Silk Road in the Mongol Era

Timeline

1. 1206–1230Mongolian Plateau · Mongolian PlateauGenghis Khan and his successors conquered Central Asia and northern China, abolished fragmented tariffs, protected merchants, and incorporated scattered Silk Road branches into the imperial postal relay system, rebuilding political security for transcontinental trade.
2. 1241–1250Central Asia · Central AsiaIn the 1240s, with the Mongol Empire's western conquests complete and its territory spanning Eurasia, merchants holding passports (paiza) could travel from Dadu and Samarkand to Persia and the Black Sea; silk, porcelain, furs, and currency circulated in large volumes overland, making this one of the most open periods in the route's history.
3. 1250–1300Eurasian continent · EurasiaFrom Möngke Khan to Kublai Khan's era, the khanates coexisted while maintaining postal cooperation; the Ilkhanate, Chagatai Khanate, and Yuan dynasty each controlled the western, Central Asian, and eastern sections of the Silk Road, allowing European Franciscan missionaries and merchants to travel back and forth to East Asia.
4. 1301–1401Central Asia · Central AsiaAfter the empire split, wars among the khanates were frequent; in the 14th century the Black Death spread along the trade routes, overland trade security and volume declined markedly, and the maritime Silk Road rose in relative importance.