7.6/1012 votes#1 - Italy: Venice
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 1/10/2017
Our adventurer begins his journey in Venice, just like Marco Polo, the most famous voyager to have proceeded down this ancient route. The many cultural influences are immediately obvious: The architecture and the mosaics of St Mark’s Basilica reveal the links that connect this city with the distant lands of Asia; the textile maker Alberto Bevilacqua recounts the history of the silk trade, while a restaurant owner passionate about gastronomy explains the varied origins of Venetian cuisine. Alfred then shows us a little-known treasure: the Armenian monastery’s library. It is packed with manuscripts in all languages, brought there through the Silk Road.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.4/1011 votes
#2 - Turkey: Bosphorus
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 1/17/2017
At the edge of the European continent, our guide enters Turkish territory through the city of Edirne. He discovers Ottoman architectural wonders and the traditional local variant of wrestling, in which men are doused in olive oil before bouts. After a stop in Istanbul, the ultimate symbol of the Silk Road, Alfred discovers the city that was once the Ottoman capital, Bursa, and gains an insight into Anatolian culture.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.6/1010 votes
#3 - Turkey: Anatolia, The Caravans of Asia Minor
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 1/24/2017
At the heart of the Anatolian plateau, our guide visits the first of the caravanserais that dot his journey, as they once dotted the ancient trade routes.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.5/1010 votes
#4 - Iran: Tabriz, Capital of Merchants
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 1/31/2017
Alfred discovers the north of Iran; enter the city that once was the core of the entire Silk Road in Persia: Tabriz. He heads into the bazaar, the finest in the country, and wanders through its 36km of alleyways and stalls.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.6/108 votes
#5 - Iran: Assassins, Emperors and Ma
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 2/7/2017
Alfred learns that Iran has a Silk Road Secretariat. Its representative in the northern city of Qazvin – Hooman Babapoor – explains that the government wishes to develop links between other countries along the illustrious road.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.6/108 votes
#6 - Iran: Kashan and the Zoroastrian Fire Temple of Yazd
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 2/14/2017
In the oasis of Kashan, in central Iran, Alfred marvels at the famous pleasure gardens of Fin that cemented the Persians’ renown. He then discovers Iranian Zoroastrianism in a “house of strength”, whose inhabitants hone both their spirit and their body.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.8/108 votes
#7 - Uzbekistan: Bukhara
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 2/21/2017
Alfred arrives in Uzbekistan, at the heart of the ancient Silk Road. He discovers Bukhara the beautiful, dream city for numerous travelers.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.6/108 votes
#8 - Uzbekistan: Samarkand
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 2/28/2017
Some used to say Samarkand – in central Uzbekistan – was at the center of the world. Alfred follows the ancient Royal Road to the city – associated with the great Turco-Mongol warrior Timur, who was also famed for his refinement and elegance.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.9/109 votes
#9 - Uzbekistan: Tachkent
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 3/7/2017
Alfred is awestruck by the modernity of life in Tashkent, the capital of present-day Uzbekistan and a major central Asian city. There is an incredible mix of ethnic groups in this part of the world.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.8/108 votes
#10 - Kyrgystan
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 3/14/2017
Osh is the first place Alfred visits in Kyrgyzstan. He saunters down the aisles of its bazaar, but soon realizes that the real Kyrgyzstan is to be found on the endless steppes and vast mountains, where you lose all notions of boundaries.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.8/108 votes
#11 - China: Kashgar
Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 3/21/2017
Alfred's point of entry to China is Kashgar, in the Xinjiang region – the biggest in the country. It is home to the Uyghurs, an ethnic minority descended from Turkic peoples.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.9/109 votes
#12 - China: Gobi
Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 3/28/2017
A Uyghur family invites our guide into their home. He learns about their way of life and growing techniques. Gaochang used to be an important waypoint through the Silk Road and a famous gathering place for scholars.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.9/109 votes
#13 - China: Dunhuang
Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 4/4/2017
Crossing the Taklamakan desert is a demanding step. And only once the Silk Road caravans made it could they say they truly arrived in China. The Bactrian camel has become emblematic of the region: without it, trade could not have developed along the Silk Road.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.9/109 votes
#14 - China: Lanzhou
Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 4/11/2017
Our guide travels to Liqian, at the narrowest point of the Hexi Corridor. Legend has it that this is where the descendants of Crassus' lost legions ended up.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.7/1010 votes
#15 - China: Xian
Season 1 Episode 15 - Aired 4/18/2017
Alfred arrives in Xi’an - in the province of Shaanxi. The Silk Road caravans used to end their long journey in this millenary city.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of The Silk Road Season 1
Every episode of The Silk Road Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of The Silk Road Season 1!
Alfred de Montesquiou, a war correspondent for the Associated Press news agency and a journalist for Paris Match – for which he has covered most...
Genre:Documentary
Network:ARTE
Season 1 Ratings Summary
"Italy: Venice" is the best rated episode of "The Silk Road" season 1. It scored 7.6/10 based on 12 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 1/10/2017. This episode is rated 0.8 points higher than the second-best, "Turkey: Bosphorus".