The Himalayas
No matter what age you are or what part of the world you come from, most likely you are familiar with the Himalayas. This mountain range contains some of the world’s highest summits, including the ever-famous Mount Everest, which is the worlds highest mountain above sea-level, (Whitman, 2020). This behemoth is breath-taking and terrifying at the same time. The length of the range goes farther than 1,490 miles, the area is over four-hundred twenty square miles, and the peak of Mount Everest reaches a man-defying height of 29,028 feet, (Whitman 2020). The mountain range consists of a wide variety of different climates, wildlife, and various other plant species depending on where you are in the vast region. [1]
Not only are the Himalayas diverse in wildlife and mountainous terrain, but the mountain range spans across five different countries. These nations include, Nepal, China, Pakistan, Bhutan, and India, (WorldAtlas, 2021). The Himalayas have both a rich history of the present and the past. The mountain range is translated from a Sanskrit word that means an “abode made of snow”, (WorldAtlas, 2021). The ancient mountain range has connections to the Silk Road right from the start just by its name.[2]
The location of the Himalayas was right in the mix of very important areas that participated on the Silk Road. However, this is not to say that the Himalayas were especially vital to the Silk Road. The mountain range was a nuisance for many travelers who came and went from oasis towns or those who traveled the entirety of the route. Not only did travelers have to face harsh desert climates, but they had to come face to face with the thousand-mile mountain range standing directly in their way. In a certain area, the Himalayas, Tianshan, Khara-Khorum, and various other mountain ranges embraced their position, leading to travelers descending west to Samarkand or traveling down toward India to avoid the mountain range, (Hansen, 2017). [3]
However, there were some who claimed they embraced the Himalayas head on while traveling the Silk Road. Buddhist Monk Fa-hsien was on a mission to travel to India from China to learn more about Buddhism, much like many other monks during this time, (Silk Road). While on his way to Gandhara, Fa-hsien claims to have had traveled through the Himalayas. The Himalayas were also home to essential oasis towns that traded both items and ideas. Ladhakh, which is in modern day India, was a town influenced by Buddhist travelers who walked along the Tibetan Plateau, which led to Ladhakh becoming an influential Buddhist oasis, (UNESCO).[1]
The Himalayas are significant in both the present and the past. They have tried to be conquered by man, especially Mount Everest, but has been proven difficult by countless generations. However, the Himalayas also helped to connect the past to the present today in other ways. When the Indian subcontinent merged with Eurasia millions of years ago, it created a climate that was almost moistureless, (Hansen, 2017). This collision formed the Himalayas, which also allowed for many paper document and textiles to found in perfect condition in the former Silk Road town of Turfan, (Hansen, 2017). While the Himalayas may have proved to been difficult for traversing, the giant mountain range did do its part in preserving history.[1]
[1] This is the text of footnote one.
[2] This is the text of footnote two.
[3] This is the text of footnote three.
Sources
Hansen, Valerie. The Silk Road: A New History with Documents (Oxford, 2016).
Kim Hodong, “The Unity of the Mongol Empire and Continental Exchanges over Eurasia,” Journal of Central Eurasian Studies 1 (2009), pp. 1–17.