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Episode 2

Episode 2 of 3

Sam Willis travels west to Central Asia, a place of major innovations, big historical characters and a people - the Sogdians - whose role was pivotal to the Silk Road's success.

In the second episode of his series tracing the story of the most famous trade route in history, Dr Sam Willis travels west to Central Asia, a part of the Silk Road often overlooked and yet the place of major innovations, big historical characters and a people - the Sogdians - whose role was pivotal to its success.

In the high mountain passes of Tajikistan, Sam meets the last survivors of that race, who once traded from the Mediterranean to the China Sea. In the Uzbek cities of Samarkand and Bukara, he discovers how they were built by armies of captive craftsmen for one of the greatest conquerors the world has ever seen - Timur.

From here, Sam follows the flow of goods back towards the markets of the west, showing how their trading culture sparked cultural, technical and artistic revolutions all along the Silk Road, and goes back to school to learn where modern mathematics and astronomy were born.

1 hour

Last on

Sun 28 Aug 2022 22:40

Music Played

  • Nils Frahm

    Circling

  • Nils Frahm

    Old Thought

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Sam Willis
Series Producer Richard Downes
Director Tim Niel
Assistant Producer Jon Morrice
Executive Producer Mike Smith

Broadcasts

Handmade on the Silk Road

Handmade on the Silk Road

Follow a day in the life of a weaver, woodcarver and potter in China, Uzbekistan and Iran