Silk Road in the 13th Century

Timeline

1. c. 1206–1260Mongolian Plateau-Central Asian steppe · Mongolian PlateauAfter Genghis Khan unified the steppe tribes, he abolished separatist tolls and instituted the yam postal relay system and caravan protection, reconnecting the traditional oasis-steppe trade routes under the empire's military order and laying the foundation for the 13th-century Eurasian trade peak.
2. c. 1260–1300Samarkand-Tabriz-Dadu corridor · SamarkandKublai Khan and Hulegu's khanate maintained diplomatic and trade contacts; Persian Gulf ports were linked to East Asia via overland relay, and travelers such as Marco Polo and Rabban Bar Sauma traveled this network, with silk, porcelain, spices, and silver coins forming a cross-civilizational circulation chain.
3. c. 1300–1400Various segments of the Eurasian overland routes · EurasiaThe fragmentation of the Ilkhanate, internal strife in the Chagatai Khanate, and the impact of the Black Death weakened the steppe postal relay system, while Indian Ocean-Red Sea maritime routes rose; the overland Silk Road declined relatively in the later 14th century, though Central Asian oasis cities still maintained regional trade functions.