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The Silk Road was the first true communications network that dates back 2000 years.
Its land routes start from Xian, China to Istanbul, Turkey and then to Greece and Italy.
My research brings me to Samarkand, one of the greatest historical cities of Central Asia and to me, one of the most colourful.
Thanks largely to their former ruler, Ulugh Bek, the city became known as a portal for housing the knowledge gathered from the vast expanse of the East to the West, from the science to the arts.
I am here at the Registan, a public square at the heart of Samarkand.
It’s framed by three Islamic schools. Of them, Ulugh Bek Madrasah was one of the best clergy universities of the Muslim Orient and a center for secular science.
The observatory, built by Ulugh Bek who himself was a renowned astronomer, showcases the scientific importance of Samarkand - one of the great centers of encounters and exchange.
Ulugh Bek also completed the Gur-E-Amir - the “Tomb of the Kings” - where his grandfather - the well-known Timur as well as other members of the royal family, were entombed.
The mausoleum shows how the role of shared design, art and engineering influenced artisans along the Silk Roads that it may have influenced other great monuments around the world.
As I find out more about Samarkand and her history, I believe that the Silk Road paved the way for the internet.
It served as an ancient repository and deliverer of information and knowledge.
Olly Steeds, signing off in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.