Silk Road Trade Network Prosperity (Early 14th Century)

Timeline

1. 1301–1310Hexi Corridor · Hexi CorridorAround 1301, the Yuan dynasty's relay-station system and maritime trade office administration kept westbound routes from Dadu open. Key Hexi Corridor towns such as Dunhuang, Jiuquan, and Zhangye supplied and cleared east–west merchants, and silk, porcelain, and tea shipped westward from here.
2. 1301–1310Kashgar · Southern Tianshan routeThe Chagatai Khanate controlled the northern and southern Tianshan routes, with cities like Kashgar and Otrar serving as Central Asian trade hubs. Muslim merchant guilds, Chinese itinerant traders, and steppe envoys converged here, transshipping silk and porcelain from East Asia and spices and gems from West Asia.
3. 1301–1320Tabriz · IranThe Ilkhanate capital Tabriz was the trade center of West Asia, where Venetian and Genoese merchants established trading houses to connect with eastern caravans. The Ilkhanate imitated Yuan currency practices and protected transit caravans, bringing Eurasian trade to its peak in the early 14th century.