Four famous trade routes

When you get tired of the usual and already explored travel routes, you can try to feel like an ancient merchant. If you dig deeper, these people not only transported goods, but also borrowed technologies, bits of culture and even a philosophy of life from others. We talk about 4 legendary trade routes.

Southern Silk Road in China. On the territory of China, from the provinces of Sichuan and Yuan through the plateau of Tibet to the northern slopes of the Himalayas, there is the Chamagudao Tea Horse Trail. This road network was formed in the 7th century. The inhabitants of Tibet exchanged Pu-erh tea for horses, which were needed for military operations. Time passed and animals were not so popular, so valuable metals and even Tibetan potions were offered for exchange. Now there are two ways to go along this path: either through the highlands, or through the counties.

The Trans-Saharan Route in North Africa. The Sahara desert was one of the popular points on the map of trade routes. Already in ancient times, locals used camels to transport goods. The heyday of this area came in the period of Arab civilization. Then, various exotic goods and gold were transported through Libya, Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco. Despite the fact that by the middle of the XX century. the active movement of goods was stopped here, in some areas you can still see camels loaded with goods. At the present time, you can go on a trip on a camel through Mauritanian cities or by car from Algiers to Lagos.

Route of spices from the seas to Europe. Actively selling and growing spices in Europe began in Ancient Rome. In the period of Antiquity, spices were used much more often than now. In cookbooks of the 5th century. AD over 50 herbs, spices and extracts are listed. Then, in order to get gold or fabrics, Rome loaded ships with spices and sent them to India. Then they headed for Africa. Today you can walk through the places of these “fragrant” points in Indonesia or India.

Great Silk Road. The most famous trade route that ran from China to the Mediterranean Sea. Many people think that at that time the Chinese carried only silk. But no, the merchants sold art, valuables, china, exotic animals, and food. Streams of carpets, horses, camels, glass were sent from the West. Now the traveler can go along the Great Silk Road as part of tours, but basically it runs only through the territory of China.

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