This page was last updated on: October 7, 2017
This rough Schematic Map of the Silk Road depicts the Silk Trading Route during the Han Dynasty Period, the earliest period of existence of the Road.
Depicted Chinese Cities are Sian - during the Han, Sui & Tang Dynasties the Capital City of Chang'An, Lanzhou - crossing point of Silk Road in China and the Great Yellow River (Huang He), Wuwei - Home of a large Buddhist Lamasery in Gansu Province, JiaYuGuan - during the Ming Dynasty location of the last protective fortress on the Great Wall of China and Dunhuang in Gansu Province - in Han Dynasty Times the "Mouth of China", and the end of Chinese Controlled Territory.
Most notable features of this specific map is the depiction of the split of the Silk Road into a North Route and South Route, west of Dunhuang in current day west Gansu Province. The North Route of the Silk Road historically passes from Jade Gate & Yu Men Pass along the flow of China's 5Th largest River, the Tarim, to pass by the Oasis of Turpan in current day Xinjiang Autonomous Region on the way to Kochar and Kashgar beyond. The South Route follows the Northern Edge of the Tibetan-Qinghai Plateaux from Yang Guan Pass - Sun Gate near Dunhuang, passing the forgotten cities of LouLan and Hotan on the way to Kashgar in Xinjiang AR and the Pamir High Mountains of Afghanistan.
The two routes rejoin at Kashgar. From Kashgar it was through Balkh in current day Afghanistan, still a restless tribal area, or more Northernly through Samarkand and Buchara in current day Uzbekistan, into Persia and on to the West.
Not depicted on this Map is the southern arm of the Silk Road, leading away to Pakistan and India's Ganges and Indus Valley's in the far South. A Later Silk Road bypass from Loulan in Lop Nor forming the South Route via Tibet into Nepal and India is also omitted as it was not yet in existence during the Han Dynasty but started operating in earnest in the 7Th Century during the Tang Dynasty.
The China Report
Map China - History - Silk Road 1 Early Han Dynasty Period
Lhasa
Gobi
Taklamakan
Gobi
Gobi
Ashkhabad (Turkmenistan)
Tarim Basin
Keriya Town or former Hanmi (Xinjiang AR, China)
Hexi
  Corridor
China
China
China
North
South
East
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Shanghai
Beijing
Lhasa, Tibet
The Great Wall that protected the Silk Road during Later Ages & Eras
Designates Chinese Controlled Territory
China
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Ning Xia Fu  (Ningxia Province)
China
A Former Part of the Imperial Inner City, now Park o/t Peoples Culture
The first Westerner to Explore and report on the full length of the Silk Road was Marco Polo (1254 AD - 1324/25 AD) who entered China through
Nan King (Nanjing)
Chang'An (Xi'An) - Han & Tang Dynasty Capital of China (Shaanxi Province)
Kathmandu (Nepal - British Controlled)
Lanzhou (Gansu Province)
Dunhuang (Gansu Province)
JiaYuGuan (Gansu Province)
China
China
A Former Part of the Imperial Inner City, now Park o/t Peoples Culture
China
Click to go to Silk Road Map 1 !
Designates Persian Controlled Territory
China Report - Tibet - Relief Map of Central Tibetan Plateau
A detailed Relief Map of Tibet - The Central Tibetan Plateau depicting the Main Cities and Roads in Tibet. Includes the Location of Mount Everest on the Tibetan-Nepalese Border.
More Information to be added when Available !
Under Construction !
Overview Map of Tibet - Central Tibetan Plateau
Buchara (Uzbekistan)
Dunhuang on his way to Khanbalik, (current day
Beijing) the Yuan Dynasty Capital at the Time. Marco Polo noted the 1000's of Buddha Statues and Murals near this Oasis (Mogao Caves) in his book "Il Milione" (Or Marco Polo's travels) making them world famous.
Many would follow in his foot-steps in Centuries after. Moroccan Ibn Battuta followed in the 14Th Century. The next famous western explorers
that we know of, came many centuries later during the 19Th Century. During this Time several explorers were active among whom a Russian and the Svedish Explorer Sven Hedin pushed deep into Central Asia. Hedin was the first to create detailed Maps of Tibet, the Pamir Mountains and the Taklamakan Desert. During one of his voyages (1899) in the Western Deserts Hedin re-discovered the ancient lost civilization of LouLan, an oasis Kingdom
A 2nd Schematic Map of the Silk Road during the Roman Age. In 30 BC the Roman Empire started trading with India, which was already well known from the Conquest of Alexander the Great (+/- 330 BC). In the following 6 centuries the West would Trade with India and indirectly also with China through the Silk Road. The Silk Road only lost its Value after the European Age of Discovery and the Establishment of Maritime Trade Routes with India (16Th Century) and later China.
during the Han Dynasty Silk Road Era. Up to that Moment the City was lost for a 1000 years.
Kashgar aka Shule (Xinjiang AR,China)
Samarkand (Uzbekistan)
Merv (Turkmenistan)
Damghan (Persia-Current Day Iran)
Hamadan or Hamedan (Persia-Current Day Iran)
Ctesiphon, the capital of the Persian Empire - 20 Km from Baghdad (Persia-Current Day Iraq)
Palmyra (Syria)
Designates Current Day Syrian Territory
Antioch - Lost City (Syria)
Tyre (Current Day Lebanon)
Balkh or Bactra (Persia, West of Mazar_I_Sharif in Current Day Afghanistan)
MinFeng Town (MinFeng County, Xinjiang AR, China)
Hotan Ruins of Lost City (Hotan County, Xinjiang AR, China)
LouLan (Kroran Or Shanshan) Ruins of Lost City Kingdom (Xinjiang AR, China)
China
Turfan (Uygur) or Turpan Oasis (Mandarin) (Current Day Xinjiang AR, China)
Kuchar aka KuQa Village, Lost City (Current Day Xinjiang AR, China)
Datung (Shanxi Province)
LuoYang - Eastern Han Dynasty Capital 25 AD - 220 AD (Henan Province)
Wuwei (Gansu Province)
China
China
China
Yarkant = Yarkent or SuoYu (Xinjiang AR, China)
Tian
Shan
Tumxuk -now a dying Village (Xinjiang AR, China)
Tashkent (Uzbekistan)
Khiva (Uzbekistan)
         Caspian
Sea
Lake Balkash
Aral
Zhangye (Gansu Province)
Compare Maps to explore the Silk Road - Follow Links to more Information & Photos on each Location !

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