Museums along the Silk Roads

Museums are places of cultural heritage, ensuring the continuity between the past and the innovations of today. They are also centres of learning and discovery, and are a tangible point of contact for local communities with their cultural roots, as well as acting as a hub for meeting and appreciating the cultures of others. As such, museums have a great potential to contribute to the social, cultural and economic development of the communities they reflect. It is for this reason that UNESCO focuses on supporting museums of cultural heritage across the world, in particular those in post-conflict or post-natural disaster areas, where museums themselves and their precious contents are often under threat of theft or destruction.

The Silk Roads have a very rich legacy of movable heritage, displayed in museums along the lengths of these routes. These museums are presented and promoted by the online platform, connecting the historic cultural legacy of the Silk Roads from across the world.