AnthropOLogy > Sounds of the Silk Road

Sounds of the Silk Road on red wavy banner

Rhythmic drumbeats. The airy notes of a flute. A sharp clash of cymbals!

black and white photo of musician playing silk road stringed instrument with camels in the background

Travelers exchanged many goods across Asia, from shimmering silks to exotic spices. They also shared their music, art, and religions.

These are some of the sounds that a traveler may have heard along the ancient Silk Road .

Musicians played all along the Silk Road—from desert inns to grand palaces. Music was a way for people from different cultures to share ideas and tell stories.

Over time, musical styles and instruments blended and spread across Asia.

EXPLORE INSTRUMENTS

These traditional instruments are similar to ones played in the ancient city of Xi'an. Xi'an was China's capital and one of the world's largest cities during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-906). Musicians from all along the Silk Road gathered there. Over time, the music of Xi'an blended the rhythms and melodies from east and west.

Pipa and

These stringed instruments are called "lutes." In ancient China, similar lutes were played in the Emperor's court along with singing and dancing. Their strings were once made with twisted silk. To play a lute, the strings are plucked like a guitar.
Erhu

The erhu was first introduced to China over 1000 years ago. This fiddle has two strings of twisted silk, a long neck, and small body covered with snakeskin. To play the erhu, a bow of horsehair and bamboo is moved across the strings.
Sheng

A sheng is a wind instrument made of a circle of bamboo pipes. Players blow in or out of the mouthpiece and cover a hole in each pipe to play different notes. Chinese musicians played similar instruments at least 3,000 years ago. The pipes represent the folded wings of the phoenix, a mythical bird.
Drums and Cymbals

Drums and cymbals played an important role in ancient Chinese orchestras. Just like today, these percussion instruments provided the beat or rhythm to helped the orchestra keep the beat.