Dharma Documentaries

Dharma. Culture. Ecology.

Menu
  • Dharma
  • Culture
  • Ecology
  • Archives
  • About
Menu

The Silk Road Series 42, The Progeny of the Queen of Sheba

Posted on November 30, 2018December 2, 2018 by Dharma Documentaries
The second of five films from NHK about the western end of the Silk Road, this one looks at Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

The Silk Road Series 42, The Progeny of the Queen of Sheba

I have previously shown 16 episodes from NHK’s famed Silk Road Series, which began as a adventurous project in 1980 and produced 12 episodes in the 1st series, and 18 episodes in the second.

The other 14 episodes were not available online at that time, and I have since learned that NHK in the early 2000s continued with a 3rd (10 episodes, unavailable at present) and 4th series (5 episodes), making 45 episodes in all.

* * *

This is the second of the episodes in the 4th series, and it looks at the ancient kingdom of the Yemen, and how it got its wealth through the trade in Frankincense, which is still found in the kingdom, though hardly provides an income any more.

We are told something of the life of the Queen of Sheba, whom the Yemenis claim as their own, and we even travel to an archeological site, which may have been the site of her Palace.

We then see what the devastating civil war wrought in the country, with the Yemenis no longer being able to support themselves, or educate their children, and therefore seeking work in nearby oil-rich Saudi Arabia.

After entering the latter kingdom we see how the country has become rich due to the oil trade, and meet with one of its richest developers and his family. This is contrasted with the poor lifestyle of the immigrant workers, who dream only to return home.

As we all know since then the war between factions in Yemen has broken out with Saudi supporting one side, and Iran the other. The ultimate losers, of course, are the rural Yemenis themselves, caught up in a political Great Game in the peninsular.

 

if this video is no longer available please leave a comment so I can update the page
(the comment is not published)

 

to see an album of stills click here

 

TAGS:
Culture, Islam, Middle East, Silk Road

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Subscriptions

Follow our Facebook Page Follow our Tweets Subscribe by Email Subscribe to our Feed

Shortlink and QR

https://dharma-documentaries.net/b/3qf

Donations

This site has taken 10 years to build, and has 800+ documentaries on it. If you would like to support the expenses involved, you can do so here. Even small amounts help.

choose amount:  


Donations can also be sent in Litecoin to the following address: LQZ9fVHF3wL6ihwEUcRFiCpcD7f2dfd3Kp

Copyright

If anyone has any copyright claims please contact me at dharmadocus@gmail.com and the posts and films will be immediately removed.

Top Ten Tags

Theravada
Mahayana
Vajrayana

India
Silk Road
China
Tibet

Arts
Lectures
Rights

Popular Posts

  • The Freedom of being a Buddhist Nun
  • Bright and Shining Mind in a Disabled Body
  • The Leshan Giant Buddha Statue
  • The Silk Road Series 7/16: Khotan-Oasis of Silk and Jade
  • David Eckel: Buddhism 3-4 of 24
  • The Tibetan Oracles
  • The Mountain Yogi, Lama Govinda
  • Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar: The Untold Truth
  • Indian Roots of Tibetan Buddhism
  • The Journey of Xuanzang: An Introduction

Recent Posts

  • The Living Universe
  • The Nomadic Night
  • Orphans of Tibet
  • To Play Kutiyattam with the Master
  • The Young Girl and the Monkey
  • The Celestial Dance of Bhutan
  • Kabuki, the Path of the Flowers
  • A Young Shaman’s Quest Across Mongolia
  • Himalaya, Land of Women
  • Urgan, Child of the Himalaya

Random Posts

  • Kyoto, Japan (Expoza)
  • Somtow’s Mahajanaka Opera-Ballet
  • Women of Fukushima
  • The Story of Buddhism 4, The Image of the Buddha
  • Windscale, Britains Biggest Nuclear Disaster
  • Himalaya, a Leader’s Childhood
  • Bronze Technology in Cambodia
  • Buddhist Laos (Folkways of Indochina)
  • In Search of the Dead III: Remembered Lives
  • Economics of Happiness

Related Posts

  • The Silk Road Series 45, Echoes of Distant Prayers
  • The Silk Road Series 41, The Flame and the Cross
  • Indiana Jones 15, The Guardians of Dunhuang
  • Indiana Jones 14, The Silk Road
  • Pakistan Unveiled
  • Light of the Moon, Legacy of Xuan Zang
  • Xuan Zang, Eminent Monk
  • The Silk Road Series 43, Steep Road to the Oasis
  • Tea Road to the Skies 3, On the Roof of the World
  • Tea Road to the Skies 2, In the Heart of Shangri-La
© 2021 Dharma Documentaries | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme