Land

The Silk Road is not only a place, but space and environment have been crucial to structuring the thousands of years of exchanges that collectively make up the Silk Road. This map includes a satellite image of all of Eurasia, with its deserts, high mountains, tundra, and temperate forests. The often harsh environments of Eurasia funneled pre-modern travelers through the same passes and oases over thousands of years. This map includes a detailed look at one such pass in Northwest China, through photographs and spatial data provided by Professor Dru Gladney.

Land - Interactive Java TimeMap
Interactive map featuring topography and photographs of some Silk Road regions. Images are from both the beginning and the end of the 20th century.

Images of the Silk Road, Dru Gladney, University of Hawaii
Images from a 2001 expedition through mountain regions of China and Pakistan.

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