The Silk Road
What is the Silk Road?
What is the Silk Road?
Images
“The term Silk Road” applies to the route or routes by which a valuable and highly desired commodity crossed from the Far East (China-Xi’an) to Europe through our Arab countries, of which Syria is at the very heart.
There are three principal routes associated with the Silk Road: The first linked China to India and South-East Asia. The second linked the ancient Asian States with Europe. The third was the Southern road for caravans between China and Western Asia which went South-West to Persia, Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), and the Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Palestine), which was very important for Syria.
The most important of the three routes was that coming through Syria, which lay at the commercial cross-roads between the East and West. .Damascus was the principal outlet to, Egypt, Antioch and Iskenderun; all these delivered Asian goods to the ships in the Mediterranean Sea in order to transport them to Genoa and Venice. Palmyra an oasis city in the desert, Dura Europos, Salhiah, and Halabia, cities on the Euphrates, all played an important role connecting, Damascus to Mesopotamia and the main silk route to China.
All Historians agree that the road between East Asia and its west side dates from the fifth millennium B.C.; it is the same date of the appearance of silk in China, and continued to be used till the 13th century A.D.
This road represented a real way for dialogue between different civilizations, as much as commercial and cultural exchange. Syria annually stages a Festival of the Silk Road in numerous Syrian cities, namely Aleppo, Hama, and Tartous, to commemorate that first source of inter- cultural dialogue.
| Begin the tour | Topics index |
In this pathway...
 |
Palmyra |  |
Halabia |  |
Dura Europos | ||
 |
Damascus |  |
Aleppo |  |
Textiles | ||
 |
Silk |  |
Damascene Damask and Brocade Silks |  |
Embroidery | ||
 |
Dyes and the dyeing craft |  |
Cultural Exchange | ||||
