One of the most famous Silk Road routes went from Xi'an in eastern China to Kashgar in western China, then through Samarkand in Central Asia and Baghdad in the Middle East, and finished at cities on the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea The Silk Road began in the second century BC, but of course it did not stay the same over the centuries Different routes sometimes became more important than others because of new trade or fighting in some areas. One surprising thing about the Silk Road is its name People often think that the name is many hundreds of years old,. ut this is not true. The German traveller Ferdinand von Richthofen first used the words "Silk Road' in the nineteenth century to describe the different routes from China to Europe. The name is from the most famous thing to come from China silk Silk was one of the most important trade goods. It was very valuable in Europe and merchants could carry it easily on their horses or camels. Silk was as valuable as gold and traders often used it as money to buy spices or other goods. At this time people made silk into beautiful carpets, clothes, shoes, and pictures. Trade goods were not the only things that came along the Silk Road. Important new ideas and religions moved with people too. Buddhism travelled from India to China along the Silk Road. And people later brought ideas out of China how to make paper and gunpowder, for example. Modern tourists can now visit parts of the Silk Road by train, bus, or plane. But of course journeys at the time of Marco Polo were a lot slower. Merchants travelled about