As I visited Samarkand in June, and saw a little fraction of the Silk road, I am able to tell you more about it.

In the antique times the silk had the same price as the gold! It was one of the safest way to get rich to bring some silk from China, the only one producer. But which route to choose?

As an antique merchant and businessman you had more possibilities, as in the map bellow.

The Silk Road with its three variants is world’s oldest trading road. It is a 8000 km way leading up to Rome for example, from China. The Silk Road was an engine and a lung for the developing of all neighboring countries and cultures (Chinese, Indian, Egyptian, roman, mongol, central Asia etc). Along it flourished also the culture, and are situated some important cities, some of them lasting even today. Controlling the silk road was vital for any growing empire, and many wars have been led with this wish. Along the Silk Road spread all major religions as Buddhism, Islamism and Nestorianism.

It was practically impossible for any lonely traveler, merchant or caravan to go such a long distance with the ancient means. The old businessmen were not beginners. They were very well organized and specialized and carried there wares only much shorter ways.

The name of Silk Road was first used in the german literature (”Seidenstrasse“) and spread out, but the silk was not the only one matter carried on this way. Oriental spices and flavors, food, wine, oil etc. You missed unfortunately all these business, but you can try to see all the Silk Road, it is an exciting adventure. It won’t take long with our modern means of transportation, but it will be not easy neither cheap with this huge oil prices! We started with Samarkand, in Uzbekistan, on the northern Silk Road, and will go further in the neighborhood carryng on our precious charge of silk!