The Silk Road

Slideshow overviewThis slideshow is designed to • Illustrate the physiographic

features at various points along the Silk Road(s).

• Provide oblique angle digital illustrations from Google Earth along with ground-level photographs of those locations.Together, these should give students a better sense of the challenges faced by travelers.

• Take the viewer on a journey from

east to west along one common route of the Silk Road.

Google Earth is available for free at http://earth.google.com/

Google Earth provides you the opportunity to

• mark and label any place on a globe

• draw routes between places• Produce “fly by” videos of a route

at various angles and altitudes.• Display physiographic features of a

location or set of locations, drawn from satellite imagery.

Viewing the Silk Road from Space

Beijing

X’ian

DunhuangKsahgarSamarkan

MervAntioch

Common “Silk Road” Routes

The Road Ahead: Begin Your Journey in China

West

East

Heading West from Beijing

Heading West from Beijing

Next Stop…X’ian

Beijing

X’ian

Looking West from X’ian

Looking West from X’ian

Next Stop…Dunhuang

Beijing

X’ian

Dunhuang

Mogao Caves Near Dunhuang

Keep Moving West to Kashgar

Beijing

X’ian

DunhuangKashgar

Dunhuang to Kashgar: Go Around the Takla Makan Desert

…and Cross the Tien Shan Mountain Range

Arriving at Kashgar

Beijing

X’ian

DunhuangKashgar

Merv

Now…On to Merv

Kashgar to Merv: More Deserts and Mountains

Bactrian Desert

Pamirs

Ancient Merv

Your Journey So Far:

• You have traveled over 3,000 difficult miles

• You have crossed the Takla Makan Desert, the Tien Shan Mountain Range, passed through territories of hostile warriors, crossed the Pamir Mountains and the Bactrian Desert.

• Only 1,532 miles to go!!!

The Road Ahead…

Plains and Mountain Ridges

Zagros Mountains

Your Final Hurdle to Antioch…the Sultan Mountain Range

Finally…Antioch