To the actual ruins at merv. So, were going, were doing it, should be worth it, its supposed to be an amazing place. But we cant film until we get there. From bukhara across the turkmenistan border, its a journey of around 200 miles or so to the ancient ruins of merv. Today, merv is marooned completely offthebeatentrack in the remote and rarely visited turkmenistan desert. But historically it was a crucially strategic and very busy silk road junction. In its heyday, nearly 1,000 years ago, merv stood alongside cairo, damascus and baghdad as one of the islamic worlds greatest cities. But in the 13th century merv was almost completely destroyed by the mongols, and today very little remains of the once legendary silk road city, apart from a few crumbling ruins and its once massive walls. Im given a tour of the vast and desolate site by local guide gulchat berdyyeva. Oh yeah, look at this. This is the erk kala, and it was the first settlement. She starts off by showing me the most ancient part of the city, which was first occupied in the 6th century bc, 1,500 years before mervs heyday. So, now we are on the top. Oh yeah, its like a moonscape or something. This is fantastic; you get the whole perspective from this high. Now what is this, what are we looking at here . These is the surrounding walls of this erk kala, and you see in front of you the small hill, this is the citadel. Mmhmm, that was in the center. Yeah, the royals with their members lived here. The royalty lived in the citadel. Yeah. And then there were what surrounding houses or . Oh, of course. The simple people, local people lived around. These are extremely high walls. 20 meters. 20 meters yeah why did they need those . Defense from enemies. And who were their enemies . Nomadic tribes always attacked them. Mmhmm. Powerful armies also came this way, and in the 4th bc. Alexander the greats army conquered much of central asia. After alexanders death, his generals and their sons divided his empire between them, building new cities in the greek style, including a second much bigger city at merv. And how did it differ culturally than this one . Here were a few religions, buddhism, zoroastrian and christian. The religions came from silk road, from west. So, it was a trade of both goods and faiths, different faiths and religions . Yeah, it came from the silk road. After the muslim conquest in the 7th century a. D. , a third, much bigger islamic city was built at merv. As the capital of the vast seljuk Central Asian empire, it became one of the greatest of all silk road cities. Up to half a Million People lived here until the devastating mongol attack of 1221. Who did the attacking . The son of genghis khan. The son of genghis khan led this attack on merv. Yeah, he advised the local people voluntarily, you know. To give themselves up. Yeah, but, so, they did it, they opened the gate to the city, but he killed everyone. How many people are we talking about . Half a million. Half a Million People . The entire population of merv, wiped out. Yeah. Thats a brutal massacre. He didnt kill only population. He destroyed all libraries, all hammams, all madrassas, he killed even the culture too. From merv i head to ashgabad, turkmenistans capital, before catching a flight across the caspian sea to the capital of azerbaijan, baku. Situated on the edge of the caspian sea, with a population of around 2 Million People, baku is one of the worlds fastest developing cities. The reason is simple, as luck would have it, its sitting on top of a vast underground treasure trove of oil. Bakus changing fast, and one of the more curious elements of that is that a whole fleet of purple london taxis recently arrived here. Can you take me to the oilfields . Yeah . Okay. Look at this, every direction you look theres oil derricks pumping 24 hours a day. Its definitely the lifeblood of this region. Theyre kind of tiny, i expected bigger derricks, but i suppose they make up for it in quantity. Size doesnt count in oil, apparently. Now, baku has long been known as a place with oil. Even marco polo wrote in the 13th century that there were springs gushing with it. But then it was used for camel sores. Today, of course its transformed an entire region. Oil, however, isnt the only natural treasure to be found beneath baku thats helped azerbaijan become rich. The word azerbaijan actually means land of fire. So, in addition to the loads of oil they have around here, theres natural gas reserves that bubble to the surface. And over here is an ancient temple thats made the most of that for centuries. One of the great ancient Central Asian religions, zoroastrianism, revered fire as a symbol of the divine. After the muslim conquest, the largest number of zoroastrians lived in india, where they were known as parsees. For centuries, a community of indians lived in baku, they were merchants trading silk and cashmere and spices along this part of the silk road. Some of these folks were parsees, and they built this lovely temple centered around a natural gas vent. Pretty nice, huh . Its time for me to head on from baku. At dusk, i arrive at the Railway Station to catch the overnight train west. Cant believe it, but im catching the Midnight Train to georgia. Here you go. Look good . Okay, thank you. From baku, its an overnight journey of around 250 miles across the azerbaijan border to the capital of georgia, tbilisi. One thing to keep in mind on the night train to georgia is theres no restaurant car. So, you got to bring your own food. I got some chicken, and some salad, and some bread here, and of course a little lukewarm beer. But, what they do have is tea. Ah natasha, thank you so much. [foreign language] okay, thank you very much. I love these old night trains. Theres something about the rocking motion, it makes you feel like youre in your mothers womb or something. Im going to sleep like a log tonight. If theres any doubt about it, these little toy trains on the sheets are perfect, arent they . Im set up for success. A good night of sleeping. After my long journey through muslim central asia, georgias a big change. Devoutly christian, its been the fragile easternmost outpost of orthodox christianity for over 1,000 years. In many ways a kind of borderland between east and west along the old silk road. [gregorian chants] since proudly gaining independence from the former soviet union in 1991, georgia has been developing fast, and today, the capital, tbilisi, is an attractive mixture of both old and new. The latest addition to the cityscape, a brand new cable car, conveniently provides the best possible overview of the city. Despite the modernization, georgia is not an especially wealthy country. Theres no oil here. But happily it is rich in other ways. Agriculture has been a mainstay of the local economy for thousands of years. The land in georgia is notably more fertile than some of the other silk road countries ive been to, and its reflected in the market. I mean, look at all this stuff, piles of abundance. Check out these cute little pears. They smell pretty good. Can i have a couple of these . Look, these are these churchkhela things ive heard about. Can i take one . They are like the Georgian Energy bars. Theres a string of walnuts here, and dipped into a grapebased sauce over and over again like a candle or something. And then they just munch on these things. Can i try one . Thank you. Its actually kind of like a candy bar, but not too sweet, perfect. Can i buy some from you . Theres different grapes have different flavors. This must be some darker grape, a lighter one. Its all about grapes here in georgia, they say that georgians were the first ones to make wine long long ago. Georgias best wines are made in the countryside, just outside tbilisi. Together with local wine aficionado eko glonti, im visiting the alaverdi monastery, where the monks have been making wine for well over 1,000 years. Hello father. We meet chief winemaker father gerasime. [translating father gerasime] so, this is the earliest variety which is ripening. [translating father gerasime] this year, probably the harvest will be earlier than usually because of the weather conditions. And what kind of wine does this make . White wine. Rooted in their ancient traditions, remarkably, the monks here still use the same uniquely georgian winemaking methods they were using over the harvested grapes are fermented for six months in huge clay vessels that are buried in the ground to keep the temperature constant. The tanninrich grape skins, seeds and stalks are put in too, which gives georgian wine its strong color and unique flavor. Mmm, very smooth, mild, soft, very soft. Can you ask them what place wine has in their lives . I know they make it, but where does it put in their hearts and their heads . [speaking in georgian] in the holy book it is written that wine makes delightful the heart of the man. [sound of cups toasting] thank you for today, father, and the very special wine. Georgia has a long and proud tradition of great hospitality to visitors, even the monks are bon viveurs, and im lucky enough to benefit again later in the evening. Eko kindly invites me to his home for a traditional feast, or supra, consisting in good food, lots of wine, and plenty of song. Lets cheer our guests. Thank you for coming here. Nice to meet you guys. [chatting] every guest is like a blessing for georgians, so were honoring them. So, its really deep in our bones this tradition. So, lets have a glass of wine. And then another. [chatting] do you think its time for a song . They need a little bit to drink, yes . Oh, okay. Its like ive got 14 bottles of wine here people, lets get drinking. [guests sing] whoa oh my goodness, what four men can do. That was amazing. From tbilisi, i now fly west on the last leg of my journey along the silk road towards my final destination istanbul. Heading to the ancient seljuk capital of konya in the heart of turkey. In the days of the old silk road, the two main ways for traders to get from tbilisi to byzantium, modern day istanbul, were either by ship across the black sea or overland across turkey. Back then, in the 12th and 13th centuries, konya was at the very center of the overland route, since it was the capital of almost all of modern day turkey. The wealth of its seljuk rulers was so heavily dependent on silk road trade that they did all they could to encourage it, building 150 or more splendid caravanserais for traders to stay in as they crossed turkey. Just east of konya, agzikara caravanserai was built in the 1,230s. Im shown around by local expert dr. Aysil yavuz. Wow, this is huge, i had no idea. Caravanserai usually had both summer and winter quarters. The cool open courtyard was where the traders and animals stayed in the summer, whereas in the winter, theyd be housed indoors. There was generally a small mosque for the traders to pray in, and thered be a hot turkish bath too. But other than that, facilities certainly werent luxurious. And this is a shelter for the goods and the animals mostly . For the people as well, where the people stay. They all stayed together. What they carried, it can be personal belongings, it can be very precious items, it can be food, it certainly also is the bedding of the people who stay, because these places did not offer bedding. And they always carried their food, which they needed for the night or for the duration that they were staying here. So, it really was essentially a shelter, and then the rest of it was left to them, they had to bring their own food, their own bedding. Exactly. Mmhmm, okay. Caravanserais like this one were in a way the original cheap hotel chain for traveling salesmen. Located along the silk road every 20 miles or so, as this was the distance a trade caravan could comfortably cover in a day. So far my road trip along the old silk road has been a whirlwind of trains and planes and buses. And now i just want to slow down and actually feel what it was like to travel such distances centuries ago. I figure theres one way to do that on four legs, and maybe a few humps. To travel the 2,500 miles that ive sped across since leaving kyrgyzstan would have taken months in a silk road caravan. Back then, merchants traveled in a group with hundreds of camels, as there was safety in numbers. Dr. Yavuz and i are content with just four, plus a few horses, and a donkey. Whats the hierarchy in the group of animals . Well, camels do the carrying, they can carry a very large amount of load, so they are indispensable. Then, the horses are mostly for the merchants. Not every person whos accompanying or whos part of the caravan has a horse. You could just walk . Sure, it was more a higher echelon thing. Then, the little donkey, the smallest but the most important, does the leading. Really . Because donkeys are very adapted to the geography. He knows which slope to take, which one not to take, which way to go, theyre very sensible by nature. So, the pace is the pace of the donkey and the human being walking. Thats amazing. The donkeys, they just judge the terrain as they go along, and theyre actually the brains of the operation. I never knew that. Led by our clever donkey, our small caravan sets off as if to the next caravanserai. Describe a typical day on the road. They took off when the sun was up. They traveled approximately about 30 kilometers a day, if there wasnt much slope or rocks or rivers to cross. And if the weather was good, and if there is not a fear of bandits, this is also a factor, certainly. Was that the primary danger on the silk road, the bandits . Exactly, exactly. And, for this reason, in different parts of the silk road, there were arrangements so that the travel was a more safe affair. There were certain guards and guides that led them. At this pace wed happily get to the next caravanserai by nightfall, but to get to my journeys end in istanbul it would take up to a month. Ive got only one day left of my trip, however. So i return to the convenient modern world, and catch a bus. Istanbul . Okay, great, you keep that . From konya its a 400mile journey along the motorway to the outskirts of the turkish capital, istanbul, which sits astride both asia and europe. I made it. This is the end of the line, and the last bit of asian soil. One more step to go. The final stop of the silk road in asia, istanbul, is situated on the famous milewide stretch of water known as the bosphorus. This side of the water is still asia, on the other side is the city center and europe. There it is, istanbul, the final destination in this episode of globe trekker around the world, and the end of my silk road journey, which has been incredible. I mean, every stop was a glimpse into the past, and i loved comparing that with the realities of todays central asia. Its been hot, its been hurried, but its been fantastic. And its a road trip i will never forget. Next, in the final episode of globe trekker around the world join ian wright as he travels from the bazaars of istanbul, tracing the fault lines of history from east to west, as he heads through the balkans to the heart of europe. [captioning made possible by friends of nci] [captioned by the National Captioning Institute www. Ncicap. Org] stay tuned for a special globe trekker extra. Funding for this program is provided by subaru. At subaru, we build vehicles like the rugged outback. With symmetrical allwheel drive standard and plenty of cargo space. For those who pack even more adventure into life. Subaru, a proud sponsor of globe trekker. You can find more about the series on our website. Programs from the globe trekker series are available on dvd. Or visit globetrekkerchannel. Tv to find out where you can watch us online. Music from the series is available on cd. You can also order globe trekker books, featuring information on festivals, events and outdoor activities. To order globe trekker products call 8885650361. Or visit globetrekkertv. Com globe trekker has been an essential part of the fabric of my life for sure. I mean, i am at my best and happiest self on the road, in motion, not knowing whats going to happen next. And to have had the privilege of, you know, it being my job, getting paid to do it, its been extraordinary. My first globe trekker show was in 1999, i think, and it was a series of tracks in the american west, where we were canyoneering in arizona, and mount biking on the kokopelli trail, which, it was a killer, it was the hardest Mountain Bike in all of north america. Ive learned some very good mantras, and this trip going down steep declines with lots of rocks, you got to just own it. And you, so i started chanting to myself. Speed is my friend, speed is my friend. Because if you clutch in the middle, thats it. What was memorable about it was that i think thats where i learned that in order to do these things, you had to learn how to suffer and be funny at the same time. Because that has been a pattern throughout the globe trekker experience. So, a little bit of pain can often bring the good moments for television. Probably the most bizarre story i covered for globe trekker was also one ofthe most poignant, which was, um, filming inside the chernobyl exclusion zone, which is a very unlikely and bizarre tourist spot, but you can get in there, with special permission and draconian radiation rules. And, i would say, filming inside chernobyl was the strangest travel program moment ive ever had. [beeping] 340. So few, lets check and gothe closer you get to the reactor, kind of the little higher it gets. Lets go down to whereyou wontit wont get that high. So, whats this compared to when we were out on the road . Oh, its four times more, probably, than it was on the road. Four times more . Okay. And we are what . A few hundred yards from the reactor . It looks exactly. And that does not look good, i mean, theres rust, and it looks completely decrepit. Traveling through the sahara with the tuareg nomads, who were on salt caravan, had to have been one of the most amazing experiences ive had with globe trekker. I mean, just being in the middle of the sahara itself is where like time is vacuumed out of the place, itsits beautiful, in a way that ive never experienced anywhere else. But also to have had the experience to participate in this centuriesold ritual, this trade route thatwhere these beautiful men, who are wearing indigo from head to toe and their long swords at their side, and walk with such dignity and determination, and never stop walking. To join them for that process was, it felt like an incredible privilege, and it felt like this moment in time that. Was about to pass. I think if i get to be an old woman, rocking in a chair on some porch someday, i will think back on my experiences on globe trekker as being some of the, you know, the signposts of my life. And, more importantly than that, the people i met on the road, and the people i worked with over the years, whowho renewed my faith in humanity, who helped in the low moments, who taught me so many things about how to live, how to work, how to. To come out the side of a hard situation with a certain amount of grace. Now, ive learned that from my colleagues in globe trekker, and ive learned that from the people on the road who ive had the privilege of meeting. Garrison keillor born in augusta, maine, Dorianne Laux worked as a cook, a gas station manager, a maid and a doughnut holer before receiving a b. A. In english. The author of four books of poems, she now lives with her husband, poet joseph millar, in raleigh, North Carolina, where she teaches at North Carolina state university. Her book facts about the moon was a finalist for the National Book critics circle award. Dust. Someone spoke to me last night, told me the truth. Just a few words, but i recognized it. I knew i should make myself get up, write it down, but it was late, and i was exhausted from working all day in the garden, moving rocks. Now, i remember only the flavor not like food, sweet or sharp. More like a fine powder, like dust. And i wasnt elated or frightened, but simply rapt, aware. Thats how it is sometimes god comes to your window, all bright light and black wings, and youre just too tired to open it. applause funding for this program is provided by subaru. At subaru, we build vehicles like the rugged outback. With symmetrical allwheel drive standard, and plenty of cargo space, for those who pack even more adventure into life. Love. Subaru, a proud sponsor of globe trekker