Episode 3
Sam Willis continues his journey west in Iran. He begins in Persepolis, heart of the first Persian Empire, before heading to Istanbul and then coming full circle to Venice.
In the final episode of his series tracing the story of the most famous trade route in history, Dr Sam Willis continues his journey west in Iran. The first Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ documentary team to be granted entry for nearly a decade, Sam begins in the legendary city of Persepolis - heart of the first Persian Empire.
Following an ancient caravan route through Persia's deserts, he visits a Zoroastrian temple where a holy fire has burned for 1,500 years, and Esfahan, one of the Silk Road's architectural jewels and rival to Sam's next destination - Istanbul. In the ancient capital of Byzantium, Sam discovers how the eastern Roman Empire was ruled through silk and how Venetian merchants cashed in on the wealth and trade it generated.
Sam's last stop takes him full circle to Venice. Visiting Marco Polo's house, Sam reminds us how the great traveller's book was one of the first to link east to west and how the ideas and products that trickled down the Silk Road not only helped to trigger the Renaissance, but set Europe on a path of unstoppable change.
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Door knockers on The Silk Road
Duration: 00:34
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | Sam Willis |
Assistant Producer | Jon Morrice |
Executive Producer | Mike Smith |
Series Producer | Richard Downes |
Director | Richard Downes |
Broadcasts
- Sun 15 May 2016 21:15
- Mon 16 May 2016 02:15
- Tue 17 May 2016 20:00
- Sat 15 Apr 2017 19:00
- Thu 20 Apr 2017 23:25
- Sat 31 Mar 2018 20:00
- Tue 6 Nov 2018 22:30
- Fri 12 Jul 2019 01:00
- Sat 18 Jan 2020 09:10Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News Europe
- Sat 18 Jan 2020 20:10Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News Europe
- Fri 28 Feb 2020 01:00
- Sat 3 Sep 2022 23:35