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 at 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.
01:19The city of Afrosyab, founded in the 8th and 7th century BC, was the oldest part of Samarkand's history.
01:31This is the real jewel of all the world, which has been the center of the Great Silk Road and united all the great powers of that period.
01:42Archaeologists have uncovered treasures from ancient civilizations at this site.
01:51When the great emperor Alexander Makedon's history went to Sagdiano in the 4th century BC, he noticed that the local population knows the meaning of wine.
02:05But the Greek people teach the local population how to keep wine properly, using such amphorares.
02:13I decided to go off the beaten path to explore modern winemaking traditions.
02:23Those are Bagizagan wineyards, and here everything is ready for this year's harvest.
02:31The wineyards of Bagizagan play a crucial role in Uzbekistan's wine industry.
02:56They are not only key economic asset, but also an integral part of the cultural heritage.
03:03Our ancestors, from the time of Alexander Makedon's, kept wine in amphorares on earth.
03:08Today we do the same thing.
03:10We buy amphorares on earth and fill them with wine,
03:13to understand what the taste of wine was during the Black Silk Road.
03:19I am back on the Afrosyab train.
03:28My final destination is another magnificent Silk Road city, Bukhara.
03:33Its historic center is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
03:37Bukhara, with its numerous madrasas, has long been a hub of learning Islamic knowledge and culture.
03:43The madrasa of Abdul Aziz Khan is among the most beautiful in the city.
03:48The mayor of Abdul Aziz Khan was away from the city from the palace, and the street stopped.
03:53We can see how architects of all ages worked.
03:57The final goal of my journey is to savour the flavours of the past.
04:00Bukhara is renowned for its distinctive clove.
04:03Oshsofi Jasurbek 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.
04:21Oshsofi Jasurbek is the most important part of the world.
04:25It's important for us to be able to help us and help us.
04:28It's important for us to be able to help us and help us.
04:33The 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,
