Azerbaijan On The Silk Road

Azerbaijan on the Silk Road
The Great Silk Road is considered to be one of the greatest achievements of the ancient civilizations. It connected different countries and nations from theMediterranean to the Pacific Ocean. The Great Silk Road helped to develop towns, agriculture, private farming and silk production, and established land and sea transport routes. Azerbaijan played an importantrole in the whole Silk Road for centuries, serving as a bridge in the Caspian region, and connecting the Caucasus, Middle East and northeastern Europe.
In the 5th century, Azerbaijan was consideredone of the greatest trading centers of the Silk Road. It was one of the safest parts of the entire road, and it was surrounded with politically stable states. As a result, the area attracted merchantsfrom around the globe who traded their goods with foreigners and locals alike.
Azerbaijan was also known as a center of a wide variety of craftsmanship, particularly, carpet weaving. The carpets arewidely used for home furniture and decoration, and special carpets are woven for medical treatment, for wedding ceremonies, the birth of a child, mourning rituals, and prayer. Carpet weaving inAzerbaijan is a family tradition transferred orally and through practice. In November 2010, UNESCO proclaimed the Azerbaijani carpet a Masterpiece of Intangible Heritage.
Azerbaijan is considered to beone of the birthplaces of the oil industry. There is evidence of petroleum being used in trades during the Silk Road as early as the 3rd and 4th centuries. The famous traveler Marco Polo wrote thefollowing paragraph referencing Azerbaijan’s oil, “Men come from a long distance to fetch this oil, and in all the neighborhood no other oil is burnt but this”. The oil was used to light up and heattheir houses.
For many centuries the caravan routes of the Silk Road regularly crossed Azerbaijan. The territory saw different states, religions and tribal cultures coming and going, interchanging...