Pertukaran ini sangat penting tak hanya untuk pengembangan kebudayaanCina, India dan Roma namun juga merupakan dasar dari dunia modern. Istilah 'jalur sutra' pertama kali digunakan oleh geografer JermanFerdinand von Richthofen pada abad ke-19 karena komoditas perdagangan dari Cina yang banyak berupa sutra.[1][2]
Hubungan jalan rel yang hilang dalam Jalur Sutra diselesaikan pada 1992, ketika jalan rel internasional Almaty - Urumqi dibuka.
Orang orang lebih memilih untuk berjalan pada saat musim dingin karena faktor adanya air dan juga barang yang dijual di musim panas jauh lebih mahal daripada musim dingin. Di Jalur Sutra ini terdapat sebuah tempat peristirahatan berbentuk seperti benteng yang disebut karavanserai. Di dalamnya banyak terdapat toko, penginapan, dan yang paling banyak ialah tempat trade in hewan. Mereka menukar hewan mereka yang sudah digunakan selama perjalanan dengan hewan baru (yang lebih bertenaga). Orang yang meninggal di Jalur Sutra ini dilemparkan ke suatu tempat yang bernama pemakaman langit (alam terbuka), karena mereka mempercayai bahwa kehidupan manusia selalu berbuat baik hingga akhir hayatnya, oleh karena itu tubuh mereka dibiarkan di alam terbuka agar dapat dimakan oleh burung.
Lihat pula
Karavanserai, tempat istirahat kafilah dagang saat jalur sutra masih aktif
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