Researchers trace the route of Great Silk Road in Afghanistan
US and Afghan researchers have discovered thousands new ancient sites in Afghanistan, which for more than a millennium served as a vital logistics hub on the Great Silk Road, linking East and West, writes the Science Magazine.
The team of archeologists from American Schools of Oriental Research have tripled the number of catalogued archaeological monuments of Afghanistan, to more than 4500. The discoveries variety include caravanserais, hosting complexes for travelers, built from the early centuries B.C.E. until the 19th century.
The findings are based on analysis of commercial satellite data, images obtained from military drone images, which offer a precise view of remote sites.
Totally 119 caravanserais dated back from late 16th and early 17th centuries were discovered. The sited are located approximately every 20 kilometers, It took a day journey to travel between these caravanserais. The giant mudbrick buildings typically extended the length of a football field and could accommodate hundreds of people and thousands of camels.
They were build along the routes that connected the capital of the powerful Sefevid Empire, Isfahan (present Iran), with the Mughal Empire then ruled over the Indian subcontinent.
The caravans transported silks, jewelry, spices and woods from India, porcelain from China and dried fish, says Emily Boak, a heritage analyst from the University of Chicago. “The regularity of caravanserai construction suggests an ambitious and centrally sponsored effort to ensure a safe and steady flow of goods”, she commented. The construction of these massive facilities also refutes earlier theories of the Sefevid Empire's decline in the 17th century.
The researchers have counted more than 1000 ancient villages, towns, or cities, spread over the Balkh Oasis bordering Uzbekistan. So, this area was more densely populated over a long period. The data will contribute to revealing the trace of central segments of the Silk Road.
All the findings were made in framework of the Afghan Heritage Mapping Partnership, the program founded by the archaeologist Gil Stein of UChicago in 2014. In 2015 the State Department granted $2 million grant to Stein’s group and provided access to U.S. government imagery.
Now Stein is supervising the creation of a geographical information system for the Afghan Institute of Archaeology in Kabul and Kabul Polytechnic University. The database will be crucial for cultural heritage management.
