Silk Road Virtual Museum

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Silk Road Virtual Museum

The Silk Road Virtual Museum encourages people to explore cultures between the Far East and Europe

31/08/2026

A shared material. Three artistic directions.

In China, Japan, and Korea, lacquer followed different paths. The techniques overlapped, but the visual languages diverged — shaped by local religious practices, courtly taste, and workshop traditions.

Lacquer Across East Asia brings these traditions into dialogue across four rooms, beginning with the material itself before moving into regional expressions. Presented in English, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, the exhibition reflects lacquer’s dual nature: both shared and deeply local.

Seen together, these objects reveal how artistic traditions emerge not from uniformity, but from adaptation and interpretation.

Visit the exhibition and trace the layered history of lacquer across East Asia: https://silkroadvirtualmuseum.com/museum-lacquer-across-east-asia

29/08/2026

Ever wondered what sits behind an exhibition?

What to include. What to leave out. What we know, and what we don’t.

Every exhibition in the Silk Road Virtual Museum is shaped by countless decisions: how to interpret fragmentary evidence, how to present objects removed from their original context, how to connect artefacts across regions, languages, and centuries. There are always gaps. Stories that remain incomplete. Questions that don’t have clear answers.

And often, the most interesting insights sit just beneath the surface, in the research process, in the uncertainties, in the connections that are still being explored.

As a Friend of the Silk Road, you gain access to that layer. The thinking behind the exhibitions. The questions we’re asking. The ideas that don’t always make it into the final rooms.

If you’re curious not just about what you see, but how it comes together, we’d love to welcome you behind the scenes.

Join us here: https://silkroadvirtualmuseum.com/become-a-friend/

28/08/2026

Some places hold a turning point. Sarnath, in northern India, is traditionally recognised as the site where the Buddha delivered his first sermon, setting in motion the teachings that would spread across Asia.

This exhibition explores that place across time. From its early foundations in the 5th century BCE to its transformation and eventual decline in the early 13th century CE, Sarnath offers a long view of continuity, devotion, and change.

Presented across two rooms, the exhibition begins with the rediscovery and preservation of the site, before turning to the artefacts that help us understand its past.

Explore Sarnath and the enduring significance of a place shaped by belief: https://silkroadvirtualmuseum.com/museum-sarnath

26/08/2026

From tribute-paying subjects of the Tang to powerful rulers of their own realm, the Khitan people carved out a place in history through resilience and artistry. The exhibition Khitan Empire (916–1115 CE) takes you deep into this lesser-known yet fascinating Silk Road civilisation.

Room One features 26 vivid mural paintings from 12 Khitan tombs, offering glimpses into daily life, beliefs, and aesthetics. Like this depiction of a Horse and Groom.

Room Two unveils the luxurious Princess of Chen tomb, filled with gold, jade, amber, and more — a sample of the 3,227 treasures uncovered.

Step into the Khitan Empire and discover a world of strength, sophistication, and symbolic storytelling. Enter the exhibition here: https://silkroadvirtualmuseum.com/museum-khitan-empire

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23/08/2026

🗺️ Step into The Map Room; a journey through time and imagination

Explore how different cultures viewed the world between 700 and 1500 CE in The Map Room exhibition. This captivating collection brings together early Islamic world maps, medieval European charts, and intricate Asian depictions—each a reflection of the evolving understanding of geography, exploration, and cultural exchange.

From ornate artistry to bold interpretations of the known world, these maps reveal more than just locations—they tell stories of ambition, trade, and curiosity across continents.

Whether you're a history buff, map lover, or cultural explorer, The Map Room invites you to see the world as it was once imagined.

🧭 Discover the exhibition now: https://silkroadvirtualmuseum.com/exhibition-map-room

22/08/2026

Afrasiab is not a name many people recognise, yet for centuries it was the heart of Samarkand and a crossroads of Silk Road diplomacy.

Our Afrasiab exhibition begins with a film. Shot on site in Uzbekistan, it introduces visitors to the vanished citadel beside modern Samarkand and the fragile remains of its most famous treasure: the so-called Hall of Ambassadors. Time, erosion, and loss have reduced the murals to fragments, but film allows us to restore context, to understand where they were found, how they were preserved, and why they still matter.

The exhibition uses this moving image as a gateway, before guiding visitors into a reconstructed digital space inspired by the original hall. It is an invitation to slow down, observe, and imagine a world of envoys, ceremonies, and political exchange that flourished over 1,300 years ago.

🔗 Explore Afrasiab and experience Silk Road diplomacy through film, space, and story: https://silkroadvirtualmuseum.com/museum-afrasiab

This exhibition is sponsored by The Bespoke Book.

20/08/2026

We love creating new exhibitions and revisiting earlier ones, adding new layers, new perspectives, and new discoveries. The Silk Road Virtual Museum is designed as a space you can return to, where curiosity is always rewarded.

You can keep roaming our digital hallways, following stories across regions and centuries, and uncovering connections that stretch far beyond a single exhibition.

But what if your joy of learning isn't quite satisfied?

Friends of the Silk Road is where the journey deepens. A space for those who want to go further, with behind-the-scenes insights, shared reflections, and conversations around the ideas that shape the museum.

If curiosity brought you here, this is your invitation to stay a little longer.

Take the next step with us. The link is in the bio.

19/08/2026

When we think of the Mali Empire, we often think of gold. And rightly so. Between the 13th and 15th centuries, Mali controlled vast goldfields that fed economies from North Africa to Europe. Coins, crowns, and even the gilded halos of medieval paintings were shaped by Malian wealth.

But this exhibition tells a different story.

Rather than celebrating power through spectacle, the surviving terracottas from Mali focus on the human condition. They depict illness, vulnerability, prayer, intimacy, and endurance. These are not royal portraits, but quiet, deeply observant works that reflect belief, ritual, and lived experience in a society shaped by faith and exchange.

By bringing together works now scattered across collections worldwide, the exhibition offers one of the most complete views of Mali’s artistic heritage available today. It reminds us that civilisation is measured not only by what it produces, but by what it chooses to represent.

🔗 Explore the Mali Empire as a centre of trade, learning, and profound artistic reflection: https://silkroadvirtualmuseum.com/museum-mali

This exhibition is sponsored by The Bespoke Book.

17/08/2026

Step back to the reign of Emperor Wu of Han (157–87 BCE) and discover the Golden Horse of Maoling—a stunning gilt bronze sculpture, believed to have been used to authenticate the legendary steeds from Ferghana.

Found near the emperor’s mausoleum, this exquisite piece stands 65 cm tall, embodying the power and prestige of the horses that revolutionised China’s cavalry and trade along the Silk Road.

See it now in 'Heavenly Horses' in the Silk Road Virtual Museum and explore 1,700 years of equestrian history!

🔗 Check out the Heavenly Horses exhibition: https://silkroadvirtualmuseu m.com/museum-heavenly-horses

15/08/2026

The Silk Road Virtual Museum is free to explore, and we intend to keep it that way. We believe that knowledge and cultural heritage should be accessible to anyone, anywhere. By creating a virtual space with thousands of artefacts from across the world, we are also removing the barrier of location.

But behind every exhibition is research, translation, and ongoing care. As a small, dedicated team, there are real costs involved in sustaining and growing the museum.

By becoming a Friend, you help keep the museum open, accessible, and evolving.

If you believe the history of the Silk Road should remain freely available to all, we invite you to support us. From as little as €5 per month, you can make a difference.

Join us here: https://silkroadvirtualmuseum.com/become-a-friend/

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