The Silk Road was a vast trade network linking China, India, the Middle East, and Europe, facilitating the exchange of goods, technologies, and cultures.

Along with silk, spices, and precious metals, it spread religions like Buddhism and Islam, as well as diseases like the Black Plague.

Despite periods of decline, the Mongols revitalized it in the 13th century, ensuring safer trade routes and increasing global connections, shaping economies and civilizations for centuries.