In the second century B.C. first caravans from east began their travel, and along with them courier houses, public fountains, and caravanserais were built to facilitate their travel.

In these travels many kinds of goods were transferred from place to place, material goods like spices, precious stones, silk, coins, ceramics or cultural goods such as gnosticism, philosophical ideas, traditions, tales, thoughts, news, sciences and arts (architecture, sculpture, music and data).

During those two thousand years of exchange between east and west by these roads, no name was chosen for them. However in late 18th and early 19th century, Europeans came up with the idea that, because China and Iran exported silk to Europe and produced silk worm, mulberry tree and silk, the Silk Road was a good name for these east -west roads which extended for 6-10 thousand kilometers, 1/4 of the imaginative belt around the globe, and connected two worlds. That's why this name has become famous allover the world.

In the middle of Safavid dynasty, and cocurrent occurrence of the Renaissance in Europe, with increasing activities to explore and discover new unknown lands by Europeans, great ships were built and new lands were discovered, and seafaring was known as the best way to travel, hence the Silk Road's sinking into oblivion for a long time,

By 1990, with disintegration of the Soviet Union, the Silk Road's idea and significance was revived and efforts to re-connect its parts together began.

Cultural motives and common feelings among the region's nations has prepared the ground for the Silk Road to become one of the most important connecting routes between east and west of the globe.

This importance is caused by facts such as: 2.5 billion people living along the Silk Road's course, which is significant from economic and commercial point of view; cultural intimacy and logical relationships among the region's nations, specially those with common origins in history and civilization, like Iran; common historical and social issues among the region's nations; and efforts of member states to explore and exploit potentials of being located along the Silk Road's course which in itself can attract millions of tourists annually.