1 102 E The small state of Ferghana lay astride the trade route that skirted the northern side of the Takla Makan desert. It was known particularly to the Chinese as the place of origin of exceptionally fine (and much coveted) horses, who were said to sweat blood.
#Ferghana, lovely jade horse's head
2 101 X The trade routes that skirted the north and south edges of the Takla Makan desert came together again at Kashgar, which therefore became an important caravan town. From here the route led west to Ferghana.
#Kashgar
#3 101 X Text
#PW Khotan
4 103 B The town of Dunhuang was the meeting point of two branches of the Silk Road, which passed north and south of the formidable Takla Makan desert.
#Dunhuang, miscellaneous interesting objects
5 102 A Cold dry conditions in this oasis town have preserved the remains of wooden buildings and their contents: musical instruments, woollen textiles, a mouse trap and even the unpleasant smell of the rubbish dump. Sheepskin and wooden documents, in a number of languages, were official records which give a glimpse of life in this Chinese outpost.
#Niya, Rubbish heap
6 102 C Loulan in the region of the Lop Nor Salt Lake was a small Chinese outpost on the Silk Road. Here plastered timbered houses have been excavated, their most interesting finds the remains of the official 'out-tray': hundreds of screwed-up wooden, silk and paper documents, mainly of the 3rd century AD.
#Loulan, Chinese wooden documents
7 102 D The town of Kapisha was an important entrepot (trading and distribution centre) near the western end of the Silk Road, linking with major trade routes to India and the west. Its widespread connections are reflected in traded material found here: ivories from India, lacquer vessels from China and glassware from Alexandria, hub of the western trading networks.
#Begram (Kapisha), ivory of two women
8 101 X The Turfan oasis was a richly fertile area and a major staging post on the trade route linking east and west and was from Han times, therefore, a bone of contention between the Chinese and the Xiongnu and other nomads of adjacent regions.
