Stop 1 · China
Xi'an
As Chang'an, this was where the Silk Road began. The Terracotta Army — 8,000 unique clay soldiers — has guarded Qin Shi Huang's tomb since 210 BC.
Stops along the Silk Road
From an ancient Chinese capital to a lagoon city in Italy, today's journey follows the caravan routes that carried silk, paper and ideas west for a thousand years.
The five stops
Stop 2 · China
Dunhuang
The Mogao Caves hold 45,000 square metres of Buddhist murals painted over ten centuries — the great art gallery of the Silk Road.
Stop 3 · China
Kashgar
Where the Taklamakan's northern and southern routes met, Kashgar's Sunday bazaar is one of Asia's oldest continuously running markets.
Stop 4 · Uzbekistan
Samarkand
The Registan's three tiled madrasahs form perhaps the greatest square in Central Asia. Timur's tomb, the Gur-e-Amir, inspired the Taj Mahal's builders.
Stop 5 · Italy
Venice
Marco Polo's account of his journey to Kublai Khan's court made Venice the imagination's gateway to the Silk Road — and its wealth was built on that trade.
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