What did Turpan trade on the Silk Road?

Fruit trees, melons, and particularly grapes grow very well in the Turpan Depression. Every year, more than a thousand tons of grapes are exported to foreign countries. Turpan used to be an important strategic point on the Silk Road.

What product is Turpan most famous for?

Turpan is famous for their grapes, grown primarily for raisins but also wine.

What were the main goods that traveled on the Silk Road?

Merchants on the silk road transported goods and traded at bazaars or caravanserai along the way. They traded goods such as silk, spices, tea, ivory, cotton, wool, precious metals, and ideas.

What goods did the Mediterranean trade on the Silk Road?

Soon it expanded, reaching all and around it, making it’s way into Africa and connecting with the Silk Road to reach far east. Ivory, spices, slaves, wine, weapons and many other materials were traded, and expanded the economic system of the Mediterranean Sea.

Why was Samarkand important to the Silk Road?

Because of their geographic location, particular cities along the Silk Road were good resting stops and transfer points of goods from one caravan to another. Samarkand was one such city, and so it was attractive to rulers throughout Central and West Asia who wished to control the lucrative trade.

What was the Silk Road?

The Silk Road was a network of trade routes connecting China and the Far East with the Middle East and Europe. Although it’s been nearly 600 years since the Silk Road has been used for international trade, the routes had a lasting impact on commerce, culture and history that resonates even today.

How low is the Turpan Depression?

The Turfan Depression is a fault trough, descending ultimately to 508 feet (155 metres) below sea level (the lowest point in China), whereas the neighbouring Tarim River and Lop Nur areas are between 2,000 and 3,000 feet (600 and 900 metres) above sea level.

Who traveled through Turfan?

Traditionally, Turfan was on the border between the nomadic peoples of the north and the settled oasis dwellers of Xinjiang. Under the Han dynasty (206 bce–220 ce) the Chinese knew it as the Gushi kingdom, and later the Jushi, or Cheshi. In 450 it became the new state of Gaochang.

Why is the Silk Road important today?

Even today, the Silk Road holds economic and cultural significance for many. It is now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, while the United Nations World Tourism Organization has developed the route as a way of ‘fostering peace and understanding’.

Why was Turpan important on the Silk Road?

The Turpan area is historically significant because nearby Gaochang (now a ruin, see photograph 1) was once the Uyghur capital and an important staging area on the Silk Road. Turpan was once one of the crossroads of central Asia.

Where is Turpan located in Xinjiang, China?

Turpan is located about 150 km (93 mi) southeast of Ürümqi, Xinjiang’s capital, in a mountain basin, on the northern side of the Turpan Depression, at an elevation of 30 m (98 ft) above sea level.

Why was the Silk Road important to China?

Historically, it was a strategic stop on the overland trade route linking China with India, Persia, and Rome (see illustration 1 ). Because many of the traders carried bales of silk–China’s most–famous export–the entire route became known as the Silk Road (or Route). But this great trans-Asian highway carried much more than just silk.

Why was the Turpan Basin important to the Uyghurs?

The basin surrounding Turpan has been the long-time haunt of the Uyghurs (a mixed Turki-Mongol ethnic group that is the majority in Xinjiang Provence). The Turpan area is historically significant because nearby Gaochang (now a ruin, see photograph 1) was once the Uyghur capital and an important staging area on the Silk Road.