# data[].attributes.location_name
Yun Gang Shi Ku, Nanjiao, Datong, Shanxi, China

# data[].attributes.headline
Yun Gang Shi Ku, Nanjiao, Datong, Shanxi, China

# data[].attributes.subject
Yun Gang Shi Ku, Nanjiao, Datong, Shanxi, China

# data[].attributes.body
Over 2500 miles from Bamiyan, another Buddha welcomed travelers in Yungang. This Buddha is sitting and meditating, a marked difference from the majestic pose of the Bamiyan Buddha. Sitting at the east of the Great Wall, this Buddha is near the end of the of the central Asian Silk Road.

# data[].attributes.body
At Bamiyan (modern day Afghanistan), two giant Buddha statues were carved during the 4th and 5th centuries CE. (They were here for thousands of years, until the Taliban destroyed them in 2001.) Travelers all over the dessert were welcomed here.

Notice the various aspects of this statue: the Buddha is standing, and he is wearing clothes from Gandhara, an Ancient region in modern-day Pakistan.

# data[].attributes.body
Capital of the Han Dynasty, was one of the centers of Buddhism in China. In 643 CE, the Chinese Buddhist Xuanzang brought back to the city an entire library of Buddhist scriptures. He immediately began the translation process.

# data[].attributes.body
Located in the Sasanian Empire, Persepolis was an important Silk Road city as the Sasanians controlled the trade cross-roads of  Afro-Eurasia.

# data[].attributes.body
Alexandria, Egypt, became a key transit point between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean.

# data[].attributes.body
Taxila (modern-day Pakistan) saw the passage of gold, ivory, and other goods from India.

# data[].attributes.body
Anatolia (western part of Istanbul, Turkey) saw the passage of metals including gold, silver and chlorite from the Iranian plateau.

# data[].attributes.body
The Kushans were nomads that eventually established the Kushan Empire (Modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and northern India). Because they amassed so much territory, they were critical for the formation of the Silk Road. Bactra (Balkh) sat at the center of the empire.

The Kushans embraced diversity, adopting the Greek language  and patronizing various religious cults.

Kushan rule stabilized routes through central Asia, making the empire a major segment of the Silk Road.

Under Kushan patronage, Buddhism reached from India to China and Central Asia.

# data[].attributes.location_name
Taklamakan Desert, 和田县 Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang, China

# data[].attributes.headline
Taklamakan Desert, 和田县 Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang, China

# data[].attributes.subject
Taklamakan Desert, 和田县 Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang, China

# data[].attributes.body
The Taklamakan Desert was home to many stops along the Silk Road. While Silk was, by far, the most lucrative commodity, China also saw the trade of several resources, including steel and iron, as well as jade.

Importantly, the Taklamakan Desert Silk Road routes were pivvotal to the spread of Buddhism in the area, featuring several Buddhist temples, centers, and sacred mountains.

# data[].attributes.body
Located in modern-day Jordan, Petra was one of the most developed caravan cities of the Silk Road trade. Arab traders facilitated the movement of myrrh, frankincense, and other spices along the route. Through this caravan city, the Arabian Peninsula and Indian Ocean were connected with the Mediterranean world.

# data[].attributes.body
Palmyra, Syria

As Petra's influence declined, Palmyra became the most important caravan city at the western end of the Silk Road. Visited by rich citizens of the Roman Empire, Palmyran traders procured lots of luxury goods, including silk. Due to its wealth, Palmyra traders built a splendid city in the desert.