This episode sees the expedition crossing the southern route of the Taklamakan desert, which in the Uighar language means the place from which no living thing returns.
Mysterious Mummies of China
This is an hour-long programme made for the PBS Nova Series about the European looking mummies discovered in the Taklamakan Desert. The mummies are unusual in that they simply survived because of the extreme dryness of their burial ground in the desert.
Devour the Earth
Here is a hard hitting documentary from the Vegetarian Society in England, it was written by Tony Wardle and is narrated by Paul McCartney (the ex-Beatle).
The Silk Road Series 5/16: In Search of the Kingdom of Lou-lan
The Kingdom of Lou-lan was an ancient Buddhistic kingdom which used to house 4,000 monks, a quarter of the population, but the remains are sparse indeed, as it disappeared into the desert it arose in, long ago.
The Slow Poisoning of India
This is a short documentary made by The Energy and Resources Institute in New Delhi, with reports on the effects of pesticide use from around the country. The results are, I think, unambiguous and telling.
The Silk Road Series 4/16: The Dark Castle
The Dark Castle of the title refers to the fortress at Khara-khoto, which was a main center of the Tangut state. The Castle has legendary status amongst the local people, who fear to go there, but the crew find some guides and trek across the desert on camels.
Angkor Wat Lotus Temple
This is a short video from National Geographic’s Atmosphere podcast, which looks at Angkor Wat in Cambodia, which I visited twice this year.
The Silk Road Series 3/16: The Art-gallery in the Desert
This episode focuses on the magnificent Mo-gao caves at Dun-huang in the Gobi desert. In this complex, there are 500 caves and over 3,000 statues and murals. It is counted as the longest art gallery in the world.
The Silk Road Series 2/16: A Thousand Kilometres Beyond The Yellow River
This episode sees the expedition crossing first the Yellow River, with its goat-skin rafts and giant waterwheels, and entering the Gobi desert along the He-xi corridor, where it visits some of the main citadels along the route.
