DOCUMENTARY: Silk Road IV 1/5 "South Caucasus - The Flame and the Cross"

Silk Road IV Central and West Asia (2007)

Episode 1 of 5 - The Flame and the Cross -- The South Caucasus

Surrounded by 5,000-meter high mountains, the South Caucasus was a strategic point tying together all directions of the Silk Road. Home to 50 ethnic groups, the region is a cultural treasure trove of unique ethnic music, religious architecture, wines, and so on. It has also been invaded by the Roman, Mongol, and Ottoman empires. Wars still rage even now, and over one million people have become refugees. The region is truly representative of both the blessings and the historical calamities brought on by the Silk Road. This leg of the journey will take you to three countries -- Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia -- countries that have long fostered unique cultures tempered by the flames of war.

Launched in 1980, NHK's renowned Silk Road series was the first foreign TV program allowed to film Silk Road inside communist China. The series sparked enormous interest. A quarter of a century later, NHK re-visits Silk Road with high-definition cameras, and continues further through Central and West Asia.