Eurasian Connection via the Silk Road: The Spread of Islam

A. Reza Hoshmand*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in book/report/conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The term Silk Road was coined by the nineteenth-century German explorer Ferdinand von Richtofen. The Silk Road refers to a loose network of overland and see trade routes stretching from the Mediterranean to East Asia. Historical documents point out that textiles, gems, spices, animals and religions were all traded along this vast expanse, starting around 1000 B.C. and continuing for millennia. For much of this time, most Silk Road traders coming from western Eurasia were Muslim, and as one would expect, they brought their beliefs and rich culture to millions of people along the route. Around the eighth century, Muslims of the Arab world began to expand their religion and stopped thinking of Islam as the “Arab religion” with geographic borders and began seeking converts along the Silk Road. The benefits of conversion to such a widespread religion were many, as Muslims of the time preferred trading with other Muslims. Today the Hui, a Muslim Chinese minority numbering five million, are widely thought to be the descendants of Muslim merchants who settled in China at the end of their Silk Road journeys.

The diversity of ethnic, and religious groups along the Silk Road has contributed significantly to its importance. This paper addresses the cultural, social, political implications of the Silk Road from a historical perspective, and how Islamic culture has contributed to art, social and political norms along the Silk Road.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationSilk Road to Belt Road
Subtitle of host publicationReinventing the Past and Shaping the Future
EditorsMd. Nazrul Islam
PublisherSpringer Singapore
Chapter6
Pages95-104
Number of pages10
Edition1st
ISBN (Electronic)9789811329982
ISBN (Print)9789811329975
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 30 Nov 2018

Scopus Subject Areas

  • General Social Sciences
  • General Medicine
  • Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics(all)

User-Defined Keywords

  • Silk Road
  • Muslim
  • goodsGoods
  • Umayyad
  • Kurina

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