Browse episode ratings trends for The Silk Road. Simply click on the interactive rating graph to explore the best and worst of The Silk Road's 15 episodes.
Best Episodes of The Silk Road
Uzbekistan: Tachkent
S1 Ep9
9.0
7th Mar 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.
Kyrgystan
S1 Ep10
8.5
14th Mar 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.
Uzbekistan: Samarkand
S1 Ep8
8.5
28th Feb 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.
Uzbekistan: Bukhara
S1 Ep7
8.5
21st Feb 2017
Alfred arrives in Uzbekistan, at the heart of the ancient Silk Road. He discovers Bukhara the beautiful, dream city for numerous travelers.
China: Gobi
S1 Ep12
8.0
28th Mar 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.
Worst Episodes of The Silk Road
China: Lanzhou
S1 Ep14
7.0
11th Apr 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.
China: Xian
S1 Ep15
7.0
18th Apr 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.
Iran: Kashan and the Zoroastrian Fire Temple of Yazd
S1 Ep6
7.5
14th Feb 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.
China: Dunhuang
S1 Ep13
7.5
4th Apr 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.
Italy: Venice
S1 Ep1
8.0
10th Jan 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.
The Silk Road Episode Guide
Italy: Venice
S1 Ep1
8.0
10th Jan 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.
Turkey: Bosphorus
S1 Ep2
8.0
17th Jan 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.
Turkey: Anatolia, The Caravans of Asia Minor
S1 Ep3
8.0
24th Jan 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.
Iran: Tabriz, Capital of Merchants
S1 Ep4
8.0
31st Jan 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.
Iran: Assassins, Emperors and Ma
S1 Ep5
8.0
7th Feb 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.
Iran: Kashan and the Zoroastrian Fire Temple of Yazd
S1 Ep6
7.5
14th Feb 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.
Uzbekistan: Bukhara
S1 Ep7
8.5
21st Feb 2017
Alfred arrives in Uzbekistan, at the heart of the ancient Silk Road. He discovers Bukhara the beautiful, dream city for numerous travelers.
Uzbekistan: Samarkand
S1 Ep8
8.5
28th Feb 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.
Uzbekistan: Tachkent
S1 Ep9
9.0
7th Mar 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.
Kyrgystan
S1 Ep10
8.5
14th Mar 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.
China: Kashgar
S1 Ep11
8.0
21st Mar 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.
China: Gobi
S1 Ep12
8.0
28th Mar 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.
China: Dunhuang
S1 Ep13
7.5
4th Apr 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.
China: Lanzhou
S1 Ep14
7.0
11th Apr 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.
China: Xian
S1 Ep15
7.0
18th Apr 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.
Alfred de Montesquiou, a war correspondent for the Associated Press news agency and a journalist for Paris Match – for which he has covered most of the Arab Spring revolutions – will be our knowledge broker along the Silk Road, the mythical network of trade routes that for centuries linked the Far East to the West. Follow in the footsteps of illustrious predecessors, from Alexander the Great to Marco Polo.
Journey through time, encountering specialists, historians, or just everyday people with a passion who will help you grasp the past and present identities of those countries. From Bursa in Turkey to Xi’an in China, Alfred guides and accompanies you in this fresh and original way to discover History.
The best rated episodes of The Silk Road are:
Uzbekistan: Tachkent S1E9 rated 9.0
Kyrgystan S1E10 rated 8.5
Uzbekistan: Samarkand S1E8 rated 8.5
Uzbekistan: Bukhara S1E7 rated 8.5
China: Gobi S1E12 rated 8.0
The lowest rated episodes of The Silk Road are:
China: Lanzhou S1E14 rated 7.0
China: Xian S1E15 rated 7.0
Iran: Kashan and the Zoroastrian Fire Temple of Yazd S1E6 rated 7.5
China: Dunhuang S1E13 rated 7.5
Italy: Venice S1E1 rated 8.0
The first episode of The Silk Road aired on January 10, 2017.
The last episode of The Silk Road aired on April 18, 2017.
