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13 14 Introduction 18 Travelogue 22 Silk Routes 24 Heritage Sites Documentary Works www.Mahan.aero The Persian Gardens The Persian Gardens exemplify the diversity of Persian as well as sophisticated irrigation systems. The tradition garden designs that evolved and adapted to different and style of garden design represented by Persian gardens climate conditions while retaining principles that have has influenced the design of gardens from Andalusia to their roots in the times of Cyrus the Great, 6th century BC. and beyond. The gardens of the Alhambra show Always divided into four sectors, with water playing an the influence of Persian garden philosophy and style in a important role for both irrigation and ornamentation, the Moorish palace scale, from the era of al-Andalus in Spain. Persian garden was conceived to symbolize Eden and the Humayun’s Tomb and Taj Mahal have some of the largest four Zoroastrian elements of sky, earth, water and plants. Persian gardens in the world, from the era of the Mughal These gardens also feature buildings, pavilions and walls, Empire in India. There are nine Persian Gardens registered in the UNESCO 1. Ancient Garden of 2. , Shiraz 3. Chehel Sutun Garden, Isfahan 4. , Kashan 5. Abbas Abad Garden, Behshahr 6. , Kerman 7. Dolat Abad Garden, 8. Pahlavan Pour Garden, Mehriz 9. Akbariyeh Garden, Birjand

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The Travels of Marco Polo

Marco Polo was a Venetian traveler who The book went far to the East, Marco Polo owes his fame to a book which he wrote after his return. At the time, there was an intense rivalry between following some of the the great trading cities of Venice, Pisa, and Genoa. The many branches of the Venetian Polo and his co-author, Rusticiano of Pisa, were Silk Road. He left in both prisoners of war in Genoa when they met and wrote 1271 and returned about the book. Book of the Marvels of the World or Description of the World, 1295. His book about his in Italian Il Milione (The Million), and in English commonly travels was a best-seller called The Travels of Marco Polo, is a 13th-century travelogue then, and is still well- was written down by Rustichello da Pisa from stories told by known 700 years later. Marco Polo, describing Polo’s travels through Asia between 1271 and 1295, and his experiences at the court of Kublai Khan. This was the first account of a journey to the East tobe widespread in Europe, and was the best reference on Asia from its publication around 1300, until the Portuguese reached the East by sea 200 years later. Polo’s tales of the riches of the East were part of the reason for the Portuguese voyages, and later inspired Christopher Columbus. The book was the first in Europe to mention a number of things including oil from Iran, and coal, paper, money, and window glass from China. The book generally uses Persian names for places. What about the Mongol names? Or Chinese? What was lost in various translations? In various wars? Background Niccolò Polo (about 1230 – 1294), and Maffeo (about 1230 – 1309) were Italian traveling merchants best known as the father and uncle, respectively, of the explorer Marco Polo. The brothers went into business before Marco’s birth, established trading posts in Constantinople, Sudak in , and in a western part of the in Asia. As a duo, they Niccolò and Maffeo Polo leaving Constantinople reached modern-day China before temporarily returning for the east, in 1259.

14 FebruaryMarch 2018 2018 Mahan Mahan Inflight Inflight Magazine Magazine DocumentaryIntroduction Works www.Mahan.aero to Europe to deliver a message to the Pope. Taking Niccolò’s son Marco with them, the Polos then made After they had passed the desert, they arrived at another journey through Asia, which became the a very great and noble city called BOCARA... The subject of Marco’s account "The Travels of Marco Polo". city is the best in all Persia. ... up till the conquest by Chinghiz, Bokhara, , Balkh, etc., were considered to First Voyage belong to Persia. The brothers set out from Constantinople (modern The Persian Empire was once much larger than modern Istanbul) in 1260, and sailed across the Black Sea to Iran, including much of what we now call Central Asia. Soldaia in the Crimea. Today the city is called Sudak and The brothers lived in Bukhara for three years and is in the . Soldaia was a largely Greek city at that became fluent in Persian. In Bukhara, they learned time and routinely traded with various Mediterranean that the Great Khan, Kublai- grandson of Genghis and, ports. at least in theory, overlord of all Mongols- had never The two brothers lived in the Venetian quarter of met a European and had expressed curiosity about and Constantinople, where they enjoyed diplomatic goodwill toward them. So they went on, traveling via immunity, political chances, and tax relief because of Samarkand, Kashgar, Turfan, and Hami (the Northern their country’s role in establishing the Latin Empire in branch of the Silk Road) to his summer capital in Xanadu the Fourth Crusade of 1204. However, the brothers somewhat Northwest of modern Beijing. judged the political situation of the city precarious, In 1264, Niccolò and Maffeo joined up with an embassy so they decided to transfer their business northeast sent by the ruler, Hulagu to his brother to Soldaia, a city in Crimea, and left Constantinople in Kublai Khan, both grandsons of . In 1266, 1259 or 1260. they reached the seat of Kublai Khan, the leader of the On that time, the great trading cities of Genoa, Venice Mongol , at Dadu, present-day Beijing, and Pisa dominated the Mediterranean world. One of China. In his book, Marco explains how Kublai Khan the tourist sights of modern Sudak is the ruins of a officially received the Polos and sent them back with Genoese fortress. a Mongol named Koeketei as an ambassador to the When the Polos reached Soldaia, it was part of the pope. They brought with them a letter from the Khan newly formed Mongol state. Searching for better requesting 100 educated people to come and teach profits, the Polos continued their journey to . Christianity and Western customs to his people and At that time, the city of Sarai was no more than a huge oil from the lamp of the Holy Sepulcher. The letter also encampment, and the Polos stayed for about a year. contained the paiza, a golden tablet a foot long and 3 Finally, they decided to avoid Crimea, because of a civil inches (7.6 cm) wide, allowing the holder to acquire war between Berke and his cousin Hulagu or perhaps and obtain lodging, horses, and food throughout the because of the bad relationship between Berke Khan Kublai Khan’s dominion. and the Byzantine Empire. Instead, they moved The Khan also invited scholars and missionaries further east to Bukhara, in modern-day Uzbekistan, from other places — Tibetan Buddhists, and Persian where the family lived and traded for three years. Muslims — and those had a great effect on China.

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The Brothers arrived at Acre in... 1269, and It is usually said that the Polos used the Northern Silk found that no Pope existed, for Clement IV was Road although the possibility of a southern route has dead... and no new election had taken place. been advanced. So they went home to Venice to see how things They went East overland, traveling by caravan and stood there after their absence of so many years. heading for Hormuz on the Persian Gulf. Today the city The wife of Nicolo was no longer among the is gone, but the phrase “the straits of Hormuz” still living, but he found his son Marco a fine lad of turns up in newscasts. It is the narrows at the outlet fifteen. of the Gulf. The nearest modern city is Bandar Abbas, capital of Iran’s Hormuzgan Province. The long time between the death of Pope Clement Their route was indirect, setting out from the IV, in 1268, and the election of the new pope in 1271 Mediterranean port of Laias, North to and delayed the Polos’ attempts to fulfil Kublai’s request. , then to Mosul in what is now Iraq, then The two brothers returned to Venice in 1269 or 1270, into Persia (now known as Iran) via , Yazd and waiting for the nomination of the new pope. Here Kerman to Hormuz. Niccolò met up with his son Marco, now fifteen or The original plan was to take a ship East from Hormuz, sixteen, who had been living with his aunt and another but after reaching Hormuz they decided to swing North uncle in Venice since the death of his mother at a instead. Marco would later come to Hormuz by sea, young age. On the second trip, the brothers brought taking the Maritime Silk Road on his return journey. young Marco along. The three men went back to Kerman and on to Persia’s Eastern province of Khorasan. This put them on the main Silk Road route. The branch they took involved Second Voyage going Northeast to Balkh, then Southeast toward The brothers went back to Acre, this time with young Kashmir and finally North to reach Khotan in what is Marco, and then up to to get some oil from now Xinjiang. the Holy Sepulcher, which the Khan had requested. The major routes today are the Khyber Pass from As soon as he was elected in 1271, Pope Gregory X Afghanistan into Pakistan and the Karakoram Highway (the former Theobald Visconti) received the letter North to China, but the Polos’ exact route is unclear. from Kublai Khan, remitted by Niccolò and Maffeo. They may have taken lesser-known passes such as the The two Polos (this time accompanied by the 17-year- route through Ladakh. old Marco Polo) returned to Mongolia, accompanied The brothers had taken the Northern branch of the by two Dominican monks, Niccolò de Vicence and Silk Road around the Kalimakan Desert on the previous Guillaume de Tripoli. The two friars did not finish the trip. This time, the first city they reached in what is voyage due to fear, but the Polos reached Kanbaliq and now China was Khotan, in the middle of the Southern remitted the presents from the Pope to Kublai in 1274. branch, so naturally they continued East on that branch.

16 FebruaryMarch 2018 2018 Mahan Mahan Inflight Inflight Magazine Magazine DocumentaryIntroduction Works www.Mahan.aero Travels in China The return Journey They reached the Khan’s capitals and were warmly At this time, the Mongols ruled most of Asia and the welcomed. The winter capital was then called Great Khan had vassals in various places. One of these Khánbálik or Canbulac, meaning the Khan’s camp; ruled Iran, the ancestor of the Persian dynasty who it later grew into Beijing. The summer capital was would later conquer much of India and be known Northwest of Beijing across the Great Wall, near a there as Moguls (Mongols). town Polo called Kaimenfu. The palace itself was Arghún Khan of Persia, Kúblái’s great-nephew, Shangtu or Xanadu. China is still “Kithai” in modern had in 1286 lost his favourite wife... and... took Russian. steps to fulfil her dying injunction that her place By the time the Polos reached China the second time, should be filled only by a lady of her own kin. the Khan had subjugated Southern China, which the Ambassadors were despatched... to seek such book calls “Manzi.” However, he needed officials to a bride ... the choice fell on the lady Kokáchin, help rule it and did not yet trust the newly-conquered a maiden of 17. The overland road from Peking Chinese. Along with many others, Marco became an to Tabriz was not only of portentous length for official of the empire, a job that soon had him traveling such a tender charge, but was imperilled by war, over large parts of China. so the envoys desired to return by sea. Tartars The Polos spent the next 17 years in China. Kublai in general were strangers to all navigation; and Khan took a liking to Marco, who was an engaging the envoys... begged the Kaan as a favour to storyteller. He was sent on many diplomatic missions send the three _Firinghis_ in their company. He throughout his empire. Marco carried out diplomatic consented with reluctance, but, having done assignments but also entertained the Khan with so, fitted the party out nobly for the voyage, interesting stories and observations about the lands charging the Polos with friendly messages for he had traveled. According to Marco’s travel account, the potentates of Europe, including the King of the Polos asked several times for permission to return England. to Europe but the Great Khan appreciated the visitors so much that he would not agree to their departure. The journey West Eventually, they reached Hormuz and continued overland to Tabriz to deliver the bride. The planned bridegroom having died in the meanwhile, she married his son. The Polos then returned home, sailing from Trebizond (Trabzon) on the Black Sea to Constantinople (Istanbul) and on to Venice which they reached in 1295.

FebruaryMarch 2018 Mahan Inflight Magazine 17 DocumentaryTravelogue Works www.Mahan.aero (Silk Routes) Silk Road Basic Facts Culture: The road is not only an ancient international The Silk Road may have formally opened up trade trade route, but also a splendid cultural bridge linking between the Far East and Europe during the Han the cultures of China, Central Asia, India, Persia, Arabia, Dynasty, which ruled China from 206 B.C. to 220 A.D., but , Greece, and . The Four Great Inventions of the transport of goods and services along these routes China and religions of the West were introduced into dates back even further. their counterparts via the Silk Road. The Royal Road, which connected (in present-day History: From the time Zhang Qian pioneered the Iran) more than 1,600 miles west to Sardis (near the world-famous Silk Road during the Han Dynasty, until Mediterranean Sea in modern Turkey), was established by the collapse of the Yuan Dynasty, it enjoyed a history the Persian ruler Darius I during the Achaemenid Empire— of about 1,600 years. some 300 years before the opening of the Silk Road. The Persians also expanded the Royal Road to include Routes: This ancient road begins at Chang’an (now smaller routes that connected Mesopotamia to the Indian Xian), then by way of the Hexi Corridor, and it reaches subcontinent as well as northern Africa via Egypt. Dunhuang, where it divides into three, the Southern Alexander the Great, ruler of the ancient Greek kingdom Route, Central Route, and Northern Route. The three of Macedonia, expanded his dominion into Persia via the routes spread all over the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Royal Road. Parts of the thoroughfare were ultimately Region, and then they extend as far as Pakistan, incorporated into the Silk Road. India and even Rome. The east-west trade routes between Greece and China Other Routes: In fact, besides the Silk Road in the began to open during the first and second centuries B.C. northwest of China, there are another two trade The Roman Empire and the Kushan Empire (which ruled roads in the southwest of China and by sea, which also territory in what is now northern India) also benefitted contributed greatly to the development of the world. from the commerce created by the route along the Silk They are called the “Southern Silk Road” and the “Silk Road. Road on the Sea (Spice Route, Maritime Route)”. Interestingly, the ancient Greek word for China is “Seres,”

18 February 2018 Mahan Inflight Magazine DocumentaryTravelogue Works www.Mahan.aero which literally means “the land of silk.” development of trading routes from Europe to the Far However, despite this obvious link to the name, the term East. “Silk Road” wasn’t coined until 1877, when German Knowledge about silk production was very valuable geographer and historian Ferdinand von Richthofen first and, despite the efforts of the Chinese emperor to used it to describe the trade routes. keep it a closely guarded secret, it did eventually Historians now prefer the term “Silk Routes,” which more spread beyond China, first to India and Japan, then to accurately reflects the fact that there was more than one the Persian Empire and finally to the west in the 6th thoroughfare. century AD. Even though the name “Silk Road” derives from the Silk Road Economic Belt popularity of Chinese silk among tradesmen in the The Chinese monopoly on silk production did not Roman Empire and elsewhere in Europe, the material mean that the product was restricted to the Chinese was not the only important export from the East to Empire – on the contrary, silk was used as a diplomatic the West. gift, and was also traded extensively, first of all with Trade along the so-called Silk Road economic belt China’s immediate neighbors, and subsequently included fruits and vegetables, livestock, grain, leather further afield, becoming one of China’s chief exports and hides, tools, religious objects, artwork, precious under the Han dynasty (206 BC –220 AD). Indeed, stones and metals and—perhaps more importantly— Chinese cloths from this period have been found in language, culture, religious beliefs, philosophy and Egypt, in northern Mongolia, and elsewhere. science. At some point during the 1st century BC, silk was Commodities such as paper and gunpowder, both introduced to the Roman Empire, where it was invented by the Chinese during the Han Dynasty, had considered an exotic luxury and became extremely obvious and lasting impacts on culture and history popular, with imperial edicts being issued to control in the West. They were also among the most-traded prices. Its popularity continued throughout the Middle items between the East and West. Ages. Additionally, the needs of the Byzantine Church Paper was invented in China during the 3rd century for silk garments and hangings were substantial. This B.C., and its use spread via the Silk Road, arriving first luxury item was thus one of the early impetuses in the

FebruaryMarch 2018 Mahan Inflight Magazine 19 DocumentaryTravelogue Works www.Mahan.aero in Samarkand in around 700 A.D., before moving to The Silk Road became increasingly unsafe and Europe through the then-Islamic ports of Sicily and untraveled about 7th century AD. In the 13th and 14th Spain. centuries the route was revived under the Mongols, and Of course, paper’s arrival in Europe fostered significant at that time the Venetian Marco Polo used it to travel industrial change, with the written word becoming a to Cathay (China). It is now widely thought that the key form of mass communication for the first time. route was one of the main ways that plague bacteria The eventual development of the Gutenberg press responsible for the Black Death pandemic in Europe in allowed for the mass production of books and, later, the mid-14th century moved westward from Asia. newspaper, which enabled a wider exchange of news Part of the Silk Road still exists, in the form of a and information. paved highway connecting Pakistan and the Uygur Originating at Xi’an (Sian), the 4,000-mile (6,400-km) Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, China. The old road road, actually a caravan tract, followed the Great Wall has been the impetus behind a United Nations plan of China to the northwest, bypassed the Takla Makan for a trans-Asian highway, and a railway counterpart of Desert, climbed the Pamirs (mountains), crossed the road has been proposed by the UN Economic and Afghanistan, and went on to the Levant; from there the Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). merchandise was shipped across the Mediterranean The road is now included in the World Heritage List of Sea. Few persons traveled the entire route, and UNESCO. 33 historical sites are along the road in total goods were handled in a staggered progression by and 22 of them distribute in Shaanxi, Henan, Gansu, middlemen. and Xinjiang of China.

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Southern Silk Road A diversity of routes and cargos More than 2,000 years ago, people in the southwest These routes developed over time and according to of China had traded between Chengdu, China with shifting geopolitical contexts throughout history. For India. The trade route, about 2,000 kilometers (1,243 example, merchants from the Roman Empire would try miles) long, well-known for its silk trade, was dubbed to avoid crossing the territory of the Parthians, Rome’s the ‘Southern Silk Road’ by historians. Similar to the Silk enemies, and therefore took routes to the north, across Road, the Southern Silk Road contributed much to the the Caucasus region and over the Caspian Sea. Similarly, cultural change between China and the West. whilst extensive trade took place over the network of rivers that crossed the Central Asian steppes in the early Middle Silk Road on the Sea Ages, their water levels rose and fell, and sometimes dried (Maritime Silk Route, Spice Route) up altogether, and trade routes shifted accordingly. In order to distinguish it from the traditional Silk Road, this maritime trade route linking the East and West was The legacy of the Silk Roads given the name ‘Silk Road on the Sea’ by a Japanese The Silk Road routes remained in use until 1453 A.D., scholar in 1967. The two most favored courses followed when the Ottoman Empire boycotted trade with China by trade ships were those of the East China and South and closed them. Although it’s been nearly 600 years China Sea Routes. since the Silk Road had been used for international East China Sea Route trade, the routes had a lasting impact on commerce, culture and history that resonates even today. When Emperor Qin Shi Huang united China, many In the nineteenth century, a new type of traveler Chinese fled to Korea and took with them silkworms ventured onto the Silk Roads: archaeologists and and breeding technology. This sped up the development geographers, enthusiastic explorers looking for of silk spinning in Korea. These new skills and the adventure. Coming from France, England, Germany, technologies were subsequently introduced into Japan Russia and Japan, these researchers traversed the during the Han Dynasty. Since the Tang Dynasty, the Taklamakan desert in western China, in what is now silks produced by Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces were Xinjiang, to explore ancient sites along the Silk Roads, directly shipped to Japan. Many Japanese envoys and leading to many archaeological discoveries, numerous monks were also able to travel to Chang’an (now Xian) academic studies, and most of all, a renewed interest along this sea route. in the history of these routes. South China Sea Route Guangzhou represented the starting-point of the South China Sea Route, which extended across the Indian Ocean and then on to various countries situated around the Persian Gulf. The goods dispatched for trade consisted mainly of silk, chinaware, and tea, while imported merchandise included a variety of spices, flowers and grasses – hence it being commonly referred to as the sea’s ‘China Road’ and the sea’s ‘Flavor Road’. The route was first used in the Qin and Han Dynasties, and increased in popularity from the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280) to the Sui Dynasty (581–618). Up until the Tang Dynasty Anshi Rebellions (755–762), this route was viewed as a secondary alternative to the Silk Road, However, in the latter half of the eighth century, owing to the scourge of wars in the vast Western Regions, trade volumes along the Maritime Silk Road boomed as those on its overland counterpart steadily declined. As the Opium War broke out in 1840, the Silk Road on the Sea totally disappeared.

FebruaryMarch 2018 Mahan Inflight Magazine 21 DocumentarySilk Routes Works www.Mahan.aero Countries along the Silk Road

Along the land Silk Roads

Major cities, The Silk Roads across the Middle broadly from East and Western Asia the eastern • Turkey Mediterranean • Lebanon to South Asia, • and arranged • Iraq • Iran roughly west to • Tabriz east in each area • Zanjan by modern-day • Rasht • Kermanshah country • Hamadan • Rey (or Ray in modern-day Tehran) • Hecatompylos (Damghan) • Sabzevar • Nishapur • Mashhad • Tus • Bam • Yazd •

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Central Asia Along the In Southeast Asia • Turkmenistan maritime Silk • Kedah • Uzbekistan • Langkasuka • Tajikistan Routes • Ligor • Kazakhstan • Pakistan • Chi Tu • China • Gangga Nagara • Korea • Malacca Southern Routes • • Pan Pan and South Asia • Sri Lanka • India • Afghanistan • India • Khmer • Pakistan • Russia • Vijaya of Champa • India • Oman • Kambuja • Nepal • Yemen • Vietnam • Tibet (China) • Somalia • Indonesia • Bangladesh • Egypt • Bhutan • Turkey • China • Italy

The eastern routes • Korea • Japan

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World Heritage Sites in Countries on the Silk Road

Pyongyang, North Korea Tomb of King Tongmyong

The Tomb of King Tongmyong (259-298 BCE) is located some 20km south of central Pyongyang, in a remote, serene locale. King Tongmyong is the founder of the Koguryo Kingdom, one of the famed Three Kingdoms of Korea. In total, there are 63 individual tombs of the period. The tomb has achieved World Heritage status as part of the Complex of Goguryeo Tombs inscribed by UNESCO in 2004 covering an area of 233 hectares (580 acres).

Venice, Italy Venice and its Lagoon Founded in the 5th century and spread over 118 small islands, Venice became a major maritime power in the 10th century. The whole city is an extraordinary architectural masterpiece in which even the smallest building contains works by some of the world’s greatest artists such as Giorgione, Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese and others. Venice and its lagoon were added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1987.

24 February 2018 Mahan Inflight Magazine Documentary Works www.Mahan.aero Istanbul, Turkey Historic Areas of Istanbul The Historic Areas of Istanbul are a group of sites in the capital district of Fatih in the city of Istanbul, Turkey. These areas were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985. This World Heritage Site includes structures such as the Sarayburnu, the Topkapı Palace, the Hagia Sophia, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, the Hagia Irene, Zeyrek Mosque, Süleymaniye Mosque, Little Hagia Sophia and the Walls of Constantinople.

Nubia, Egypt Abu Simbel temples

The Abu Simbel temples are two massive rock temples at Abu Simbel, a village in Nubia, southern Egypt, near the border with Sudan. They are situated on the western bank of Lake Nasser. The complex is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979 known as the “Nubian Monuments”. The twin temples were originally carved out of the mountainside in the 13th century BC, during the 19th dynasty reign of the Pharaoh Ramesses II. They serve as a lasting monument to the king and his queen Nefertari.

Derbent, Russia Citadel, Ancient City, and Fortres The Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Derbent were part of the northern lines of the Sasanid Persian Empire, which extended east and west of the Caspian Sea. The fortification was built in stone. The defence structures that were built by the Sasanid in the 5th century CE were in continuous use by the succeeding Persian, Arabic, Mongol, and Timurid governments for some 15 centuries until the Russian occupation in the 19th century.

February 2018 Mahan Inflight Magazine 25 Documentary Works www.Mahan.aero Goa, India Churches and Convents of Goa Churches and Convents of Goa are monuments inscribed by UNESCO under the World Heritage List in 1986 as cultural property, which were built by the Portuguese colonial rulers of Goa between 16th and 18th centuries. The most significant of these monuments is the Basilica of Bom Jesus, which enshrines the tomb containing the relics of St. Francis Xavier. These monuments of Goa, known as the “Rome of the Orient,” were established by different Catholic religious orders, from 25 November 1510 onwards.

Xi’an, China Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor

The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor (Qin Shi Huang) is located in Xi'an. This mausoleum was constructed over 38 years, from 246 to 208 BC, and is situated underneath a 76-meter-tall tomb mound shaped like a truncated pyramid. The layout of the mausoleum is modeled on the Qin capital Xianyang, divided into inner and outer cities. The tomb is located in the southwest of the inner city and faces east. The mausoleum includes the Terracotta Army to the east of the tomb mound. The Terracotta Army served as a garrison to the mausoleum and has yet to be completely excavated.

Bukhara, Uzbekistan Historic Centre of Bukhara

Bukhara is a city-museum, with about 140 architectural monuments and is the nation’s fifth-largest city. Humans have inhabited the region around Bukhara for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time. Located on the Silk Road, the city has long served as a center of trade, scholarship, culture, and religion. UNESCO has listed the historic center of Bukhara (which contains numerous mosques and madrasas) as a World Heritage Site.

26 February 2018 Mahan Inflight Magazine Documentary Works www.Mahan.aero Samarkand, Uzbekistan Samarkand – Crossroads of Cultures Sanmaekand is a city in modern-day Uzbekistan and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central Asia. Prospering from its location on the Silk Road between China and the Mediterranean, at times Samarkand was one of the greatest cities of Central Asia. By the time of the Achaemenid Empire of Persia, it was the capital of the Sogdian satrapy (province). The Mongols under Genghis Khan conquered Samarkand in 1220.

Lahore, Pakistan The Fort and Shilamar Gardens The Fort and Shalimar Gardens in Lahore are two distinct royal complexes from the Mughal era. The Fort is located at the northwest corner of the Walled City of Lahore and has been destroyed and rebuilt several times during its history. The Shalimar Gardens are examples of Mughal Gardens which were constructed by the emperor Shah Jahan in 1642. The gardens are influenced by Persian and Islamic traditions and cover 16 hectares of land area.

China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang’an (X’ian)-Tianshan Corridor Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang’an (Xian)-Tianshan Corridor is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which covers the Chang’an- Tianshan portion of the ancient Silk Road and historical sites along the route. On June 22, 2014, UNESCO designated a 5,000 km stretch of the Silk Road network from Central China to the Zhetsyu Region of Central Asia as a World Heritage Site. The corridor spans China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan and includes 33 new sites and several previously designated heritage sites.

February 2018 Mahan Inflight Magazine 27 Documentary Works www.Mahan.aero , Iran Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran The Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran, located in the West and East Azerbaijan Provinces in Iran, is an ensemble of three Armenian churches that were established during the period between the 7th and 14th centuries A.D. The edifices—the St. Thaddeus Monastery, the Saint Stepanos Monastery, and the Chapel of Dzordzor—have undergone many renovations. These sites were inscribed as cultural heritages under the UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Tabriz, Iran Bazaar of Tabriz is a historical market situated in the city center of Tabriz, Iran. It is one of the oldest bazaars in the Middle East and the largest covered bazaar in the world and is one of Iran’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Susa, Iran

Susa was an ancient city of the Proto-Elamite, Elamite, First Persian Empire, Seleucid, and Parthian empires of Iran, and one of the most important cities of the Ancient Near East. It is located in the lower Zagros Mountains about 250 km (160 mi) east of the Tigris River, between the Karkheh and Dez Rivers. The modern Iranian town of Shush is located at the site of ancient Susa. Shush is the administrative capital of the Shush County of Iran’s Khuzestan province.

28 February 2018 Mahan Inflight Magazine Documentary Works www.Mahan.aero , Iran

Soltaniyeh is the capital city of Soltaniyeh District of County, , Azerbaijan, northwestern Iran. Soltaniyeh, located some 240 kilometres (150 mi) to the north-west of Tehran, was built as the capital of Mongol Ilkhanid rulers of Iran in the 14th century. In 2005, UNESCO listed Soltaniyeh as one of the World Heritage Sites. The road from Zanjan to Soltaniyeh extends until it reaches to the cave.

Yazd, Iran Yazd is the capital of Yazd Province, Iran. The city is located 270 km (170 mi) southeast of Isfahan. It is currently 15th largest city in Iran. Since 2017, the historical city of Yazd is recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Because of generations of adaptations to its desert surroundings, Yazd has a unique Persian architecture. It is nicknamed the “City of Wind catchers”). Yazd is also very well known for its Zoroastrian fire temples, ab anbars (cisterns), qanats (underground channels), yakhchals (coolers), Persian handicrafts, hand-woven cloth (Persian termeh), silk weaving, Persian Cotton Candy, and its confectioneries.

Shushtar, Iran Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System is an island city from the Sassanid era with a complex irrigation system. Located in Iran’s Khuzestan Province, it was registered on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in 2009, and is Iran’s 10th cultural heritage site to be registered on the United Nations’ list. Parts of the irrigation system are said to originally date to the time of Darius the Great, an Achaemenian king of Iran. It partly consists of a pair of primary diversion canals in the Karun River, one of which is still in use today.

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