Download our new read: DIPLOMACY AND DESTINY IN THE HAN DYNASTY

Read stories of the Han and Xiongnu societies, Zhang Qian's pioneering quest to forge new trade routes, the exile of diplomat Su Wu and the story of Princess Jieyou as a modern heroine
DOWNLOAD THE SILK ROAD DIPLOMATS - PART 1

Welcome to the Silk Road Virtual Museum Experience

The Virtual Museum Sites and Exhibitions are listed in alphabetical order. Enter the virtual museums below.

Please note: some museums may take longer to open due to the higher quality and larger number of images employed

Take a tour of the Ancient Silk Roads. Select your period then choose your destination.

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  • Special Exhibitions (5)
  • 500-1000 CE (8)
  • 1000-1500 CE (8)

Locations Map

Locations Map

Afterlives Along the Silk Road

Death was a fate suffered by everyone who lived and travelled along the Silk Road. What happened next, depended on...

Byzantium 5th-10th Centuries

From 330 to 1000 CE, the Byzantine Empire, with Constantinople as its capital, stood as a formidable force. Its mosaics...

Cilicia (1226-1375)

Cilicia was a Christian Armenian kingdom situated in an area broadly comparable the south-eastern borders of Turkey with the Mediterrean.

Early Ming Dynasty China (1368-1450)

Mongols had ruled China since 1271 but plague, disease and increasing demands on the population led to discontent and revolt....

Northern Song and Yuan Dynasty Art

Genghis Khan, first conquered the Jin Dynasty. Then, Kublai Khan, captured and ruled China as the Yuan Dynasty. This period...

Sasanian Empire (224-651)

The Sasanian dynasty ruled for over four centuries from 224 to 651CE. At its peak the Empire encompassed all of...

Sogdians: Silk Road Traders

The Sogdian people were originally from an area now associated with eastern Iranian but were later concentrated in Central Asia,...

Taiyuan Tombs of Zhen Fan

This tomb was uncovered in 2018 in Taiyuan City in the Shanxi province of China. Workmen stumbled across a single-chamber...

Tang Dynasty China

The Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) was a golden age of Chinese art, marked by flourishing painting, ceramics, and sculpture, reflecting...

The Timurid Empire (1370-1507): The Court

Even by the standards of the time, Timur’s wars of conquest were particularly murderous but he and his successors promoted...

Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates (656-1000)

The Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates were the earliest established after the death of the prophet Mohammad. They flourished from the...

Venice (1261-1450)

Venice reached the peak of its imperial reach at the start of the 13th century with the seizure and sacking...

Wonderful inititive.

Thank you all so much. Highly informative. I am looking forward to the next destination as the journey of opening vision, mind continues. Thank you so much again. Impressive.

This is truly amazing!

What an amazing collection and interactive programme you have put together, giving us scope for further research and knowledge of the Silk Road. Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to make this possible…

Congratulations for the great project and best luck for success.

Thank you very much Professor Griffiths!