The Silk Road

Our host begins his journey in Venice, like Marco Polo, the famous voyager who traveled the ancient route. On this journey we see the mosaics of St Mark's Basilica which reveal the links that connect this city with the distant lands of Asia.

At the edge of the European continent, Alfred de Montesquiou enters Turkish territory through the city of Edirne, to discover Ottoman architectural wonders and the traditional local sport of oil-wrestling.

The caravanserai at Aksaray is a perfect example of architecture of the Seljuq dynasty, the first empire in the region starting in the 10th century.

Tabriz is the centre of the ancient Armenian community in Iran.

Alfred visits the ruins of Hassan-i Sabbah's fortress, home to a movement known as Hashshashins,drug smokers and killers who formed the origin of the modern word assassin.

In the oasis of Kashan in central Iran, Alfred marvels at the famous pleasure gardens of Fin that cemented the Persians' renown.