Silk Road

trade routes through Asia connecting China to the Mediterranean Sea

thumb|Raw silk of domesticated silk worms, showing its natural shine|360x360px Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven or knitted into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin (75-80%) and a smaller coating of sericin (20-25%). It is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori, which are reared in captivity (sericulture). The shimmery appearance of silk is due to the triangular prism-like structure of the silk fiber, which c

sculptures in Afghanistan before 2001

Sogdia () or Sogdiana was an ancient Iranian civilization between the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya rivers, and in present-day Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Sogdiana was also a province of the Achaemenid Empire, and listed on the Behistun Inscription of Darius the Great. Sogdiana was first conquered by Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Achaemenid Empire, and then was annexed by the Macedonian ruler Alexander the Great in 328 BC. It would continue to change hands under the Seleucid Empire, the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom, the Kushan Empire, the Sasanian Empire, th

thumb|The Izadkhast Caravanserai|Izadkhast caravanserai (early 17th century), [[Fars province, Iran]]

Sericulture, or silk farming, is the cultivation of silkworms to produce silk. Although there are several commercial species of silkworms, the caterpillar of the domestic silkmoth is the most widely used and intensively studied silkworm. This species of silkmoth is no longer found in the wild as they have been modified through selective breeding, rendering most flightless and without defense against predators. Silk is believed to have first been produced in China as early as the Neolithic period. Today, China and India are the two main producers, with more than 60% of the world's annual produc

German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905)

network of caravan paths winding through the mountains of Southwest China and Tibet

2005 video game

2015 Chinese film directed by Daniel Lee

maritime section of the historic Silk Road

Göyşaban (also, Ol’khovka) is a village and municipality in the Lankaran Rayon of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 3,038.

Gotrurk ruler

Spread of Buddhism through the Silk Road

economic aspects of the dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE)

caravanserai in Mehriz County, Iranian national heritage site and World heritage site

İpekyolu is a municipality and district of Van Province, Turkey. Its area is 956 km2, and its population is 348,046 (2022). The district İpekyolu was created at the 2013 reorganisation from part of the former central district of Van, along with the new district Tuşba. It covers the central and eastern part of the agglomeration of Van and the adjacent countryside. The name İpekyolu means Silk Road; Van was an important stop on the Silk Road.

overview of the historic Buddhist presence in Central Asia

A caravanserai and historical architectural monument located in Shaki, Azerbaijan.

archaeological site

Zemarchus (, fl. ) was a Byzantine official, diplomat and traveller in the reign of Justin II.

historical highway in Iran

640–712 Chinese expansion into Central Asia

history of the capital city of Iraq

revolt led by Jahangir Khoja

Greek explorer

uzbek mulberry paper

wool wall hanging in two fragments, 2nd century BC - 2nd century CE

Trafficking of people across the Black Sea

historic trade route in Asia

2014 film

1980 television programme

slave trade in Bukhara until the 19th century

Italian woman who lived in China

archaeology museum in Yamanashi , Japan

artistic influences transited along the Silk Road

Nepalese businessman