Travelling the Silk Road Trivia Quiz

Answer: Afghanistan

Located to the west of Kabul, the Bamiyan (or Bamyan) Valley was home to the giant statues of Buddha, carved in the sixth century, that were destroyed in 2001. The valley was an important portion of the land route of what became known as the Silk Road, though its importance declined as maritime routes between Europe and the Far East were developed in later centuries.

The Bamiyan Valley was inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites, and noted as "In Danger" in 2003.

Answer: Iraq

The ruins of the ancient fortified city of Hatra lie to the northwest of Baghdad, and were placed on the "In Danger" list by UNESCO in 2015, having been inscribed on the list of World Heritage Sites in 1985. A stronghold of the Parthian Empire around the time of Christ, Hatra held out against attacks by Romans in second century AD, but has come under threat yet again in the second decade of the 21st century.

Answer: Kazakhstan

Khoja (or Khawaja) Ahmed Yasawi (1093-1166) was a poet and mystic who was prominent in the development of Sufism (Islamic mysticism). The mausoleum was ordered to be built at his grave site in the town of Yasi (later Turkestan), in the southern part of what became Kazakhstan, by Timur (Tamerlane) in 1389, but remained unfinished at the time of Timur's death in 1405.

The town lay on a caravan trade route, and the mausoleum served not only as a burial site but as a meeting place, mosque and more.

The mausoleum was inscribed on the World Heritage list in 2003.

Answer: Nepal

As the place traditionally held to be the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama, who became Buddha, Lumbini is one of four main holy sites for followers of the Buddhist faith*, and was inscribed on the list of World Heritage Sites in 1997. It is located in the south of the country and has become a site of pilgrimage.
*The other three are all in India; Bodh Gaya, the place of enlightenment; Sarnath, where he first taught; and Kusinagara, where he died.

Answer: China

Located near the fork of two main branches of the Silk Route, in Gansu Province, China, the Mogao Caves have earned the WHL's label as being of "outstanding universal value". The 492 caves in the cliffs above the Dachuan River are a repository of Buddhist art spanning the fourth to 14th centuries.

Included are cave paintings, painted sculptures and manuscripts, some depicting the trade for which the Silk Road was known. The Mogao Caves were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1987.

Answer: Mongolia

The Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape is a large area in Central Mongolia, stretching alongside the river after which it is named. Inscribed in the World Heritage List in 2004, it includes a number of archaeological sites, including Kharkhorum, the capital of Genghis Khan's empire in the 13th and 14th centuries.

As a whole the site is representative of the nomadic traditions of the region.

Answer: Uzbekistan

The name Samarkand may be what comes readily to mind when mention is made of the Silk Road, with good reason, as it was a major centre on the land route for the duration of the route's existence. Located in south-eastern Uzbekistan, Samarkand - Crossroad of Cultures, to give it its full World Heritage List title, was inscribed on the WHL in 2001.

The many places of interest in the city include the Registan (sandy place) which was central to the city in the time of Timur (Tamerlane); educational institutions known as "madrasas"; mosques and other religious buildings and much more.

Answer: Kyrgyzstan

Overlooking the Fergana Valley near the city of Osh, Kyrgyzstan, Sulaiman-Too rises to approximately 200 metres, and has been considered a sacred mountain by both pre-Islamic and Islamic peoples of the region. The site was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2009 and includes places of worship, petroglyphs, ancient settlements and a museum. Sitting at a crossroads of Silk Road routes, the mountain was a well known landmark to travellers.

Answer: Iran

The city of Tabriz in north-western Iran is home to this bazaar, which is one of the oldest in the Middle East. Its location on one of the major trade routes made the complex of brick buildings and covered markets an important component in the prosperity of the city, which flourished especially between the 13th and 16th centuries.

The bazaar complex was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2010.

Answer: Azerbaijan

Capital of Azerbaijan, Baku sits on the shore of the Caspian Sea and the walled city is the "old" part of the town, which is no longer fully enclosed. Within the site can be found the Shirvanshah's Palace and Maiden Tower, which are in fact included in the full name of the site as inscribed on the WHL in 2000.

The site was listed as "In Danger" in 2003, due to earthquake damage and modern development, but was removed from that designation in 2009.