Eo

UNESCO Mission to
The Chinese Silk Road

as World Cultural Heritage Route
A systematic Approach towards

Identification and Nomination
From 21-31August 2003

UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Paris,May 2004
UNESCO Mission to the Chinese Silk Road -August 2003 3
Table of contents
1. Acknowledgements
2.Objectivesand Background to the Mission
3.Introduction
4.Cultural Routes:A n Emerging Concept
5.Routes as World Heritage:Types and Forms
6.The Great Silk Road: Statement of Significance
7. Cultural Routes: Condition of Integrity and Test of
Authenticity
8.The Great Silk Road:Identification
9.Management ofa Great Silk Road Cultural Route
10.Conclusions
1 1. Recommendations
Annexes
a) Map ofthe Silk Road

b) UNESCO Guidelines for Serial Nominations to the
World Heritage List
c) Chronology ofthe Silk Road
1. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The World Heritage Centre project for the identification and nomination of
the Great Silk Road to the World Heritage List,which included this mission,
is financed out ofthe Netherlands Funds-in-Trustat UNESCO.
The mission would like to thank first of all the team of the Asian Region
Unit and the Latin-America&Caribbean Unit at the World Heritage Centre
for their work and kind assistance in preparing the mission to the Silk Road.
Mr TIAN Xiaogang, Secretary-General of the Chinese National
Commission for UNESCO is thanked for the guidance and support in the
organization of the mission and the field visits. Ms YU Xiaoping of the
National Commission was present in all the meetings and visits throughout
the mission in China.
Furthermore, the Chinese counterpart of the State Administration for

Cultural Heritage (SACH),in the persons of Mr GUO Zhan and Mr YANG
Zhijun from the Department for the Protection of Cultural Heritage,and in
particular Mr SHAN Jixiang,the Director-Generalof SACH are thanked for
their time spent with the team travelling along the Silk Road, for sharing
their knowledge and wisdom, and exchanging ideas and concepts. The
mutual respect and understanding greatly inspired the mission team and its
output.
The mission would like to express their gratitude also to Mr.Neville

Agnew, Ms.Martha Demas, Mr.Jonathan Bell and other staff of the Getty
Conservation Institute (USA), for their time spent with the team in
Dunhuang,engaging in debate,answering questions, and discussing issues
of conservation. Similarly,the mission greatly benefited from the company
of Dr.Henry Cleere,former World Heritage Coordinator for ICOMOSfrom
1992-2002,who joined the team in his capacity as the Special Advisor to
the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China.
FJ& RvO
Paris -May 2004
2. OBJECTIVES AND BACKGROUND TO THE

MISSION
The World Heritage Centre mission along the Chinese Silk Road, which
was sponsored out of the Netherlands Funds-in-Trustat UNESCO,took
place from 21 to 31 August 2003 and was carried out by Mr.Feng Jing of
the Asian Region Unit and Mr.Ron van Oers of the Latin-America &
Caribbean Unit in order to:
0 facilitate discussion on,and enhance understanding of,the identification

and nomination of Cultural Routes to UNESCOsWorld Heritage List;
0 contribute to an importantinitiative that is foreseento have a significant

impact on current thinking and operationalization of conservation
projects;
0 share the information and preliminary findings of this project with the
international conservationcommunity.
This mission report, as a result, has as its main objective to discuss and
propose a systematic approach towards the identification and nomination of
the Chinese section ofthe Silk Road,in particular the Oasis Route.
As regards the Silk Roads, a scientific appraisal had already been

prepared by the Japanese National Commission [for UNESCO] on the
occasion of the International Symposium on the History of Eastern
and Western Cultural Contacts (October-November 1957). This
served as a guide, while the presentation brochure listed the very
many examples of research work already undertaken. Some twenty
Japanese specialists enumerated all their problems with the aid of a
bibliography of over 750 titles, amounting to an appraisal of the
situation in 1957.Out of these endeavors emerged the notion of three
intercultural routes: the Steppe Route, the Oasis Route, and the
Maritime Route.2
Stretching over roughly 4,450kilometers from Xian in Shaanxi Province to

Kashgar, or Kashi, in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the amount of
monuments and sites along the Oasis Route is vast. While the significance
and importance of this project was clear to the Chinese authorities -out of
the SO+ sites on the Chinese Tentative List,this was given a priority for
nomination to the World Heritage List-, how exactly to proceed in this
The preliminary findings are to be presented at the Getty Conservation Institutes Intemational Conference
Conservation of Ancient Sites along the Silk Road, which will take place from 27 June to 3 July 2004 in
Dunhuang, China.
2
V. Eliseeff (ed.), The Silk Roads - Highways of Culture and Commerce, UNESCO Publishing/Berghahn
Books, NewYorWOxford 2000,p. 13.
major endeavour remains a question mark. Rather than assisting the Chinese
authorities in the preparation of a nomination dossier, the issue is to
cooperate in the development of an approach and methodology for the
identification and nomination of a Cultural Route. As this was of relevance
as well to other such projects currently under preparation, a coordination
was established between different Units at the World Heritage Centre.3
Given the scope of this initiative and subsequent resources needed,taking

into account the long-term planning nature and the complexity of World
Heritage listing in general, it seems imperative to properly structure this
process to avoid a random selection of culturally-historicimportant places
along the road and in the process lose overview and context.As such,a first
step should involve the definition of the concept of a cultural route and
subsequently to determine the significant elements that constitute the
Chinese Silk Road. With these in place,it will be possible to sketch a broad
picture of meaning and impact of the route, and establish where essential
aspects have condensated and materialized, which should be the focus of a
nomination process.
Point of departure should be a holistic approach that focuses on the

identification and justification of those aspects and elements that will tell
the storyof the Chinese Silk Road in a comprehensive manner. More than
referring to the presentation of heritage sites,this would mean that in order
to understand and appreciate the Silk Road and its cultural-historic
significance in its full dimension, inclusion of a wide variety of elements
would have to be considered:next to the evident grandsites,perhaps also
supplementary structures and landscapes that support the story telling. In
addition to evident properties, such as buildings and settlements (living or
fossilized), the mission took into view the widest possible spectrum to
discuss inclusion of other elements as well (engineering, military,
transportation). Since research and documentation on the Silk Road have
been abundant, what is needed is the definition of a vision and proper
methodology pertinent to the concept of cultural routes,with a re-packaging
of existing information and proposition for a framework to facilitate the
preparation of an incremental serial nomination: a phased nomination of a
series of clusters linked by, and representing,the Silk Road. (See Annex 11:
UNESCO Guidelines for Serial Nominations to the World Heritage List)
3
For this reason the mission consisted of World Heritage Centre staff of two regional desks, e.g. the Asia Desk
and the Latin America and Caribbean Desk, as the discussions and outcomes were considered of importance in
the development of the Camino Inca Project, a Transboundary Nomination of six Latin American countries
(Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru). Both projects are sponsored out of the Netherlands
Funds-in-Trust,as well as other Cultural Routes nominations involving the Great Salt Route (North and West-
Africa) and the Slave Route (Indian Ocean section).
3 INTRODUCTION
A property can only be registered on the World Heritage List if physical

evidence of its existence remains,which can be protected and preserved for
future generations. However, physical remains that have been radically
altered would not be elegible,while conservation of conjectured elements is
not accepted by the international professional community either, including
the World Heritage Committee, as put down in the International Charter
for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites (The Venice
Charter, 1964). What constitutes physical evidence of a cultural route,
however,is something that has only fragmentarily been described and is still
open to broad interpretation.
Physical evidence of routes sometimes may be found in the form of roads,

as in the case of the Camino Inca referred to by Oxford historian Felipe
Fernhdez-Armestoin his work on civilizations:
Historians of the early colonial period, likening the Incas to the

Romans, exaggerated the uniformity of their institutions and the
centralized nature of their government. Still,the intrusive nature of
their rule is apparent in the evidence they have left of how to manage
a high-altitudeempire:relics ofthe extraordinary road system.4
In other cases, however, very often physical evidence of the road has
disappeared or has been replaced by a new system: while the Via Appia
Antica still has the same structure,the 962 km.stretch of the Via Aurelia
from Rome to Arles has been replaced by a modern road. Similarly,in the
case of the Chinese Silk Road almost all of the original road -if ever there
existed one, since much of it were tracks through the desert- has
disappeared and been replaced by a four-lanehighway. H o w to deal with
this? To the extent possible, it is here that this report aims to fill a critical
gap and propose an approach using a selection of findings of UNESCO
expert meetings and other specialized studies.
While discussions on improved identification, classification and

representation of categories of heritage have been going on since the early
eighties of the last century,over the last decade in particular our view of
meaning and value of heritage has been refined significantly and broadened
its interpretationtremendously.
An anthropological interpretation in the cultural heritage field has led from

the protection ofarchitectural and monumental heritage to recognition of the
4
F.Femhdez-Armesto: Civilizations,Pan Books, London 2001, pp. 290-292.
With inclusion of Cultural Landscapes as a new category for World Heritage listing in 1992,with inclusion of
criterion (vi) for cultural properties,and adoption of the Global Strategy by the World Heritage Committee, and
publication of the Nara Document on Authenticity in 1994.
living, spiritual heritage of indigenous people and their interconnections

with the physical, natural environment. While this widened notion of
heritage was already remarked upon by Franqoise Choay more than a
decade ago: it has not yet been applied widely,but mostly by a selection of
professionals and specialized institutes, in primarily Western countries.
Next to a broadened interpretation of cultural heritage, at the same time an
expanded notion of conservationneeds to be introduced,e.g.conservation
as a social process that is best seen more inclusively, encompassing the
creation of heritage, interpretation and education [...] to acknowledge the
importance of social and economic values along with the traditional notions
of conservationvalue, such as age,aesthetics,and historical ~ignificance.~
It seems that the identification and protection of Cultural Routes,in addition

to Cultural Landscapes, will prove to be the right context for such an
approach. In this respect, cultural routes may be regarded as the latest
development in a trend of an expanding scale and complexity of heritage
properties, that requires a separate approach and framework to foster
understanding and serve as a tool for informed decision making regarding
recognition and effective management ofthese properties.
Considering this objective it becomes clear that this report will not contain
detailed descriptions of monuments and sites to be found along the road -
this remains the task of the relevant Chinese authorities in their preparation
of the nomination dossier. This report aims to make a contribution to the
theoretical and methodological underpinnings,taking the Chinese section of
the Silk Road as a case study,and thereby facilitate the identification and
nomination of other Cultural Routes in different parts of the world to the
World Heritage List.
This mission involved only one section of the Oasis Route,e.g.the northern
route along the Takla Makan Desert,and follow-upmissions are scheduled
to include the southern route, the Hexi Corridor and the Central Asian
stretch into India,Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzistan and beyond, because ultimately,
the endeavour should result in an incremental,multinational,trans-boundary
serial nomination:the protection, from Xian in China to the coastal regions
of the Mediterranean Sea,in a phased process according to the pace of the
various countries involved, of several clusters of properties, sites and
landscapes,cultural and natural,linked by a shared vision and set of values,
and formalized in unified conservation approaches and management plans,
to preserve for future generations of all humankind the extraordinary legacy
ofthe Great Silk Road.
6
F.Choay :L Allkgorie dupatrimoine,Editions du Seuil, 1992.
E. Avrami, R. Mason, M. de la Torre: Values and Heritage Conservation, Research Report, The Getty
Conservation Institute,Los Angeles 2000,pp. 68-70.
4. CULTURAL ROUTES: AN EMERGING CONCEPT
What constitutes a cultural route is

something that has not yet been
properly described and is part of
ongoing debates, in particular by the
Intemational Scientific Committee on
Cultural Routes (CIIC)of ICOMOS,the
International Council on Monuments
and Sites, UNESCOsAdvisory Body
for cultural heritage. The CIIC was
created out of a meeting on the topic of
cultural routes held in Madrid in
November 1994, sponsored by the
Spanish Ministry for Culture and
attended by experts from ICOMOS and
UNESCO, following the inclusion of
the Pilgrims Route to Santiago de
Compostela on the World Heritage List.
The conceptual premises of the CIIC
emerged from the contents and conclusions of this meeting,and its creation
was a direct result of the conclusion that more in-depthstudies were needed
to further its conceptual and operational development. Since its official
creation as part of ICOMOS in 1998,eight international scientific meetings
have been held. The references and a large part of the contents of these
meetings have been included in various publications. The CIIC currently
has 60 members from different countries all over the world and eight
candidatesseeking membership.
Among the definitions which were adopted by the CIIC at its meeting in
Tenerife in September 1998,the following was included:
The concept of a cultural route or itinerary refers to a set of values

whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts and through which it
gains its Meaning; Identification of the cultural itinerary is based on
an array of important points and tangible elements that attest to the
significance of the itinerary itself. To recognize that a cultural
itinerary or route as such necessarily includes a number of material
elements and objects linked to other values of an intangible nature by
the connecting thread of a civilizing process of decisive importance at
a given time in history for a particular society or group.
See:Http://www.icomos-ciic.org/CIIC/CIIC.htm
From Conclusions and Recommendations, in: El patrimonio intangible y otros aspectos relativos a 10s
Itinerarios Culturales, Congreso intemacional del comite internacional de itinerarios culturales (CIIC)de
ICOMOS,Pamplona (Navarro, Espana), 20-24de Junio 2001,p. 545.
UNESCO Mission to the Chinese Silk Road - August 2003 11
In a recent meeting in Madrid, on 30 and 31 May 2003, experts and

representatives of ICOMOS and UNESCO got together to discuss a draft of
proposals and guidelines with a view to ensuring the inclusion and proper
treatment of cultural routes in the Operational Guidelines for the
Implementation of the World Heritage Convention,currently in process of
revision.In the section on Guidelines on the Inclusion of Specific Types of
Properties on the World Heritage List in the 3rd Draft Annotated Revision
of the Operational Guidelines, it is stated that cultural routes may be
considered as a specific, dynamic type of cultural landscape.During the
ICOMOS General Assembly,which took place in December 2002 in Spain,
the recommendation was put forward that cultural routes are independent
both in concept and substance from cultural landscapes.A draft proposal for
a definition of cultural routes, as well as proposed amendments to the
revision of the Operational Guidelines, have been prepared for which the
conclusionsof earlier CIIC congresseswere used.
In principle,it was argued that a definition of a Cultural Route should make

references to some key aspects at least and,as such,cultural routes could be
defined as physical or perceived representations of frequent and repeated
movement over a significant period of time, linking places in time and
space, over land, water, both, or otherwise and generating, next to an
exchange of goods and ideas,a cross-fertilizationwithin or between cultural
regions ofthe world.
In the above,a road would be a physical representation of a route,while a

sea lane,for instance,would be a perceived one (as it usually constitutes a
dotted line on a seafarers map only). The material elements or artefacts
along a route can be considered as condensationpoints,where exchange of
ideas and goods materialized, or where the route actually became a road.
Cultural routes as linear landscapes, as referred to in the Operational
Guidelines,may not always be lines,but can take the form of a matrix, or a
network, and it would be more appropriate to refer to them as a system.It
was further agreed that continuity and the dynamic nature -as opposed to
the far more static nature of a landscape-, are also essential aspects of a
cultural route.
5. ROUTES AS WORLD HERITAGE: TYPES AND

FORMS
As there exists no clear nomination model for Cultural Routes, the

following section aims to discuss, in short, some core aspects of inscribed
World Heritage properties with typological and/or physical similarities to
cultural routes for clarification and guiding purposes.lo Several heritage
routes have been inscribed on the World Heritage List already, often as a
linear nomination.If a road is considered as a (segment of a) line,with a
start and end point, a considerable length and limited width,theoretically a
heritage route as a linear nomination constitutes a continuous nomination,
where every point along the line is proposed for inscription.The following
typology of heritage routes, many of which were inscribed as linear
nominations,gives an indication ofhow this was applied in practical terms.
1. Transportation
(all feature under the category Industrial Heritage)
Railways
0 Semmering Railway (Austria, inscribed in 1998): linear
nomination, including several properties (mostly villas) along
the railway;
Darjeeling Railway (India,inscribed in 1999)
Canals
0 Canal du Midi (France,inscribed in 1996)
2. Trade Routes
Frankincense Trail (Oman, inscribed in 2000): linear
nomination, including a serial nomination of 4 archaeological
sites;
3. Religious Roads
0 Camino de Santiago (Spain, inscribed in 1993): linear
nomination,including several properties along the road;
0 Camino de Santiago (France, inscribed in 1998): linear
nomination, including a serial nomination with around 70
properties inscribed;
4. Linear Monuments (e.g.FortificationsDefensive Structures)

0 Great Wall (China,inscribed in 1987)
0 Hadrian Wall (England, inscribed in 1987): linear nomination,
including several properties along the wall;
0 Defence Line of Amsterdam (Holland, inscribed in 1996): this
property falls also into the canals classification.
10
Acknowledging the contribution made by Ms.Pinagrazia Piras, Assistant Programme Specialist,LAC/WHC.
Taking a closer look at the above inscribed properties, it can be established

that all the routes have a formal, materialized linear element as its core
property. This rather narrow definition of a Cultural Route, as opposed to a
network or system that perhaps not necessarily has a physical linear
structure as its core (e.g. maritime route), has no doubt limited the
identification and nomination of other properties.Furthermore,all the routes
(including linear monuments) have structures and settlements associated to
it. This is most apparent in the cases of:
0 The Camino de Santiago, which is inscribed as a linear nomination

having a protected 30 meter strip on either side of the road. This
protection zone broadens out in places to include towns, villages and
buildings that are already protected for their cultural value under
Spanish law;
0 The Semmering Railway,where construction of the 41 km long railway
across the Semmering pass between 1848 and 1854 led to the creation of
a cultural landscape with villas and hotels over much of its route,that is
an outstanding example of a sympathetic insertion of buildings of high
and consistent architectural quality into a natural landscape;
0 The Hadrian Wall, with almost 100 monuments associated to the wall,
including forts, ditches, roads and rampart walks, forming an
outstanding ensemble of defensive constructions and settlements in an
archaeological zone that is the largest in the UK.
As such,a proper inventory of the structures and settlementsalong the route

seems essential to establish the nature of the route and the most appropriate
way of inscription,being linear (one continuing property), serial (a property
consisting of clusters of sites, which can be discontinue), or mixed.
Furthermore, a route cannot be dissociated from its context, e.g. the
landscape, therefore a good analysis of ancient and modern topography,
utilizing historic maps, is essential to assess the value of this aspect of the
property to be nominated.
6. THE GREAT SILK ROAD: STATEMENT OF

SIGNIFICANCE
Many cultural routes have linked great civilizations and shaped world
history. Fernandez-Armesto points out that avenues across the Gobi and
Takla Makan were part of the web of silk roads that linked the civilizations
at either end of Eurasia. [.
..]Chinese science and technology were diffused
across Eurasia partly by maritime routes but also, vitally, via the deserts
which the silk roads crossed.
The global significance of the Great Silk Road needs hardly be debated
anymore, indeed, as it has been for more than a decade as part of
UNESCOsProject on the Silk Road: Dialogue among Civilizations.In his
introduction to the UNESCO publication on the Silk Road Project,Vadime
Elisseeff explains that these roads, regardless of how they were called,
have been known to humanity for many centuries and, as far as the major
routes are concerned, for several millennia. Most of them are the
descendants of natural roads following patterns of vegetation whose
ecological qualities enabled man and beast to thrive in the days when
Paleolithic hunters tracked their game. These historical routes are also
terrestrial and maritime, running from east to west and corresponding to
waterways that run from north to south. They introduced sedentary and
nomadic populations, and opened up a form of dialogue between the
cultures ofEast and West.12
Concerning the significance and impact ofthe Chinese Silk Road,he makes
the following statement:
Until the last three hundred years, most of the inventions and
technical advances which made a real difference to peoples lives
came from China - including, most notably, paper, the printing
press,the blast furnace,competitive examinations,gunpowder,and -
among many critical innovations in marine technology- the ships
compass. Long sustained Chinese initiative depended on the
availability ofroutes oftransmission.l3
Spanning a quarter of the globe,it did not only bring goods such as silk and
spices to the western world, and objects of gold, glass and other prized
Roman creations to the elite of the Orient. But in being the first route
joining the Eastern and Western worlds, the Silk Road may be given a
spiritual identity - along the Silk Roads technology travelled, ideas were
exchanged, and friendship and understanding between East and West were
experienced for the first time on a large scale.Therefore,the importance and
l1 Femhndez-Armesto:Civilizations,2001,p. 71.
l2 Eliseeff, The Silk Roads,2000,p. 2.
l3 Ibid.,p. 265.
value of the Silk Road can be related to the unity it brought about and this
leads Zekrgoo to state that the great Silk Road may be counted as the most
important route in the history ofmankind.l4
Furthering this statement would be to argue that the immaterial aspect of

cultural routes is more important than the material - i.e. the Silk Road as
vehicle for cross-cultural exchange. In doing just so, Sugio writes . ..the
present Silk Road is not found to have been preserved in its perfect form up
to the present, but the intangible heritage, such as the characteristics of
surviving race surrounding the route and the minority race,their figures,the
genes, languages, cultural properties, clothings, living styles, agricultural
methods, city structures, architectural styles, customs, manners, political
systems, religions, traditional skills, industries, arts, music, etc. are
continuing distinctly still now. Therefore even though it is not necessarily
existing or is preserved as a road in a clear form,its existence and value as a
cultural route becomes evident when the existence of intangible heritage is
traced back.15
It seems that Cultural Routes,even more than Cultural Landscapes,can be

considered a halfway station between tangible and intangible heritage,
containing a significant part of each domain.16 Therefore, in order to
preserve the legacy of the Silk Road in a comprehensive manner,more than
just monuments and sites need to be taken into account. More pertinent,
therefore,would be to adopt an approach that recognizesthe immaterialand
diffuse nature of a cultural route, the dynamic effects of transmission and
impact,including all fields of human activity connected to the road,such as
politics, commerce,science,religion and culture. Elements and aspects to
consider should include oases and agricultural systems, engineering and
transportation, caves for shelter and prayer, open landscapes for
contemplation and spiritual motivation,vistas for orientation,resting places
with bazaars and carravan serrais,but also transit points between different
realms of power, with military garrisons, fortifications and communication
towers. In this way, a better representation through significant aspects and
elements as part of the nomination can be guaranteed;hence the guideline
that the significance of a Cultural Route can be assessed through
technological,economic,social and landscape factors.l7
14
Amir H.Zekrgoo, The Spiritual Identity of the Silk Roads, in: The Silk Roads - Highways of Culture and
Commerce,2000,p. 126.
15
K.Sugio, Intangible Heritage and Cultural Routes in a Universal Content, in: El patrimonio intangible y
otros aspectos relativos a 10s Itinerarios Culturales, Congreso intemacional del comite intemacional de
itinerarios culturales (CIIC)de ICOMOS,Pamplona (Navarro,Espana), 20-24de Junio 2001,p. 44.
16
See in this regard the definition of Intangible Cultural Heritage, in Article 2 of The International Convention
for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage,UNESCO,16 October 2003.
17
See: Operational Guidelines, 1999,Annex 3, pp. 9-11.
7. CULTURAL ROUTES: CONDITION OF INTEGRITY

AND TEST OF AUTHENTICITY
Initially,the condition of integrity applied to natural sites primarily, while

the test of authenticity was reserved for cultural sites. As of lately, and
initiated by the introduction of Cultural Landscapes, integrity is also more
and more used in reference to cultural sites. Von Droste explains that the
notion of integrity,even in its common use referring to wholeness,has
an ecological basis. Integrity relates to the maintenance of fimctional
relationships between components of a system. When applied to World
Natural Heritage Sites,one can describe conditions which are essential for
the maintenance of the integrity of particular World Heritage values9.l8The
issue seemsrelevant to Cultural Routes as well.
During the 2001 Thematic Expert

Meeting on Asia-Pacific Sacred
Mountains in Wakayama, Japan, it
was discussed that . ..integrity
implies a balanced state of
ecological systems, aesthetic,
cultural, religious or artistic
associations. Parallel to sacred
mountains, for protecting the
integrity of cultural routes evolving
cultural practices, including
traditional ecological, engineering,
and construction knowledge, may
need to be taken into account - an
enhanced appreciation of the
interface between ecology and
culture as a dynamic basis for
maintaining the integrity of a
cultural route.
While it may be obvious to many that for Cultural Routes the condition of
integrity should apply, how to deal with the test of authenticity remains a
dilemma, since the original function of the route usually has disappeared
over time,which nevertheless would still leave cultural sites,properties and
natural areas along the route of historic and scientific importance,authentic
and worthy of protection and conservation. The current Operational
Guidelines state that the authenticity of a heritage route can be assessed on
18
B. von Droste zu Hulshoff, in Linking Nature and Culture..., Report of the Global Strategy Natural and
Cultural Heritage Expert Meeting, U N E S C O - W H C , Amsterdam 1998,p. 13.
19
U N E S C O Thematic Expert Meeting on Asia-PaciJicSacred Mountains,Final Report, Tokyo November 2001,
p. 262.
the ground of its significance and moreover on the duration of the route
itself, as well as the legitimate wishes for development of peoples
affected.What does this mean?
Addressed as well during the Asia-Pacific Sacred Mountains Expert

Meeting,authenticity as defined in the Operational Guidelines and the Nara
Document on Authenticity (1994) is applicable to cultural routes, and
should encompass the continuation of traditional cultural practises to be
found along the cultural route. This authenticity, however, must not
exclude cultural continuity through change,which may introduce new ways
of relating to and caring for the place.*Furthermore,in order to determine
the degree of authenticity and to protect it, one needs to examine closely the
distinctive character and components of tangibles, and the associated
intangible values, which represent the outstanding universal significance of
the Cultural Route.
2o Ibid
8. THE GREAT SILK ROAD: IDENTIFICATION
All this involves the protection and conservation of a series of elements of

various natures, incorporating tangible and intangible values, linked by a
physical or perceived artifact,like a string of pearls. The pearls,essentially,
are significant places of memory, which constitute the main story line:they
are sites that contain Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), the main
criterionrequired for World Heritage listing.
However, as was argued before,

perhaps it will be needed to look
beyond properties and sites of
Outstanding Universal Value alone,
to consider support sites that are
needed to filly understand and
appreciate context and relationships,
to complement the picture - they
give the story more depth and
character. While some in this regard
argue that routes are, par
excellence, the sum of their parts -
[...I no site in isolation perhaps
crossing the threshold for heritage
listing- but a combination of sites
forming a powerful and significant
cultural experience [.. perhaps
the issue is more pertinent. For
example: What does the World
Heritage site of Mogao Caves (listed
in 1987,under criteria i, ii, iii, iv, v, iv) actually reveal of the Silk Road?
Except for wall painting depictions, such as at Cave 103 showing
Xuanzangsjoumey to India traversing the Pamirs in search of Buddhist
scriptures,22 the answer would be: very little.
While the caves extraordinary collection and quality of Buddhist art is

unquestionable, and indeed of Outstanding Universal Value, it can be
argued that the site gains even more significance if one properly
understands the conditions under which this outstanding art was produced,
by whom,where and why. Picture practising monks in an oasis,providing a
haven for travellers, both physically and spiritually, at a remote location
along the Silk Road in the incredibly harsh environment of the Takla
21
S. Blair, N.Hall, D.James, L.Brady, Making Tracks - Key Issues about the Heritage of Australian Routes
and Journeys, in: El patrimonio intangible y otros uspectos relativos a 10s ltinerarios Culturales,Pamplona
(Navarro,Espana), p. 230.
22 R.Whitfield, S.Whitfield, N.Agnew, Cave Temples of Moguo - Art and History on the Silk Road, The Getty
Conservation Institute and the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles 2000,p. 25.
U N E S C O Mission to the Chinese Silk Road -August 2003 19
Makan, one of the most fearsome deserts in the world, which in Turki
means go in and you will not come out: these all provide an essential
contribution to appreciating this site to the fullest, whereby it gains even
more value. It is the beauty in juxtaposition to the alien setting provided for
doomed souls braving a journey of incomprehendable proportion - indeed,
this context constitutes one of the intangible values of the site. But,is it
protected and properly cared for now?
With the current pace of development everywhere in China, there is a

serious danger that soon only the formal World Heritage site will remain,
i.e.the caves with Buddhist art,and that its context and relationshipwith the
Silk Road can only be understood through a one-liner in a presentation
brochure. The physical experience of visiting a site in the desert will have
disappeared,and thereby the link to one of the important aspects.Meaning
in practice that, next to the caves themselves, a wide area should be
protected, maintained and presented that provides the fullest possible
setting: the oasis, including caves that were the living quarters of the
monks (without art), with unobstructed vistas into the surrounding,
neverending desert,where the ancient Silk Road used to traverse.Any kind
of development should be located outside a wide perimeter around this
expanded heritage site.
Aside from considerations

related to intangible aspects,
the physical setting of cultural
heritage is a factor that is
taken more and more into
account. In this regard,
already a decade ago Hiroyuki
Suzuki remarked that
traditional villages were built
among rice fields, and
farmers houses and
surrounding rice fields are
in~eparable.~~ For cultural
routes this seems of particular
importance, because in
principle a cultural route was
formed, or guided, by geological formations and it crossed natural and
cultural landscapes.In this regard,a concept that could be of importance in
defining cultural sites in their context and setting, and the extent of their
significance in direct relationship to a cultural route, would be shakkei or
borrowed scenery. Shakkei is used in Japanese garden design and a
technique for enlarging the visual scale of the garden beyond its actual
physical boundaries by incorporating a distant view as an integralpart ofthe
23 H.Suzuki, Authenticity of Setting in the Cyclical Culture, in:Nara Conference on Authenticity,Proceedings

by K.E.Larsen (ed.), U N E S C O World Heritage Centre, Agency for Cultural Affairs Japan, 1994,p. 400.
garden.24Borrowed scenery was one of the important techniques used in

the planning and design of Chinese gardens as well,where it was not only
scenery that could be borrowed, but forms,sounds,colours and fragrances
were also incorporated into gardens.25
The importance ofthe surrounding landscape in the context ofthe Silk Road
becomes apparent when one realizes that silk,as a commodity, in ancient
times was so valued in particular because of the hardships merchants had to
go through to bring it to the markets in the West.
The early trade in silk was carried on against incredible odds by great
caravans of merchants and animals travelling at a snails pace over
some of the most inhospitable territory on the face of the earth -
searing, waterless deserts and snowbound mountain passes. [...]
Blinding sandstorms forced both merchants and animals to the ground
for days on end [...] and altitude sickness and snow blindness affected
both man and beast along cliff-hanging and boulder-strewn trackes.
Death followed on the heels of every caravan.26
For the Chinese Section of

the Silk Road, in particular
around the Takla Makan
Desert, the oasis towns
were of paramount
importance, as they
allowed the caravans to
make, and survive, the
overlandjourney.Very few
caravans, including the
people, animals and goods
they transported, would
complete the entire route
that connected the capitals,
Rome and Xian, of the
two great empires. These
oasis towns provided the caravans with fresh merchants,animals and goods,
and became importanttrading posts and commercial centres.In light of this,
preserving the urban and architectural heritage of these towns alone would
not allow to comprehend their significance - even if of Outstanding
Universal Value. Preserving the traditional agricultural practices, and
supportive engineering structures that provided for water, for instance,are
at least as important in telling,and understanding,the story: one could say
they would constitute borrowed scenery.
24 M.P.Keane, Japanese Garden Design,Charles E.Tuttle Publishing Co.,Inc.,Tokyo 1997,p. 140.

25 C.Liyao,Ancient Chinese Architecture -Private Gardens,SpringerWiedNew York 1999,p.135.
26 J. Bonavia, The Silk Road,Odyssey Publications Ltd., 6th
Edition Hong Kong 2002,p. 14.
For identification purposes it is advised,therefore, to distinguish between

anchor sites and supportsites or structures.27 Anchors would be those
sites,which are considered to contain Outstanding Universal Value, while
support sites or structures do not necessarily contain OUV themselves,but
are nevertheless important to complement the picture. They will have to be
connected therefore, physically and/or conceptually, as a cluster to the
anchor sites. With regard to protection, conservation and management,
however, there should be little distinction: they deserve equal care and
resources to guarantee their preservation for future generations.
Whether physically or conceptually connected, support structures could

become part of the buffer zones of core areas,the anchor sites.As matter of
principle, core and buffer zones for the protection of a cultural route should
be established upon thorough assessment of the varying levels of the routes
heritage values. A buffer zone should ensure the conservation of the
integrity of the core zone of the cultural route, which contains the most
important parts and evidence. Such a buffer zone could also promote
sustainable development,thus reducing excessive human impact in terms of
environmental degradation of sites. [...] As traditional land-use and land
management practices, which have ensured long-termprotection of certain
[sites and their settings], can be useful tools,these practices should be taken
into consideration when planning [protection,conservation and] sustainable
development activities.28
Acknowledging the concept that was developed by the Natural Heritage Section at WHC,N.Ishwaran and A.
Pedersen, in the context of sustainable tourism management of World Heritage sites.
UNESCO Thematic Expert Meeting on Asia-PaclficSacred Mountains,Tokyo November 2001,p. 263.
9. MANAGEMENT OF A GREAT SILK ROAD

CULTURAL ROUTE
To oversee and guarantee high and consistent levels of management of

clusters of heritage sites along more than 4,000 km. of roads the
establishment of a National Management Unit would be appropriate. Given
Chinas centralized structure,this would be easy to achieve. This National
Management Unit could be entrusted with the classification of the different
clusters, with a division into main themes that are represented by the
clusters, including Art (Buddhist, Islamic, other), Architecture (temple,
urban, vernacular), Archaeology (cities, monuments), Religion (temples,
mosques, meeting points, peaceful and violent), Military Engineering
(garrison stations,forts,walls, towers), Agriculture, Trade &Manufacture
(farming, hydraulic systems, markets, caravanserais), Travel &
Transportation (engineering structures,resting places, orientatiodbeacons),
etc., including combinations of several. Identification and management of
properties and sites according to these themes would allow for a broad
spectrum and subsequent representation of important aspects related to the
Silk Road.
While legislation and management
practices should be uniform for all
clusters, separate conservation
management plans should be
prepared for each cluster,according
to their own characteristics and
associated values (both tangible and
intangible) with a clear division into
core and buffer zones (anchor and
support sites). However,in addition
to all the elements that would
normally be considered in the
protection of Cultural Landscapes,
one fundamental aspect to consider
for Cultural Routes would be
elements and aspects related to the
movement of people and goods
(transportation, vistas for
orientation, beacons and
communication towers, etc.). Each
conservation management plan should contain parameters for conservation
and monitoring purposes, for which individual, local teams would be
responsible. The National Management Unit would supervise preparation of
plans, and enforcement of legislation,for clusters according to the highest
international standards, while individual teams would ensure inclusion of
regional or local characteristics and practises,and facilitate consultation and

community participation.
Over time and when more information and resources become available, at
the national level decisions can be taken for extension of sites or inclusion
of other sites that would significantly complement the picture ofthe Chinese
section of the Silk Road from a national perspective (something that would
be difficult to achieve on a decentralized regional level). Furthermore,tested
and tried concepts could be further developed in association with
neighbouring countries that pursue connection of their most significantsites
to the Great Silk Road.
10. CONCLUSIONS
Cultural Routes,as latest development in a trend of an expanding scale and

complexity of heritage properties, require a separate approach and
framework to foster understanding and serve as a tool for informed decision
making in Conservation.Based upon a holistic approach,those heritage sites
that will explain and present the Chinese Silk Road in a comprehensive
manner should be the focus of identification,protection and conservation
efforts. This would mean that inclusion of a wide variety of elements that
relate to the movement of caravans with people and goods would have to be
considered,next to the evident grandsites.In this regard different clusters
of monuments, sites and landscapes could be identified,comprising main
themes such as Art, Architecture, Archaeology, Religion, Military
Engineering, Agriculture, Trade and Manufacture, or combinations of
several.
In addition to considerations related to intangible aspects, the physical

setting of Cultural Routes should be taken into account,because in principle
they were formed,or guided,by geological formations and crossed natural
and cultural landscapes. Traditional land-use and land management
practices,which have ensured long-termprotection of sites,should be taken
into consideration as well when planning protection and conservation
activities. Emerging, therefore, is a combination of anchor sites and
support sites or structures that would allow to fully understand and
appreciate context and relationships. However, with regard to their
conservation, there would be little distinction, as all would need to be
protected and managed to guarantee their preservation for future
generations.
While legislation and management tools should be uniform for all clusters
and supervised from a national level, separate conservation management
plans should be prepared for each cluster, according to their own
characteristics and associated values (both tangible and intangible), for
which individual, local teams would be responsible, thus guaranteeing
inclusion of regional or local characteristics and practices, and facilitating
community participation.Over time additional clusters could be included,in
China and beyond, linked by a shared vision and set of values to preserve
for future generations of all mankind the extraordinary legacy of the Great
Silk Road.
11. RECOMMENDATIONS
1) Identify cultural properties in Xian for possible World Heritage

listing
While the Oasis Route has branched off several times to accommodate
changes in natural environment or political constellation (see Sketch Map of
the Ancient Silk Roads), nevertheless its starting and endpoint have
remained the same throughout its long history: respectively the capital of
Changan (Xian) and the city of Kashgar (Kashi). It is difficult,therefore,
to perceive a nomination of the Oasis Route, which doesnt include both
these cities. Fernbdez-Armesto,once again, explains that crossroads are
founded by accident and grow to greatness by virtue of the sheer volume of
traffic passing through them. Routes are established for the sake of their
termini but the central stretches tend to become the most frequented
As the city of Xian has been heavily modernized, and little is still revealed
of the archaeological sites of Changan,where excavations are on-going,to
identify cultural properties in Xian for possible World Heritage listing
remains a challenge. At the moment, it seems that more time is needed to
map the important cultural-historicproperties and sites in and around the
city wall of Xian.While an overall inventory has been made, clearly,more
time and research would be needed to complement this overall list before
making a decision.
2) Start preparation of a Conservation Management Plan for Kashgar
Currently the Municipal Government of Kashgar is planning for major

infrastructural interventions in the centre of the old city of Kashgar, which
still has a significant and relatively large,authentic core. If the plans of the
Municipal Government are implemented, it would severely fragment the
remaining authentic heart of this ancient city of mud brick houses and
narrow alleyways.This would create serious difficulties in identifying a site
of proper proportions with related authenticity issues that would merit
inscriptionon the World Heritage List.
Therefore,it is advised to start up a discussion concerning the necessity of

the planned interventions and to seek for alternative solutions to combat
traffic congestion,sanitation problems,etc. All this would be best arranged
in the framework of a Conservation Management Plan,delimitating the site
into core and buffer zones and designing appropriate mechanisms for
protection and conservation aiming to upgrade living and working
29 Femandez-Armesto: Civilizations,p. 3 10.

conditions of the resident population, while respecting the particular

characteristics ofthe place.
3) Clustering of Archaeological Cities to include related graveyards,

agricultural landscapes and engineering systems, a m o n g others
As argued in the previous chapters,the oasis towns that thrived because of

their sources of water and agricultural produce,and by virtue ofthat became
important stop-oversand trading places for caravans,need to be identified
through a holistic approach.It will be needed to construct a comprehensive
image consisting of all the elements necessary to understand and appreciate
this significant aspect of the Great Silk Road, including next to the
magnificent fossilized archaeological cities, the adjacent or surrounding
cultural landscape of cotton fields or grape vines supported through the
karez,the centuries-old engineering system that channeled water from the
distant mountains into the oases.
4) Clustering of a Series of Buddhist art sites and cave complexes
In addition to the Mogao Caves,it is advised to identify those sites and cave
complexes that will complement the picture of the gradual difhsion of
Buddhist art from India into China, as well as the later,gradual down-fall
and destruction of this art in favour of Islamic art, emphasizing the Silk
Road as a route of transmission. Within the requirements for World
Heritage listing, as complete a picture should be constructed through the
various sites that enhance understanding of this process,that displays this
gradual evolution with different artistic styles, etc. Herein, it could be
argued that the entire cluster of several identified important Buddhist art
sites together should contain Outstanding Universal Value, making a
distinction between anchor and support sites possible.
5) Resubmit the deferred World Heritage nomination of the Ruins of

Jiaohe City
The World Heritage nomination of the Ancient Jiaohe City in Xinjiang

Uygur Autonomous Regiuon was submitted by the Government of China in
October 1993, the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee at its 18th
session in June 1994,decided that consideration of the nomination be
deferred until the Chinese authorities can provide evidence of the existence
and implementation of a comprehensive management plan for the site of
Jiaohe. The mission was presented a site management plan covering
conservation,restoration and development issues of the property. With the
completion of such a comprehensive Management Plan for this extra-
ordinary site,which is currently in a good state of conservation and well-
presented to the general public, the nomination could be resubmitted. This
could be the starting point for the incremental, serial nomination of the
Oasis Route as part of the Chinese Silk Road, announced through its title,
which should make a reference to this.
6) Establish National Management Entity
At the national level a coordinating unit should be established that oversees

the entire nomination process for the Silk Road, to ensure national
protection of all the identified properties and sites,and to coordinate studies,
inventories and preparations for dossiers: a Silk Road Nomination Task
Force. This unit should establish a participatory process for selection and
prioritization ofproperties and sites for nomination in the future,based on a
thorough assessment of required needs and challenges, all to be
communicated and agreed upon with regional units responsible for
conservationand management,to be established at the same time.
7) Organize a Stakeholder Meeting to co-ordinate the preparation of

World Heritage nomination
As a direct follow-up to this report, a stakeholders meeting should be

organized with high-level decision makers involved in this endeavour to
discuss outcomes of the first mission,the approach and methodology that is
proposed,and to identify fbrther programme of assistance,including the co-
ordination of the preparation of World Heritage nomination. Given the fact
that the 28th session of the World Heritage Committee is taking place in
China this year, the opportunity is taken to organize this stakeholders
meeting after the Committee session.
8) Bilingual Publication in English and Chinese
This report, as well as those to follow on the subject, should be translated

and published into English and Chinese to facilitate discussion and
disseminationof ideas and proposals.
I. Map of the Silk Road
II. UNESCO Guidelines for Serial

Nominations to the World
Heritage List
Ill. Chronology of the Silk Road

3
m
sW0
Y
'
.
,
.
Annex I1 - Guidelines for the Preparation of Serial

Nominations tothe World Heritage List
Introduction
This set of guidelines is designed to assist States Parties prepare serial nominations
for the World Heritage List.
Definition
The Operational Guidelines (paragraph 19) provides for the inscription of serial
nominations on the World Heritage List.A serial nomination is any nomination
which consists of two or more unconnected areas. A single World Heritage
nomination may contain a series of cultural and/or natural properties in different
geographical locations,provided that they are related because they belong to: (i)
the same historico-cultural group; (ii) the same type of property which is
characteristic of the geographical zone; or (iii) the same geological,
geomorphological formation, the same biogeographic province, or the same
ecosystem type, and provided that it is the series,and not necessarily each of its
components taken individually,which is of outstandinguniversal value.
A serial nomination should be treated as a single nomination, not several

nominationspackaged together under a single cover letter.
The core difference between a serial nomination and a single-sitenominationto the

World Heritage List is in the way in which the proposed property is identified in
the Nomination Format's Section 1, Identification,through the use of a serial
nomination table. In the following pages, w e present a sample Section 1 for a
fictitious nomination,annotated to highlight the differences and opportunities for
preparers.
All eight sections of the Nomination Format should be presented only once.
However, if extensive information is available about each component of a serial
nomination, it may be desirable to prepare a small booklet on each, presenting the
Description (Sec. 3) and Documentation (Sec. 7) separately. Use of this format
does not alter the need for a common Identification or Justification sections (Sec. 1
and 2).
The use of common sections for 4.Management,5.FactorsAffecting the Property,

and 6.Monitoringhighlights the need for a common management regime for all
parts ofthe serial nomination.
Advantages
Serial nominations can be used to nominate many properties in the same thematic
group or geological period in a single nomination dossier. Recent successful
examples have included the Belfries of Flanders and Wallonia (Belgium,1999),the
Rock-Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula (Spain, 1996),
Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto,Uji and Otsu Cities) (Japan 1994),
The Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania (Romania, 1993,1999)or the
Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh/Naracoorte) (Australia, 1994).
Serial nominations may also be used for transboundary properties, such as Jesuit
Missions of the Guaranis (Argentina and Brazil,1984): Other examples discussed
include the Roman Limes in Europe,Historically significant suspensionbridges,or
the Routes of Santiago de Compostela.Transboundary nominations must be jointly
signed and submitted by all States Parties concerned.
Notice
These guidelines do not replace the provisions of the existing Operational

Guidelines or Nomination Format.Both may be found on the web site ofthe World
Heritage Centre at:
and
http://whc.unesco.org/opgutoc.htm
http://whc.unesco.org/archive/nominfim.pdf
.
NOMINATION F0RMAT:PROPERTIES FOR INCLUSION ON

THE WORLD HERITAGE LIST
Example adoptedfor usefor a serial nomination
In preparing the nomination, State Parties should delete the explanatoy notes furnished beneath each
entry.
I 1. Identification of the ProDertv I

Together with Section 2,this is the most important section in the nomination dossier.It must make clear to the
Committee precisely where the property is located and how it is geographically defined. In the case of serial
nominations, insert a table that shows the name of the component part, region (if different for different
components), coordinates,area and buffer zone.Other fields could also be added (page reference or map no.,
etc.)that differentiatethe severalcomponents.
a. Country (and State Party if different) 30 Republic of ATLANTIS
b. State, Province or Region Western Somany (region)
c. N a m e of Property Classical Atlantis and its Marine Reserve
This is the name of the property that will appear in published material about World Heritage. It should be
concise.Do not exceed 200 characters,including spaces and punctuation.In the case of serial nominations,give
a name for the ensemble (e.g.,Baroque Churches of the Philippines) . Do not include the name of the
components ofa serialnomination,which should be included in the serial nomination table .
Serial nomination table for

Classical Atlantis and its Marine Reserve
elemen zone (ha) 1

Area of core Buffer
zone(ha)
4.5
1 1
10.0 1,2
Map
enex
Proprium 12"42'37"W
003 Ancient Via Nova Mercuria 36"13'10"N,
Tuscanum * 12'41' 00"W
004 Mount Nova Mercuria, 36"10'34"N,
Inexhaustible Litenia, Omnis 12"40'56"W
Proprium
005 Marine Reserve Omnis 36'1 1' 12"N,
Proprium 12"43'10"w
TOTAL 13,526,564.75 I 1,400,012 I
30
Ifthe serial nomination is transboundary,then "State Party" should also be in the table.
31
Use this referencenumber to crossreferenceparticular elements in different parts ofthe nomination.
32 Ifthe nomination is in more than one State or Province,a separate column for state or province should be included
in the table.Alternatively,ifall parts ofthe property are in the same town,this field may be omitted fiom the table.
33
Use Lat/Long or UTM coordinates.D o not use other coordinate systems.
34 Indicate here the relevantmaps which have been annexed to the nomination.The map annex should be keyed to the
list ofmaps provided in Section l(e).
* Linear property, 3.5 km long and 20m wide. It has a buffer zone that extends 200m on either side of the
right-~f-way~~
d. Geographical coordinates to the nearest second

In this space provide the latitude and longitude coordinates (in decimal degrees or to the nearest second) or
UTM coordinates.Do not use other coordinate systems.Ifin doubt,please consult the World Heritage Centre.
In the case of serial nominations,provide a table showing the name ofeach property,its region (or nearest town
as appropriate), and the coordinates of its centre point, Coordinate formatexamples:
45" 06'05"N;15"37' 56" W or
UTM Zone 18 Easting:545670Northing:4586750
See serial nominationtable,above
e. Maps, and plans if available, showing boundary of area proposed for inscription and of any buffer
zone 36
Annex to this dossier,and list below with scales and dates:

i) An original copy of the official topographic map showing the property nominated,at the largest
scale available which shows the entire property. The boundaries of the core area and buffer zone
should be clearly marked. Either on this map, or an accompanying one,there should also be a
record of the boundaries of zones of special legal protection from which the property
benefits.(Multiple maps may be necessary for serial nominations.)Maps may be obtained from the
addressesshown at whc.unesco.org/map-agencies.htm.
ii) a Location Map showing the location of the property within the State Party,Plansand specially
prepared maps ofthe property showing individual featuresare helpful and may also be annexed.
To facilitate copying and presentation to the Advisory Bodies and the World Heritage Committee, it is
extremely helpful to include both an A4-sizereduction and a digital image file ofthe principal maps.
Maps Annexed to the nomination are keyed to the Serial nomination table above.
M a p Annex
no.
1. "Atlantis"Scale: 1 :250,000.Atlantis Mapping Agency, 1985
2. "Nova Mercurial'Scale 1:25,000.Atlantis Mapping Agency, 1990
3 "OmnisProprium,Sheet 2".Scale 1:5,000.Omnis Proprium Planning Office, 1996
4. "Litenia West". Scale 1 :25,000.Atlantis Mapping Agency, 1934 (Out of print, photocopied from the
collectionofthe Nova Mercuria Historical S0~iety.Q~
5. "MountInexhaustable".Scale 1:25,000.Atlantis Mapping Agency, 1954
6. "ViaTuscanum World Heritage Area". Scale 1 :7,500.Atlantis World Heritage Committee,2001
35 Ifmore than one linear property is included in the nomination,it may be useful to include this information in the
table.
36 Each map should clearly show the core and buffer zones ofthe nominated property.Ifthe zones of other protective
legislation are shown,be sure that the core and buffer zones of the proposed World Heritage property are clearly
marked.
37 Maps do not have to be current,ifthe location can be clearly shown on an older map which is out of print.Out of
print maps should be clearly photocopied,at the same scale as the original,and the source ofthe original noted.
U N E S C O Mission to the Chinese Silk Road -August 2003 36
f. Area of property proposed for inscription (ha.) and proposed buffer zone (ha.) if any
Core area: ha.
Buffer zone ha
Total ha
In the case of serial nominations, the serial nomination table should be used to show the size of the core areas
and ofthe buffer zone(s).
See serial nomination table above.
(Refer to Explanatory notes of the Nomination format for guidance on completing the remainder of the
nominationdossier.]
I 2. Justification for Inscriution I

This section should be common to allcomponents of theserialnomination.
I 3. DescriDtion I
An overall description should be providedfor the serial nomination.The nomination n?ay be accompanied by
separate booklets containing the description ox and documentationfor, the several components of the serial
nomination.Every elementlisted in the serialnomination table should be described.It may be he&&l to include
the site elementnumber given in the table.
I 4. Management
This section should be common to allcomponents of theserialnomination.
I 5. Factors Affecting the Property I

This section should be common to allcomponents of the serialnomination.
I 6. Monitoring
I 7. Documentation I
This section may be common to allcomponents of the serial nomination.See description,above.
8. Signature on behalf of the State Party.

Annex I11 - Chronology of the Silk Road

5000-500B.C
3200 Horse domesticated on south Russian steppe.

3000 Minoan civilization starts,the earliest in Europe.
3000 Silk first produced in China.
3000 Sumeriansdevelop first writing system.
2500 Domestication ofthe Bactrian and Arabian camel,vital for
desert travel.
1700 Horse-drawnchariot introduced in Near East.
1500 Iron technology developed in Asia Minor.
1500 Seminomadic stockbreedingtribes inhaabit steppes.
900 Spread ofmounted nomadism.
753 Rome founded.
707 Cimmerians, earliest-known mounted nomads, defeat kingdom of
Urartu in Near East.
900-700 Scythians and Samatians appear in the northern steppes - two of the
first races learn to ride horses and wear trousers.stirrup.
600s Zoroasterbom in Persia.
560s Buddha b o m in Nepal.
550 Achaemenid Empire established in Persia.
500s Chinese adopt nomadic style,wear trousers and ride horses.
450 Herodotus visits Greek trading colony of Olbia to gather information
on Scythians.
551-479 Confucius born in China.
400 B.C.
0 Empire of Alexander the Great expands into Asia. Greek culture into Central
Asia.
300 B.C.
0 Roman expansionbegins.
0 Greco-Bactriankingdom developsin Central Asia.
0 Parthians establish their empire in Iran.
0 Qin dynasty unites the entire China for the first time.
0 Chinese complete Great Wall as defense against the northem nomads' invasion.
0 Han dynasty overthrowsQin and develops its vast empire.
0 Buddhism begins to spread north. Gandhara art type emerges and starts a new
art style - Serindian.
0 Paper first made in China.
0 Achaemenid Empire ofPersia.
200 B.C.
0 Stirrup appears in Indian and Central Asia
0 Greek city-statescome under Roman rule.
0 The Xiongnu, later called Huns rise to power in Central Asia and invade
Chinese western border regions.
0 Han Emperor, Wu-ti's interests in Central Asia cause him to command the
Chang Ch'ien expeditions to the West, (Fergana and the Yueh-chih). Celestial
Horses introduced to China.
0 Han power reaches Tarim region.The Silkroad under China's control and the
route to the West now open.
100 B.C.
0 Mithridates, Parthian king, sends ambassadors to both Sulla and Wu-ti to
provide an important link between Rome and China.
0 Parthians defeat Romans at Carrhae. One of the most disastrous in Roman
history.
Roman conquers Gaul.
0 Egypt under Roman rule. Gives Rome access to Red Sea and Spice Route
trade.
0 Rome officially becomes an empire.
1 A.D.
0 Silk first seen in Rome.
Buddhism begins to spread from India into Central Asia.
Roman Syria develops the technique ofblowing glass.The industry expands.
Kushan Empire of Central Asia. Sogdianstrading on Silk Route.
0 Xiongnu raids upset Chinese power in Tarim region.
0 Death ofJesus Christ. Spread of Christianity begins.
Chinese General Pan Ch'ao defeats Xiongnu and keeps the peace in the Tarim
Basin. The stability of the Silkroad popularizes the caravan trades into two
routes - north and south.
0 China sends the first ambassador to Rome from Pan Ch'ao's command, but he
fails to reach Rome.
Graeco-Egyptian geographer, Claudius Ptolemy, writes his Geography,
attempts to map the Silkroad.
100 A.D.
0 Rome sends the first Roman envoy over sea to China.
0 Roman empire at its largest.A major market for Eastern goods.
0 Buddhism reaches China.
0 For the next few centuries, Buddhism flourishes, becoming the most popular
religion in Central Asia,replacing Zoroastrianism.
0 The four great empires ofthe day - the Roman, Parthian,Kushan, and Chinese
- bring stability to the Silkroad.
200 A.D.
0 Silk is woven into cloth across Asia,but using Chinese thread.
0 Han dynasty ends.China splits into fragments.
0 Sassanians rise to power from Parthians. Strong cultural influence along the
trade routes.
0 Barbarian attacks on the Roman Empire.
0 Death of Mani in Persia. Manichaeism spreads throughout Asia, not to die out
until the 14th century.
300 A.D.
Stirrup introduced to China by the northem nomads
0 Secret of sericulture begins to spread west along the Silkroad.
0 Xiongnu invade China again.China hrther dissolved into fragments.
0 Constantinople becomes Rome's capital.

0 Christianity becomes the official Roman religion.
0 Dun Huang caves starts to appear and becomes the world's largest Buddha
caves.
0 Huns attack Europe.
0 Roman Empire splits into two.
0 Fa-hsien,one of the first known Chinese Silkroad travellers by foot and a
Buddhist monk,sets out for India.
400 A.D.
0 A Chinese princess smuggles some silkworm eggs out of China. Silkworm
farms appear in CentralAsia.
0 New techniques in glass production introduced to China by the Sogdians.
0 Visigoths invade Italy and Spain.
0 Angles and Saxons rise in Britain.
0 Western Roman Empire collapses.
0 Frankish kingdom formed.
500 A.D.
0 Silkworm farmsappear in Europe.
0 Nestorian Christiansreach China.
0 Kingdom of Hephthalites (White Huns) in northern Asia,conquering Sogdian
territory.
0 Buddhism reaches Japan.
0 Split of the Turkish Kaganate into Eastern and Western Kaganates.Western
Turks move to Central Asia from Mongolian plateau. At the Chinese end of
Central Asia,the Eastern Turks or Uighurs are in control.
0 Sui dynasty reunites China.
0 Sassanian Empire at its greatestextent in Central Asia.
600 A.D.
0 Roman Empire becomes Byzantine Empire.
0 Tang dynasty rules in China.For the first two centuries,the Silk Road reaches
its golden age. China very open to foreign cultural influences. Buddhism
flourishes.
0 The Islamic religion founded.
0 Death ofMuhammad. Muslim Arab expansion begins.
0 Xuan Zang'spilgrimage to India.
0 The Avars from the steppes introduces stirrupsto Europe.
0 Sassanian Persia fallsto the Arabs.
0 Muslims controlMesopotamia and Iran,along with the Silk and Spice routes.
700 A.D.
0 Arabs conquer Spain in Europe, which introduces much Eastern technology
and scienceto Europe.
0 Arabs defeat Chinese at Talas and capture Chinese papermakers, which
introducespaper making into Central Asia and Europe.
0 Block printing developed in China
0 Tang dynasty begins to decline,and with it, the Silkroad.
0 Glassmaking skill introduced to China by Sogdians.
800 A.D.
0 First porcelain made in China.
0 Gunpowder invented in China and spread to the West by the 13th century.
0 All foreign religions banned in China.
0 Compass begins to be used by Chinese.
0 Diamond Sutra dated 1 1 M a y 868,the world's oldest known printed book made
in Dunhuang.
0 Venice established as a city-state.
900 A.D.
0 Kirghiz Turks in control of Eastern Central Asia, establish kingdoms at
Dunhuang and Turfan.
0 Tang Dynasty ends.China fragmented.
0 England unified for the first time.
0 Playing cards invented in China and spread to Europe toward the end of 14th
century.
0 The Islamic Empire divides into small kingdoms.
0 Sung Dynasty reunites China.
0 Porcelain developed in China and exported to western Asia.
1000 A.D.
0 First Crusade.Exchange of technology between Europe and Middle East.
1100 A.D.
0 China divided into Northern Sung and Southern Sung.
0 Muslim oust the Franks from the Levant.
0 Genghiz Khan unites Mongols. Expansion of Mongol Empire begins.
0 Silk production and weaving established in Italy.
0 Paper money, first developed in China.
1200 A.D.
0 Death of Genghis Khan.
0 Mongols invade Russia,Poland,and Hungary.
0 The Europe's first envoy to the East, Friar Giovanni Carpini leaves Rome for
Mongol capital at Karakorum.
0 Friar William Rubruck sent to Karakorum by the King of France.
0 Seventh,and last,Crusade.
0 Mongol control central and western Asia.
0 Silk road trade prospers again under the "Pax Mongolica."
0 Kublai Khan defeats China and establishes the Yuan dynasty.
0 Paper money introduced to Central Asia and Iran by Mongols.
0 Marco Polo leaves for the East.
1300 A.D.
0 Turkish Ottoman Empire in power.
0 Tamerlane, with capital in Samarkand, rises and conquers Persia, parts of
Southern Russia,and northern India.
0 Third Silkroad route appears in the north.
0 Ibn Battuta,the first known Arab travels on a 750,000mile journey to China

via the Silkroad.
0 The Black Death spreads throughout Europe.
0 Paper made across Europe.
0 Spinning wheel in Europe.
0 Battle of Crecy between French and English, where cannons used first in
Europe.
0 Mongol Yuan Dynasty collapes.Chinese Ming Dynasty begins.
1400 A.D.
0 Tamerlane defeats the Ottoman Turks, and causes the deaths of seventeen
million people.
0 Renaissance period in Europe.
0 Chinese explore the Spice Routes as far as Africa
0 Death of Tamerlane leads to the decline of Mongol power. Ottoman rises again
in the Central Asia.
0 Ottomans conquer Constantinople.
0 Gutenberg printing press in use.
0 China closes the door to foreigners.
0 Fearing the power of Uighurs, Ming China reduces the trade and traffic
dramatically in the Silkroad.The Silkroad comes to an end for purposes of silk.
0 Lyon becomes the new center of the silk trade.
0 Columbus reaches America.
0 Vasco da Gama discovers the sea route fiom Europe to the East via the cape of
Good Hope to Calicut in India.
1500 A.D.
0 Islam becomes the religion of the entire Taklamakan region.
1600 A.D.
0 Uzbek Turks appear from the north,settle in today'sUzbekistan.
0 Prince Babur, descendant of Genghis Khan and Tamerlane,extends his empire
from the Ferghana valley to India.Founder of Mogul dynasty.
0 Manchuria rises and invades China.Qing Dynasty established.
1700 A.D.
0 Numbers of severe earthquakes in Central Asia damage some of the great
monuments.
Porcelain produced in Europe.
0 The Manchus, a Tungusic people from Manchuria, absorb the Gobi and Altai
districts.
1800 A.D.
0 German scholar, Baron Ferdinand von Richthofen uses the term "Silkroad"
(Seidenstrasse) for the first time.
0 Manchus take over the Tarim Basin.
0 Xinjiang Province created under Qing Dynasty.
0 Elias crosses the Pamirs and identifiesMuztagh Ata. Recommends the Wakhan
corridor be established.
0 Younghusband crosses the Gobi Desert,pioneering a new route from Peking to
Kashgar via the Muztagh Pass.
0 Hedin explores the Kun Lun and Takla Makan desert,unearthing buried cities
along the old Silkroad.
0 Conway in the Karakoram Mountains.
0 Stein's archaeological investigationsofthe Takla Makan and centralAsia.
0 The Great Game - Tsarist Russia and British India expand in Central Asia.
1900A.D.
0 Hedin expeditions.
0 Chinese revolution;end ofChinese dynasties.
0 Europeans begin to travel in the Silkroad
0 Tibet under China'scontrol.
0 Karakoram highway from Islamabad to Kashgar built by China and Pakistan.
For more information contact
U N E S C O World Heritage Centre
7,place de Fontenoy
75352 Paris Cedex 07 SP
Tel:+33 1 4 5 6 8 11 21
Fax : +33 1 45 68 55 70
E-Mail: wh-info@unesco.org
http/lwhc.unesco.org

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UNESCO Mission to

The Chinese Silk Road

A systematic Approach towards

From 21-31August 2003

a) Map ofthe Silk Road

Furthermore, the Chinese counterpart of the State Administration for

The mission would like to express their gratitude also to Mr.Neville

2. OBJECTIVES AND BACKGROUND TO THE

0 facilitate discussion on,and enhance understanding of,the identification

0 contribute to an importantinitiative that is foreseento have a significant

As regards the Silk Roads, a scientific appraisal had already been

Stretching over roughly 4,450kilometers from Xian in Shaanxi Province to

Given the scope of this initiative and subsequent resources needed,taking

Point of departure should be a holistic approach that focuses on the

A property can only be registered on the World Heritage List if physical

Physical evidence of routes sometimes may be found in the form of roads,

Historians of the early colonial period, likening the Incas to the

While discussions on improved identification, classification and

An anthropological interpretation in the cultural heritage field has led from

living, spiritual heritage of indigenous people and their interconnections

It seems that the identification and protection of Cultural Routes,in addition

4. CULTURAL ROUTES: AN EMERGING CONCEPT

What constitutes a cultural route is

The concept of a cultural route or itinerary refers to a set of values

In a recent meeting in Madrid, on 30 and 31 May 2003, experts and

In principle,it was argued that a definition of a Cultural Route should make

In the above,a road would be a physical representation of a route,while a

5. ROUTES AS WORLD HERITAGE: TYPES AND

As there exists no clear nomination model for Cultural Routes, the

4. Linear Monuments (e.g.FortificationsDefensive Structures)

Taking a closer look at the above inscribed properties, it can be established

0 The Camino de Santiago, which is inscribed as a linear nomination

As such,a proper inventory of the structures and settlementsalong the route

6. THE GREAT SILK ROAD: STATEMENT OF

Furthering this statement would be to argue that the immaterial aspect of

It seems that Cultural Routes,even more than Cultural Landscapes,can be

7. CULTURAL ROUTES: CONDITION OF INTEGRITY

Initially,the condition of integrity applied to natural sites primarily, while

During the 2001 Thematic Expert

Addressed as well during the Asia-Pacific Sacred Mountains Expert

8. THE GREAT SILK ROAD: IDENTIFICATION

All this involves the protection and conservation of a series of elements of

However, as was argued before,

While the caves extraordinary collection and quality of Buddhist art is

With the current pace of development everywhere in China, there is a

Aside from considerations

23 H.Suzuki, Authenticity of Setting in the Cyclical Culture, in:Nara Conference on Authenticity,Proceedings

garden.24Borrowed scenery was one of the important techniques used in

For the Chinese Section of

24 M.P.Keane, Japanese Garden Design,Charles E.Tuttle Publishing Co.,Inc.,Tokyo 1997,p. 140.

For identification purposes it is advised,therefore, to distinguish between

Whether physically or conceptually connected, support structures could

9. MANAGEMENT OF A GREAT SILK ROAD

To oversee and guarantee high and consistent levels of management of

regional or local characteristics and practises,and facilitate consultation and

Cultural Routes,as latest development in a trend of an expanding scale and

In addition to considerations related to intangible aspects, the physical

1) Identify cultural properties in Xian for possible World Heritage

2) Start preparation of a Conservation Management Plan for Kashgar

Currently the Municipal Government of Kashgar is planning for major

Therefore,it is advised to start up a discussion concerning the necessity of

29 Femandez-Armesto: Civilizations,p. 3 10.

conditions of the resident population, while respecting the particular