The Silk Road was an ancient network of trade routes extending over 6,400 kilometers, connecting the East and West. It started in the ancient Chinese city of Chang'an (now Xi'an) in north-central China and extended westward to the Greek city of Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey) near the Mediterranean. The routes traversed Central Asia, passing through important regions and cities such as those in modern Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran (Persia), India, and Turkey. The network also included maritime routes across the Indian Ocean connecting Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, East Africa, and the Mediterranean basin. The Silk Road's land routes split into northern and southern paths bypassing deserts like the Taklamakan in China, going through key trading centers such as Kashgar, Samarkand, and Bukhara. Along the route, goods, culture, religion, technologies, and ideas were exchanged, influencing a vast region across Asia and Europe from around the 2nd century BCE to the mid-15th century CE.