The Silk Road was a network of smaller trade routes that stretched more than 4,000 miles across Asia. This road was used for trading both goods and ideas. After trading with other places, in return they received many other products as well. For example, they would get products like spices from India, and glassware from Rome.
A Chinese explorer named Zhang Qian is often called the Father of the Silk Road. The Silk Road gets it’s name because one of the main products that people trade in this route is ilk. They use silk because it’s strong, but also warm, light, and soft. It’s also used to make cloth. Mainly Chinese people would trade this, because they were the only ones who knew how to make it.
The Silk road had two main parts; the Eastern Silk Road and the Western Silk Road.
A Chinese explorer named Zhang Qian is often called the Father of the Silk Road. The Silk Road gets it’s name because one of the main products that people trade in this route is ilk. They use silk because it’s strong, but also warm, light, and soft. It’s also used to make cloth. Mainly Chinese people would trade this, because they were the only ones who knew how to make it.
The Silk road had two main parts; the Eastern Silk Road and the Western Silk Road.
Eastern Silk Road
The Eastern Silk Road connected Luoyang to Kashgar, in the western part of the Taklimakan Desert. However, when people would travel over the Taklimakan Desert, they faced many challenges that stopped them while traveling. Some challenges included bandits often attacked travelers on the northern route between Dunhuang and Kucha. Also, sudden sandstorms would sometimes buried travelers in the sand, and they may have been lured off the main path and to their deaths by mirages. Some of the goods that were traveled over the Eastern Silk Road included silk, because it was light and valuable. Also, the Chinese would also trade fine dishware, ornaments, jewelry, cast-iron products, and decorative boxes.
The Eastern Silk Road connected Luoyang to Kashgar, in the western part of the Taklimakan Desert. However, when people would travel over the Taklimakan Desert, they faced many challenges that stopped them while traveling. Some challenges included bandits often attacked travelers on the northern route between Dunhuang and Kucha. Also, sudden sandstorms would sometimes buried travelers in the sand, and they may have been lured off the main path and to their deaths by mirages. Some of the goods that were traveled over the Eastern Silk Road included silk, because it was light and valuable. Also, the Chinese would also trade fine dishware, ornaments, jewelry, cast-iron products, and decorative boxes.
Western Silk Road
The Western Silk Road ran from Kashgar to Antioch and other Mediterranean ports. When traveling from Kashgar, you had to travel across the Pamir Mountains, which in some cases, the peaks can rise up to 20,000 feet. These travelers often experienced headaches, dizziness, and ringing in their ears caused by lack of oxygen in the thin air of the high mountains. After traveling the Pamir Mountains, the travelers would then travel a fertile valley in what is now Afghanistan. In the Western Silk Road, some of the goods that are traded include perfumes, cosmetics, and carpets from Egypt, Arabia and Persia. Also, Rome traded many things with China, such as glass products, which include trays, vases, necklaces, and small bottles. They would also prize asbestos, which they used for making fireproof cloth and coal. The Romans would also send massive amounts of gold in trade for the silk that the Chinese made.
The Western Silk Road ran from Kashgar to Antioch and other Mediterranean ports. When traveling from Kashgar, you had to travel across the Pamir Mountains, which in some cases, the peaks can rise up to 20,000 feet. These travelers often experienced headaches, dizziness, and ringing in their ears caused by lack of oxygen in the thin air of the high mountains. After traveling the Pamir Mountains, the travelers would then travel a fertile valley in what is now Afghanistan. In the Western Silk Road, some of the goods that are traded include perfumes, cosmetics, and carpets from Egypt, Arabia and Persia. Also, Rome traded many things with China, such as glass products, which include trays, vases, necklaces, and small bottles. They would also prize asbestos, which they used for making fireproof cloth and coal. The Romans would also send massive amounts of gold in trade for the silk that the Chinese made.