Video: Buddhism on the Silk Road

I thought that this was a fairly appropriate video, going with the theme of Buddhism that we'll be going over in class next week...I still can't get over just how exactly they were able to carve out those magnificent statues that are embedded right in the mountains

Mind-boggling feats of human ingenuity...

I didn't really realize just how many Buddhist shrines were scattered all along the Silk Road until I browsed around some photos and images from databases covering that particular region.  Not only is the number of said shrines staggering to comprehend, but the actual shrines themselves are truly a sight to behold.

People often point to well-known architectural feats like the Pyramids in Egypt as examples of remarkable human engineering ingenuity, but I think that some of the shrines along the Silk Road can easily challenge them

I still can't get my head around just -how- exactly something like that was built, given the type of engineering and technology that was employed during this ancient period.  The entire outline of the shrine, as well as the manner by which the statues were carved along the wall is a spectacular feat of engineering.

 

Video: "Silk Road Journey From China Through Central Asia"

It's hard to really grasp the sheer vastness of the journey unless you actually went through and saw some of the points along it:

Map of Particular Goods' Origins

Certain regions specialized in producing particular goods

that were exported out along the route with merchants

and traders