Another Project on Silk Road "Eastern Silk Roads"

According to Japanese media, on 1-3 December 2015, there was a meeting of experts at Gyeongju, South Korea to discuss Silk Roads extension beyond Xian/Luoyang to Nara, Japan. The project supported by Korea and Japan. The report hinted some dispute between China, Korea and Japan for claiming the starting point of Silk Road. China wants Chang'an (XI'an) to be Silk Roads origin, while Korean wants Gyeongju and Nara for Japanese point of views.

http://www.asahi.com/articles/ASJ1K7FHZJ1KULZU004.html

I think this is just an imperfect translation, its simply stating Gyeongju and Nara would be the center (main points) of any Eastern Silk Road connection. At least thats my impression. That being said, would an Eastern extension lead to only double inscriptions or would Korean and Japan add additional properties? For me thats one of the most important questions. There are not a whole lot of applicable sites in Korea, however these 3 sites might be potential candidates outside of Gyeongju if the extension goes forward. Which seems likely, otherwise why would Korea and Japan be part of these Silk Road meetings for several years now!

Rock-carved triad Buddha in Seosan
- Silk Road exhange with the Baekje Kingdom



Gunwi triad Buddha and Grotto (Palgongsan)
- Predates Seokguram by 100 years



Gatbawi Stone Buddha (Palgonsan)
- From Unified Silla period

ICOMOS Thematic Study and the Eastern Silk Roads

I just came across this ICOMOS Thematic study recently and it perhaps gives some insight into how the Silk Road route will extend to Korea and Japan. It may be 5 - 10 years before this phase of the Silk Road nomination reaches the world heritage committee, but nonetheless it's interesting to consider which sites might be included. We may perhaps see tentative nominations soon.

"As with the rest of the Silk Roads, it is crucial not to just end up with the nomination of 'star' sites: those sites that could probably be nominated in their own right. It is essential to recognize the complexity and range of sites that enabled the Silk Roads to function. The value of the Silk Roads is not limited to their most impressive outcomes – great cities and splendid temples – but extends to the smaller settlements – market towns, river crossing points and way stations – and the administrative and military sites, such as forts. An example of the latter is the Dangseong Fortress (Republic of Korea), which had a crucial role in controlling access to the sea, as exemplified by its rebuilding and extensions."

Looks like I got ahead of myself in the previous post! Since I very much focused on possible "star sites". Interestingly, within the study there is explicit confirmation that "star sites" are not necessarily the end goal, but instead sites that facilitated such a complex trade route both on land and by sea.

The Korean site mentioned in the report is: Dangseong Fortress, Hwaseong

"It was a key transport center for trade with China across the West Sea." - Cultural Heritage Administration

The location of this (mostly ruined) fortress is close to the sea and has been undergoing major archaeological excavations recently.

Does anyone have insight into "The Silk Road in South Asia" nomination? The document I linked is from 2016 and it indicated a planned dossier submission by Feb 2018. This obviously did not happen and with the "incomplete" status of the Silk Roads: Zarafshan Corridor which we may see in 2020, its entirely uncertain when we'll see the Southern terminus of the Silk Road reach the world heritage committee.

There has been no update to the tentative lists of Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan which would perhaps indicate further action on this project.

India Tentative List
Silk Road Sites in India (2010) - 12 Components
Sites along the Uttarapath, Badshahi Sadak, Sadak-e-Azam, Grand Trunk Road (2015) - 93 components

You can see that the participating countries just agreed on the "draft process" in the Workshop in Xi'an on last year November!

http://www.silkroads.org.cn/article-16611-1.html

The Caspian Shore Defensive Constructions (Azerbaijan TWHS 2001) seem destined to be re-configured/included in a serial tentative nomination as part of the Silk Road Volga-Caspian Corridor.

https://www.unesco-iicas.org/ru/press-office/News/The+preparatory+study+of+the+potential+of+the+historical+and+cultural+heritage+sites+of+Azerbaijan.

UNESCO/Republic of Korea Funds-in-Trust final narrative report: support for the Asian Silk Roads World Heritage Serial and Transnational Nomination(s) (Phase II), 2018-2022

An "Eastern Silk Road" tentative nomination from Korea and Japan seems inevitable in the coming years (perhaps sooner than we expect), and this document elaborates on the planned route and what may be included in such a nomination.