Altyn-Emel on the Silk Road

The Silk Road map on the National Geographic Society website shows a vast network of sea and land trade routes that connected East and West, Singapore and Venice, the Han Empire and the Roman Empire.

Interesting facts about the Silk Road:

• The trade route originated in the 2nd century BC and lasted until the 15th century AD.
• The length of the main land caravan route is about 6,437 km.
• A kilogram of silk from China could cost as much as a kilogram of gold at the market in Rome.
• In addition to goods, the Silk Road also spread art, fashion, religions (Buddhism, Islam, Christianity), technology (paper production, gunpowder) and... the "Black Death" (plague).

The items traded between East and West were:

Silk, leather, wool, furs, corals, dyes, incense, paper, carpets, fabrics, porcelain, minerals, gems, pearls, vegetables, fruits, wine, spices, tea, rice, dishes, medicines, cosmetics, military equipment, tools, slaves, animals, tusks, horns, shells, glassware, bronze, silver and gold items, etc.

The Asian wild apple (Malus sieversii), the ancestor of all cultivated apple varieties on the planet, also came from Tien Shan to Europe during the time of Alexander the Great and the Great Silk Road, along which exotic fruits, vegetables and seeds were transported.

Unusual fruits were given as souvenirs, apple seeds remained along the entire route. The Romans began to graft and cultivate apple trees, they brought this fruit to the conquered territories of Gallia and Roman Spain, from where the apple went to conquer the rest of Europe.

At the end of the Renaissance, the apple was taken to the New World. In the 19th-20th centuries, thanks to the possibilities of the emerging transport, the apple spread and began to grow in all territories with a temperate climate in both hemispheres.

The homeland of the modern apple is in the Tien Shan mountains in Kazakhstan - this is evidenced by the majority of the genetic material. The Asian wild apple can still be found here in the wild. About forty of its species, preserved since the early Cretaceous period, are under special protection on the territory of the Zhongar-Alatau and Altyn-Emel National Parks.

Caravanserais, resting places for merchants, were built along the entire Silk Road. Usually such structures appeared every 25-40 km - about as far as loaded camels could travel at a time.

Caravanserais were well protected from robber attacks, they served as places for trade, exchange, and communication. In key locations, caravanserais played the role of border and customs points.

Caravanserais contributed to the growth and prosperity of ancient cities.

The northern caravan route, connecting China and the cities of the south-east of Kazakhstan, ran through the territory of Altyn-Emel.

This is the so-called Semirechye (Seven Rivers) section of the Silk Road.

The famous Golden Man, a Saka warrior in golden clothing, was found in the Semirechye (Jetysu, Seven Rivers) region.

The Sakas and later the Turkic tribes took an active part in trade on the Silk Road, transporting goods across the Great Steppe.

Ancient coins of Chinese and Asian merchants from the times of the Turkic, Turgesh, Karluk Khaganates, and the Karakhanid State are quite common finds in the territory of Semirechye (Seven Rivers).

The Great Silk Road is known as not just one caravan route, but a whole network of branched trade routes that covered all the important cities, mines, horse supply points, animal migration routes, etc.

Before the Mongol conquest, there were about sixty-six urban settlements in the Ili valley alone. In the 13th century, life continued in only eight of them.

They can be identified only by the places of caravanserais, ancient towns, rest stops, which were certainly located close to each other. They are evidenced by the remains of stone walls, fireplaces, and other structures.

Researchers still find entire settlements in Asia. More attention is paid to the south of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, as a more sedentary region since ancient times, with developed cities and large caravanserais. Ancient cities in the south of Semirechye (Seven Rivers) are also known.

The steppe and desert part of Central Asia, however, in this regard remains terra incognita.

Semirechye and, in particular, the Ili river valley abound in artifacts that testify to the times when the Great Silk Road was just emerging. Altyn-Emel saw the Sakas, Turks, Mongols. All these centuries, trade caravans and merchants from all over the world passed through its territory. This land holds many secrets.

Altyn-Emel is one of the few places in Kazakhstan and in the world where the lands have remained pristine and almost untouched by civilization.

The territory of the national park, thanks to its protected status, has remained the same as it was thousands of years ago - endless steppes, deserts, mountains. Here you can easily find artifacts, ancient coins, traces of camps and caravanserais.

We will organize a tour with a metal detector for you. You will feel like an archaeologist and a real treasure hunter! Who knows, maybe you will be the author of the greatest find of the 21st century.

We have modern sensitive ground metal detectors Garrett ACE 400i and XP Deus 2 with smart settings, excellent coverage and depth.