The Western Regions (His-Yu) under the Tang Empire and the Kingdom of Tibet

In the seventh century, three new and important political powers came to dominate Central Asia. To the east, the Chinese Tang dynasty emerged and would remain powerful until the tenth century; in Tibet, the Bod rulers triumphed definitively over their rivals, and finally to the west, the Arab caliphate came into existence. These new powers constructed their own cultural identities, as seen in the archaeological and artistic remains from this period. Yet they also interacted with one another, and the Silk Route wound through all three, transporting cultural influences, languages, and religious beliefs between regions regardless of political affiliations.