THE SILK ROUTE

History is what connects human beings to their roots and defines their development; without it, we lose our identity, and that’s why it is essential to preserve ours. The Silk Route was a historic trade route that dated from the second century B.C. until the 14th century A.D. It stretched from Asia to the Mediterranean, traversing China, India, Persia, Arabia, Greece, and Italy. It was dubbed the Silk Route because of the heavy silk trading that took place during that period. The Silk route connects China and Pakistan with what must be the most harrowing trail of asphalt on earth. The road stretches 1260 kilometres and pierces the territory of at least 5 ethnic groups, which are essential to know when trying to dwell into the importance of such an ancient route including Uighurs, Kirgiz etc. At Least 9 languages including Chinese and Pashto are commonly heard along its length.

Pakistani authorities have been trying to revive the old trade routes through diverse initiatives. These efforts received a boost with the opening two decades ago of the Karakoram Highway which joins the remote northern reaches of the country with the Chinese Region of Xinjiang; the historical routes of trade and exchange are still alive. There is great evidence from the region that testifies to the existence of these ancient trails. As the Silk Road is composed of different arteries which connect the main arteries of the northwestern Indian subcontinent with the silk routes of eastern Central Asia. There are also thousands of names of ancient travellers and dates of travel inscribed on the thousands of rocks scattered from Haldikish in Hunza to Thalpan Das in Chilas. It is also a fact that Gilgit became the pivot of the fight between Chinese and Tibetan states to control the Silk Road in the 8th century 8 AD.

To this day, the old routes of trade are surviving, and are still of economic importance to countries of this region; the Muslims of Xinjiang still use the Gilgit route for Haj Pilgrimage and when rejuvenating the Karakoram Highway, it was with a clear idea to replicate and create the “new” Silk Route along the lines of the old one.