The Paths of New Beliefs

The Silk Routes were of great importance in the passage of not only goods and crafts but also of religions and ideologies throughout Central Asia, the Near East and Europe. Buddhism spread from India into northern Asia, Mongolia, and China, whilst Christianity and Islam emerged and were disseminated by trade, pilgrims, and military conquest.  The literary, architectural and artistic effects of this can be traced today in the cultures of civilizations along the Silk Routes.