The Silk Road was a network of land trade routes connecting China, India, the Middle East, and the Roman Empire. It was formalized and expanded by the Chinese Han Dynasty in the second century BC and continued operating until the fall of Constantinople in 1453. This enabled the exchange of commercial products (silk being one of the most demanded) and cultural interchange from East to West. Musical instruments and traditions were among the many goods exchanged along this route.
The cultural exchange along the Silk Road is evident in the similarities of these double-reed instruments: from left to right, a European oboe, Persian sorna, Chinese suona, and Indian nagasvaram.
The udakki is a handheld drum from India. Its design, though basic, would be easily recognized in any land along the trade route.
This pipa, or Chinese lute, is made from wood and ivory with gut strings and would have been found at the beginning of the Silk Road.
The ud is Persian string instrument. It made its way to China where it inspired the pipa, and travelled with the Muslim Conquests all the way to Spain, where it became the predecessor of the lute and the guitar.
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