Bactrian Camel Caravan Transport

Timeline

1. 1371–1373Bukhara–Samarkand trade route · TransoxianaBetween the oasis cities of Transoxiana, caravans of Bactrian camels each carried hundreds of jin of goods across arid terrain. Caravans departed by season, changing fodder and water at relay stations and caravanserais along the way, with drovers ordering the train according to the animals' strength, forming the basic transport unit of fourteenth-century Central Asian inland trade.
2. 1374–1377Samarkand · SamarkandAfter consolidating power, Timur reformed trade-route tariffs and relay stations, encouraging merchant traffic to fill the treasury. Bactrian camel caravans carried silk, carpets, metalware, and livestock in and out of Samarkand; the city markets depended on camel-borne supplies, and trade taxes became an important source of imperial revenue.
3. 1378–1380Khorasan–Tabriz trade route · IranIn the late 1370s Timur's power pushed into Persia, and camel caravan routes extended westward accordingly, linking trade hubs such as Tabriz. Bactrian camels maintained transport capacity in highland winters and desert summers alike, keeping goods flowing during imperial expansion and supporting military and civilian supply.