim clergy academies.2021/8/1471View of the three academies. 2021/8/1472Minaret in Samarkand2021/8/1473Old couple in Sa

26、markand2021/8/1474Samarkand bazaar 2021/8/1475Gur Emir, Tamerlanes mausoleum in his capital, Samarkand2021/8/1476BukharaBukhara is the fifth-largest city in Uzbekistan, and capital of the Bukhara Province. It has a population of 237,900 (1999 census estimate). Bukhara (along with Samarkand) is one o

27、f the two major centres of Uzbekistans Tajik minority. These two cities, Samarkand and Bukhara, belonged to Persians, especially to eastern part, who are now Tajiks. It is also home to a large number of Jews, whose ancestors settled in the city during Roman times. 2021/8/1477Entrance to the Ark Fort

28、ress2021/8/1478Mausoleum of Sufi Bakhautdin Naqshband2021/8/1479Fig vendor in Bukhara market2021/8/1480Beautiful mosaic work2021/8/1481Bukhara rooftops 2021/8/1482Old shopping mall still in operation2021/8/1483KhivaIn the early part of its history, the inhabitants of the area were from Iranian stock

29、 and spoke an Eastern Iranian language called Khwarezmian. The city of Khiva was first recorded by Muslim travelers in the 10th century, although archaeologists assert that the city has existed since the 6th century. By the early 17th century, Khiva had become the capital of the Khanate of Khiva, ru

30、led over by a branch of the Astrakhans, a Genghisid dynasty.2021/8/1484Old entrance to Kukhana Ark2021/8/1485Serpentine walls of Khiva2021/8/1486Central square of Khiva2021/8/1487Strolling through Khiva2021/8/1488New SeraiAt Tzaref in southern Russia, north of the Caspian Sea, are ruins which were o

31、nce-possibly-the Mongol cities of Serai and New Serai, seats of Batu Khan and Janibeg Khan. New Serai was also known as Great Serai, and it was the capital of the Golden Horde; it lies in unusually good pasturage near the salt works of Selitrennoi Gorodok. In the nineteenth century, Pallas explored

32、the area, and saw that the ruins were being pulled down and defaced.2021/8/1489Northwestern Terminus This was the end of the northern route from Kashgar.2021/8/1490Southern Route from KashgarThis route terminated at the Mediterranean Sea.2021/8/1491BactriaAccording to some writers, Bactria was the h

33、omeland of Aryan tribes who moved south-west into Iran and into North-Western India around 2500-2000 BC Later it became the north province of the Persian Empire in Central Asia. It was in these regions, where the fertile soil of the mountainous country is surrounded by the Turanian desert, that the

34、prophet Zarathushtra (Zoroaster) was said to have been born and gained his first adherents. 2021/8/1492Bactria2021/8/1493Ancient BactriaBALKH - (ancient Bactria) Called the Mother of Cities, Balkh is about 22 kms. (13 mi.) west of Mazar-e-Sharif. Today nothing remains of its ancient glory except a s

35、eries of ruins such as the famous Arch Of Nawbahar and the remains of a Buddhist Stupa. 2021/8/1494Buddhist stupas in Bactria2021/8/1495Pasture in Bactria2021/8/1496Along the Silk Road2021/8/1497MervMerv in current-day Turkmenistan, was a major oasis-city in Central Asia, on the historical Silk Road

36、, located near todays Mary. Several cities have existed on this site, which is significant for the interchange of culture and politics at a site of major strategic value. It is claimed that Merv was briefly the largest city in the world in the twelfth century. The site of ancient Merv has been liste

37、d by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. 2021/8/1498New Silk Road under construction2021/8/1499Walls of ancient Merv2021/8/14100Archaeologists at ancient Merv.2021/8/14101Ancient Merv Citadel2021/8/14102Near ancient Merv2021/8/14103Tehran area south of the Caspian Sea2021/8/14104Area west of Tehran2021

38、/8/14105Mesopotamia2021/8/14106BaghdadBaghdad is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. With an estimated population of seven million, it is the largest city in Iraq. It is the second-largest city in the Arab world (after Cairo) and the second-largest city in southwest Asia (after Tehran).

39、Located on the Tigris River the city dates back to at least the 8th century, and probably to pre-Islamic times. It was once the center of Dar al-salam, the Muslim world. 2021/8/14107Iraq map2021/8/14108Mosque in Baghdad.2021/8/14109Mosque and arch2021/8/14110Dust storm in Baghdad2021/8/14111BabylonT

40、he city itself was built upon the Euphrates, and divided in equal parts along its left and right banks, with steep embankments to contain the rivers seasonal floods. Babylon grew in extent and grandeur over time, but gradually became subject to the rule of Assyria. It has been estimated that Babylon

41、 was the largest city in the world from c. 1770 to 1670 BC, and again between c. 612 and 320 BC. It was perhaps the first city to reach a population above 200,000.2021/8/14112Rebuilt ruins of Babylon2021/8/14113Babylon2021/8/14114DamascusDamascus is the largest city of Syria and is also the capital.

42、 It is thought to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. before Al Fayyum, and Gaziantep. Its current population is estimated at about 4.5 million. Damascus lies about 80 km inland from the Mediterranean Sea, sheltered by the Anti-Lebanon Mountains. It lies on a plateau 680 meters a

43、bove sea-level. The old city of Damascus, enclosed by the city walls, lies on the south bank of the river BaradDamascus lies about 80 km inland from the Mediterranean Sea, sheltered by the Anti-Lebanon Mountains. It lies on a plateau 680 meters above sea-level. The old city of Damascus, enclosed by

44、the city walls, lies on the south bank of the river Barada.2021/8/14115Damascus at sunset.2021/8/14116Downtown Damascus2021/8/14117Ummayyad Mosque in old Damascus2021/8/14118AntiochAntioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side (left bank) of the Orontes River located on the site of the mod