The Road Always Taken:
I like history. I like Business. Lastly I also like Travel and Culture. When I was small in 6th or 7th grade, my teacher told me about the ancient Silk Route. She told me how it connected the world, how it connected the east to west. the oriental or the occidental. I was amazed. Well that was then. I wandered about it but over the time I forgot.
However now, after turning older, travelling to few countries both in East & the West, my interest in Silk Route has been reignited. Not many people might know about it. So let me first explain the ancient Silk Route- (From Internet)
The Silk Road was and is a network of trade routes connecting the East and West, and was central to the economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between these regions from the 2nd century BCE to the 18th century. The Silk Road primarily refers to the land but also sea routes connecting East Asia and Southeast Asia with South Asia, Persia, the Arabian Peninsula, East Africa and Southern Europe.
The Silk Road derives its name from the lucrative trade in silk carried out along its length, beginning in the Han dynasty in China (207 BCE–220 CE). The Han dynasty expanded the Central Asian section of the trade routes around 114 BCE through the missions and explorations of the Chinese imperial envoy Zhang Qian, as well as several military conquests. The Chinese took great interest in the security of their trade products, and extended the Great Wall of China to ensure the protection of the trade route. Read more here- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road
In fact the Silk Road/Route was not just one definitive path, but an array and network of roadways and seaways which crisscrossed each other and connected far east to far west, merging at the common hubs of Central Asia, Africa and Mediterranean Europe.
The Silk Roads have existed for thousands of years, passing through many different empires, kingdoms, and societies throughout history. At certain times during their long history, traders could travel freely along these routes, whereas at others, travel was difficult, dangerous, or prohibited.
The Silk Roads enriched the countries it passed through, transporting cultures, religions, languages and of course material goods into societies across Europe, Asia and Africa, and uniting them with a common thread of cultural heritage and pluralistic identities. Today there are over 40 countries along the historic land and maritime Silk Roads, all still bearing witness to the impact of these routes on their culture, traditions and customs.
Revisiting the Past:
To be continued