58 ATEET; Special Issue, Dec. 2012 ISSN 22491252 LAYERS OF SILK ROUTE OVER SANDS OF JAISALMER: AN ARCHITECTURAL DISCOURSE IN HISTORY 2 , Historical trade routes popularly referred to as Silk routes long acted as routes for transformation of technology, culture and civilization apart from trade. These routes extended from central Asia to all directions joining a major integrated land mass of the continent of Europe, Africa and Asia. A geological introspection also suggests its expansion along the extents of desert stretches extending from Northern parts of Africa into westMAsia, central Asia till Central China, Thar Desert in Indian subMcontinent defining the southMeastern extent of this league of deserts. While earlier trade routes were routed from and to China to buy and sell silk, later routes suggest trade of various commodities along the three continents and their several countries including India. While the term “silk route” refers to trade of silk only, it was later used tosignify important trading routes in history that resulted in societal transformation. Due to proximity of the Indian subcontinent with the west and central Asian countries, and its further extended connection through land to Europe, trade links were always there which is reflected in the exchange of Art and Architectural characteristics. The ancient trade routes though can be traced to India, but major trade activity was centred in and around the central Asian region. The Indian subcontinent figures in the ancient silk route as one of the destinations for trade and in the medieval trade route as a destination for the Arabian and Persian countries and as a crossing country to reach ports at Gujarat under the Mughals. Thus, India was in the scheme of such routes through land trading routes lying on its western frontiers as well as sea trading routes of Gujarat. * Associate Professor, Faculty of Architecture & Ekistics, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi