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Silk Road Caravans in the 16th Century

Type Object Region Central Asia Time 1591–1600

A mixed camel-horse caravan transport system in 16th-century Central Asian overland trade, crossing the Tarim Basin and Fergana along oasis city chai…

Timeline

  1. 1591–1594Kokand · UzbekistanCaravans assembled in Fergana cities such as Kokand and Andijan, loading cloth, horses, and metal vessels on camels; after complying with local khanate tariffs and guard systems, they headed east into the Tarim or west to Samarkand.
  2. 1594–1597Kashgar · KashgarCaravans crossed the Tarim Basin along the oasis chain on the southern Tianshan foothills, changing camels, resupplying, and paying transit taxes in places such as Kashgar and Yarkand, intersecting with the Yarkand Khanate and the Ming dynasty's northwestern frontier trade system.
  3. 1597–1600Samarkand · SamarkandUpon reaching Samarkand, caravan goods were distributed westward to Persia and the Ottomans, southward to India, or north back to the steppe; in the late 1590s silver and horse trade at this hub remained substantial, with the caravan system and relay network maintaining stable operations.

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