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The journey from Samarkand to Damuscus starts off through the Silk Route. As the name suggests, the route was a major route for trade in silk. On the journey, we come across many cities that were important trade centres. Some prominent ones are Bukhara, Merv, Herāt and Nishapur.
Bukhara is the city that has long been a centre of trade, scholarship, culture and religion. It became the intellectual centre of the Islamic world during the golden age of the Samanids. From the 6th century BCE, Bukhara has been one of the main centres of world civilisations. The architecture of Bukhara is something to marvel at. It includes Po-i-Kalan complex, Kalyan or Kalon Minor (Great Minaret). The Kalyan minaret, the Tower of Death, from where criminals were executed by being thrown off the top, is another example.
Merv, formerly Achaemenid Satrapy of Margiana and later Alexandria and Antiochia in Margiana, was a major oasis city in Central Asia. It is claimed that Merv was briefly the largest city in the world in the 12th century. The oasis of Merv is situated on the Murghab River that flows from Afghanistan. Merv is advantageously situated in the inland delta of the Murghab River. This gives Merv two distinct advantages. It provided an easy southeast–northwest route from the Afghan highlands towards the lowlands of Karakum, the Amu Darya valley and Khwarezm. It also serves as a natural stopping point for the routes from northwest Iran towards Transoxiana–the Silk Road. This place was an important stop on the Silk Road during the time of the Han dynasty. Merchants traded fresh horses or camels and it was a very important oasis city.
Herat, the third largest city of Afghanistan, is situated in the valley of the Hari River, which flows from the mountains of central Afghanistan to the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan. Situated in a fertile area, Herāt was traditionally known for its wine. The city has a number of historic sites, including the Herat Citadel and the Mosallah Complex. Herāt, which was known as the Pearl of Khorasan during the Middle Ages, was one of the important cities of Khorasan. It lies on the ancient trade routes of the Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia. Strategic importance of the roads from Herāt to Iran, Turkmenistan and other parts of Afghanistan earns it the name ‘the gateway to Iran’.
Nishapur or Nishabur is a city in the Razavi Khorasan Province. The name comes from New Shabuhr, which means ‘New City of Shapur’, ‘Fair Shapur’ or ‘Perfect built of Shapur’. It is situated in a fertile plain at the foot of Mount Binalud. Nearby are the turquoise mines that supplied the world with turquoise for at least two millennia. Nishapur, along with Merv, Herāt and Balkh, was one of the four great cities of Greater Khorasan and one of the greatest cities in the Middle Ages. It was a dwelling place for diverse ethnic and religious groups and a trading stop on commercial routes from Transoxiana, China, Iraq and Egypt. Nishapur is known for its pottery (painted under a transparent glaze), carpet-weaving industry and turquoise masonry.