The silk fabric fascinated even the ancient civilizations. It was considered to be a valuable commodity and China was the main producer of the finest silks. The fascination to have silk fabrics enticed people from Europe and central Asia to travel great distances along the Silk Road. The route existed even before the time of Alexander the Great. But it expanded and became more prominent during his reign. Silk connected people of different cultures and even facilitated transfer of culture and religion.

The Silk Routes started from Changan, a city in north China and the then capital of the country. It spread across the province of Gansu and reached Dunhuang on the edge of the desert Taklamakan, characterized by extreme temperatures and harsh conditions. Very few oases dotted the desert area then and travelers preferred to circumvent it altogether. From Dunhuang, the trade route spread to Kashgar, at the foot of the Pamirs. There were branches of the route that carried pure silk in to the Indian continent, stretched to the Mediterranean, and into Africa.

The Silk Road stretched over such a long distance and over such difficult terrains that it was not possible for any one trader to cover the entire length for trade purposes. Merchants carried silk brocade on animal backs and traveled across deserts and mountains. Changing hands, silk items traveled great distances along the trade route. Traders in India and Malaysia valued this fabric highly. Chinese silk was sold in the markets of Africa and Europe.

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