On December 18th of 2024, the City of San Antonio Historic and Design Review Commission passed the fourth Cultural Heritage District in San Antonio, the Silk Road. The SRCHD was created to recognize the many cultures and communities whose roots stem from North and Central Africa to Eastern Asia that shop, live, and interact within a geographic cluster along Wurzbach Road in northwest San Antonio. The district name is a reference to the historic Silk Road which consisted of a series of trade routes extending over thousands of miles, interconnecting the Mediterranean Basin with East Asia and allowing for shared commerce, cultures, and belief systems. These routes were named in the English language after silk, one of the most iconic products that made it halfway across the world for centuries (COSA).
"International Plaza is a community anchor within the Silk Road Cultural Heritage District. Established in 2024, the district celebrates San Antonio's global community along the Wurzbach corridor with representation from Northern and Central Africa, the Middle East, and Northern, Central, Eastern and Southeast Asia. Since Ali Baba International Food Market opened in 1999, the plaza has become a center for other culinary destinations and shops with the goal of bringing various cultures together. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pasha Mediterranean Grill and Zaatar Lebanese Grill, along with local organizations such as the Mehr Foundation, distributed thousands of free hot meals."Â