Send message to Author

Abstract

The historiography of the Silk Road has long focused primarily on the northern and central trans‑Eurasian routes linking China with Central Asia and the Mediterranean world. In this dominant narrative, the southern corridors that connected Iran, the Persian Gulf, and the Indian subcontinent have received comparatively limited scholarly attention. This paper introduces and develops the concept of the “Jade Road” as an analytical framework for reconsidering the role of southern Silk Road networks in the historical formation of Central Eurasian space.

Drawing on Persian and Arabic historical sources, geographical literature, and commercial records, this study examines the routes that connected Khurasan, southern Iran, the Persian Gulf ports, and the markets of the Indian subcontinent. These routes constituted an important system of exchange through which commodities such as horses, precious stones including jade, textiles, and other luxury goods circulated across regions. At the same time, these networks enabled the movement of merchants, administrators, scholars, and religious figures, facilitating broader processes of cultural and social interaction.

Particular attention is given to the Mongol period in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, when the political integration of large parts of Eurasia under Mongol rule significantly enhanced long‑distance mobility and commercial exchange. During this period, southern routes linking Iran with India gained renewed importance within the wider Eurasian trade system. The paper argues that these networks played a key role in connecting Central Asia with the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean world, thereby reshaping patterns of economic geography and regional connectivity.

By proposing the concept of the “Jade Road,” this study seeks to highlight the importance of southern Silk Road corridors in the spatial reconfiguration of Central Eurasia. Reconsidering these routes allows for a more balanced understanding of Eurasian historical connectivity and emphasizes the role of Iran and the Persian Gulf as critical intermediaries between Central Asia and the Indian Ocean world