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Where to watch "The Silk Road"
15. China: Xi'an
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Alfred arrives in Xi’an - in the province of Shaanxi. The Silk Road caravans used to end their long journey in this millenary city.
14. Lanzhou, On the Yellow River
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Alfred travels to Liqian, at the narrowest point of the Hexi Corridor. Legend has it that Liqian is where the descendants of Crassus' lost legions ended up. From there, he goes to the sprawling industrial metropolis of Lanzhou, on the Yellow River, and samples an essential ingredient of Chinese culture - noodles.
13. Taklamakan, The Forbidden Oasis
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It was only once they had succeeded in crossing the Taklamakan desert that the Silk Road caravans truly arrived in China. In the dunes of the oasis of Dunhuang, Alfred meets a woman camel breeder. The oasis is now a popular tourist spot, but its fragile ecosystem has to be protected. The valley of the 1000 Buddhas stretches outwards from the edge of Dunhuang.
12. China: Gobi
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A Uyghur family invites our guide into their home. He learns about their way of life and growing techniques. Gaochang used to be an important waypoint through the Silk Road and a famous gathering place for scholars.
11. China: Kashgar
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Alfred's point of entry to China is Kashgar, in the Xinjiang region, which covers a sixth of country's surface area. This is the home of the Uyghurs, an ethnic minority descended from Turkic peoples. When trade on the Silk Road was as its height, Kashgar was a major hub for caravans travelling to India or Central Asia.
10. Kyrgystan
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Osh is the first place Alfred visits in Kyrgyzstan. He saunters down the aisles of its bazaar, but soon realizes that the real Kyrgyzstan is to be found on the endless steppes and vast mountains, where you lose all notion of boundaries. Alfred learns about Kyrgyz identity from a girl student who tells him local legends at the foot of the "Throne of Solomon", the hill that overlooks the city.
9. Fergana, A central Asian melting-pot
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Alfred is struck by the modernity of life in Tashkent, the capital of present-day Uzbekistan and a major central Asian city, and the incredible mix of ethnic groups in this part of the world. Alfred visits a silk factory - a must for anyone retracing the Silk Road, then travels the age-old route through the mountains to his next destination: Kyrgyzstan, the land of the nomads.
8. Uzbekistan: Samarkand
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Some used to say Samarkand – in central Uzbekistan – was at the center of the world. Alfred follows the ancient Royal Road to the city – associated with the great Turco-Mongol warrior Timur, who was also famed for his refinement and elegance.
7. Uzbekistan: Bukhara
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Alfred arrives in Uzbekistan, at the heart of the ancient Silk Road. He discovers Bukhara the beautiful, dream city for numerous travelers. Home town of Avicenna, Bukhara remains the dreamland of many wayfarers through the ages. Our guide meets some of its artists and craftsmen.
6. Iran: Kashan, the Zoroastrain Fire Temple of Yazd
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In the oasis of Kashan, in central Iran, Alfred marvels at the famous pleasure gardens of Fin that cemented the Persians’ renown.
5. Iran: Assassins, Emperors and Magi
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2,000 meters above sea level, Alfred visits the ruins of Hassan-i Sabbah's fortress, founder of a movement known as “Hashshashins” - drug smokers and killers who gave us the modern word “assassin”.
4. Iran: Tabriz, Capital of Merchants
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Alfred discovers Iran; enter the city that once was the core of the entire Silk Road in Persia: Tabriz. He heads into the bazaar, the finest in the country, and wanders through its 22 miles of alleyways and stalls. Our guide meets Dr Faribouz Esmaeli at the heart of this architectural gem he oversaw its restoration. Tabriz is also the center of the ancient Armenian community in Iran.
3. Turkey: Anatolia, the Caravans of Asia Minor
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The caravanserai at Aksaray is a perfect example of architecture of the Seljuq dynasty, the first empire in the region starting in the 10th century.
2. Turkey: Bosphorus
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Ottoman architectural wonders and the traditional local variant of wrestling, in which men are doused in olive oil before bouts.
1. Italy: Venice
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The architecture and the mosaics of St Mark’s Basilica reveal the links that connect this city with the distant lands of Asia; the textile maker Alberto Bevilacqua recounts the history of the silk trade.
