* Chang'an (China) was the starting point of the Silk Road and the capital of the Han Dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE). It was a bustling city with a population of over one million people and was a major center for trade and commerce.
* Dunhuang (China) was an important oasis city along the Silk Road and is home to the Mogao Caves, a complex of over 1,000 Buddhist cave temples dating from the 4th to the 14th centuries.
* Kashgar (China) was another major oasis city and was an important center for trade between China and the West. It was also a meeting point for different cultures and religions, including Buddhism, Islam, and Zoroastrianism.
* Samarkand (Uzbekistan) was one of the most important cities in Central Asia and was a major center for learning and culture. It was also an important trading hub and was home to a variety of different religions, including Islam, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism.
* Bukhara (Uzbekistan) was another important city in Central Asia and was a major center for Islamic learning and culture. It was also an important trading hub and was home to a variety of different religions, including Islam, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism.
* Merv (Turkmenistan) was an important city in the Parthian Empire and was a major center for trade and commerce. It was also an important center for Zoroastrianism.
* Nishapur (Iran) was an important city in the Sassanid Empire and was a major center for trade and commerce. It was also an important center for Zoroastrianism.
* Baghdad (Iraq) was the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate and was one of the most important cities in the Islamic world. It was a major center for trade, commerce, learning, and culture.
* Damascus (Syria) was an important city in the Umayyad Caliphate and was a major center for trade and commerce. It was also an important center for Islam.
* Constantinople (Turkey) was the capital of the Byzantine Empire and was one of the most important cities in the Eastern Mediterranean. It was a major center for trade, commerce, learning, and culture.