Silk Road II 絲綢之路II

Episode 1: Across the Pamirs
Take part in a traditional wedding procession in the mountain village of Hunza amidst the apricot blossoms of spring.

Episode 2: The King's Road
Traveled by pilgrims, merchants and armies, the Silk Road was also known as the "Battle Road." Cross through the Khyber Pass and follow the route taken by Timur, Genghis Khan, and Alexander the Great!

Episode 3: Legendary Ladakh
Visit the traditional Buddhist city of Ladakh nestled in the Pamir Mountains. Tibetan for "Beyond the Ridge," Ladakh is situated atop one of the highest and most forbidding terrains in the world!

Episode 4: The Travels of Xuang Zang in India
Journey to India - the cradle of Buddhism - as you retrace the steps of Xuang Zang, A Chinese Buddhist monk who embarked on a perilous journey in the 7th century on a quest for enlightenment.

 

Episode 5: The Scorching Sun and the Southern Road of Iran
Ride on a reed boat across the surface of Lake Helmand as you make your way to Persepolis - the capital of the ancient Persian Empire.

Episode 6: The Desert: In Search of Wisdom
Enter the impregnable mountain fortress of Alamut, which withstood an unrelenting siege by the Mongolians for three years, before the fortress was finally sacked and destroyed.

Episode 7: Beyond Baghdad
Wander through a bazaar in legendary Baghdad - home of the Arabian Nights - one of the three greatest cities along the ancient Silk Road, now a city of over three million!

Episode 8: The Road Vanished into a Lake
Enter the burial chambers of the Skythai Sakis and discover fabulous treasures - overlooked by tomb robbers and lost since the 5th century B.C.!

 

Episode 9: Across the Steppes
Visit the site of a decisive battle between Arabian Saracen troops and the armies of the Chinese T'ang Dynasty in 751 A.D. - a battle which ended Chinese influence in the region and opened the way for Islam.

Episode 10: The Sky Horses of Davan
Welcome to the home of the mythical Sky Horses, said to be capable of galloping over 250 kilometers per day, over fields and mountains, for months at a time.

 

Episode 11: The Soghdian Merchants
Search for the descendats of the forgotten civilization of the Soghds, whose merchant caravans monopolized east-west trade over the Silk Road.

 

Episode 12: The Glory of Samarkand
Open the sarcophagus of Timur, Great King of the Steppes. Then, stroll through the largest bazaar in Middle Asia - over 20,000 shoppers per day!

 

Episode 13: Across the Karakum Desert
Avoid deadly scorpions as you travel across the Black Desert to the ruins of Merv. But bring plenty of water, because the temperatures can rise to over 50ºC!

Episode 14: The Other Silk Road
To avoid the heavy taxes levied by the Sassanian Dynasty of Persia, silk merchants established a new route - through the Caucasus Mountains! Visit the eerie Town of the Dead. There's a large population, but not one living soul...

 

Episode 15: The Caravans Move West
Trek 200 kilometers across the Syrian desert in a camel caravan to the ancient Valley of the Dead - where you will discover mummies wrapped in Chinese silk!

Episode 16: The Horsemen of Turkey
Explore the ruins of the Anatolia Plateau, where 15,000 Seljuk Turks defeated 3000,000 heavily armored Roman soldiers.

Episode 17: The Silk City at the Edge of Asia
For centuries, the process of making silk was one of the greatest secrets of China. How did such a closely guarded secret slip out of China and into the western world?

Episode 18: All Roads Lead to Rome
The Silk Road passes through Istanbul - the ancient capital of the Ottoman Empire - as we reach the end of our 13,000 kilometer adventure.