Silk Road on the Sea (Maritime Silk Road) This amazing trip offers a once in a lifetime opportunity for those with sufficient time to travel the entirety of one of the major branches of the Silk Road all the way across Asia from Xi’an in central China to Istanbul in Western Turkey, covering a distance of some 12,000 kilometres and six contrasting countries. The Great Silk Road is a system of caravan routes crossing in ancient and middle age time Eurasian continent from Mediterranean Sea to China and influencing the emergence and development of trade and cultural ties between people and statehood located along the way. Nowadays, the immemorial Silk Road spreads over the five provinces in the Northwest Territories including Shaanxi Province, Gansu Province, Qinghai Province, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The total length of the historically important trade route is about 10,000 kilometers, according to some experts. The Northern Silk Route went west along the northern foot of Tianshan Mountains, taking merchants westwards to Hami, Urumqi and Yining, and then reached the areas near the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. The Central Silk Route ran west along the southern foot of Tianshan Mountains, passing Loulan (now Ruoqiang), Turpan, Korla, Kuche (Kuqa), Aksu and Kashgar, afterwards went over the freezing Pamirs, wound to Mashhad via the Fergana Basin, Samarkand, Bukhara and finally joined the Southern Route.

Then this route crossed the snow-covered Pamirs, reached Pakistan and India via Kashmir it could also reach Europe through Islamabad, Kabul, Mashhad, Baghdad and Damascus. The S outhern Silk Route wandered west along the northern foot of the Kunlun Mountains, passing Ruoqiang, Hotan, Shache (Yarkant) and reached Kashgar (the last point of the Silk Road in China). The three main routes spread all over the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It was also a key point of the route, where the trade road divided into three main branches: the southern, the central and the northern, and then they extend as far as Pakistan, India and even Rome. Dunhuang is famous for its Mogao Caves and other cultural relics. This China trade route ran through Gansu Province via Tianshui, Lanzhou, Wuwei, Zhangye, Jiuquan, Jiayuguan (an important military garrison and barrier of the Great Wall) and Dunhuang along the Hexi Corridor. The Silk Road was originally opened up by Zhang Qian and it gradually formed in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), the ancient road originated from the historical capital of Chang'an (now Xi'an). Silk Road was a network of trade routes connecting China and the Far East with the Middle East and Europe.

Silk Road, also called Silk Route, ancient trade route, linking China with the West, is actually many routes from the Roman Empire through the steppes, mountains, and deserts of Central Asia and India to China. Top Destinations Tibet Yunnan Qinghai Fujian Gansu.Cities of Silk Road Beijing Dunhuang Lanzhou Luoyang Urumqi Xian Zhangye Jiayuguan Turpan Kashgar.15 Days Great Silk Road from Kashgar to TashkentĢ0 Days Silk Road to Uzbekistan Kyrgyzstan & ChinaĢ3 Days Uzbekistan to Pakistan via Karakoram Highwayġ0 Days Silk Road Xinjiang and Bishkek Kyrgyzstanġ6 Days Silk Road Travel to Uzbekistan and Chinaħ Days Classic Xinjiang Tour to Kashgar, Turpan and Urumqiħ Days Silk Road Group Tour to Gansu & Qinghaiġ8 Days Travel Silk Road in China with Escorted Guideġ9 Days Xinjiang China and Uzbekistan Tour

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