Silk Road

Historical network of Eurasian trade routes

Follow Silk Road on Notably News to receive short updates to your email — rarely!

We include updates on Buddhas of Bamiyan, Sogdia, Caravanserai, Sericulture, Black Sea slave trade, History of Baghdad, Kumārajīva, Ferdinand von Richthofen, Buddhism in Central Asia, Economy of the Han dynasty, Tang campaigns against the Western Turks, Bukhara slave trade, Zemarchus, Sampul tapestry, Maes Titianus, Katarina Vilioni ... and more.

November 3 2024
International Association for the Study of Silk Road Textiles
8th IASSRT conference 'Textiles Trails: Legacies of the Silk Roads in Southeast Asia' to be held in Vientiane, Laos from November 3-6.
2023 UNESCO adds the Zarafshan-Karakum Corridor to the World Heritage Site list.
October 15 2023
International Association for the Study of Silk Road Textiles
7th IASSRT conference 'Reconnections along the Silk Road: Restoring and Reconstructing Textiles from Afar' held at the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, UEA, Norwich, UK from October 15-18.
February 2023
Buddhas of Bamiyan
UNESCO's restoration work resumed when the Italian government approved new funding for the Bamiyan site.
2022
Buddhas of Bamiyan
An Indian film 'Ram Setu' dramatized the destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan, featuring a fictional archaeological discovery at the site.
2022
Maritime Silk Road
Chirikure labels the western leg of the Maritime Silk Road trade route as the 'Maritime Ivory Route', highlighting the significant export of ivory from east Africa through overland trade routes.
October 20 2022
International Association for the Study of Silk Road Textiles
6th IASSRT conference 'Silk Road Textiles under the Microscope' held as an online conference with tours in Hangzhou, Beijing, Bangkok, and New York from October 20-21.
2021
Buddhas of Bamiyan
After the Taliban's return to power, tourists were granted permission to visit the Bamiyan site, though UNESCO's preservation work was indefinitely suspended.
November 15 2021
International Association for the Study of Silk Road Textiles
5th IASSRT annual conference 'Textiles on the Silk Roads: from Medieval to Industrial Periods' held in Trento, Italy from November 15-16.
July 2021
Baghdad
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant suicide bombers killed 35 people in Baghdad.
April 2021
Baghdad
82 people died due to a hospital fire in Baghdad.
January 2021
Baghdad
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant suicide bombers killed 32 people in Baghdad.
June 19 2020 The China National Silk Museum announced and began 'Silk Road Week', a commemorative event running from 19-25 June to celebrate the Silk Road's UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
2019
International Association for the Study of Silk Road Textiles
IASSRT and the Committee of Silk Road Museums of ICOM China proposed establishing an annual 'Silk Road Week'.
October 2019
International Association for the Study of Silk Road Textiles
4th IASSRT annual conference 'Textiles as a historical source' held in Kislovodsk, Russia.
November 2018
International Association for the Study of Silk Road Textiles
3rd IASSRT annual conference 'Silk Road Textiles: Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage' held at Korea National University of Cultural Heritage.
November 2017
International Association for the Study of Silk Road Textiles
2nd IASSRT annual conference 'Dialogue with Silk between Europe and Asia: History, Technology and Art' held at Musee Gadagne in Lyon, France.
October 2016
International Association for the Study of Silk Road Textiles
1st IASSRT annual conference 'Silks from the Silk Road: Origin, Transmission and Exchange' held at the China National Silk Museum in Hangzhou, China.
2015
Buddhas of Bamiyan
Chinese philanthropists Janson Hu and Liyan Yu financed a large 3D light projection of the larger Buddha (Solsol) in its original niche, later donating their $120,000 projector to Afghanistan's culture ministry.
2015
Buddhas of Bamiyan
Pop singer Aryana Sayeed shot the music video for her hit song 'Yaar-e Bamyani' at the ruins of the Buddhas of Bamiyan.
June 22 2014 UNESCO named the Silk Road a World Heritage Site during the 2014 Conference on World Heritage.
2013
Buddhas of Bamiyan
The German branch of ICOMOS rebuilt the foot section of the smaller Buddha using iron rods, bricks, and concrete. UNESCO halted further construction due to lack of approval and deviation from original reconstruction policies.
2012
Buddhas of Bamiyan
Rajesh Talwar published a novel titled 'An Afghan Winter' exploring the destruction of the Buddhas and its impact on the global Buddhist community.

This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles International Association for the Study of Silk Road Textiles, Silk Road transmission of Buddhism, History of Baghdad, Andin: Armenian Journey Chronicles, The Silk Roads, Maritime Silk Road, Silk Road & Buddhas of Bamiyan, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

See Also