Flourishing Silk Road Trade in the 1070s

Timeline

1. 1071–1075Samarkand and Bukhara · TransoxianaSamarkand and Bukhara under the Western Karakhanids maintained prosperous markets, with Persian and Arab merchants transshipping Chinese silk, Indian spices, and steppe livestock. Islamic law and customary law jointly regulated commercial contracts and tariff collection, and descendants of Sogdian merchants remained active in long-distance trade.
2. 1073–1078Kashgar-Gaochang-Ganzhou trade route · Western RegionsKashgar of the Eastern Karakhanids, Gaozhou of the Uyghur Kingdom of Gaochang, and Zhangye of the Ganzhou Uyghurs formed a north-south trade route along the Tianshan, connecting the markets of the Northern Song and Liao dynasties. Merchants had to pay transit taxes and obtain travel permits, while Buddhist monasteries and caravan inns provided supplies along the journey.
3. 1075–1080Steppe trade route from the Volga to the Syr Darya · steppe zoneThe westward migration of the Kipchak tribes drove the expansion of steppe nomadic trade routes, with furs, slaves, and horses transshipped via the lower Volga to Black Sea ports and Central Asian oases. The complementarity of nomadic and settled economies formed a mutually reinforcing network between the northern Silk Road route and the steppe route.