Silk Road 1200 CE

The map shows Asia in 1200 CE, the late afternoon of the Silk Road(s). Large parts of the area are detailed, though not nearly all of the continent. All major towns and cities and shown and some minor ones too, plus the main roads. Not all Silk roads and routes shown, just the major ones, plus a number where silk was only a minor trade good. Sea routes are omitted; rivers have to be looked up on the background layers. Names are a mix of Middle Age, regional and modern names. The sizes of the settlements are partly conjecture, as data is unreliable. The distinction between village and fortress is especially blurry.

The map has been made with the help of OpenLayers. You can zoom out and in, pan the view and enlarge the map to occupy the full screen. Four different layers are available. None of them is transparent, so it does not make sense to switch on multiple ones at the same time. Zoom out for less detail, or back in for more. Hover over a landmark to see a short description (displayed below the map like the coordinates of the mouse position).
Note that the modern terrain, though largely similar, differs in some respects. In the Middle Ages the Aral Sea was still a true sea; artificial reservoirs, asphalt roads and railroads were absent. Rivers, though not marked on the map, were at least as important as roads for transport. Artificial lakes did not exist, so for example Sarkel was on a hill, not in the water. Some rivers followed different paths and the coastline in some low lying areas like southeast Iraq or east China was different.

Trade along the Silk Roads has fluctuated. First a high time between 200 BCE to 200 CE, with the Chinese Han dynasty in the east and the Roman and Parthian empires in the west; then a first slump lasting several centuries. A second high time ran from 600 CE to 910 CE, with the Chinese T'ang dynasty in the east, the Byzantine empire in the west and islamic states in between. This was followed byt a second slump, which is still onging in 1200 CE. Soon the Mongols will revive trade for the third and last time, though not after thoroughly devastating the Khwarazmian empire first. Other, more fundamental disasters like the opening up of competing ocean trade are further in the future. Increasing drought is hurting the agricultural base of Central Asia but the qanats are still functioning, watering large fields around sprawling cities. Along the roads, silk, but also spices, porcelain, jewelry and other luxuries, are exchanged for furs, amber, silk and such, together with products from the steppes, like camels and horses.