Part of the millennium-old trade route, the Silk Road has been successfully included into the UNESCO World Heritage list at the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee in Doha. The application was jointly submitted by China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. It is the first time China has cooperated with foreign countries for a World Heritage nomination.

Once treaded by camel-driving merchants carrying silk, porcelain and spice, the 2000-year-old Silk Road was an important corridor for trade and cultural exchanges between Asia and Europe.

It fell into disuse in the age of sailing in the 16th century.

China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan formally launched the project to apply for adding the initial section of the Silk Road and the routes network of the Tian-shan Corridor onto the World Heritage list.

The section is about 5000 kilometres long. It consists of 33 historical sites along the route, including 22 in China, 8 in Kazakhstan and three in Kyrgyzstan. They range from palaces and pagodas in cities to ruins in remote, inaccessible deserts.

"The purpose of including the Silk Road onto the World Heritage list is to let people remember it and protect it. The silk road is a road for exchanges. It is a road of friendship. It promoted the cultural development of mankind," said Chinese Academy of Social Sciences archaeologist Liu Qingzhu.

It is the first silk road heritage in the world.

The International Council on Monuments and Sites said in its evaluation report that it is an important milestone as three nations jointly applied for the nomination. It is also the result of 7 years of effort made by the three countries and will lay a foundation for future such applications.