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00:01I'm embarking on a thrilling new railway adventure in Central Asia.
00:06Exploring the ancient Silk Road.
00:08This really is, for me, a dream come true.
00:11At a crossroads of civilizations.
00:13Amazing aromas.
00:15Where East met West.
00:17It is extraordinarily beautiful.
00:21I'll explore ancient cities.
00:23What splendor.
00:26Encounter breathtaking Islamic art.
00:29Brutalist Soviet architecture.
00:32And the doors begin to open.
00:35And magnificent railways.
00:37A legendary city deserves a great railway station.
00:41On my journey, I'll see how, since independence, Uzbekistan is shaping a modern identity.
00:48What a pleasure to meet you.
01:09I'm discovering Uzbekistan, a youthful, populous country in the heart of Central Asia.
01:30My exotic rail journey of discovery in Uzbekistan continues.
01:35I am in Samarkand.
01:38From where, in the 14th century, a great Central Asian empire was ruled.
01:44Which became renowned for its scholarship.
01:47I will visit the founder's mausoleum.
01:49And I will investigate two great Uzbek skills.
01:53The baking of bread.
01:55The baking of bread.
01:55And the weaving of carpets.
01:59The baking of bread.
02:08And the weaving of carpets.
02:10Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan, each also landlocked.
02:16Traversed by the ancient Silk Roads, it's received nomadic tribes, great civilizations, and foreign rulers.
02:24Today, just under half of Central Asia's total population lives in Uzbekistan.
02:29I explored the vibrant capital, Tashkent.
02:32Then took a high-speed train to Samarkand.
02:36A beautiful city, once capital of the vast empire built by the conqueror, Tamerlane.
02:42My journey will continue to Bukhara, one of the best-preserved medieval Islamic cities.
02:48And end at Navoy in the Kisilkum Desert.
02:59Today, I'm marvelling at Samarkand, one of the oldest cities of Central Asia with thrilling history.
03:07It's home to around half a million people.
03:10And typically, they buy delicious food from small markets and street traders spread across the city.
03:20Since I've been in Uzbekistan, I have enjoyed the food enormously.
03:26Kebabs and noodles and soups.
03:28And, absolutely outstandingly, bread.
03:31Now, the bread is different in each place.
03:33The bread here in Samarkand looks really tempting.
03:37It's so shiny and beautiful.
03:39As-salamu alaykum.
03:40As-salamu alaykum.
03:42How much? One bread? One bread.
03:4615.
03:4715?
03:4715?
03:4815.
03:53Rahmat.
03:54I'm just going to taste this.
03:56Oh, it's still warm.
03:59Warm.
04:00Warm.
04:00Okay.
04:09That is fantastic.
04:11Mmm, very tasty indeed.
04:14Rahmat.
04:19This bread has been rushed from the oven of the family bakery made by Asladeen Hassanov and his two sons.
04:27To trace the origin of this delicious loaf, I follow directions to a residential neighbourhood where the family lives and
04:35bakes.
04:42As-salamu alaykum.
04:43As-salamu alaykum.
04:44As-salamu alaykum.
04:44As-salamu alaykum.
04:45I'm Michael.
04:47It's a beautiful house.
04:50I love a house built around a courtyard and this is your oven.
04:54Show me how it works.
05:07May I go and say hello to your family?
05:15Hello.
05:20Hello.
05:23Hello.
05:23Hello.
05:39You scarcely get any sleep at all.
05:42You have my respect.
05:44The Uzbek word for bread is non, similar to the Persian and Indian word naan.
05:50In Samarkand, the loaves are given a distinctive bowl-like shape.
05:56Like that?
05:57Mm-hmm.
05:58Which is achieved using a wooden tool.
06:04Ah.
06:05Ah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
06:07Ooh.
06:07That takes a lot of force.
06:10Yeah, yeah, I've got that now.
06:12Hey.
06:14This is much more difficult than it looks and very hard work.
06:26I think I've been sacked.
06:28Ah.
06:33Oh, oh.
06:34Yeah.
06:35The bread is pricked with another tool known as a cekic, before being decorated with caraway seeds.
06:43Stick them on with a little drop of water.
06:47The oven needs to reach the perfect temperature, which is measured by Asladeen.
06:53You can just tell by your hand whether the temperature is right or not.
06:56Oof!
06:57It's quite hot in there.
06:59Ah.
06:59Oh, no.
07:06Using water and brawn, the loaves adhere to the sides of the oven.
07:11The only way to get the loaves to stick to the walls, particularly the far walls, is to walk right
07:16into the oven.
07:18I imagine that by now Asladeen is pretty much flame-proof and fire-proof, but I notice he does every
07:24now and again stop to mop his brow.
07:29Asladeen sprays the loaves with water throughout the bake to give them a shiny exterior, rather like a bagel.
07:42The people of Uzbekistan love their bread, don't they? They eat bread with everything.
07:59Well, there's a challenge. I should go around the world to see whether I ever find a bread as good
08:03as Uzbek bread.
08:04Here we go now. That's beautiful. It's very hot, by the way. This is absolutely tailor-made. Every loaf is
08:13judged by its colour.
08:18Making over 300 loaves a day, mornings are always hectic for Asladeen and his sons.
08:25We are done.
08:29Well done.
08:31The final task is to bag the loaves and race them fresh and piping hot to the discerning consumers of
08:37Samarkand, who regard bread as an Uzbek staple.
09:01The city of Samarkand was founded in the 7th century BC and grew as a trading post on the Silk
09:08Road.
09:09In the 14th century, it blossomed under the rule of the Turkic warrior king, Amir Timur, who made it his
09:17capital.
09:19Timur is known in English as Tamerlane, possibly because he was lame. But if so, his pronounced limp did not
09:28hobble his military career.
09:29He created an enormous empire that stretched from Syria in the west to Delhi in the east, from Georgia in
09:37the north to the Persian Gulf.
09:39He conquered with courage and with cruelty.
09:43And this cupola caps his mausoleum in his capital, Samarkand.
09:52This masterpiece of Timurid architecture was completed in 1404 and has influenced later Muslim and Mughal buildings, including the Taj
10:03Mahal in India.
10:11What splendor!
10:14In the mausoleum's tranquil courtyard, I meet local guide Tolkien John Okputaeif.
10:21Tolkien, assalamu alaikum.
10:24How wonderful to see you.
10:26Tolkien, the person we call Tamerlane, Timur, what kind of family was he born into? Who was he?
10:32Amir Timur was born to a family of Turkic Balas clans who came along with Mongol Genghis Khan hordes many
10:44years ago.
10:45It seems like at a young age he proved himself to be a very good soldier.
10:49Yes, that's correct. Timur, from his early childhood years, proved his skills.
10:56But unfortunately in 1362 he got injured by enemy archers shooting his right leg and right arm.
11:07So Timur had to develop another skills like fighting using his left hand.
11:14So he could simultaneously use both arms to fight off many enemies.
11:22He became leader of the nomad warrior lords and with an army of marauding horsemen, he launched relentless and brutal
11:31conquest.
11:32From Mongolia to the Mediterranean, he sacked cities such as Delhi, Damascus and Baghdad and struck fear into their populations.
11:43When he conquered a territory or a city, what did he do to the people who lived there?
11:49If they would surrender without fight, he would actually offer mercy.
11:54But if they betrayed him or they misbehaved, he would go and punish.
12:00Like one case in Isfahan, modern day Persia, where after subjugating the area, they promised that there would be royal
12:12tax.
12:13But when Timur turns back to Samarkand, the tax collectors were brutally killed, beheaded.
12:19So Timur had to return back.
12:22There are different versions of the story, but more or less he killed some thousands of people.
12:27Some say that he built the towers of head.
12:34Of severed head.
12:35Yes.
12:37But one group that Timur spared after conquest were skilled artisans whom he brought back to Samarkand to build a
12:46magnificent new capital, the masterpiece of his empire.
12:50Over the centuries, this warrior king has been both lionized and vilified.
12:57And what about now?
12:59How is Timur regarded in Uzbekistan today?
13:03Timur is now Uzbekistan's national hero.
13:08We have big streets named after Timur.
13:12People named their children after Timur.
13:16And so, Timur is back.
13:18Timur is back.
13:21Inside, the mausoleum is exquisitely decorated with gilded, high-relief, papier-mâché ornamentation known as mukarnas.
13:31Alongside Timur's tomb are those of his sons.
13:37Timur lies at rest in glorious surroundings, and thousands of people come to visit his tomb.
13:45It is inscribed,
13:46When I rise, the world will tremble.
13:50And indeed, in 1941, when some Russian scientists began to move the body, the following day, the Soviet Union was
13:58invaded by Nazi tanks.
14:00Was this the curse of Tamerlane coming into effect?
14:04I find it interesting that he is so revered in Uzbekistan today.
14:09He created an immense empire, and let's face it, empires are not now fashionable.
14:15He was extremely brutal.
14:18Nowadays, he would be accused of genocide.
14:21But that is how things were in those days.
14:23Other conquerors were the same.
14:26I think it's just natural that people anywhere in the world look to a moment when their country, their city,
14:34was at its height.
14:36And undoubtedly, for Uzbekistan, for Samarkand, that golden age was under Tamerlane.
14:42And even if he was himself vicious, the dynasty that he founded, the capital at Samarkand, with its scholarship and
14:51its civilization, was a place of many virtues.
15:11I have more of Samarkand to uncover, and for that I hop onto public transport.
15:29Samarkand has a tram system consisting of two lines and 26 stops.
15:35It's quite new, opened only in 2017.
15:39There was actually a tram system in Samarkand back in Soviet times, but that closed in 1973.
15:46So for Samarkand, this is the Fram's second coming.
16:11I'm heading to the north-eastern part of the city to visit another of Samarkand's sacred sites.
16:17A tomb which is as curious as it is revered.
16:22This is reputedly the final resting place of the Old Testament prophet Daniel, who was famously thrown to the lions,
16:30but was saved by his faith in God.
16:33His remains were said to have been brought here by Tamerlane.
16:37And legend has it that the body continues to grow after death, requiring a sarcophagus of extraordinary length.
16:49Now, you may not think that that story is literally true.
16:53You may doubt whether Tamerlane brought the relics of Daniel to Samarkand.
16:59You may be doubtful as to whether his relics are actually in this 18-metre tomb.
17:07But the interesting thing about this place is that Daniel is respected by Jews and Christians and Muslims.
17:15And all three may come here and rub shoulders in this narrow shrine without fearing that they're entering a lion's
17:24den.
17:29The mausoleum attracts pilgrims of many religions and nationalities, including Uzbeks.
17:38As-salamu alaikum.
17:42Ladies, what has brought you to the tomb today?
17:55Ladies, what has brought you to the tomb today?
17:57and our hearts were given to us.
18:00We were able to take care of our lives.
18:04We were able to take care of our lives.
18:11May I wish you a safe journey to Mecca, and thank you very much.
18:18Rahmat.
18:37As I probe this historic city more, my next stop is in the eastern suburbs
18:43at another Samarkand family business that dates back generations.
18:52Here, art is created from the natural strand
18:56that gave the Silk Road its name.
19:01From Tashkent to Samarkand and on to Bukhara,
19:05across desert and over mountain,
19:08the Silk Road runs like a thread through Uzbek history and culture
19:12and, indeed, through my journey.
19:15It is time to consider the Silk Moth,
19:18the Bombix Mori,
19:20whose larvae spin the fibre that epitomised human luxury
19:25and became the most highly valued of all goods traded between nations.
19:41This workshop produces some of the finest silk carpets in the world.
19:45It was created by a master weaver
19:48and is now led by his daughter, Zainab Bagdahisi.
19:56What a fantastic room.
19:59What a riot of absolutely superb colours.
20:05Hello.
20:05Hello.
20:06I'm Michael.
20:07Nice to meet you.
20:08I'm Zainab.
20:09You're very welcome.
20:10It's great to meet you in this beautiful, beautiful room.
20:12What do we have?
20:13Well, we have kilims.
20:14We have carpets.
20:15We have sumacs.
20:16All the kinds.
20:17And tell me a little bit about your family history.
20:21Well, we are originally, my dad is from Turkmenistan.
20:24Mm-hmm.
20:25So, during the revolution of, like, Stalin time and these times,
20:29they moved from Turkmenistan through to Samarkand to Afghanistan.
20:34And over there, they start this carpet working.
20:37Was there a history in the family before that?
20:39Had there been silk workers before?
20:41Yes.
20:42Many generations.
20:44It's Turkmen people, so I can say even, like,
20:46more than about sixth generation we are in this carpet.
20:48Oh, really?
20:50What brought your family then to Uzbekistan?
20:53When Uzbekistan got independence,
20:56so my father wanted to make the bigger workshop.
20:59Would it be possible to see some of the processes
21:01that lead to a magnificent silk carpet?
21:03Sure. I would love to show you.
21:05Thank you very much.
21:08I feel badly walking on these lovely carpets and kilims.
21:11They are for the floor.
21:12They're for the floor.
21:13Yeah.
21:15The first stage of making a silk carpet is to dye the strands.
21:21So, here we make our colours.
21:24How extraordinary to see it in such a traditional way.
21:27Yes.
21:28What is in the bag that makes the colour?
21:30It is walnut shells.
21:31Walnut shells?
21:32Yes.
21:32And what colour do you get from walnut?
21:34Beige up to brown colour.
21:3622 different shades of the beige up to brown.
21:39Phew.
21:40What other colours do you get from what materials?
21:43We use madher root.
21:44So, this is the madher.
21:46It gives, like, mauve colours.
21:48You see the colours in here.
21:50Mm.
21:52And that's the grounded one.
21:55And then pomegranate skin for making orangey colour.
22:00Asparagus flower for making yellow
22:02and also for indigo for making blue.
22:05Have you seen before the silk cocoon?
22:07No.
22:07This is the silk cocoon.
22:08Mm-hmm.
22:09From one cocoon, it's possible to take about 600 metres up to one and a half kilometres.
22:14That's extraordinary.
22:15Yes.
22:16And are these from China?
22:18No.
22:19Uzbekistan has big factories for making the silk.
22:21It produces in Uzbekistan.
22:24The traditions of silk making and carpet weaving were almost lost under Soviet communist rule as the industry was nationalised.
22:32Carpet-making factories turned out cheap, mass-produced goods.
22:37Since independence, traditional crafts have revived.
22:41Zainab's father set up this workshop with 40 workers and it now employs over 450.
22:48Zainab, this is another beautiful room and full of activity.
22:53How long does it take to make a silk carpet?
22:56What is the rate of progress?
22:58For one square metre carpets, we may say more or less than about six months up to one and a
23:03half year.
23:04Yeah.
23:05What?
23:05Yes.
23:06See, it depends.
23:08If we make a carpet like with this thickness of the yarn, a carpet like this may take one year
23:16and five months, more than eight months.
23:19But if we make it like this one, then it comes to one year.
23:23But if we make it like this one, thicker yarn, it will take about eight months to make it.
23:29The same size.
23:29So, the finer the yarn, the longer it takes.
23:33Tell me a little bit about what carpets mean to Uzbek culture.
23:39Well, carpets are like something, a kind of property.
23:45All homes has carpets.
23:48And we wouldn't, like, imagine a room without carpet in Uzbekistan.
23:54And in your lifetime, are there important events which are associated with carpets?
23:59Well, we have a carpet especially for dollary of the ladies.
24:02Do you?
24:03Yeah.
24:03And at the same time that the lady make this carpet, she can show what she wants from the groom's
24:08side.
24:09So, it was just a shopping list, they can use it.
24:12Yeah.
24:12Do you mean there's a sort of code in the carpet?
24:14Yes.
24:15There are some codes in the carpets.
24:17For example?
24:18I will show you.
24:20For example, this carpet, I may show you, like, this is the pattern of the carpet.
24:25Mm-hmm.
24:26She could show how many silver buttons she want the groom bring her as a gift.
24:31How many animals, how many earrings, how many silver belts.
24:36If it comes with the yellow, it means it's gold belts.
24:39No.
24:40Yeah.
24:41And how many people, they have to come on the wedding.
24:44So, these are the people who come to the wedding.
24:46Like, it shows on the picture and she's making it in here.
24:50Absolutely fantastic.
24:52The workshop produces around 400 handmade carpets each year.
24:58Prices range from a few hundred pounds to tens of thousands.
25:02Each is made from start to finish by one artisan.
25:06Zainab has taught many of the weavers.
25:10Zainab, show me how it is done.
25:14So, this is a pattern and this is a pomegranate design.
25:17So, if the lady like it, she will make pomegranate.
25:20If she doesn't like it, we will get tomato.
25:22So, we need these three instruments.
25:25Yes.
25:25So, we have a thread in front.
25:26We have a thread in the behind.
25:28We take one from front.
25:29We turn this one around one.
25:30We take one from behind.
25:32We turn this one around another one.
25:34We take it from between.
25:35We push it down and we cut it.
25:37That's all. Easy.
25:38That's all.
25:39That's all.
25:39One knot is eight action.
25:41One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
25:47This eight action, we have to repeat it 950 times to full one line in this carpet.
25:56So, when we finish one line, we put a weft between front and behind.
26:00So, we will press this one nicely, tightly.
26:04That's very important.
26:05And then after that, we will cut it by scissor.
26:09Oh, my goodness.
26:10You just...
26:10Ah!
26:12That's it.
26:13May I touch this?
26:14Please.
26:15Yes.
26:15It's exquisite, isn't it?
26:17Although it's very firm, it's also very soft.
26:20And the sheen, a beautiful sheen to it.
26:24Mm-hmm.
26:24And, Zainab, what do you say to people to sell a carpet?
26:28Well, I wouldn't advertise it that much.
26:31Sometimes we say, carpets, they will talk to you themself.
26:34They show their beauty.
26:36They show their quality.
26:39But I will show them what's the colour or what's the design.
26:43That's how.
26:44Not having a sails patter is, of course, the best sails patter of all.
26:49The carpet will talk to you.
26:50Exactly.
26:52Ha!
27:08The Silk Road made cities like Samarkand rich and cosmopolitan.
27:15Tamerlane put it at the heart of a vast Central Asian empire.
27:21And his grandson, the astronomer Uluk Bek, won it a reputation for learning and sophistication.
27:27After the enlightenment of the 17th and 18th century, the world became focused on Europe.
27:34And in the 20th century, the United States of America emerged as a great power whose ultimate triumph was the
27:41collapse of the Soviet Union.
27:44Underlying the nostalgia that some Uzbeks feel today for Tamerlane is perhaps the thought that the 21st century may belong
27:53to Asia.
27:55Next time, this is computerized?
27:59Yes, this is fully automated and it sorts out about 200 tons per day.
28:05What a superb townscape.
28:07I'm lucky to visit in autumn and this low light presents one of the most beautiful city silhouettes that I've
28:14ever seen.
28:16It's so colorful. I am in love with the colors of Uzbekistan.
28:48It's so colorful. I'm lucky to visit my home at eigenlex atassembly.
28:53It's personalized to Africa.
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