Beginnings
Precursors of the Silk Road
Nomads
The Kushans
China
The introduction of Buddhism to China
Luoyang
Changan (Xian)
The Silk Road between Xian and DUnhuang
The route west from Xian
The Silk Road through China beyond Dunhuang
The northern Silk Road
The southern Silk Road
The Silk Road between China and India
The Silk Road through Central Asia
Silk Road sites in southern Central Asia
The coming of Islam to Central Asia
The Mongols
Tamerlane (Timur) and the Timurids
Silk Road sites between Balkh and Nisa
The route north from Merv to Khorezm
The routes north from the Iron Gate Pass
The routes to the northwest from Bukhara to Khorezm
Silk Road sites around Samarkand
The Silk Road between Samarkand and China
Persia and beyond
Parthians and Sasanians
The main east-west Silk Road across Iran
The Ray-Tabriz Road
The Ray-Hamadan Road
The Silk Road through Iraq
Silk Road sites of Syria and Lebanon
The Silk Road through Turkey
All roads lead to Rome
The end of the world : the Silk Road in decline
Chronologies
Glossary.