Tehran, June 26: Iran organised the 3rd International Silk Road Conference at Tabriz, in an attempt to extend friendship among the countries located along the ancient route.
 Many traders, economic advisers, ambassadors and ministers from 18 countries around the Silk Road (Silk Route) attended the opening ceremony held in the center of Iranian province of East Azerbaijan.
 “The main objective of the conference is to revitalize Silk Road as the road plays a significant role in economic, culture and communication among nations,” said Director of Iran's Trade Promotion Organization Hamid Safdel.
 The countries lying along the Silk Road could promote their cooperation and trade affairs by lowering tariffs on trade and eliminating non-tariff, he added.
 The Silk Road is a historical network of interlinking trade routes across the Afro-Eurasian landmass that helped the transport of art, goods and poetry from the edge of Asia to the heart of Europe, back and forth, for nearly 3000 years.
 Many of its sites are on the UNESCO Heritage list. True to its name, merchants sold Asian silk in Italy. Buddhism, Zoroastrianism and then Islam spread through much of Central Asia along the Route.
 Persian Art also spread to India, China as well as the Central European states through this road. It has taken decades to write complete books on the Silk Road.
 Having a length of more than 7000 long kilometer the Silk Road issues forth from the oldest Chinese commerce centers of Luoyang and X’ian, furrowing further across mineral treasures of central Asia onward to central European markets. Its Kashmir portion starts from Srinagar (IHK) to the Neelum Valley (AJK) via Gurez Valley (the site of controversial Kishanganga hydro project) going north across Gilgit, and finally merging into the Silk Route. High strength horses and mules used to be the main means of Kashmiri products as feeder to the Silk Road trade, especially the costliest Pashmina a symbol of kingly status.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 26 Jun 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 26 Jun 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 27 Jun 2012 00:00:00 IST