Silk Road Trade Network

Timeline

1. c. -200–300Tarim Basin—Pamirs—Bactria · Tarim BasinAfter Zhang Qian's missions to the Western Regions, envoys and caravans traveled frequently between the Central Plains, Central Asia, and South Asia; oasis city-states and steppe routes formed the early main trunk of the Silk Road, with silk, horses, and gemstones as signature exchange goods.
2. c. 700–1000Samarkand · TransoxianaAfter the Islamic conquests, Transoxianan cities such as Samarkand and Bukhara became distribution centers linking the Persian Gulf, India, and East Asia; merchants, scholars, and artisans moved along the trade routes, promoting the development of cross-regional currency and credit practices.
3. c. 1011–1020Trade route nodes in Transoxiana · TransoxianaAfter the fall of the Samanids, Karakhanid and Seljuk forces intervened in Central Asia, yet Silk Road trade was not interrupted; caravans still transshipped Chinese porcelain, Central Asian horses, and West Asian textiles through Transoxiana, and urban commercial networks showed resilience amid political fragmentation.
4. c. 1250–1500Combined steppe–oasis corridors of Eurasia · Central AsiaAfter the Mongol Empire established the relay system (yam), overland traffic became unprecedentedly smooth; but after the 15th century, maritime spice routes rose, and the traditional overland Silk Road trunk gradually lost its commercial preeminence, though some branch routes still sustained regional trade.