Cities along the Silk Road

The Silk Roads.

Along the continental Silk Road

From Istanbul, Turkey to Yazd, Iran:

• Constantinople (now Istanbul), Turkey
• Bursa, Turkey
• Beypazarı, Turkey
• Antioch, Turkey
• Konya, Turkey
• Adana, Turkey
• Aleppo, Syria
  • following the river Euphrates until Fallujah
• Damascus, Syria
• Ramadi, Iraq
• Fallujah, Iraq
• Abu Ghraib, Iraq
• Baghdad, Iraq
• Baquba, Iraq
• Kermanshah, Iran
• Hamadan, Iran
• Ray, Iran
• Tehran, Iran
• Hecatompylos (was probably located near Damghan), Iran
• Sabzevar, Iran
• Neyshabur, Iran
• Yazd, Iran

From Yazd, Iran to Turpan, China (See below: northern route along the Taklamakan desert):

• Merv, Turkmenistan
• Urgench, Turkmenistan
• Bukhara, Uzbekistan
• Samarkand, Uzbekistan
• Khujand, Tajikistan
• Istaravshan, Tajikistan
• Shahrisabz, Uzbekistan
• Hazrat-e Turkestan, Kazakhstan
• Ürümqi, China
  

  

  Ruins of Muhammad II's palace in Old Urgench.

From Yazd, Iran to Kashi, China:

• Herat, Afghanistan
• Bamyan, Afghanistan
  • the famous Buddhas of Bamyan destroyed by the Taliban in 2001
• Kabul, Afghanistan
• Peshawar, Pakistan
  • the Karakorum highway
• Ahmedabad, India
• Mumbai, India
• Kashi (or Kashgar), China

From Kabul, Afghanistan to Arabian Sea port at Debal, Pakistan

• Kabul, Afghanistan
• Peshawar, Pakistan
• Taxila, Pakistan
• Multan, Pakistan
• Debal, Pakistan
• Damascus, Syria
• Muscat
• Aden

The chain of cities along the northern route along the Taklamakan, probably based on Bento de Góis's itinerary, from Hiarcan (Yarkand) to Cialis (Karasahr or Korla) to Sucieu (Suzhou, Gansu)

The northern route along the Taklamakan Desert from Kashi, China to Anxi, China:

• Li Jien. An ancient, possibly Roman settlement.
• Aksu, China
• Kuqa or Kucha, China
• Korla, China
• Karasahr (Yanqi), China
• Loulan, China
• Turpan (Turfan), China
  • Jiaohe Ruins
  • Turpan Water Museum
• Gaochang
  • the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves
• Kumul/Hami, China
  

  

  The Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasavi in the town of Hazrat-e Turkestan. Built by Timur in the 1390s.

The southern route along the Taklamakan desert from Kashi, China to Anxi, China:

• Hotan (Khotan), China
• Minfeng, China
• Niya, China
• Dunhuang, China
• Miran, China
  • the Mogao Caves

From Anxi, China to Xi'an, China:

• Anxi, China
• Yumen, China
• Jiayuguan, China
• Jiuquan (Suzhou), China
• Zhangye (Ganzhou) China
• Wuwei, China
• Lanzhou, China
• Xi'an (ancient name is Chang'an), China

Korea

• Pyongyang, Korea
• Gyeongju, Korea

Japan

• Nara at the sea

Along the Silk Road of the sea

• Debal, Pakistan
• Ningbo, China
• Quanzhou, China
• Guangzhou, China
• Ulsan, Korea
• Colombo, Sri Lanka
• Poompuhar, Tamilnadu, India
• Korkai, Tamilnadu, India
• Musiri, Kerala, India
• Goa, India
• Mumbai, India
• Cochin, India
• Masulipatnam, India
• Lothal, India
• Astrakhan, Russia
• Derbent, Russia
• Muscat, Oman
• Aden, Yemen
• Suez, Egypt
• Ayas, Turkey
• Venice, Italy
• Rome, Italy

On Southeast Asia

• Kedah (Early history of Kedah)
• Langkasuka
• Ligor
• Chi Tu
• Gangga Nagara
• Malacca
• Pan Pan
• Funan
• Muziris, India
• Chenla, India
• Vijaya of Champa
• Khmer / Kambuja
• Hanoi, Vietnam
• Hoi An, Vietnam
• Srivijaya, Indonesia
• Pasai, Indonesia
• Perlak, Indonesia

List of Ptolemy

This following list is attributed to Ptolemy. All city names are Ptolemy's, throughout all his works. Most of the names are included in Geographia.

Some of the cities provided by Ptolemy either

• no longer exist today or
• have moved to different locations.

Nevertheless, Ptolemy has provided an important historical reference for researchers.

(This list has been alphabetized.)

• Africa -

East - Akhmim, Aromaton Emporion, Axum, Coloe, Dongola, Juba, Maji, Opone, Panopolis, Sarapion, Sennar.

North - Caesarea, Carthage, Cyrene, Leptis Magna, Murzuk, Sijilmassa, Tamanrasset, Tingis.

• Arabia - Cane, Eudaemon Arabia, Moscha, Mosyllon, Sana, Saphar, Saue.

• China - Cattgara, Chengdu, Kaifeng, Kitai, Kunming, Yarkand.

• Europe - Aquileia, Athens, Augusta Treverorum (Trier), Gades (Cadiz), Ostia.

• Pakistan - Barbaricum, Peshawer, Taxilla

• India - Argaru, Astakapra, Bacare, Balita, Barake, Byzantion, Colchi, Erannoboas, Horaia, Kalliena, Mandagora, Melizeigara, Muziris,korkai,Poompuhar,Naura, Nelcynda, Paethana, Palaepatmae, Palaesimundu, Poduca, Semylla, Sopatma, Suppara, Tagara, Tymdis.

• Persia - Alexandria Areion, Kandahar, Persepolis.

• Persian Gulf - Apologos, Asabon, Charax, Gerra, Ommana.

• Red Sea - Adulis, Aualites, Berenica, Malao, Muza, Myos Hormos, Ocalis, Ptolemais Theron.

• South East Asia - Thaton, Trang.

• Unknown - Ecbatana (located in either modern Iran or Syria), Jiaohei.