21/40.- Xian, Muslim Quarter

Xian used to be the starting point of the Silk Road. This road linked Constantinople with China. The journey used to take more than two years. Horses, camels and carriages brought precious goods from one part of the world to the other. But it was not only material things that were transported; culture, religion and languages were also brought to China from what is Turkey today.

Two of the world's leading religions arrived in China along the Silk Route, Buddhism and Islam. Islam became particularly popular in the city of Xian. Still today part of the population of Xian is Muslim. In the center there is the Muslim Quarter, with its handicraft shops, muslim restaurants, and the famous Muslim Mosque.

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