Comparing our time to the era of more than two thousand years ago, it is easy to succumb to the illusion of the superiority of modern civilization, technology and communications over those of our ancestors in ancient times.

Nevertheless, one of the achievements of that period inevitably impresses our imagination, no matter how much time has passed. The Great Silk Road is not only a striking historical phenomenon, but also an important lesson for the future.

The great traveler Zhang Qian, the envoy of the Han dynasty, is one of the discoverers of the road from China to Europe. Few of those brave people are known to us by names. Overcoming the difficulties and dangers of a long journey, traders, itinerant craftsmen, scientists, and artists connected the world in spite of the conflicts, distances, isolationism of governments, and harsh nature and climate.

The Great Silk Road served not only as a tool of economic development and trade, but also as a way of cultural dialogue, exchange of information, and development of human civilization as a whole.

It is due to the Silk Road that European countries came to know and appreciate fine Chinese products like silk and porcelain, while in Central Asia and Kazakhstan archeological excavations in the ancient cities reveal an amazing variety of household items and pieces of art from different parts of the continent.

A significant part of the Silk Road passed through the territory of modern Kazakhstan. Rich cities of the ancient Semirechye were not only transit points of goods on the way from China to Europe, but they were actively involved in production and trade, and the exchange of culture and information.

Already then the cities on the Silk Road were well known for their tolerance, allowing for the peaceful coexistence of different religions, and respect for foreign customs and traditions. Any traveler in those cities could abide by the customs of his or her own culture.

Thus, the territory of Kazakhstan served as a bridge connecting Europe and Asia, Eastern and Western culture, linking together the Eurasian supercontinent.

Yerbol Orynbayev is Deputy Prime-Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan.