Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor


World Heritage Identification Number: 1442

World Heritage since: 2014

Category: Cultural Heritage

Transboundary Heritage: Yes

Endangered Heritage: No

Country: China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan

Continent: NA

UNESCO World Region: Asia and the Pacific

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Exploring the Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor: A Journey Along the Ancient Silk Roads

The Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014, offers a unique glimpse into the rich history and cultural exchange that occurred along the ancient Silk Roads network. Stretching over 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles), this significant route connected Central China to the Zhetysu region of Central Asia, providing a conduit for trade, religious beliefs, scientific knowledge, technological innovation, cultural practices, and artistic exchanges from the 2nd century BC to the 16th century.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

This property is a 5,000 km section of the extensive Silk Roads network, stretching from Chang’an/Luoyang, the central capital of China in the Han and Tang dynasties, to the Zhetysu region of Central Asia. It took shape between the 2nd century BC and 1st century AD and remained in use until the 16th century, linking multiple civilizations and facilitating far-reaching exchanges of activities in trade, religious beliefs, scientific knowledge, technological innovation, cultural practices and the arts. The thirty-three components included in the routes network include capital cities and palace complexes of various empires and Khan kingdoms, trading settlements, Buddhist cave temples, ancient paths, posthouses, passes, beacon towers, sections of The Great Wall, fortifications, tombs and religious buildings.

Encyclopedia Record: Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor

Silk Roads: The Routes Network of Chang'an-Tian Shan 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 (3,100 mi) stretch of the Silk Road network from Central China to the Zhetysu 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.

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Additional Site Details

Area: 42,668.16 hectares

UNESCO Criteria: (ii) — Significant interchange of human values
(iii) — Unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition
(v) — Outstanding example of traditional human settlement
(vi) — Directly associated with events or living traditions

Coordinates: 34.3044444444 , 108.8572222222

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Image of Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor

© 张骐, CC BY-SA 3.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)

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Nearby World Heritage Sites

Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor
38 km — China
Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains
285 km — China
Longmen Grottoes
332 km — China
The Grand Canal
334 km — China
Hubei Shennongjia
339 km — China
Last updated: January 18, 2026

Portions of the page Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor are based on data from UNESCO — World Heritage List Dataset and on text from the Wikipedia article Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes made. Additional original content by World Heritage Explorer (WHE), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. WHE is not affiliated with UNESCO or the World Heritage Committee. Legal Notice. Privacy Policy.

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