Whether or not the term Silk Roads is a myth or a handy catch-all for a dauntingly wide geographical network spanning mountain chains, deserts, cities and seas, the idea of it still entices travellers. There are countless extraordinary places to explore along its various strands from Asia to Europe, and these 10 choices represent only a handful of highlights.
There were as many Silk Road threads passing through war-torn lands centuries ago as there are today. Some of these destinations are currently off the traveller’s map for ethical or safety reasons, but given their historical importance it would be wrong to leave them off the list.
Old City of Damascus, Syria
Damascus is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, a place of living antiquity that has drawn invaders – among them the Greeks, the Abbasids and the Seljuk Turks – and curious travellers for centuries. The city’s craft industry was famed for its decorated swords and lace, and while Damask silk originated in China it takes its name from the trading city of Damascus. One of the most arresting sights is the Umayyad mosque (pictured), also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus, a gem of the early Islamic world dating to the period when the Umayyads established their capital in Damascus in 661. After the start of the Syrian civil war the ancient city of Damascus was added to Unesco’s list of world heritage in danger in 2013.
İshak Pasha Palace, Turkey
Set on a lonely rock, close to the town of Doğubayazıt in eastern Turkey, is the strikingly photogenic İshak Pasha Palace, with its dramatic stone-domed mosque and minaret boasting Ottoman, Persian and Seljuk influences. Commissioned by the family of İshak Pasha, who was vizier of the area, it was completed after the Silk Roads era in 1784, though its lofty position was strategic, overlooking the entire valley, which is crisscrossed with old Silk Roads pathways leading to Georgia and Iran and the caravan route from Tabriz to the Black Sea ports. The road to the palace also passes the ancient Bayazit Castle, a fortress in the shadows of Mount Ararat, where merchants travelling the Silk Roads would stop and store their goods.
Selim Caravanserai, Armenia
Sometimes called Orbelian’s Caravanserai, after the noble family who built it, this…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Travel | The Guardian…