"The Great Silk Road" is a system of ways, directly exercised live contacts, the trade and exchange of the cultural achievements, first of all, between China on the East and Mediterranean on the West. It was called by name of silk - dear, light and firm material of ancient trade that was very popular among the upper strata. The manufacture of silk then was known only on the Far East. Certainly, silk was not the unique commodity transported on the Great Silk Road.
Caravans, leading to China, were loaded along with silk with gold and other noble metals, woollen cloth and flax, ivory, coral, amber, jewels, asbestos and glass. From China caravans took out furs, products of ceramics and iron, glaze and cinnamon, ginger, weapon of bronze and mirrors.

In times of its bloom the Great Silk Road ( II B.C.- IV A.D.) connected the Khan dynasty China, Kushan and Parphan realms and Roman Empire. The roman merchants went to the Khan dynasty China from the roman domains in the East Mediterranean through Iran and Kushan realm, and persian and indian merchants settled down in the egyptian Alexandria. The trade on the southern seas between Egypt, that was then one of the roman provinces and India were regular. The contacts of romans with China and other states of Indochina were also regularly executed.
One of the most functioned branches of "the Great Silk Road" in times of antiquity went from China and India to the Middle Asia, and then by the Uzboy river to the Caspian sea and further by the Kur river across the territory of Albania (the ancient state on the territory of the modern Azerbaijan Republic) to Iberia and Kolkhida (the territory of modern Georgia), to the region of the Black sea and the Asia Minor where a great number of greek city-states were situated. There was also a steppe branch of the Way, leading through Volga region to the Southern-russian steppes and further to the Crimea and East Europe.
After crash of the ancient empires, during the great migration of the peoples, the steppe ways became to play the important role in the contacts between the West and the East. The Sasanid Iran, and later the Arabian Caliphate, fighting and competing with Byzantium, directed the main lines of the Great Silk Road around of the byzantium domains. In this period along with China, India and Khorezm, the ancient turks began to trade with Byzantium and Sasanid Iran. One of the most brisk lines in the III - VII centuries passed through the whole Transcaucasus, Derbent, the Northern Caucasus and further to the West, to the countries of East Europe and Byzantium.
Together with the old partners - China, India, Indochina, countries of Asia Minor, Transcaucasus, the Near and Middle East, Byzantium and other - the trade within the Great Silk Road includes one part of Volga region, the Ancient Russia, countries of the Central, Southern and Western Europe. But after the great geographical discoveries at the end of the XV - beginning of the XVI centuries the intercontinental overland trade lines gradually came to decline. The main trade between Europe and Asia, as well as between the Old and the New Worlds was carried out by means of the oceans and seas.

Azerbaijan was an important node item of the Great Silk Road from the Antiquity, actually from the very beginning of the functioning of this trade line. One of the most brisk routes of the ancient way led through Azerbaijan in the I-II centuries B.C. This route was frequently called "the Strabon way" by name of the great geographer, who was the first to tell about it in his works. This line went from China and India through Middle Asia, and reached the Caspian sea by the Uzboy river, and proceeded through the territory of Azerbaijan. Here it divided into two branches: one led up-stream the Kur river towards Kolkhida and Iberia, the second one turned aside to the north along the western Caspian coast through Derbent and Caucasian steppes and ended in the Greek city-colonies. Many antique cities of Azerbaijan have arisen and functioned just along these two branches of "the Strabon way".
During the period of the early Middle Ages Azerbaijan continued to play an active part in the functioning of the Great Silk Way and was an important transit point. In this period its cities served as peculiar terminals - stores of the Far-Eastern and Middle-Asiatic goods, with the purposes of their further transportation as to Byzantium, as to the north. Barda that have been the capital of Azerbaijan since the V century, became the largest world trade centre on the one of the branches of the Great Silk Road. Located on a brisk line, in the VIII - X centuries Barda turned into one of the largest trade-craft centres on the Near East and in the Transcaucasus.
The importance of Azeri cities situated on the lines of the Great Silk Road, more grows in the XIV - XVII centuries. It was due to the developing of the Volga- Caspian highway by Russian and English merchants. In this period, for example, Shamakha, Derbent, Baku, Ardebil, Tabris, Maraga, Gandja and Nakhchivan cities become transit centers, where the goods from East and Europe accumulated. Merchants from Russia, Europe, Turkey, Middle Asia and the Far East assembled here. A great number of caravan-serays was constructed in all the cities, involved in the international trade. Many of them remained up to our days.
The Great Silk Road had influence on the development of the economy and culture of Azerbaijan. The extensive multicentury relations with many peoples of the East and the West served for the mutual enrichment of these peoples. These relations were also the most important lever of the development of the world civilization.
The modern geographical and geopolitical situation, as well as the natural resources of Azerbaijan, known of yore as "the Land of Fire" due to its oil and gas resources present the perfect opportunities for development of the euro-asiatic economic and cultural- information communications at the new qualitative level .
Azerbaijan Republic located on a joint of the South-Western Europe and Central Asia borders in the South with Iran and Turkey, in the North with Russia, in the North-West with Georgia, in the South-West with Armenia. On the East, across the Caspian sea it borders with Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan..
The variety of geographical and climatic conditions is an gives an ideal opportunity for international tourism.
The social-political stability, as well as the social, economic, technological, ecological and legal base is the guarantee of the harmonious and purposeful development of the international transport and tourism of the XXI century.
The realization of this policy will assist to restore the Great Silk Road as an international corridor Europe - the Caucasus - Asia.