1. Traveling the Silk Road
A Journey from Chang’an to Antioch
World Studies A

2. By Gabe Castagna and Connor Bitterman
Chang'an To Dunhuang
By Gabe Castagna and Connor Bitterman

3. Chang’an
Chang’an was the greatest city in the world during most of the of the first millennium CE.
The city’s bell tower marks symbolically the start of the Silk Road.
It was constructed by the
Qin dynasty to serve as their
capital, under the rule of
Wu Di. It was under his rule that
missions on the silk road began.

4. Dunhuang
Dunhuang, which is an oasis and a stopping point for travelers on the Silk Road, gets water from the melted snow of the Qilian Mountains.
It is the home of the Mogao Grottoes, or the 1,000-Buddha Caves.
In 111 A.D., the Imperial Court set up Dunhuang and made it into a successful town.

5. The Mogao Grottoes
They are the largest, best preserved, and richest area of Buddhist art on Earth.
The first cave was chiseled in 366 A.D. by a monk named Yeu Seng.
492 of the carved caves still stand today, holding 30 Km. of murals and about 2,100 carvings.

6. Dunhuang To Kashgar Southern Route
Tanya Bush and Maria Chaves

7. Taklamakan Desert
-Climate, lack of water and distance made the taklamakan desert hard to travel.
Travelers of the silk road had to stop at oasis towns to refuel because of lack of recourses.
- Desert was crossed at its northern and at its southern border by two parts of the Silk Road. Was located in Central Asia.

8. Kashgar (Northern Route)
Oasis Market Town
Western Corner of the Taklamakan desert
Attracted different kinds of settlers from all across the Silk Road

9. Dunhuang to Kashgar (Northern Route)

10. Tian Shan Mountain Range
Surface temperature: could reach up to 176°F- hotter than a desert
“Flaming Mountains”: part of Tian Shan that is a vivid red colour
Traveled the foothills: over 600 miles
Climate: -4° to 27°C

11. The production of fine grapes
Turfan: A Desert Oasis
Bountiful farming oasis in the Tian Shan mountains
Situated on the Northern Route from Dunhuang to Kashgar between two deserts
Intriguing sites near by
“Flaming Mountains”
Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves
Biggest and nicest along Northern route
Special irrigation system that uses the Tian Shan mountains
Exporter of fine grapes
By Rory Finnegan
Flaming Mountains
The production of fine grapes

15. 5e

16. Lexie

17. The ancient city of Merv
Merv is the oldest and one of the most preserved oasis cities on the Silk Road.
The unpredictable weather was a great factor when traveling.
Merv hosted worship sites for several different religions (packet) but the main religion was Zoroastrianism.

18. The Karakum Desert
It was the only way to get the Merv on the Silk Road.
The Karakum Desert is harsh and dry.
Although it’s conditions were not as rough as the Taklamakan Desert.

19. Zagros Mountains Located in modern-day Iran and Iraq
Laid between the important Silk Road cities of Merv and Palmyra
Location of the Persian Royal Road
10,000-18,000 feet in height
Travelers at risk of frostbite, snowstorms, and rockslides.

20. Baghdad Located near the Tigris and Euphrates River
Varied geography: deserts, highlands, steppes
Was a link, on the silk road, between the European and Asian World

21. Antioch Mid-point for silk road travelers Between Europe and Asia.
Located in Syria, on the Mediterranean
Sea.
Stopping point for Chinese travelers
from Chang-an.
Orontes River