Samarkand.

Years ago I wrote that name in a notebook. I had no clue where it was but entertained a vague notion that it had something to do with the Silk Road, which I also didn’t know much about. The whole area, however, sounded very exotic and full of mysterious promise. So I resolved to see it someday.

That day came in the autumn of 2019. We took a three-week tour called, originally, “4 Stans & Iran”. I will leave out all details except to say that, being Americans, it was not a prime time to travel to Iran and we were unable to obtain visas. So we finished in Dubai instead. (For me, Iran is to Dubai as the Great Pyramid of Egypt is to the Luxor in Las Vegas...but, such is life!)

We were with a group but saw some of the best sights only when we broke away. It was essential to be on an escorted tour through much of the area, but most learning had to be done on our own.

This movie is like a Turkish rug - all threads are different but come together to form a coherent whole. Seemingly unrelated parts, no matter how far separated, connect in the end. And the overall feeling is what matters. There are pictures that flash by with no apparent meaning - there isn’t time to explain everything - but ideally the video is a balance between entertainment and education, moments and memories.

For those who saw my last film, “South Sea Memory”, Guadalcanal had ONE thing happen to it in all of recorded history. The history of Central Asia, in contrast, is utterly endless, and I only touch upon the highest of highlights here. One interesting problem was that the Mongols destroyed virtually everything, so how does one make a video where there is literally nothing to show? Just another intriguing obstacle to overcome.

“The Silk Road” starts and ends with words of wisdom from the greatest traveler of all, Ibn Battuta, in whose footsteps I am trying to follow still.