The Silk Road A continuous trip on the roads of civilizations

The story of the silk road is a story of one of the oldest, most famous and most important world trade roads that connected, for long centuries, China with central Asia, Persia, western Asia and Europe. The name, silk road, was given to this road after the most important subject of trading on this road : Chinese silk. Commercial movement started along the silk road in the second century B.C. and continued with some ups and downs until the fifteenth century A.D. New maritime roads were discovered in the renaissance period to take, gradually, the place of most of the over land trade routes. The silk road originated in the year 330-325 B.C. when “Alexander of Macedonia“ conquered Karakorum ranges (now Pakistan and Afghanistan), Persia, the Palmyran kingdom and the coasts of the Mediterranean.

The area became a cross roads of Asia where Arab, Persian, influences met. Although the silk road is strongly connected with  China (The main source of silk at that time ), the silk road stretched to the Chinese land only in the year 125 B.C. when the emperor of Han dynasty sent a messenger to the central Asian kingdoms searching for political and military alliances to help him repel Mongol incursions on the Chinese cities.For the good luck of the world, the messenger was held captive in central Asia for ten years, through which be could introduce the Chinese civilization and products to his captives. After he returned home he transferred with him lots of ideas and thoughts about the artistic, industrial and social aspects of life of central Asia. Despite his failure in his political mission, the Chinese delegate succeeded in establishing new relations that enabled peoples of the region to know each other better and to start a new phase of cooperation among all the countries along what later became the “Silk Road”. Land Routes of the Silk Road The Silk Road is 7000 miles long ( 11550 km).It starts in China and extends west through central Asia, northern India, Persia, Mesopotamia, Palmyra, and Byzantium to reach Rome. It links the valley of the “Yellow River“ in the farthest point east of Asia with the Mediterranean and then southern Europe. Indians who lived along the Ghange river played an important role as trade mediators between China, Persia and Palmyra.

They realized that Chinese silk was a most wanted material in Europe, so they bartered Chinese silk for precious stones, gold and silver. The Indians carried silk to the Persians who in turn carried it to the Arab palmyrans who used to sell it in Rome. The Silk Road consisted of several principal routes. The different routes developed to avoid the inhospitable deserts of Gobi and Taklamakan, the undefiable mountains of Pamir and Himalaya, and the irresistible bandits who used to attack caravans in countries of fragile security. Long distances, rough terrain and hazardous security meant that trade goods had to be low in volume and high in value. Natural hardships and obstacles obliged caravans to travel in short trips within the same empire or kingdom where valuable goods would move from one hand to another several times before reaching their final destination. Due to that a net of roads and routes were established in China, India, Persia, palmyra and Antioch to form the renowned Silk Road. Every caravan used to include a large assortment of people: merchants from different countries using camels, horses, donkeys, elephants…etc for transportation, with several kinds of open and covered carriages. Guides, guards and scouts, armed with every weapon available to them, were indispensable elements in each caravan. Caravans used to be joined by cooks, barbers, physicians,, clowns, wizards, fortune geographers, travelers,  and historians, each of them seeking an aim and, of course, a living. Caravans carried silk, wool, linen, clothes, leather , rugs, precious stones, dyes, spices, cosmetic, incense, arms, glass-wares, china, ceramic, pottery and wooden items, rare animals and plants, In addition to the economic significance of the Silk Road, its cultural impact was great. Merchants, artisans and missionaries carried with them their products, traditions, social values, scientific knowledge and expertise, as well as their religious faiths and values and aesthetic principles every where they went. At the end of the second century B.C. In the 4th century A.D Christianity was brought from Europe to India. When Islam appeared in the seventh century A.D. it quickly spread from Bilad al Sham(the Levant) and Mesopotamia to the kingdoms and empires of central and eastern Asia. Decline of the Silk Road : In the 14th century A.D new sea routes were discovered for trading. Chaos and disorder spread in many countries. Bandits increased their activities against caravans.

As a result, economic powers in the cities and oases along the silk road declined. Now, these cities and oases turned to be tourist targets visited by thousands of tourists from many countries of the world. Syria had a prominent role in the start and development of the Silk Road. Many routes crossed its land, and hundreds of inns and stations were built to facilitate trading between east and west. The Silk Road in Syria Silk Road routes in Syria are divided into3 categories : land routes across the Syrian desert, river navigational routes, and land – river routes. The three routes were used by caravans coming from the east to the west or vice versa. These routes passed through most of the cities of the Levant : al Raqqa and Rasafa in the east, Aleppo and Idlib in the north, Damascus, Homs in the south, and Antioch and Tyre on the Mediterranean. More details about the routes of the Silk Road have no place in this article, but it is worthy to denote the most important historical sites left by the Silk Road all over Syria. Many of these sites are still well preserved fighting against the hazards of time and ready to receive visitors and tourists all round the year. These sites are the many inns that were used as trading centers, social forums, and as lodging stations. Of these inns and lodges we can mention : Qaser el-Hiir in Palmyra, Khan Sheikhoun in the city bearing the same name.Khan Touman, Khan al Asal in Aleppo, Khan Ma‘arret al Nouman, Khan al-Sabil along the road of Hama – Aleppo, Khan el-Madhiq in Hama, Khan al Mo‘iz along the road of Damascus – Homs.Khan Sinan Pashaand many others. These inns are still standing as witnesses on the active trading movement Syria had witnessed during the life of the Silk Road. Aleppo alone had more than 40 inns,most important of them is the Inn of the Venetians Khan Asa‘ad pasha al-Azem and Khan al-Harir in Damascus, now,is used as museums. Khan al- Toton was also changed into a museum.

Haifaa Mafalani