00:00I'm in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, and I'm about to start a train journey to explore the two iconic ancient Silk Road centers, Samarkand and Bukhara.
00:14There is lots I want to see, and I can't wait for the journey to begin.
00:19Early in the morning, I board the modern high-speed Afrosyab train, a symbol of the country's technological progress, traveling at a speed of 250 kilometers per hour.
00:36It used to take a caravan about a week to travel from Tashkent to Samarkand. I'll be there much quicker than that, but today's speed, which still lets me appreciate the change in landscapes.
00:56Samarkand is one of the most beautiful and ancient Silk Road cities in Uzbekistan.
01:01I decided to explore the origins of the high-speed train's name. Afrosyab was the name of an ancient city that thrived here in the past.
01:14Today it stands as one of the most significant archaeological sites in Central Asia.
01:19Archaeologists have uncovered treasures from ancient civilization.
01:49When the great leader Alexander Makedonski was sent to Sakhdian in the IV century to our era, he noticed that the local population knows the meaning of the wine.
02:06But the Greek people teach the local population how to keep the wine properly using such amphorares.
02:13I decided to go off the beaten path to explore modern winemaking traditions.
02:24Those are Bagizagan wine yards, and here everything is ready for this year's harvest.
02:31The wine yards of Bagizagan play a crucial role in Uzbekistan's wine industry.
02:58They are not only a key economic asset, but also an integral part of the cultural heritage.
03:03Nаши предки со времен Александра Македонского хранили вино в амфорах и земле.
03:09Сегодня мы делаем то же самое.
03:10Закапываем амфоры в землю и заполняем их вином для того, чтобы понять, какой же был вкус вина во времена Шелкового Пути.
03:19I am back on the Afrosyab train.
03:27My final destination is another magnificent Silk Road city, Bukhara.
03:32Its historic center is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
03:37Bukhara, with its numerous madrassas, has long been a hub of learning Islamic knowledge and culture.
03:43The madrassa of Abdulaziz Khan is among the most beautiful in the city.
03:47The final goal of my journey is to savor the flavors of the past.
04:00Bukhara is renowned for its distinctive clove, Oshsofi.
04:04Jasurbek inherited the ancient recipe from his great-grandfather, the personal cook of the last emir of Bukhara.
04:11It's believed that Oshsofi was created by the father of modern medicine, Avicenna,
04:16who ensured that it was not only delicious, but also beneficial for health.
04:21The delightful taste of this clove is a treasured memory I will take home with me.
04:42My train journey across Uzbekistan is coming to an end and already all I want is to return to this never-ending Silk Road fairy tale
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