Silk Roads Geographic Objectives You will able to

Silk Roads Geographic Objectives You will able to: Ø 1. Locate regions that were part of the Silk Road network (Mediterranean, Arabia, eastern Africa, Persia, Central Asia, India, and China) in 100 CE Ø 2. Describe physical conditions (deserts, mountains, rivers) at various places along the Silk Road. Ø 3. Identify important economic goods and cultural ideas (highly valued in 100 CE) that moved along the Silk Road. Ø 4. Explain how trade and travel along the Silk Road changed places over time.

Silk Roads - Vocabulary Merchant Monk Bandit --------------------------------Silk cloth Glass Spices Heavenly horses Ivory Cotton cloth --------------------------------Buddhism Islam --------------------------------Caravan --------------------------------Oasis Port city

Facts about the trade network known as “The Silk Road” • It was more than one road actually a network of caravan routes that stretched across the continent. • Developed over time by many traders and groups. • Almost no one traveled the whole route. Most people bought and sold goods on either end of one segment of the route.

Animals Camels, horses, sheep and yaks

People Bandits and Monks then later Merchants

Places Mountains, Deserts, Oases (plural of oasis)

Silk Road towns connected the largest cities of the West and East in 100 CE. West East

Silk Roads towns between China and the Mediterranean Sea. West East

Our Silk Roads journey starts in China. Between Chang’an (#1) and Dunhuang (#4): Bandits from Mongolia or Tibet may attack caravans. Therefore, Chinese soldiers must travel with the caravans. In the Chinese city of Chang’an (#1), merchants load fine silk cloth and herbal medicines onto two-humped Bactrian camels.

Chang’an (Xian today) O The site of the Han capital was located 5 km northwest of modern Xi'an. As the capital of the Western Han Dynasty, it was the political, economic and cultural center of China, the eastern terminus of the Silk Road, and a cosmopolitan metropolis comparable with the greatest cities of the contemporaneous Roman Empire.

We will explore the Silk Roads using a satellite images. Which colors indicate drier areas or deserts? tan In this satellite image, the green color tells us about vegetation. Green areas have enough water for trees and crops.

Chang’an Area – Satellite View

The statue is at the starting point of the ancient Silk Road of Chang'an (present Xian City).

The Great Mosque – 50, 000 Muslims in Xi’an today

4 th largest area of Buddhist grottoes

Maiji Mountain

Lanzhou O Early settlement in this region could be dated to the Han 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.

Lanzhou area – satellite view

Dunhuang (#4) is an important Buddhist religious center. Buddhist monks traveled along the Silk Road and brought Buddhism from India to China.

Dunhuang O The city is located near the historic junction of the northern and southern Silk Roads, and was therefore a town of military importance. O For 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. "

Satellite view of Dunhuang area.

Sand dunes outside Dunhuang

Dunhuang city wall.

Spring oasis near Dunhuang on the Silk Road

Desert Road

Flaming Mountains

Home in Turfan

Buddhist temple caves

Taklamakan Desert (“if you go in, you won’t come out”) (“Desert of Death”): Caravans must travel through this desert before the heat of summer hits. Find #5, #6, #7, #8, #9.

Rivers carry melted snow down from high mountains! High, snow-covered mountains surround the Taklamakan. Oasis towns are located along the edge of the Taklamakan Desert.

Taklamakan Desert – Satellite View – near Khotan Kashgar Turfan Taklamakan Desert Khotan

Caravan in the Taklamakan Desert

Carpet weaving in Khotan

Khotan Carpet

Kashgar (#10) is an oasis town, where local merchants trade their dates, melons, and grapes for silk that the caravans bring from China. Why did the Chinese travel this far west (to Central Asia)? Pamir Mountains (between #10 and #13): The route continues through mountains and is called the “Trail of Bones” because the route is dangerously steep and cold.

Old town section of Kashgar

Pamir Mountains: Between Kashgar (#10) and Tashkent (#13), caravans climbed the “Trail of Bones” through the high, steep Pamirs. Pamir Mountains: Elevations are above 10, 000 feet. It is extremely cold, and there is no food. The highest elevations are purple and dark gray.

Pamir Mts. Seen from the Silk Road

Why cross the Pamirs? The highest elevations are purple and dark gray.

In Tashkent (#13), Chinese military use silk to purchase the strong horses raised in the grasslands of Central Asia. In Tashkent (#13), local merchants also sell fine locally made wool carpets as well as musical instruments and glass objects that have come from Europe and the Middle East.

Samarkand O Samarkand, 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 status as the second city of Uzbekistan, the majority of the city's inhabitants (90%) are Persian-speaking Tajiks.

View of the Three Academies.

Man at the Registan – Site of three Muslim clergy academies.

Old shopping mall still in operation

Serpentine walls of Khiva

Dromedary camels from Arabia are used from here westward. #20 and #21 send In Herat (#17), a great Islamic mosque stands near the city market. People from Arabia brought the religion of Islam to Silk Road towns. spices and cotton cloth from India and precious stones from Ceylon.

Tyre (#27): Goods are loaded onto ships in this port city on the Mediterranean Sea. In Baghdad (#24), In Byzantium (#28), few people know where China is, but wealthy people want the silk that has traveled along the Silk Roads. ivory, gold, and spices from Africa and pearls from the Persian Gulf are exchanged for silk.

Baghdad O Baghdad 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). Located on the Tigris River the city dates back to at least the 8 th century, and probably to pre-Islamic times. It was once the center of Dar al-salam, the Muslim world.

Iraq map

Mosque and Arch

Dust storm in Baghdad

Silk Road towns connected the largest cities of the West and East in 100 CE.

Silk Road towns connected the largest cities of the West and East in 800 CE.

Was the Silk Road the internet highway of the ancient world?

WHAT DO WE GET FROM THE INTERNET? Buy & sell goods on EBAY, AMAZON, etc. E-mail anyone in the world/ My. Space / You. Tube Google Earth / Mapquest Entertainment: video games, music, movies, etc. INTERNET Online banking $$$$$$ Research to gain more knowledge & information about a topic Meet people / online dating

1. What do you see? 2. How can we compare this to the internet of today? 3. Why was this important to global history?

OUD ITEMS TRADED ALONG THE SILK ROAD BACTRIAN CAMELS GLASS CARPETS METAL WORK JADE PORCELAIN SILK SPICES

Renaissance Lute Central Asian Oud Japanese Satsuma Biwa Chinese Pipa

MERCHANT - a person whose job is to buy, sell & trade goods. (salesman or businessman)

Bactrian Camels: The workhorses of the Silk Roads A camel can carry 1, 000 lbs and go 15 days without water

Sheep are the basis of life in the desert and steppe.

Horses: transport, trade and war

Yaks: Carrying loads in the mountains

Inventions on the Silk Roads: The stirrup and the cross bow

Religions on the Silk Road OZoroastrianism ONestorian Christianity OManichaeism OBuddhism OIslam Research one of the religions you don’t know!

Thanks to all of our collaborators! New York Geographic Alliance Michigan Geographic Alliance Carol Gersmehl, carol. gersmehl@gmail. com Co-coordinator, New York Geographic Alliance Power. Point prepared in cooperation with Marty Mater, Michigan Geographic Alliance