Friends this Silk Road consisted of multiplicity of routes , passing through many kingdoms in those ancient days , which I tried to simplify for easy reading , hope you will like its True Story ! But while writing I had to leave out many details , using only half of my collected material , to make it interesting ! The Tarim Basin area and the Lop Nor Region of the Taklamakan Desert , are now Out of Bounds , because it is China's nuclear weapon testing site !! If you type the title of this poem on 'GOOGLE' , this poem has been listed on its page no. 2 as a permanent reference for all !
STORY OF THE SILK ROAD
STORY OF THE SILK ROAD
**BY RAJ NANDY**
INTRODUCTION
Background :
Let us take a ride on the magic carpet of History, which
transports us back to around 3000 BC !
When wild horses were being tamed on southern Russian
steppes ;
When the ancient Sumerians had invented their first
cuneiform writing script ;
When Minoan Civilization began to flourish in the distant
island of Crete ,
And two-humped Bactrian camels were being domesticated
in the Gobi desert region so vital for desert travel ;
When China had produced its first Silk, which made the
world later wonder and marvel !
For two thousand years successive Chinese Emperors
jealously guarded those silk worms and cocoons ,
Until the worm eggs got smuggled out of China reaching
Korea, Japan, and Italy’s weaving looms !
Now gliding across several centuries of History we arrive
at 300 BC ,
When the mighty Roman Empire had begun to flourish
as we see ;
And the Qin Dynasty for the first time united China ,
Building the first Great Wall to ward off the nomadic
hordes across their northern frontier .
Later the Han Dynasty overthrew the Qin, and slowly
spread China’s wings !
But being constantly harassed by the Xiongnu nomadic
raiders from the north-west , ( Tartars & Huns)
In 138 BC Han Emperor Wu, tried to forge a military
alliance with kingdoms on his West !
So he dispatched General Zhang Qian as his Envoy,
since he was the best !
Though General Zhang failed in his diplomatic mission ,
He brought back news of 36 commercially viable Western
Kingdoms, which could fulfill China’s economic ambition !
He also spoke of magnificent horses seen in the Valley of
Farghana , ( modern day Kyrgyzstan , Uzbekistan and
Tajikistan )
Which were far superior to those horses seen anywhere in
China !
Next followed two Han military expeditions successively ,
Which secured all the lands between China and the
Fargana Valley ;
And here commences my real Silk Road Story !
For the Han Emperors not only secured those great horses
and the foreign market goods ,
But also opened up the Historic Caravan Trade Routes !
So between 2nd century BC and the 14th century AD,
These routes commencing from Changan, the capital of
the Han and later Tang Dynasty ;
Connected the countries of Central Asian kingdoms of
Bkukhara , Samarkand , Persia , Syria and modern day
Turkey ;
Right up to the eastern port cities of the Mediterranean
Sea ,
And onwards in merchant ships to reach Rome and Egypt
bordering the Mediterranean Sea !
Origin Of The Name ‘Silk Road’ :
It was only in 1877, the German geographer Ferdinand von
Richthofen ,
Having traversed some of these routes like a curious Historian ;
Christened these multiple caravan routes as the ‘Silk Road’
collectively ,
Since silk was the most precious commodity carried in those
early days of history !
But besides silk many other items traveled between the
Orient and the West ;
Religion, technology, art and culture , along with new ideas
and knowledge, - were also exchanged ;
As we shall see during our journey through these routes , -
to satisfy our mental quest !
MULTIPLICITY OF TRADE ROUTES
Introduction :
The term ‘Silk Road’ embraced a multiplicity of caravan
routes ,
That carried precious cargoes of Chinese silk, jade, lacquer,
paper, gunpowder and porcelain goods !
These roads formed a fragile link connecting Imperial
China with the West ,
As pioneers of Global and International Trade at its best !
These multiple routes had passed through a landscape of
mysterious diversity ;
Through the Gobi and Taklamakan Desert, through Persia,
Afghanistan and Northern India, right up to the
Mediterranean Sea !
But traders did not travel all the 8000 miles of these routes ;
And in search for the best price for their goods, often sold
to different nationality or ethnic groups of Central Asia ;
Who would continue its passage along the East-West axis
right up to Persia !
The Persians connected with the Syrians, who connected
with the Greeks and the Jews , - supplying to the Romans !
But at each stage of transaction the value rose, as the
revised price tags always showed !
The Romans were crazy about Chinese silk, and their
nobility loved its silky feel !
Silk cloth in Rome was valued at 300 silver denari, which
was a Roman soldiers entire year’s salary !
And in the year 408 AD Alaric the Goth, in exchange for
gold, pepper, silver, and 4000 pounds of Chinese silk ;
Spared the sacking of Rome which he had besieged !
Northern and Southern Caravan Routes ( Silk Road)
Commencement of Routes :
History is to time, as Geography is to space; let me describe
this routes as we progress .
All routes originated from the capital in Changan , the
ancient capital of the Imperial Han .
It passed through the narrow and fertile Hexi Corridor
with its string of Oases ,
Under cover of the defensive walls built to protect their
Caravan trade !
China’s Great Wall had been destroyed , and also re-built
several times by her ruling dynasties ,
As per the threat perception accessed by their Emperors,
which becomes a separate Story !
Towards the south of the Hexi Corridor lies the high and
desolate Tibetan Plateau ;
And in the north the Gobi Desert and the grasslands of
Outer Mongolia , as any map would show !
Two Northern Routes :
This Hexi Corridor forked out at Anxi town, with a
Northen route through the ‘Jade Gate Pass’ to Hami and
Turpan ;
Going along the southern edge of the ‘Heavenly Mountains’
which the Chinese called the 'Tian Shan' ;
To join the Southern Route at the foothills of the Pamirs
at the fabled city of Kashgar !
Turpan north of Anxi was an oases city, known for its vine-
yards since the time of Han dynasty .
At Turpan the caravans had a further option of turning
North-West, passing through Urumqi into Kazakstan steppes ;
Skirting the northern fringes of Tian Shan, on to
Samarkand, Bukhara and Theran ;
All the way to Merv and Tabriz going south of the Caspian
Sea via Asia Minor, the present day Turkey ;
Right up to Constantinople, the ancient Byzantine capital
city !
Now at Anaxi, on the eastern side of the Taklamakan Desert ,
The merchants exchanged their horses, mules and wagons,
for sturdy Bactrian Camels ;
Only to exchange them back at Kashgar, with merchants
going eastward, through the same treacherous terrain !
These double-humped camels could carry 1000 pounds of
load and travel 30 miles a day ;
Drink-up 25 gallons at a single session, whenever an oases
came their way !
During a desert storm their double eye lashes acted like a
wind screen wiper ,
They could even shut their nostrils to survive such hostile
desert atmosphere !
The Southern Silk Route :
The Southern Route from Anaxi passed through Dunhuang
a garrisoned City, to protect the silk trade built by the Han
Dynasty .
This route skirted south of the Taklamakan Desert passing
through Khotan , to join the Northern Route at Kashgar .
Dunhuang lay on the eastern edge of the Taklamakan ;
‘Taklamakan’ in Turkic meant ‘The place of no return’!
It is the most arid of deserts 1000 km long and 400km wide ,
With the merciless sun raising the temperature to 50
degrees Celsius by day, while it cooled to minus 20 degrees
at night!
So the route had to fork out skirting around this Desert’s
northern and southern sides !
Kashgar at the Crossroads of Cenral Asia :
Kashgar, at an altitude of 4282 feet is China’s largest Oases
City, with some 2000 year’s of history, located strategically;
In the shadows of the Pamir Mountains commanding the access
to high glacial passes of the Silk Route to Central Asia !
This Pamir Region is also known as ‘The crossroads of
Central Asia’;
Where Asia’s highest mountain ranges from India, Afghanistan,
Pakistan, Soviet Union and China get “knotted together”;
The Himalayas, Hindu Kush, Karakoram ; with the Kunlun
and Tian Shan mountains of China ;
Creating the famous ‘Pamir Knot’ with which we are
familiar .
Here merchants from China and the West met to exchange
their merchandise, and also bargain for a fair price !
From the West came dates, saffron powder, and pistachio
nuts from Persia ;
Frankincense, aloes and myrrh from Somalia; sandalwood,
lotus, and the great Religion of Buddhism from Northern India!
Here they also exchanged their wooly Yaks and pack ponies, -
For sturdy camels for their onward journey towards ‘Cathay’,
The name given by Marco Polo to China in those ancient
days !
Routes Beyond Kashgar :
From Kashgar a primary route turned south across the
Kharakoram Range into Upper Indus region and the
Ganges Plains .
A southwestern route passed through the ‘Wakhan Corridor’
of the Pamir to Bactria in modern day Afghanistan, and
further to Merv at the eastern edge of Old Persian Empire!
Merv, an ancient oases Turkmen city, during 9th and 10th
Centuries ,was known as ‘The gateway to Central Asia’,
With caravans going eastwards to Samarkand via Bukhara !
The high mountain passes were accessible during the
Summer months mostly ,
While the choice of caravan routes depended on the political
situation, route safety, and availability of Oases mainly .
Buddhism Reaches China via the Silk Road :
Traditionally, during the expansion of the Kushan Empire
under Kanishka during the 1st and early 2nd century AD ;
They controlled the entire region of Bactria in the west, and
up to Sarnath near Varanasi in the Indian sub-continent ;
Stretching up to the Tarim Basin area in the East, adjoining
the Chinese territory ;
Which facilitated the travel of many Buddhist missionaries !
Soon Buddhism became China’s dominant religion, and
even saw ninety percent conversions !
During the 4th and 7th centuries monks Faxian and Xuanzang ,
Had traveled to India respectively, to collect original
scriptures and texts, which were later translated .
In the Cave Complex at Mogao, in China’s Gansu province ,
Are treasured valuable Buddhist art and sculptures for
the World to see !
But with the rise of Islam after the 7th century and its
spread up to the Tarim Basin region ,
Influence of Buddhism had gradually began to wane !
Silk Road Summary :
The Silk Road which was initiated by the Han Dynasty,
Is considered as General Zhang’s innovative legacy !
Under the Tang Dynasty (690-705AD) this route saw its
Golden Age, in respect of the Route’s expansion and the
volume of trade !
Later between the 9th and 10th centuries this Road saw a
period of deterioration ,
Until Kublai Khan during 13th Century reopened Silk Road’s
communications !
Kublai, the grandson of Genghis, established his glorious
Capital at Dadu , ( modern Beijing)
And became the first Emperor of the Mongol Yuan
Dynasty too !
By this time the faster maritime sea routes became more
economically viable for commerce and trade ;
And the Ming Dynasty closed the western land routes,
sealing our Silk Road’s fate !
Thanks dear Readers for taking this ride on the ‘Magic
Carpet of History’ ;
Through shifting sand dunes, wind scarred rocks, and
worn caravan routes, across many lost Civilizations
and Dynasties ;
As I now conclude my researched Silk Road Story !
- Raj Nandy , New Delhi
E-mail : rajnandy 21@yahoo.in
This is wondrous and profound. Frankly speaking I am always scared of reading long poems and this one took me almost 35 minutes . My driver covered distance from mehrauli to almost dwarka while i was soaked in this. Amazing collection of facts and rhythmic way of walking through historical corridors . Hats off to you sir .
I have an unstoppable thirst for facts and boy can you serve 'em up with the facts in Silk road...enjoyed reading it so much, something to go back to many times and you put them together interest the main draw card... Lovely Xmas to you and family...regards
very interesting poem raj !impressed with the last stanza of your story poem.thanks !i wouldn't have known about the silk roads,without reading this lovely work of yours !
Fascinating and so well done. Have you published a book? You should!
Nandi Sahab, I read many of your historical accounts. This is even more interesting..very well narrated. I wish you publish them all into a book. I will be the first man to buy...So informative so interesting......
Ah, those were the times - the marvelous days of the Silk Route...a brilliant poem, Raj - combining History and poetry...
Raj, thanks for this fascinating ride on the magic carpet of history. as you say 'HISTORY IS TO TIME AS GEOGRAPHY IS TO SPACE'. I am always captivated by these historical trips down the ages I take with you. Although it is evident you work hard, but the flow is smooth like silk. thanks Raj
A journey through dream. Appreciate your history reading patience and a creative fascination to the past. Just feel while reading, a poet brings us to a journey penetrating through the mist of time we left behind, or time has thrown us out. Beautiful your perseverance of history reading...Thank you poet, you have opened a route to us to make our dream fly on silky zone. Regards, pranab
I am grateful to all my readers who have taken the pains to read & comment , and show their keeness to know the lesser know facts of History in simple verse ! Thanks , -Raj
You really do outstanding research...What a marvelous journey you took me on down the Silk Road...You always make me smile with these treasures you present to us...You are a gift, so much appreciated...! Dorothy Singing Still
Raj...Here I am again, reading your beautiful work in separate sessions...I hope you won't mind...Your writings are priceless in every way. Dorothy A Poet Who Loves To Sing
thank you again for sharing this... somehow your written works give more knowledge to your readers in unique poetic ways... keep it up, sir!
I'm awesomely just blown away by this fantastic info filled- write...so very interesting.. thank you Raj for this "magic carpet ride" through history...so enjoyed..a brilliant piece !
Exquisite artistry ! ! Music in these word's flowing with a scent of orient ! A Valuable read
Thanks for taking me on a fascinating intellectual journey through the Silk Road. Writing on history and geography themes is not so easy and calls for indepth research and analysis which you have painstakingly done. Then comes the challenge of presenting it in a reader-friendly and interesting manner which you have mastered as we can see from many of your compositions on such themes. To top it all, you have even used rhyme in this piece as in many others. It has always been a pleasure to read your written work.
Modern Day Travel through the Ancient Silk Road ! Some portions of this ancient Silk Road can still be traveled by Train , as well by deluxe Buses - as conducted tours by a few Travel Agencies - who regularly advertise on the Inter-net too ! Many of these ancient sites are being protected by the UNESCO as World Heritage Sites ! For example the Ancient Cave Buddhist Temples at Dunhuang in the old Gansu province of China ! The initial portions of China's Great Wall itself also forms a part of this Silk Road ; which becomes a separate Story , as mentioned in my above verse already ! In fact the entire Wall has now become a Heritage Site ! Thanks for your kind comments my Friends . - Raj
What an enjoyable ride through the history of the silk road, it makes fascinating reading Raj, i have enjoyed all your writes back into history and feel rewarded by reading them, thank you.
raj ji.. can we travel through silk route now-a-days?
Raj..you took me to a journey in my most loved ancient Road..what a brilliant piece u wrote on the Silk road..amazing details and touch of a great writer..and one more thing..we share same taste..after a long time I found someone who also gets mesmerise by history like me..can we be frndz..r u on FB?
Your zest and enthusiasm to dig deep into history to mine out precious information and to make a garland out of them is really commendable...great work
As usual, a great blending of poetry and history....
In your magnificent poem I see the journey of the silk road? I admire your real capability of the History............You're a great Historian as same as a Human being! This unending road I wish you a long life to conclude the story of Man & Woman ........if possible the invisible God too?
What a revelation and bridge of learning is this account of the Silk Road - the research is of itself a task of immense effort dear Raj - and I thank you most humbly for drawing my attention to this fabulous Magic Carpet Ride which I would have been so sorry to miss - - the history of such routes is filled in with your superb ability to teach with rhyme. A masterful piece of interesting yet simplified walk through time on this trip to the wonderful Silk Road with you my friend. Bookmarked for sure.
Yes, you are correct about Silk Road. I have read it too. There are lots of History on Silk Road still living. Thanks for sharing with us. A good informative work.
elegant and informative work Raj... I always thought "silk road was just one road. Farghana valley, How i would have loved to be there. so many civilizations they have their time and disappear into history, yet leave traces that bind humanity together.
Great work! It was really nice knowing about the story of the Silk Road.