(Ashwin Sanghi is a best-selling author. This article was first published in the print edition of Times of India on July 20, 2021)
- The Silk Road network remained the engine of global trade until 1453 CE when the Ottoman Empire boycotted trade with China. But more importantly, it was the ancient-day internet through which language and ideas – in philosophy, religion, culture and science – were transmitted and shared. It was the Silk Road that allowed Buddhism to travel from India to China and then further east. The ancient teachings of Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Nestorianism and Manicheism reached Central Asia through this network while Arab traders – and warriors – carried Islam eastwards …