Can you safely travel the silk route?
Looking at Marco polo's silk route
Noticing it goes through Syria, Israel, and Afghanistan, I was wondering if there is the possibility to travel the silk road like Marco Polo, by avoiding war zones.
Best Answer
"Silk Road" is not the name of one road, but the name of a trade route. The exact course of the route has changed throughout the last millenia, there has always been many alternatives and the map you're posting shows only some of the roads actually used.
Marco Polo's route is pretty well known, but his land route does not seem to correspond well to the map you've posted. Marco Polo's route went through Afghanistan, so if you intend to follow exactly his route, it is of course impossible to avoid Afghanistan.
If you just want to follow any route, which could have been used for the Silk Road trade, it is relatively trivial to avoid Afghanistan and either go south through Pakistan or north through Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
Starting in Europe (Istanbul), you can continue through Iran and Pakistan and already be at the Pakistani-Chinese border.
Pictures about "Can you safely travel the silk route?"
What were the dangers of traveling along the Silk Road?
It was incredibly dangerous to travel along the Silk Road. You faced desolate white-hot sand dunes in the desert, forbidding mountains, brutal winds, and poisonous snakes. There was one nice section, called the Gansu Corridor, a relatively fertile strip that ran along the base of one of the mountains.How do people travel on the Silk Road?
The traders themselves journeyed in groups \u2013 sometimes containing hundreds of people \u2013 riding on camels or horses or occasionally travelling by foot. Some items were also carried by sea, as maritime Silk Roads developed.How long would it take to travel the Silk Road one way?
How long did it take to travel the ancient Silk Road? A round-trip journey taken in ancient times along the Silk Road from China to Rome took two years.Why traveling on the Silk Road was difficult?
Moving trade goods along the ancient Silk Roads was made difficult by the fierce climatic and geographical conditions of desert and mountain regions along vast distances.Travelling the Silk Road - A practical guide
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