Cities along the Silk Road
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This articles lists cities located along the Silk Road. The Silk Road was a network of ancient trade routes which connected Europe with the Far East, spanning from the Mediterranean Sea to the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
The Silk Road's eastern end is in present-day China, and its main western end is Antioch. The Silk Road started about the time of the Han Dynasty, when Emperor Wu was ruling.[citation needed]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Transasia_trade_routes_1stC_CE_gr2.png/220px-Transasia_trade_routes_1stC_CE_gr2.png)
Along the terrestrial/land Silk Roads[]
Major cities, broadly from the eastern Mediterranean to South Asia, and arranged roughly west to east in each area by modern-day country
The Silk Roads across the Middle East and Western Asia[]
Turkey
- Constantinople, ancient Byzantium, (now Istanbul)
- Bursa
- Beypazarı
- Mudurnu
- Taraklı
- Konya
- Adana
- Antioch
- Izmir
- Trabzon
Azerbaijan
Georgia
- Tbilisi (Tiflis)
- Batumi (Batoum)
- Poti
Armenia
- Yerevan
Lebanon
Syria
Iraq
Iran
- Tabriz
- Zanjan
- Rasht
- Kermanshah
- Hamadan
- Rey (or Ray in modern-day Tehran)
- Hecatompylos (Damghan)
- Sabzevar
- Nishapur
- Mashhad
- Tus
- Bam
- Yazd
- Qazvin
- Qumis (Hekatompylos)
Central Asia[]
Turkmenistan
- Bukhara
- Shahrisabz
- Samarkand
- Tashkent
- Kokand (Fergana Valley)
- Andijon (Fergana Valley)
Tajikistan
Kazakhstan
- Otrar
- Ispidjab (or Sairum)
- Taraz
- Hazrat-e Turkestan
- Almaty
Southern Routes and South Asia[]
Afghanistan
- Bactra (Balkh)
- Herat
- Alexandria Arachosia (Kandahar)
- Bamyan
- Kabul
Pakistan
- Purusapura
- Pushkalavati
- Takshashila
- Multan
- Banbhore/Barbarikon
- Debal/Patala
India
- Tamralipta (or Tamluk)
- Leh
- Jaisalmer
- Mathura
- Varanasi (or Benares)
- Pataliputra
Bangladesh
- Wari-Bateshwar
- Pundranagara
- Vikrampura
- Somapura
- Bhitargarh
- Sonargaon
- Chattagram/Chatgaon/Chittagong
- Comilla/Mainamati/Samatata
- Jahangir Nagar/Dhaka
Bhutan
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/CEM-36-NW-corner.jpg/220px-CEM-36-NW-corner.jpg)
China: The northern route along the Taklamakan Desert[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Map_of_eastern_Xinjiang_1939_with_prehistoric_sites_and_the_courses_of_the_Silk_Roads.jpg/220px-Map_of_eastern_Xinjiang_1939_with_prehistoric_sites_and_the_courses_of_the_Silk_Roads.jpg)
- Kashgar (or Kashi) (Major City)
- Liqian
- Aksu
- Kucha
- Korla
- Loulan
- Karasahr (Yanqi)
- Turpan (Turfan)
- Jiaohe Ruins
- Turpan Water Museum
- Gaochang
- the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves
- Chang'an
- Kumul/Hami
- Ürümqi
- Yumen Pass (or Jade Gate or Pass of the Jade Gate) (city called Yumenguan or Hecang)
- Anxi
China: The southern route along the Taklamakan Desert[]
- Kashgar (or Kashi) (Major City)
- Yarkand
- Pishan
- Khotan
- Niya
- Mingfeng
- Endere
- Charchan
- Waxxari
- Ruoqiang Town (Charklik)
- Miran
- Yangguan, or Yangguan Pass
- Dunhuang
- the Mogao Caves
- Anxi
China: From Anxi/Dunhuang to Chang'an (Xi'an)[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Summer_Vacation_2007%2C_263%2C_Watchtower_In_The_Morning_Light%2C_Dunhuang%2C_Gansu_Province.jpg/220px-Summer_Vacation_2007%2C_263%2C_Watchtower_In_The_Morning_Light%2C_Dunhuang%2C_Gansu_Province.jpg)
- Dunhuang (Major City)
- Jiayuguan
- Jiuquan
- Zhangye
- Shandan
- Liangzhou (Wuwei)
- Tianzhu, Gansu
- Lanzhou
- Tianshui
- Baoji
- Chang'an (modern-day Xi'an)
The eastern routes[]
Japan
- Nara
- Fukuoka
- Nagasaki
- Osaka
Along the Indian Ocean trade routes[]
Pakistan
China
- Ningbo, China
- Fuzhou, China
- Quanzhou, China
- Guangzhou, China
- Ulsan, Korea
Bangladesh
- Chittagong, Bangladesh
Sri Lanka
- Colombo, Sri Lanka
India
- Tamralipta, West Bengal, India
- Poompuhar, Tamil Nadu, India
- Madras, Tamil Nadu, India
- Korkai, Tamil Nadu, India
- Muziris, Kerala, India
- Goa, India
- Mumbai, India
- Cochin, India
- Masulipatnam, India
- Lothal, India
Ukraine
Sudak, Ukraine
Oman
- Muscat, Oman
Yemen
- Aden, Yemen
- Bosaso, Somalia
Egypt
- Suez, Egypt
Turkey
- Ayas, Turkey
Italy
- Venice, Italy
- Rome, Italy
In Southeast Asia[]
- Kedah (Early history of Kedah)
- Ligor
- Bolinao, Pangasinan, Philippines
- Malacca
- Muziris, India
- Vijaya, Champa
- Hanoi, Vietnam
- Hoi An, Vietnam
- Perlak, Indonesia
List of Ptolemy[]
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This following list is attributed to Ptolemy. All city names are Ptolemy's, throughout all his works. Most of the names are included in Geographia.
Some of the cities provided by Ptolemy either: no longer exist today or have moved to different locations. Nevertheless, Ptolemy has provided an important historical reference for researchers.
(This list has been alphabetized.)
- Africa
- East Africa - Akhmim, Aromaton Emporion, Axum, , Dongola, Juba, Maji, Opone, Panopolis, Sarapion, Sennar.
- North Africa - Caesarea, Carthage, Cyrene, Leptis Magna, Murzuk, Sijilmassa, Tamanrasset, Tingis.
- Arabia - Cane, Eudaemon Arabia, Mocha, Mosylon, Sanaʽa, Zafār (Saphar), Saue.
- Bangladesh - Sounagaora.
- China - Cattigara, Chengdu, Kaifeng, Kitai, Kunming, Yarkand.
- Europe - Aquileia, Athens, Augusta Treverorum (Trier), Gades (Cadiz), Ostia.
- India - , , , , Barake, Byzantion, , , , Kalliena, , , Muziris, korkai, Poompuhar, Naura, Nelcynda, (Paithan), , , , , , Suppara (Nalasopara), Tagara, .
- Pakistan - Barbaricum, Peshawer, Taxilla
- Persia - Alexandria Areion, Kandahar, Persepolis.
- Persian Gulf - Apologos, , Charax, Gerrha (or Gerra), .
- Red Sea - Adulis, , Berenica, Malao, ancient Berbera, Muza, Myos Hormos, , Ptolemais Theron.
- Southeast Asia - Kattigara (Oc Eo), Thaton, Trang.
- Unknown - Ecbatana (located in either modern Iran or Syria), .
References[]
- Lists of cities in Asia
- Populated places along the Silk Road