0:00:02 > 0:00:042,000 years ago,
0:00:04 > 0:00:08an ancient trade route slowly spread across a continent.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12For 5,000 miles, the Silk Road ran from China's ancient capital
0:00:12 > 0:00:14through Central Asia.
0:00:14 > 0:00:19It passed through mythical cities such as Samarkand or Persepolis
0:00:19 > 0:00:23until it reached the bazaars of Istanbul, the merchants of Venice.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28I'm a historian
0:00:28 > 0:00:32and I've always been fascinated by its impact on the world.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36This is the story of the Silk Road and my travels along it.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42The Silk Road was a place of adventure and invention.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46It cut across borders and brought cultures into contact.
0:00:48 > 0:00:49And conflict.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55I've travelled through China and Central Asia and I'm now
0:00:55 > 0:00:59heading to a place that was critical linking East and West.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05A country whose troubled past has, until recently,
0:01:05 > 0:01:08put off Western travellers like me.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12I'm starting to think that I may have actually been
0:01:12 > 0:01:14an Iranian merchant in a former life.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20I'm going to Iran, a place where modern politics has obscured
0:01:20 > 0:01:23the glories of her Persian past.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29A past rich with fascinating characters, and where the culture
0:01:29 > 0:01:31and art of the empires they built
0:01:31 > 0:01:34spread to every part of the Silk Road.
0:01:34 > 0:01:39And where I make a surprising discovery about something familiar.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42To you and me, of course, it's paisley.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48From Iran,
0:01:48 > 0:01:50I'll travel to the cities at the western end of the Silk Road...
0:01:52 > 0:01:54..and I'll discovered that many of their great palaces,
0:01:54 > 0:01:59buildings and churches were inspired by the East...
0:01:59 > 0:02:03paid for and made possible by the Silk Road.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23Iran stood at a crossroads of the Silk Road
0:02:23 > 0:02:26and, for centuries, traders and travellers
0:02:26 > 0:02:29plied a network of caravan routes that
0:02:29 > 0:02:33crisscrossed its vast deserts and high mountain ranges.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42The Iranian Plateau effectively controlled two major
0:02:42 > 0:02:45arteries of the Silk Road, the main road from China
0:02:45 > 0:02:48and Central Asia, where I've come from,
0:02:48 > 0:02:51and that from the Persian Gulf.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54In the final leg of my journey, I'm going to be travelling that southern
0:02:54 > 0:02:58branch of the Silk Road, through the deserts of Ancient Persia.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09Transporting products from India and beyond, the southern route
0:03:09 > 0:03:14passes through the fabled caravan cities of Yazd, Esfahan and Kashan,
0:03:14 > 0:03:18oasis cities that linked the ports of the Persian Gulf to the
0:03:18 > 0:03:20main Silk Road, Tehran.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26But the traders who travelled this section of the Silk Road
0:03:26 > 0:03:30had to cross a formidable barrier -
0:03:30 > 0:03:33one of the hottest deserts in the world,
0:03:33 > 0:03:39where summer temperatures can reach a sizzling 70 degrees Celsius.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42There was no way round.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47But despite this incredible heat,
0:03:47 > 0:03:50merchants have plied this route for centuries.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55And that's because of a brilliant piece of engineering that
0:03:55 > 0:03:58transported precious drinking water from the mountains
0:03:58 > 0:04:01to places where people needed it.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03This car tyre, and it's one of several,
0:04:03 > 0:04:08they're all around me, marks an access shaft to an underground
0:04:08 > 0:04:11irrigation system, an engineering miracle that the people
0:04:11 > 0:04:15of this region mastered some 4,000 years ago.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20Now, the Ancient Persians didn't leave the car tyre,
0:04:20 > 0:04:23but they did construct this.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25An underground stream called a qanat.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27Hey!
0:04:27 > 0:04:32And qanats are arguably the single most important factor in sustaining
0:04:32 > 0:04:36the Silk Road in the desert regions of Persia for thousands of years.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39Qanats are easy to spot from the air
0:04:39 > 0:04:43and if you follow the holes in the ground in this satellite photograph,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46it becomes obvious what qanats allowed
0:04:46 > 0:04:48the ancient Persians to build.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53They built cities.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59Legendary cities.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03Like the one I'm about to visit and have always wanted to see.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05Persepolis.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10This was the heart of the first Persian Empire,
0:05:10 > 0:05:15an empire ruled by fabled kings whose influence spread far and wide.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34It was Cyrus the Great who forged the first Persian Empire
0:05:34 > 0:05:36in the sixth century BC.
0:05:36 > 0:05:41But it was another king, Darius I, who built Persepolis.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49Darius was famous for many things. He dug the first Suez Canal,
0:05:49 > 0:05:54introduced standardised weights and measures, and coinage, too.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57It was this administrative genius that earned him
0:05:57 > 0:05:59the title Darius the Great.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04But to his subjects, who admired this administrative flair,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07he was known as Darius the Shopkeeper.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13He was also the greatest royal architect of his dynasty.
0:06:13 > 0:06:19Even in its ruined state, Darius's palace, built around 500 BC,
0:06:19 > 0:06:21with its imposing gateways,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24monumental columns
0:06:24 > 0:06:26and exquisite reliefs,
0:06:26 > 0:06:29leaves you in no doubt about the message.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33His empire heralded a new world order.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38Darius didn't bother to fortify Persepolis,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41because he didn't need to.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44All of his enemies had been defeated.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53And here are the enemies his dynasty had defeated.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56Indians.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59Lydians.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Syrians.
0:07:02 > 0:07:03Turks.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06Armenians.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09Libyans.
0:07:09 > 0:07:10The list goes on.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15All subject to the Persian king.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22This wall shows 23 subject peoples of the Persian Empire
0:07:22 > 0:07:24bringing tribute to their emperor.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27It shows that his empire stretched from North Africa
0:07:27 > 0:07:30to North India to south-east Europe.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34It was the biggest empire that the world had ever seen.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38Here we have representatives of the city of Samarkand,
0:07:38 > 0:07:41with their distinctive two-humped Bactrian camel,
0:07:41 > 0:07:43all marching forward.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48I've met these characters before.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50They're called Sogdians,
0:07:50 > 0:07:55merchants whose descendants 25 centuries on I met
0:07:55 > 0:07:58in a remote valley in Central Asia.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04Look at their distinctive trousers and hair, all very Sogdian in style.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07They're carrying cups, which represents
0:08:07 > 0:08:10the tribute that they're bearing to the Persian emperor.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14The Sogdians were the Silk Road's middlemen.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18It was through them that China reached out to the Persian emperor,
0:08:18 > 0:08:21and trade began to flow through the arteries of Central Asia.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28Trade arteries that would be extended west by this.
0:08:30 > 0:08:35Linking Persia to what is modern-day Turkey, Darius built a Royal Road
0:08:35 > 0:08:40to control his empire and to connect East with West.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46I wanted to know if this paved the way for the Silk Road itself,
0:08:46 > 0:08:50So I've arranged to meet historian, Dr Tabatabai.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53TRANSLATION:
0:09:09 > 0:09:13To what extent did the existence of this Royal Road help
0:09:13 > 0:09:16the growth of the Silk Road in general?
0:09:57 > 0:10:01Darius the Great is credited with nothing less than joining
0:10:01 > 0:10:05together the unknown worlds of East and West,
0:10:05 > 0:10:10the very foundation of my Silk Road journey.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13But as well as communication and trade,
0:10:13 > 0:10:15the Royal Road also brought trouble.
0:10:16 > 0:10:22These broken and fallen columns bear witness to just how much trouble.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28Darius's decision not to fortify Persepolis proved to
0:10:28 > 0:10:31be its undoing, and the white marks at the base of this pillar
0:10:31 > 0:10:34are a clue as to what happened,
0:10:34 > 0:10:39because when limestone is subjected to intense heat, it turns white.
0:10:39 > 0:10:44In 330 BC, Alexander the Great swept down Darius's Royal Road
0:10:44 > 0:10:47and burned Persepolis to the ground.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51Its end was sudden, violent and merciless.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53When he looted the treasury,
0:10:53 > 0:10:58it was said that it took 3,000 camels to cart away the treasure.
0:11:06 > 0:11:11But while the once-great buildings slowly turned to sand
0:11:11 > 0:11:14and the memory of her great kings faded,
0:11:14 > 0:11:17the gods they worshipped lived on.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20Symbols such as this one,
0:11:20 > 0:11:24a clue to a religious past that the world has all but forgotten.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32So, who was this strange winged figure?
0:11:32 > 0:11:33What did it mean?
0:11:35 > 0:11:392,000 years ago, it wasn't just merchants who traded
0:11:39 > 0:11:44on the Silk Road. Pilgrims and prophets did, too.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50Religious battles were waged along the Silk Road.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Deities, cults, priests and rulers jostled with each other
0:11:53 > 0:11:55in a bid to persuade the populace
0:11:55 > 0:11:59to sign up to their particular brand of religion.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03This was a time when societies were highly receptive
0:12:03 > 0:12:08to explanations for everything from the mundane to the supernatural,
0:12:08 > 0:12:12and when faith offered solutions to all problems.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21I'm heading to Yazd...
0:12:21 > 0:12:23CALL TO PRAYER
0:12:23 > 0:12:27..an ancient oasis city, where I'm hoping to find some living
0:12:27 > 0:12:29connections to the Silk Road's past,
0:12:29 > 0:12:33and to one of the oldest religions on Earth.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39The Ancient Persians believed there were four elements from
0:12:39 > 0:12:41which everything was made.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44Earth, wind,
0:12:44 > 0:12:46water, fire.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49Yazd is a city built on all four.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55These mud-brick alleys protect Yazd from the fierce desert heat.
0:12:57 > 0:13:02Our old friend the qanat supplies her people with life-giving water.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07Wind towers draw away the hot desert air
0:13:07 > 0:13:09from the streets of the city.
0:13:13 > 0:13:18And in a temple smoulders an eternal fire, guarded by priests.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27Here's that symbol I saw in Persepolis.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31The Zoroastrian god called Ahura Mazda.
0:13:31 > 0:13:36Ahura Mazda first appeared to a man called Zarathustra and commanded him
0:13:36 > 0:13:39to spread his teachings and win converts.
0:13:40 > 0:13:45No-one is entirely sure where Zarathustra was born, or even
0:13:45 > 0:13:49when he lived, but he was one of the first prophets to offer
0:13:49 > 0:13:53a single omnipotent and invisible god.
0:13:53 > 0:13:58The faithful were commanded to pray to Ahura Mazda in the direction
0:13:58 > 0:13:59of the light,
0:13:59 > 0:14:02but the only light that the Ancients controlled was fire,
0:14:02 > 0:14:06and so they built temples to keep the flame burning for eternity.
0:14:06 > 0:14:13It's said that the flame in here has been burning for over 1,500 years.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31At the heart of Zoroastrianism is the idea of duality,
0:14:31 > 0:14:36the eternal battle between good and evil, light and dark.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40It requires believers to commit to a life based on good thoughts,
0:14:40 > 0:14:42good words and good deeds.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49I'm incredibly privileged to be allowed to get
0:14:49 > 0:14:52so close to this fire, and it's wonderful.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56So much of history is inanimate, it's dead.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00But this is a living, breathing, crackling thing,
0:15:00 > 0:15:03from a very ancient past that's been
0:15:03 > 0:15:07so, so lovingly cherished and tended for over a millennium.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09I love it.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21From Iran to the Caspian Sea, Central Asia, India and beyond,
0:15:21 > 0:15:25Zoroastrianism put down roots all along the Silk Road.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33Just outside Yazd is the village of Kalantar.
0:15:33 > 0:15:38Here, I hope to find another living connection to the religion's past -
0:15:38 > 0:15:42a Zoroastrian dialect that is over 2,000 years old.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49I've been invited into the home of one of the villagers to see
0:15:49 > 0:15:51this ancient religion practised.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55THEY PRAY
0:16:07 > 0:16:10The prayers are led by the men in a tiny room.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12Everyone else sits outside.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14THEY PRAY
0:16:14 > 0:16:16Sitting in the doorway,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20I feel honoured to be allowed to watch the proceedings.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26Though it's a little tricky to follow what's going on.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29PRAYERS CONTINUE
0:16:34 > 0:16:38The prayers are conducted in an ancient Zoroastrian language,
0:16:38 > 0:16:42and the offerings are dedicated by neighbours
0:16:42 > 0:16:44to the souls of the former occupants of the house,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47for whom they seek forgiveness from God.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05Once it's over, the villagers share and eat the offerings.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09Delnavaz Javanmardi is the village leader,
0:17:09 > 0:17:13and I'm keen to find out more about what I've just seen.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31I recognise that you are speaking Farsi right now,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34but they were speaking a different language during the ceremony.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36What was that language?
0:17:36 > 0:17:38TRANSLATION:
0:18:05 > 0:18:07It's noticeable that the women are wearing
0:18:07 > 0:18:09very beautiful coloured headscarves.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12Is colour important to how you dress?
0:18:42 > 0:18:46"Lively colours to freshen up our souls."
0:18:46 > 0:18:50Now, that's a thought that brilliantly sums up the Silk Road
0:18:50 > 0:18:54and how it fused culture, religion and art.
0:19:02 > 0:19:07Zoroastrianism not only freshened up souls, some say it inspired this...
0:19:11 > 0:19:14..a style of fabric that originated here,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17in the textile workshops of Yazd.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22This is called a termeh, a cloth made of wool and silk
0:19:22 > 0:19:25that's been produced here in Yazd for centuries.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27And it's used for everything from headscarves
0:19:27 > 0:19:30to cushion covers and tablecloths.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34One of the most common motifs used to decorate it is this,
0:19:34 > 0:19:35called a boteh.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39Some people say it was inspired by a pear, or the cypress tree,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42others that it represents the Flame of Zoroaster.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45To you and me, of course, it's paisley.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50I'm pretty sure the young Queen Victoria,
0:19:50 > 0:19:52who made the paisley pattern famous,
0:19:52 > 0:19:55didn't see it as the Flame of Zoroaster.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58But the emblem found its way from Northern India
0:19:58 > 0:20:03to the weaving town of Paisley, near Glasgow, in the 17th century.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08It's a motif that can be found all along the Silk Road.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20The Flame of Zoroaster was a powerful symbol
0:20:20 > 0:20:23of both life and death.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29Since the time of Darius the Great, Zoroastrianism
0:20:29 > 0:20:32was the state religion of Ancient Persia.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35It prevailed for a thousand years.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41But in 610 AD, they faced a new challenge,
0:20:41 > 0:20:46one that would change the Silk Road, and the world, for ever.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57At the beginning of the seventh century,
0:20:57 > 0:21:00far away in the Arabian Peninsula,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03a trader named Muhammad began to receive
0:21:03 > 0:21:05a series of revelations from God.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11The revelations ultimately formed the basis of the Koran
0:21:11 > 0:21:14and a small but radical movement that would rise to change
0:21:14 > 0:21:16Persia and the ancient world.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20Islam was born.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24It was a powerful idea.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27So powerful, in fact, that in a matter of decades,
0:21:27 > 0:21:30the Arab Crusading armies of the new religion
0:21:30 > 0:21:33had decisively defeated the armies of Persia.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39A Zoroastrian fire temple once stood here,
0:21:39 > 0:21:44but when Islam reached Yazd, its days were numbered.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48This mosque now stands in its place.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50It's called the Jameh Mosque,
0:21:50 > 0:21:53and it's one of the oldest mosques in Iran.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55On the ceiling above me,
0:21:55 > 0:21:59the tiled pattern depicts no less than 110 different names of God.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04All along the Silk Road, the Zoroastrian religion
0:22:04 > 0:22:08fell into decline as Islam became a major new force.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14And here in Iran, it would form into a brand of Islam
0:22:14 > 0:22:19that one day would divide the Islamic world -
0:22:19 > 0:22:22the split between Sunni and Shia.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28But some traditions here pre-date that time.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33Down this alleyway and through this doorway, I've been told
0:22:33 > 0:22:38there's an unusual connection to the moment Islam arrived in Iran.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41CHANTING
0:22:45 > 0:22:48A sort of mosque-meets-gym.
0:22:48 > 0:22:53This is a zurkhaneh, which, in Farsi, means a house of strength.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56DRUMBEATS
0:23:01 > 0:23:03These rituals date back to
0:23:03 > 0:23:06the Arab defeat of the Persian army 1,500 years ago.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12Forbidden to train openly by their Arab conquerors,
0:23:12 > 0:23:16Persian warriors met secretly to exercise and practise instead.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22Mohammad Ali Dehghani runs the zurkhaneh here in Yazd.
0:23:51 > 0:23:56Is there a specific routine that each event goes through?
0:23:56 > 0:23:58TRANSLATION:
0:24:19 > 0:24:21Is that routine, that tradition,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24a very ancient one that's been passed down?
0:24:54 > 0:24:56THEY CHANT
0:25:01 > 0:25:04Well, they certainly like mixing things up in Iran.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08It's the first time I've ever seen anyone praying, singing,
0:25:08 > 0:25:11weightlifting, dancing and juggling all at the same time.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28While the Islamic religion subjugated new regions and peoples,
0:25:28 > 0:25:32it also went hand in hand with the expansion of trade.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38Over half the Silk Road came under the influence of Islam.
0:25:38 > 0:25:39Trade routes, oases,
0:25:39 > 0:25:44cities and natural resources were targeted and absorbed.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51Mosques sprang up all along the Silk Road.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56Some very small and some very great.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05In the centuries that followed the Arab conquests,
0:26:05 > 0:26:09Persian and Arabic art and culture embraced and intertwined.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15It was a partnership that became known as the Persian Renaissance.
0:26:16 > 0:26:23And it blossomed in one of the Silk Road's most fabled cities - Esfahan.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42Since I've been in Iran, I've rather been wondering where everyone is.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45Well, I've found them. They're in Esfahan.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55This mosque in the centre of Esfahan
0:26:55 > 0:26:59is a magnificent symbol of the artistic and spiritual renaissance
0:26:59 > 0:27:02that started 500 years ago.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04It's also a powerful reminder
0:27:04 > 0:27:07of the forces at play in this part of the world.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14The Persian Renaissance began in the 16th century,
0:27:14 > 0:27:16and the king who built this mosque
0:27:16 > 0:27:19was a man who set out to redefine his country
0:27:19 > 0:27:21through both art and Islam.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25And to do that, he needed to impress.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29WHISPERS: The dome above me is more than 100 feet high,
0:27:29 > 0:27:33but there's a second exterior dome beyond that.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36And it's the space between the two, some 45 feet,
0:27:36 > 0:27:40which is responsible for all of the echoes that you can hear.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42RESOUNDING ECHO
0:27:42 > 0:27:45You may be wondering why I'm whispering.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47Well, if I spoke any louder,
0:27:47 > 0:27:50this entire place would be filled with echoes.
0:27:50 > 0:27:55Scientists have actually measured some 49 distinct echoes here,
0:27:55 > 0:27:59though only seven are audible to the human ear.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02But that's more than enough for the call to prayer
0:28:02 > 0:28:04to be heard by the faithful.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08CALL TO PRAYER
0:28:27 > 0:28:31This mosque was built by a dynasty of shahs called the Safavids.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40It was the Safavids who launched a vigorous campaign across Iran
0:28:40 > 0:28:42to eradicate Sunni Islam
0:28:42 > 0:28:47and replace it with a different brand of Islam called Shia.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54The sermons preached from here
0:28:54 > 0:28:58declared that the people of Iran must convert to Shia,
0:28:58 > 0:29:01a form of Islam which claimed the that the line of imams
0:29:01 > 0:29:03who succeeded the Prophet Muhammad
0:29:03 > 0:29:07were descended not from his father-in-law, as Sunnis believed,
0:29:07 > 0:29:11but from his cousin and son-in-law instead.
0:29:16 > 0:29:21This mosque, the Royal Mosque, was built by Shah Abbas the Great,
0:29:21 > 0:29:26the only Islamic ruler in Iran to be bestowed the title of greatness.
0:29:26 > 0:29:30And standing here in this most beautiful of places,
0:29:30 > 0:29:34in the heart of what would become his new Iranian capital,
0:29:34 > 0:29:35it's not difficult to see why.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44When work started on the Royal Mosque, Shah Abbas was 52.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47And as the years ticked by, he grew anxious
0:29:47 > 0:29:52he might die before his life's architectural jewel was completed.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57As the years turned to decades, Abbas grew impatient.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03His architect Ali Akbar Isfahani used some innovative,
0:30:03 > 0:30:05laboursaving techniques,
0:30:05 > 0:30:08one of which I'm sure you've used in your bathroom.
0:30:10 > 0:30:14Rather than covering the walls with millions of individual tiny tiles,
0:30:14 > 0:30:17he came up with the idea of using larger,
0:30:17 > 0:30:21prefabricated patterned tiles called haft rangi.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25They've been standard ever since
0:30:25 > 0:30:27and can be found in most DIY stores today.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30And if you look closely, you'll see that the great man
0:30:30 > 0:30:33has even signed the building that he built.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37The inscription gives the date, 1616 AD,
0:30:37 > 0:30:40and his name, Ali Akbar Isfahani.
0:30:48 > 0:30:53When Shah Abbas came to power in 1588, his country was in chaos
0:30:53 > 0:30:56and locked into a bitter and often bloody rivalry
0:30:56 > 0:30:59with the Sunni Ottoman Turks.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04Yet within a decade, Abbas moved his capital to Esfahan,
0:31:04 > 0:31:09where he not only rebuilt the city, but set out to remake Iran too.
0:31:11 > 0:31:16Central to Abbas's nation-building was his definition of Iran as Shia.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19While it had been his grandfather who had first declared Shia Islam
0:31:19 > 0:31:22to be the country's official religion,
0:31:22 > 0:31:26it was Abbas who first forged the link between nation and faith
0:31:26 > 0:31:28in much the same way
0:31:28 > 0:31:31that Protestantism defined a Tudor England.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35Shia Islam then provided a clear boundary between Iran
0:31:35 > 0:31:39and Abbas's greatest enemies - the Sunni Ottomans to the west
0:31:39 > 0:31:41and the Uzbeks to the north.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48In rebuilding Esfahan, Shah Abbas pulled together
0:31:48 > 0:31:52the three main components of power in Persia -
0:31:52 > 0:31:56the power of the clergy, represented by the Royal Mosque,
0:31:56 > 0:32:02the power of the Shah himself, residing in the Ali Qapu Palace,
0:32:02 > 0:32:06and the power of the merchants, whose Silk Road booty
0:32:06 > 0:32:07and money paid for it all.
0:32:17 > 0:32:20Above the entrance gate to the Esfahan Bazaar can be found
0:32:20 > 0:32:22frescos of European figures.
0:32:23 > 0:32:25They represent Shah Abbas's vision
0:32:25 > 0:32:29to make Esfahan a new centre for international commerce
0:32:29 > 0:32:35and to upstage her main competitor - the Ottoman capital, Istanbul.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39The tangle of lanes and stores bearing fruit,
0:32:39 > 0:32:44sweets and spices offer a veritable feast for the senses.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48It's a lemon. It's the weirdest lemon I've ever seen.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50Oh!
0:32:50 > 0:32:54Under the domed and arcaded halls, time-honoured Persian crafts
0:32:54 > 0:32:57can still be found, including paisley, of course.
0:32:59 > 0:33:04Shah Abbas recognised the commercial benefit of promoting the arts.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07It was in these royal workshops that Esfahan's artisans
0:33:07 > 0:33:10would become the engine of the Persian Renaissance.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16Painters...metal-workers...
0:33:17 > 0:33:19..textile-makers...
0:33:20 > 0:33:22..potters and carpet-weavers
0:33:22 > 0:33:27achieved new heights of perfection and took the world by storm.
0:33:28 > 0:33:30400 years later and they're still at it.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37In a small workshop just off the square, I find a family
0:33:37 > 0:33:43working away at a particularly exquisite craft - Meenakari.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48Mina means "heavenly", kari "art".
0:33:48 > 0:33:50Heavenly art.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52Esfahan is famous for it.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57Meenakari is the art of enamelling -
0:33:57 > 0:34:00painting, colouring and ornamenting metal objects
0:34:00 > 0:34:04and then baking them at incredibly high temperatures.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06It's painstaking work.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09I love it and I just have to buy one.
0:34:16 > 0:34:22The Persians called Esfahan "Naqsh-e Jahan", Half the World,
0:34:22 > 0:34:26meaning that to see it was to see half the world.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31Up until the 20th century, Persia was the common name
0:34:31 > 0:34:35the West historically used to describe this part of the world.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40But her people used another - Iran.
0:34:47 > 0:34:49I think it's particularly interesting that Iran
0:34:49 > 0:34:53literally means a place of order, a place of civilisation.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56They even had a word for the lands beyond their country,
0:34:56 > 0:34:58and it was Turan.
0:34:58 > 0:35:02It meant a place of chaos, a place of barbarism, of darkness.
0:35:02 > 0:35:06But actually, if you're lucky enough to come here, you find that
0:35:06 > 0:35:09the people are careful, measured,
0:35:09 > 0:35:12kind, thoughtful, generous, polite.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14They're dignified, respectful.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16They're interesting, they're entertaining.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19It really is a wonderful place.
0:35:19 > 0:35:23And after a long day selling silk, or, like me, travelling,
0:35:23 > 0:35:26you get to sit down, have a pipe and a cup of tea
0:35:26 > 0:35:30and a bit of chat and a bit of banter. I absolutely love it.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32And I'm starting to think that I may have actually been
0:35:32 > 0:35:34an Iranian merchant in a former life.
0:35:43 > 0:35:49Merchants from Europe, Asia and China flocked to Esfahan's bazaar.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52Links were forged, deals done, fortunes made.
0:35:52 > 0:35:57Abbas's vision proved so successful that he effectively re-routed
0:35:57 > 0:36:00the Silk Road through Esfahan.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04Meanwhile, outside the new capital city,
0:36:04 > 0:36:07a new golden age of commerce dawned.
0:36:09 > 0:36:11Today, this section of the Silk Road,
0:36:11 > 0:36:16with its HGVs and service stations, looks not unlike the M6.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19But in the age of the Silk Road, it was caravans,
0:36:19 > 0:36:22not juggernauts, that carried goods.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25And they required a whole network of inns and hostels -
0:36:25 > 0:36:28in Persian called caravanserai.
0:36:31 > 0:36:35Hundreds can still be visited today along Iran's former Silk Roads.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40That there are so many is down to one sleepless
0:36:40 > 0:36:43and very uncomfortable night.
0:36:43 > 0:36:47One day, Shah Abbas went hunting, became separated from his party
0:36:47 > 0:36:52and was forced to spend the night in the desert, uncomfortable and alone.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55Now, a passing goatherd who, of course, didn't realise
0:36:55 > 0:36:59that Abbas was the king, gave him a blanket and some food.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02The next morning, Abbas was rescued
0:37:02 > 0:37:06and he soon discovered from his advisors that such discomfort
0:37:06 > 0:37:08and loneliness was the norm
0:37:08 > 0:37:11for merchants passing through his country.
0:37:11 > 0:37:15His experience led to a massive building programme.
0:37:15 > 0:37:19He built 999 caravanserai to nurture
0:37:19 > 0:37:24and protect the commerce that was pumped into Iran by the Silk Road.
0:37:24 > 0:37:26And this just happens to be one of them.
0:37:34 > 0:37:38As service stations go, this beats anything I've ever seen on the M6.
0:37:41 > 0:37:46The design and shape of caravanserai barely changed over the centuries.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49Built in a square shape for both defensive purposes
0:37:49 > 0:37:51as well as protection from the elements...
0:37:55 > 0:37:58..and inside, designed for security of goods
0:37:58 > 0:38:01and a place for cooking and rest.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09There's little poetry in service stations these days,
0:38:09 > 0:38:10but the Persian poet Hafez
0:38:10 > 0:38:14found something to say about the 14th-century version.
0:38:18 > 0:38:23Hafez's beautiful poetry was celebrated all along the Silk Road.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25And he had quite an eclectic fan base,
0:38:25 > 0:38:29including Timur, the famed Mongol warrior,
0:38:29 > 0:38:32and, more bizarrely, Victorian England.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35This one's particularly appropriate for where we are,
0:38:35 > 0:38:38standing outside an ancient caravanserai.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41"A caravan from China comes
0:38:41 > 0:38:44"For miles it sweetens all the air
0:38:44 > 0:38:46"With fragrant silks and dreaming gums,
0:38:46 > 0:38:48"Attar and myrrh
0:38:48 > 0:38:51"A caravan from China comes.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53"O merchant, tell me what you bring
0:38:53 > 0:38:56"With music sweet of camel bells
0:38:56 > 0:38:58"How long have you been travelling
0:38:58 > 0:39:00"With those sweet smells?
0:39:00 > 0:39:03"O merchant, tell me what you bring."
0:39:10 > 0:39:12Of course, what the merchants brought
0:39:12 > 0:39:16depended on what the cities on the Silk Road actually wanted.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20And the master weavers and dyers of Kashan, my next stop,
0:39:20 > 0:39:22were particularly exacting.
0:39:24 > 0:39:28Underneath this beautiful domed ceiling is Kashan Bazaar,
0:39:28 > 0:39:32which sells an object of desire for which the Silk Road
0:39:32 > 0:39:35and Kashan in particular is renowned.
0:39:36 > 0:39:40To make it, the local artisans not only needed bales of silk,
0:39:40 > 0:39:44wool and camel hair, but pigments for colour dyes.
0:39:46 > 0:39:48Pomegranate, azure,
0:39:48 > 0:39:53ivory, red cochineal, yellow larkspur
0:39:53 > 0:39:57and the most precious of all, Tyrian purple.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02In the hands of local weavers, the product they created
0:40:02 > 0:40:07became a byword for luxury, famed far beyond the borders of Persia.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10Carpets.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13No wonder they were said to have magic powers.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26It was under Shah Abbas that Persian carpets
0:40:26 > 0:40:29reached their zenith in elegance and reputation.
0:40:32 > 0:40:34Nowhere more so than here in Kashan.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38And while it's men who trade them...
0:40:40 > 0:40:43..it's usually women who make them.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45The traditional skills of Kashan carpet-weaving
0:40:45 > 0:40:50are passed down to daughters from their mothers and grandmothers.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54Their fingers seem to fly,
0:40:54 > 0:40:58knotting the wool to the warp using a distinctive Farsi knot.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01The weaving style is applied with such delicacy
0:41:01 > 0:41:06that the back and front of the carpet are almost indistinguishable.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10The size of this carpet and the scale of the task
0:41:10 > 0:41:13is quite difficult to get your head around.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16Eight people working on it every day for a year-and-a-half,
0:41:16 > 0:41:18and the knots are so small,
0:41:18 > 0:41:21even though you can see their fingers working busily,
0:41:21 > 0:41:23you can't actually see it getting any bigger.
0:41:23 > 0:41:28But if you put your hand on it, you can feel it vibrating.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30I think the word's "thrumming".
0:41:30 > 0:41:33In any case, it's definitely growing.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35It's alive.
0:41:47 > 0:41:49From magic carpets...
0:41:51 > 0:41:53..to frescoed ceilings...
0:41:55 > 0:41:57..to coloured tiles...
0:41:59 > 0:42:01..to Persian gardens.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12This blossoming of arts and culture under Shah Abbas
0:42:12 > 0:42:15added up to an astounding cultural rebirth in Persia.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20Word of the Persian Renaissance
0:42:20 > 0:42:24trickled down the Silk Road to Istanbul,
0:42:24 > 0:42:28where the defenders of Sunni Islam, the Ottomans,
0:42:28 > 0:42:31could not but feel threatened by this new commercial,
0:42:31 > 0:42:35cultural and Shi'ite state on their border.
0:42:38 > 0:42:42Built by Shah Abbas, I'm in Bagh-e Fin Garden, just outside Kashan.
0:42:44 > 0:42:49In his advanced years, this is where he came to escape the heat
0:42:49 > 0:42:51and stresses of Esfahan.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56There's a mausoleum here in Kashan which might contain
0:42:56 > 0:42:58the remains of Shah Abbas.
0:42:58 > 0:43:02After his death, three - and some say four - coffins were prepared
0:43:02 > 0:43:04and each was put in a different part of Iran.
0:43:04 > 0:43:07Perhaps this was to ensure that his remains could not be
0:43:07 > 0:43:10scattered by his enemies after his death,
0:43:10 > 0:43:13perhaps it was a statement to say that he ruled over
0:43:13 > 0:43:15the entirety of Iran.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18But which one contains Shah Abbas?
0:43:18 > 0:43:21Well, no-one really knows.
0:43:33 > 0:43:37A few hours' driving to the north of Kashan is my last stop in Iran -
0:43:37 > 0:43:42the caravan city of Rey, where the road from the Persian Gulf
0:43:42 > 0:43:46joins the main Silk Road from China and Central Asia.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50Today, it's better known as Tehran.
0:44:00 > 0:44:0332 shahs of Iran followed Shah Abbas.
0:44:03 > 0:44:07This tower was built by the last of them in 1971.
0:44:11 > 0:44:15A fusion of architectural styles through the ages,
0:44:15 > 0:44:20it was designed to commemorate 2,500 years of the Persian Empire.
0:44:22 > 0:44:25Standing between West and East, the Persian Empire
0:44:25 > 0:44:30was the Silk Road's gatekeeper and shaped its history for just as long.
0:44:33 > 0:44:36It seems so appropriate that the monument which marks the end
0:44:36 > 0:44:42of my journey in Iran is such a fusion of ideas, both old and new.
0:44:42 > 0:44:44And also that it's a gateway,
0:44:44 > 0:44:49a gateway to the West and a gateway to my next destination.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59I'm heading to the city which that gateway challenged
0:44:59 > 0:45:04and marked journey's end for thousands of merchants and caravans,
0:45:04 > 0:45:07the capital of the Ottoman Empire
0:45:07 > 0:45:10and the terminus of the overland Silk Road.
0:45:11 > 0:45:17Istanbul- the great trading city that Shah Abbas hoped to rival
0:45:17 > 0:45:18when he built Esfahan.
0:45:24 > 0:45:28Istanbul is often seen as the bridge between East and West.
0:45:31 > 0:45:34But there's an intriguing side to the city and its history.
0:45:40 > 0:45:43I know why the Silk Road started in China,
0:45:43 > 0:45:48because the Chinese had silk and the world wanted it,
0:45:48 > 0:45:52but Silk Road merchants and caravans were trading in Istanbul
0:45:52 > 0:45:56a thousand years before the Ottomans built this bazaar.
0:46:01 > 0:46:06So, how did Istanbul become one of the world's greatest trading cities?
0:46:06 > 0:46:11And why did the overland Silk Road end here?
0:46:23 > 0:46:28The Ayasofya, a place that preserves the Silk Road past
0:46:28 > 0:46:34and a time when Istanbul was known by another name - Constantinople,
0:46:34 > 0:46:39the seat of imperial Byzantium for a thousand years.
0:46:47 > 0:46:51This was once the largest religious building in Christendom,
0:46:51 > 0:46:54the Byzantine rival to St Peter's in Rome.
0:46:57 > 0:47:02These extraordinary mosaics weren't uncovered until the mid-19th century
0:47:02 > 0:47:06and contain a clue to Constantinople's Silk Road past.
0:47:07 > 0:47:09In the middle is the Virgin Mary
0:47:09 > 0:47:13and to the right is the first Byzantine emperor, Constantine,
0:47:13 > 0:47:16who moved the Roman capital here in 330 AD.
0:47:18 > 0:47:21The figure on the left is the man who built the Ayasofya,
0:47:21 > 0:47:23the Emperor Justinian.
0:47:23 > 0:47:26Here, he's shown holding a model of the church.
0:47:26 > 0:47:29But look what he's wearing.
0:47:29 > 0:47:31Gorgeous, colourful silks.
0:47:33 > 0:47:36The inventors of silk fabric, the Chinese,
0:47:36 > 0:47:39had always tried desperately to keep its production
0:47:39 > 0:47:41a closely guarded secret,
0:47:41 > 0:47:46but silk was always a staple of subterfuge and espionage
0:47:46 > 0:47:49and so its secrets were impossible to keep.
0:47:49 > 0:47:52There's one story that the Emperor Justinian sent two monks
0:47:52 > 0:47:55to China in search of silk moth cocoons
0:47:55 > 0:47:58and they smuggled them back hidden in bamboo canes.
0:47:58 > 0:48:01True or not, what we do know for certain is that
0:48:01 > 0:48:03by the fifth or sixth centuries,
0:48:03 > 0:48:06silk not only was a Byzantine product,
0:48:06 > 0:48:09it was also a symbol of wealth and power.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15The story of the monks is probably a myth,
0:48:15 > 0:48:17woven like the precious material itself.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22But we do know that Justinian was desperate to learn
0:48:22 > 0:48:24the secrets of silk production.
0:48:26 > 0:48:28As these mosaic figures reveal,
0:48:28 > 0:48:31silk ran through the veins of ancient Byzantium.
0:48:33 > 0:48:38Silk symbolised rank and social status. Silk was power.
0:48:39 > 0:48:41Dr Anna Muthesius is a silk historian
0:48:41 > 0:48:45and has come to the Ayasofya today wearing a colour that,
0:48:45 > 0:48:49over a thousand years ago, would have been considered treason.
0:48:50 > 0:48:53We're standing in the Ayasofya and you're wearing
0:48:53 > 0:48:57the most magnificent piece of purple and gold silk. Tell me about it.
0:48:57 > 0:49:00This is the closest thing that I've seen to what would have been
0:49:00 > 0:49:04an imperial Byzantine silk worn in Ayasofya,
0:49:04 > 0:49:06and I simply thought I must have it.
0:49:06 > 0:49:08Well, it's wonderful, isn't it?
0:49:08 > 0:49:11And it's noticeably similar to what's up the wall there.
0:49:11 > 0:49:14- Will you explain what we're looking at?- Yes.
0:49:14 > 0:49:19On the wall is Alexander, the Emperor Alexander, 912 to '13,
0:49:19 > 0:49:24and he is wearing the epitome of Byzantine imperial dress.
0:49:24 > 0:49:28So he's wearing this long scarf down to his feet.
0:49:28 > 0:49:31On his feet, he's got purple shoes.
0:49:31 > 0:49:34The purple symbolised the death of Christ
0:49:34 > 0:49:38and the gold symbolised the glory of God's resurrection.
0:49:38 > 0:49:40And it's not just this silk scarf and the slippers,
0:49:40 > 0:49:43he's wearing a tunic, as well, isn't he? He's completed covered in silk.
0:49:43 > 0:49:46He's absolutely covered. He's covered in the imperial purple
0:49:46 > 0:49:51and it was treason to wear these silks dyed in these dyes.
0:49:51 > 0:49:57You would be considered a usurper of the throne and killed.
0:49:57 > 0:49:59- That's extraordinary.- Yes.
0:49:59 > 0:50:01If we imagine the court here, with the emperor in amazing
0:50:01 > 0:50:04purple and gold silks, what was everyone else in the court wearing?
0:50:04 > 0:50:08There were 18, um...categories, ranks,
0:50:08 > 0:50:10and each had their own uniform.
0:50:10 > 0:50:12He had a foreign personal guard,
0:50:12 > 0:50:15and they would be given different types of silk.
0:50:15 > 0:50:18He had the whole of the bedchamber,
0:50:18 > 0:50:21the whole of the stewards of the dining halls,
0:50:21 > 0:50:23the whole of the choirs,
0:50:23 > 0:50:25they each had their silk uniforms.
0:50:25 > 0:50:27Right. It's extraordinary, I think,
0:50:27 > 0:50:29- how a fabric can define a civilisation.- Identity.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32It does, it defines the civilisation,
0:50:32 > 0:50:35because through silk, you could order the court,
0:50:35 > 0:50:37you could have a hierarchy of status,
0:50:37 > 0:50:40you could distinguish the empire
0:50:40 > 0:50:43and you could act out empire on a public stage.
0:50:48 > 0:50:52Like me, you might have spotted the paisley motif I saw in Iran.
0:50:52 > 0:50:54And here it is in the Ayasofya.
0:50:55 > 0:50:58The fabric, the colour, the design,
0:50:58 > 0:51:01all products of that route from China.
0:51:01 > 0:51:05Once again, art playing its part in the art of power.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10Viewed from the perspective of my Silk Road journey,
0:51:10 > 0:51:13the momentous decision of Emperor Constantine to move
0:51:13 > 0:51:17the imperial Roman capital here in the fourth century
0:51:17 > 0:51:19makes perfect sense.
0:51:19 > 0:51:22Rome's future lay not in the West,
0:51:22 > 0:51:25but in the superhighway from the East.
0:51:25 > 0:51:29Constantinople was to be the Romans' Silk Road city,
0:51:29 > 0:51:34and it was governed through the very fabric that gave the road its name.
0:51:35 > 0:51:38As the terminus of the overland Silk Road,
0:51:38 > 0:51:41and standing at a crossroads with Europe,
0:51:41 > 0:51:46Constantinople became the largest and most important trading city
0:51:46 > 0:51:48in the Eastern Mediterranean.
0:51:48 > 0:51:53But as Constantinople's wealth grew, others grew envious.
0:51:53 > 0:51:57I'm now in a part of Istanbul called Galata,
0:51:57 > 0:51:59and during the 11th and 12th centuries,
0:51:59 > 0:52:03this whole area began to fill up with traders on the make.
0:52:05 > 0:52:09But these people weren't originally from Constantinople.
0:52:09 > 0:52:13They were Genoese and Venetian merchants who, until the arrival
0:52:13 > 0:52:17of the Ottomans, were some of the biggest commercial players in town.
0:52:17 > 0:52:21They controlled the sea lanes of the Eastern Mediterranean.
0:52:21 > 0:52:23The maritime Silk Road.
0:52:36 > 0:52:38This is the Galata Tower.
0:52:40 > 0:52:44It has an amazing view which, of course, was why it was built.
0:52:47 > 0:52:50It was from here that traders and merchants could watch
0:52:50 > 0:52:52the comings and goings of their trading fleets
0:52:52 > 0:52:55in the waters of the Golden Horn below.
0:52:59 > 0:53:04In a way, this tower marks the end of the overland Silk Road
0:53:04 > 0:53:06and the beginning of the maritime Silk Road
0:53:06 > 0:53:08to the trading cities of Italy.
0:53:08 > 0:53:13Venice, in particular, did very well out of Constantinople.
0:53:15 > 0:53:18Goods traded between the two cities
0:53:18 > 0:53:22accounted for half of international Venetian trade,
0:53:22 > 0:53:26but until the 13th century, the Venetians remained ignorant
0:53:26 > 0:53:30of the 5,000-mile trade route to the East.
0:53:44 > 0:53:46But that all changed in 1295...
0:53:48 > 0:53:52..when a great trader and explorer returned to his home city of Venice
0:53:52 > 0:53:55dressed in brightly-coloured silks,
0:53:55 > 0:53:58and considerably richer than when he'd set out.
0:54:00 > 0:54:03He'd come from the Court of the Kublai Khan in China
0:54:03 > 0:54:07and, like me, travelled through Central Asia,
0:54:07 > 0:54:09Iran and back here to Venice.
0:54:12 > 0:54:14His adventure had taken 24 years
0:54:14 > 0:54:18and he was electrified by the places, faces
0:54:18 > 0:54:21and things he had seen.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23His name was Marco Polo.
0:54:28 > 0:54:31His house still stands, and this is his front door.
0:54:31 > 0:54:34One Venetian biographer wrote that when it opened,
0:54:34 > 0:54:37he was greeted as a complete stranger
0:54:37 > 0:54:40because his family had long since given up hope
0:54:40 > 0:54:42of ever seeing him alive again.
0:54:45 > 0:54:49Marco Polo later recorded an account of his travels.
0:54:49 > 0:54:53It was originally called Il Milione - A Million Tales.
0:54:53 > 0:54:56It's arguably the most famous travel book ever written.
0:54:58 > 0:55:02Marco Polo's descriptions of entirely unknown civilisations,
0:55:02 > 0:55:05their resources, advanced technology and wealth
0:55:05 > 0:55:09amazed the readership of backwards Western Christendom.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12This is the book that first revealed the East to West.
0:55:12 > 0:55:16And in reality, it's a travel guide tailored to the needs of merchants,
0:55:16 > 0:55:19with details of directions, distances,
0:55:19 > 0:55:22the kind of terrain to expect, how much food to pack.
0:55:22 > 0:55:26Marco Polo's travels revealed a new world of commercial links
0:55:26 > 0:55:32that reached as far as Persia, Central Asia, India and China.
0:55:35 > 0:55:38More merchants followed in Polo's footsteps
0:55:38 > 0:55:40and the riches began to flow.
0:55:42 > 0:55:46The ideas and products that Marco Polo and other travellers
0:55:46 > 0:55:51had seen during their travels trickled down the Silk Road.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54In Europe, they ignited.
0:55:54 > 0:55:58They formed, in part, a movement which we call the Renaissance -
0:55:58 > 0:56:02an explosion in new thinking, new art, new inventions.
0:56:05 > 0:56:08A quintessential Renaissance city,
0:56:08 > 0:56:11Venice is a place I understand better now,
0:56:11 > 0:56:15positioned at the far west of the 5,000-mile Silk Road
0:56:15 > 0:56:18to which Europe owes so much.
0:56:19 > 0:56:22From musical instruments to mathematics,
0:56:22 > 0:56:25to the dozens of technical innovations,
0:56:25 > 0:56:27like paper and printing.
0:56:27 > 0:56:30Even Silk Road characters like Timur
0:56:30 > 0:56:33become the stuff of plays and operas.
0:56:37 > 0:56:41Now, across my whole journey in China, Central Asia,
0:56:41 > 0:56:46Iran and Turkey, the Silk Road itself is enjoying a renaissance...
0:56:48 > 0:56:52..because we're starting to acknowledge what we owe to the East,
0:56:52 > 0:56:55gifts, inventions and ideas that tell a history
0:56:55 > 0:56:57that's been overlooked.
0:56:58 > 0:57:01And the clues to that history are everywhere,
0:57:01 > 0:57:03if you know where to look.
0:57:06 > 0:57:09This pillar in St Mark's Square bears the faces of merchants
0:57:09 > 0:57:13who brought those gifts and inventions.
0:57:13 > 0:57:18Turks, Syrians, Asians and Persians.
0:57:18 > 0:57:20All figures from the Silk Road.
0:57:23 > 0:57:25The pillar supports the Doge's Palace.
0:57:27 > 0:57:32The crenulated decorations, the lattice windows
0:57:32 > 0:57:37and pointed arches are the marks of Islamic influence.
0:57:38 > 0:57:43Over there, the distinctive tall cupolas of St Mark's Basilica
0:57:43 > 0:57:48resemble the mosque domes I saw in Iran and Central Asia.
0:57:56 > 0:57:58Despite the hoards of tourists, come rain or sun,
0:57:58 > 0:58:02the Piazza San Marco never fails to impress.
0:58:02 > 0:58:06We've seen this square so many times in movies, on canvas,
0:58:06 > 0:58:08in print, on TV.
0:58:08 > 0:58:12It's become an enduring image of the Renaissance.
0:58:12 > 0:58:15But that's a movement that was paid for
0:58:15 > 0:58:18and made possible by the Silk Road.
0:58:20 > 0:58:24The road that helped set Europe on a path of unstoppable change,
0:58:24 > 0:58:28triggered a golden age and the rise of the West.