GREAT SILK ROAD

          In a centuries-old history of a human civilization there will be many examples of mutually advantageous cultural and economic exchanges between countries and peoples with various religious and ethnic traditions. During the 6-14th century, there were thousands of large and small routes that crossed Asian Continent leading to the West. However, the most unique such an example is the Great Silk Road. Great Silk Road – an original phenomenon of the history of developing of humanity, its aspiration for union and exchanging cultural wealth, conquest of the living spaces and markets for goods. In the East they say: “sitting man is a mat and walking man is a river”.  Motion is a life, and traveling, learning of world always was a driving force of progress. The Great Silk Road is the so-called trading road which stretched from the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean to the coasts of the Pacific, crossing the entire Eurasian continent and connecting the countries of the Mediterranean with the Far East. Traders, missionaries and refuges were traveling together bringing along new religions, customs, products like glass, porcelain, soap and gunpowder and most important a different culture. They were the ones who created herbariums, collected methods of curing diseases and studied the stars. The activity of this great trading road lasted from the II century BC till the end of the XVII century AD. It was not simply a trading road - it was a so-called cultural-economic bridge between the East and the West, connecting various peoples in their aspiration to peaceful cooperation.

Before the development of The Silk Road, silk was only traded within China’s internal empire. Caravans of camels with silk would try to reach the western edges but were often attacked by nomadic tribes who sought their valuable goods. In 138 BC a Chinese dignitary Chzhan Tsjan came with diplomatic mission to Central Asia. The task of his mission was to convince nomads of the Yuedji tribe to become allies of the Chinese Han Empire in the struggle against nomads of Syunni, who had attacked the empire from the north.

On returning Chzhan Tsjan told the emperor about the unique countries to the West of China. He told about the developed craft and agriculture of the cities of Central Asia which traded with India and the Middle East. He also informed the emperor about the thoroughbred tall horses which were beyond any comparison with undersized Chinese horses. The people of these lands were not familiar with the culture of silkworm and were not able to manufacture silk. The emperor had a burning desire to have such horses, as the possession of them would give him huge advantages in the struggle against nomads, and to exchange them for silk. In 121 BC the first caravan with silk and bronze mirrors went along the spurs of Tien-Shan to the Fergana oasis. The continuing development of the route was influenced by several things. Terrain and goods played their roles in where segments branched off from the main route to allow travel and trade with other areas. These branches were referred to as the northern branch, the southern branch, and exchange points were the intersections where two or more trade routes met. The Great Silk Road had several routes which passed through different passes in mountain ridges and bypassed deserts. Though routes of the Silk Road varied, it is possible to allocate two basic lines connecting the East and the West:

Southern road — from the north of China through Central Asia to the Middle East and Northern India;

Northern road — from the north of China through the Pamirs and the near of the Aral Sea to the Bottom Volga and to the pool of the Black sea. Passing through the Tien Shan some caravans continued their way via the Ferghana Valley and Tashkent oasis to Samarkand – the capital of Sogdiana, to Bukhara, Khorezm and further to the Caspian Sea.

Downright from name, main subject of trade on caravan ways was silk, very valuable in all sublunary worlds. For example, in the early middle ages silk was most popular calculation unit, forcing out even gold. In Sogdiana price of horse was equated to the price of ten length of silk. With silk paid for finished works, for maintenance of mercenaries, with silk could be paid off for crime. The name "Great Silk Road" was introduced into historical science by the scientists of the XIX century after the German traveler and historian K.Rihtgofen wrote the book "China" in 1877, in which he named for the first time this trading road as "Great Silk Road". Extent of the Great Silk Road was 12 thousand kilometers; therefore very few merchants passed this entire road completely. Although silk was a main, but not unique goods that was transported on transcontinental road. From Central Asia were exported horses, camels, very estimated in China, military equipments, gold and silver, semiprecious stones and glass wares, leather and worst, carpets and cotton fabrics, gold-embroidery clothes, exotic fruits – watermelons, melons and apricots, fat tail sheep and gun dogs, leopards, lions. From China caravans brought chinaware and iron dishes, furnished wares and cosmetics, tea and rice. In a traveling bag of merchants you could find elephant’s tusk, rhinoceros’s horn, tortoise’s shell, spicery and many other things. 

On Great Silk Road moved not only trade caravans but also disseminated cultural achievements of nations, cultural wealth and religious ideas. Buddhism was in a row other religion of Kushan kingdom and from here extended to China. In the first centuries from Asia Minor penetrated Christianity.  Unbleached warriors of Arab Caliphate in VII century brought Islam doctrine. Hordes of Timuchin rolled past from way laid by merchants and preachers, from Mongol deserts to European plains. From the heart of the Silk Road - Samarqand started his campaigns great commander of medieval East Temur.

At last, during hundred years, scientists and researchers had traveled from caravan road. From traveling notes and scientific works of Chinese monk Chzhan Tsjan and Venetian merchant Marko Polo, Arab traveler – merchant Ahmed bin Fadlana and Bavarian warrior Shiltberger, Hungarian researcher Armini Vamberi and Sweden geographer Svena Hedina, Russian scientist Aleksey Fedchenko and French journalist Ella Mayer, American geologist Rafael Pampelli and French traveler Joseph Martin, we know about history of nation, lived in countries, laid along the Great Silk Road, about their traditions and manners.

As live memory of nations, laid this unique road connected East and West, can serve ancient Uzbek cities like Samarqand, Bukhara, Khiva, Shaxrizabs, Termez, Tashkent with their architectural monuments, that personifies centuries – old history of Great Silk Road.