1. The Ancient Silk Road

2. The Great Wall of China

3. Beijing

4. Camel caravans beginning in Beijing

5. The Caravan leaves from the Gates of Old Beijing

6. A young explorer today.

7. Leaving the Ming Great Wall

8. Following along the banks of the Yellow River

9. Terraced fields along the Yellow River

10. Passing the walls of a northern village

11. Farmers plowing the field with an oxen

12. The walled city of Xian near the ancient capitol of Changan

13. The Wild Goose Pagoda which was built to house the sutras brought by Xuanzang

14. A Tibetan pecha (sacred book) containing sutras

15. Buddhism was brought along the Silk Road

16. The Buddhist church grew powerful during the Tang but was later suppressed.

17. “The Clean and Pure” Religion, Islam, also came along the Silk Road

18. Both Judaism and Islam came along the Silk Road and were called the same name because of their dietary proscriptions

19. A mosque in Xian

20. The clocks mark the hours for prayer

21. Nestorian Christianity also came along the Silk Road

22. Cultural and artistic exchanges occurred.

23. Ideas weigh nothing, but what other objects came along the road. Was weight an issue?

24. China invented porcelain which was highly valued, but heavy and fragile

25. Silk robe with gold threads

27. Tang dynasty ladies.

28. Silk worms

32. Boiling the silk worm cocoons

34. Tea was also grown in China and traded along the Silk Road

35. Mongols

38. Even women played polo during the Tang period.

39. Tibetans ruled areas of China along the Silk Road

40. The Jade Gate

41. Dunhuang

43. Merchants were depicted in murals at Dunhuang

44. Abandoned cities along the Silk Road. Why?

45. Uighur mother and child under grape arbor.

46. Rock sugar in the market in Kashgar.

48. Nan bread in the ovens in Kashgar.

49. Uighur women were known for their beauty.

50. Uighur house.

51. Mosque

52. Uighur family sitting on a kang (heated bed)

53. Tomb of Uighur princess.

54. Minaret for the call to prayer.

55. White jade was an important trade item.

56. A bazaar.

57. Samarkand, the city of blue tiles.

59. Music and dance travelled along the Silk Road.

61. Silk was rewoven in Central Asian tribal patterns.

63. Exchange was two way. A Persian mythological being depicted in porcelain.

64. Even the lion image and lion dance were brought from Persia.

65. Cultures can cooperate in exchange or fight. The Silk Road disappeared

66. As only a memory.