The Big Trip - Silk Road overland

THE OLD TRADE ROUTES OF THE SILK ROAD GIVE TRAVELLERS ENDLESS OPTIONS TO EXPLORE CENTRAL ASIA, FROM LAKE-SCATTERED MOUNTAIN PLATEAUS TO ORNATE MAUSOLEUM COMPLEXES AND LIVELY CITIES PACKED WITH SOVIET ARCHITECTURE.

- STEPHEN LIOY

The name ‘Silk Road’ evokes images of Marco Polo and endless camel caravans stretching from Beijing to Baghdad and on to the Venetian Lagoon. But the fact is there was no single, definitive trail. Rather, the Silk Road was an umbrella term for a web of trade routes between China and Europe formed over a period of around 1,600 years, from the second century BC to 1450. While these routes wound as far south as India and Southeast Asia, most of their traffic moved overland through the heart of Central Asia, over snowy passes and through scorching deserts. Routes changed over time as new warlords demanded higher taxes from caravans wanting to travel through their territory. Other times, it was because of dangers caused by brutal brigands capturing riches such as silk, tea, ivory and precious metals, and enslaving travellers. Relics of the era can be found across the region today — particularly in the Central Asian segments of the Silk Road.

Few merchants and travellers made the full journey from Europe to China, as most goods and gold changed hands many times at various points along the Silk Road. Similarly, today, travellers tend to approach the region in bitesized chunks — travelling the full length would take longer even than Marco Polo’s famous 24year, 13th-century journey.