Antonio Jenkinson, an English diplomat and traveller, travelled through Russia and Central Asia and, around 1562, marked on his map the cities located along the Great Silk Road.
The Great Silk Road was a network of caravan routes that began in Chang'an (present-day Xi'an), China, and extended through Xinjiang and Central Asia to the Middle East. The term “Silk Road” was introduced in 1877 by the German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen.
The Great Silk Road is one of the remarkable historical legacies of human civilisation. Originating in the 2nd century BC, it served as a bridge connecting Europe and Asia, bringing the West and the East together.
From the 6th century onwards, two major routes of the Great Silk Road developed across the territory of Kazakhstan: the Syr Darya route and the Tien Shan route. The first route began in China, passed through East Turkestan and Kashgar to Zhetysu, then followed the Syr Darya River, crossed the Aral Sea region, and continued westward to the countries of the West.
