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The luxurious goods brought by caravans attracted many rulers along important trade routes to construct caravanserais. The profits from a successfully undertaken journey could be enormous, comparable to the later European spice trade. Caravans could therefore require considerable investment and were a lucrative target for bandits. In historical times, caravans connecting East Asia and Europe often carried luxurious and lucrative goods, such as silks or jewelry. Some of the first caravans on the Silk Road were sent out by Emperor Wu of Han in the 2nd century BCE when this vast network of roads was 'born', and as China began exporting large quantities of silk and other goods west, particularly destined for the Roman Empire. Caravans were used mainly in desert areas and throughout the Silk Road, where traveling in groups aided in defense against bandits as well as helped to improve economies of scale in trade. A caravan (from Persian کاروان kârvân) or cafila (from Arabic ‏ قَافِلَة‎ qāfila) is a group of people traveling together, often on a trade expedition.