Toprak-Kala Bukhara Marcanda/Afrasiab Samarkand Penjikent Tashkent Khokand Balkh Ba ¯miya ¯ n Hadda Kabul Lahore Peshawar GANDHA – RA Taxila Keriya Niya Kashgar Dandan-Uiliq Cherchen Shorchuk Miran TAKLAMAKAN DESERT TSAIDAM Mogao Caves Suzhou/ Jiuquan Ganzhou/ Zhangye Dunhuang/ Shazhou Yizhou/ Hami Karakhoto HEXI CORRIDOR Gaochang/ Kocho Urumqi Turfan SOGDIANA Chenab Indus Sutlej Lop-Nor Tarim Anxi CHINESE EMPIRE GOBI ALTUN SHAN Etsin-Gol ALTAI H IN D U - K U S H K A R A K O R U M K U N L U N T I A N S H A N Aral Sea Lake Balkash Merv H I M A L A Y A Issyk-Kul Khotan Syr-daria (Jaxartes) A m u-daria (O x u s) P A M I R Ili Alma Ata ARAB CALIPHATE TIBETAN EMPIRE TURKIC AND UIGHUR EMPIRES Lhasa Kuche Kizil Yarkand Mazar-tagh Aksu Srinagar Endere KRORAINA Gulf of Oman Gilgit Yotkan KHOTAN Dunhuang/ Shazhou Archaeological site Settlement (with alternative names) River Silk Road route 0 200 400 600 800km LOP DESERT © MAPS IN MINUTES™ 2003 Ili Koko-Nor Lanzhou Astana Tarim Basin