Original subtitles

(dramatic music)

As a reporter, I've traveled the Middle East

for many years.

It's area that has always fascinated me,

but in my work, I've mainly covered its war zones,

it's crises, and it's tragedies.

This journey, which takes me down the Silk Road

in the footsteps of Marco Polo,

gives me the opportunity of exploring

the great historical and cultural significance

of this part of the world

it's ancient melting pot of peoples and civilizations

that have contributed so much to our own.

(Persian music)

One of the oldest empires in history, the Persian Empire

has become the present day country of Iran.

It's borders have often changed,

but Iran's 18 million inhabitants now live in a country

that is two and half times the size of France.

It's a land of great contrasts,

from its mountain ranges in the north

to the deserts in the south

that stretch all the way down the Persian Gulf.

(truck engines revving)

Tabriz, our enchanting gateway into Iran,

situated at over 1,300 meters above sea level

in the foothills of the Eynali Mountains.

It's a city that teems with life

and the intense activity

of its more than two million inhabitants.

The riches of this former caravan city

rival those of Chian and Constantinople,

so much so that for many centuries

Tabriz was known as the Capital of the East.

The key to Tabriz is business and trade.

It's extraordinary covered bazaar

is the driving force of the entire city.

I've seen many souks and bazaars in my life,

but quite frankly, I could never have imagined

a place as colossal as this one.

It's like a gigantic maze in which one could lose oneself

for an entire day.

But why do they have such an enormous bazaar?

First of all because Tabriz

was the Silk Road's nerve center in Iran,

so for centuries this is where all of the goods converged.

But there's another reason,

which has to more with the weather.

Most covered bazaars in the Middle East

are designed to provide protection from the sun,

but here the winters are so bitter,

minus 10 or 20 for weeks on end,

that it also has to provide protection from the cold.

This huge bazaar covers 36 kilometers

of narrow crowded alleyways, fabulous vaults,

and caravanserais.

In some areas it dates back to the 10th Century.

Its surface is equal to 27 hectares.

Exploring it is like visiting an open air museum

that exhibits a little bit of everything,

from the down right kitsch to the most exquisite items

in a dazzling array of colors, sounds, smells,

and above all good cheer.

This sure is the Silk Road, everything's made in China.

For a country in which women

are not allowed to show their hair.

(speaking foreign language)

Yes this is definitely ginger.

(speaking foreign language)

This here is cinnamon

and the Persian term (speaking foreign language)

means Chinese bark.

And in fact historically it did come from China,

both cinnamon and ginger.

Everyone has heard of the Silk Road.

The popular expression was coined in the 19th Century

by the German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen.

But another term, the Spice Route,

has always given it a good run for its money

and for a good reason.

Spices from southern Asian certainly became over time

one of the biggest items to be traded by the merchants

and carried by the caravans along these roads.

This is something that has always intrigued me

at bazaars all over the world.

In Europe you would never set up shop

next to your competitor.

While in Eastern bazaars in the same alleyway,

there'll be eight Samovar sellers all next to each other.

(Persian music)

Now we're coming to the porcelain,

porcelain, porcelain, porcelain.

It may sound like a bit of a cliche,

but except for one or two light bulbs

it really feels like nothing has changed

since Marco Polo's time.

And even more so, because there are hardly any tourists.

I think I've come across maybe five Westerners here all day.

(many people talking in the background)

Each section of the bazaar specializes in a specific item.

Here we're in the caravanserai dedicated

to the silk carpets of Tabriz,

which are known all over the world

for their fine craftsmanship and their elegance.

The market that houses the carpet shops

is thus one of the most beautiful sections

in all of the bazaar.

And Iran's historical monuments architect,

Dr. Fehribuz Esmile is especially proud of it.

Dr. Esmile, you're in charge of the restoration work

on this bazaar.

Can you tell us about its history?

Why is it so big?

Many travelers have mentioned this bazaar

in their writings at different times in history.

One of the most famous travelers who wrote about this bazaar

was Marco Polo.

He talks about the Tabriz Bazaar,

the abundance of its goods

and all of the wonderful spaces that one can find in it.

Since Tabriz was at the time the capital of the empire,

it was also the central point of the Silk Road in Iran.

Not present day Iran, but ancient Iran,

which was a huge empire and which included countries

such as Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Pakistan,

Afghanistan, Iraq, and part of Turkey.

In other words we can say that Tabriz was the commercial hub

between those countries.

(Persian music)

Many travelers who visited this bazaar

told people to be careful not to lose their way

in this labyrinth, because if you don't pay attention

you could get lost, it's so big.

You mention the word labyrinth,

yet for example in the department stores in Paris,

the marketing people create artificial labyrinths

on purpose so that people get lost

and then buy things they weren't planning to buy.

Do you think that here in Tabriz, people in the middle ages

had already thought of something like that,

or is it just coincidence?

Knowing how smart the people of Tabriz are,

they probably did.

Well there's something that's always intrigued me

about these bazaars, as compared to Western style stores,

here you have all of the competitors grouped together

selling the same thing side by side.

I was in aisle over there

with 10 guys selling Samovar side by side.

In this section, they're all selling carpets.

Why does everyone set up shop next to their competitors?

I completely agree with you.

On feature of Iranian bazaars

and it's been this way for a thousand years

is that the Iranians understood

that it was necessary to sell the same goods

in the same place and to create trade guilds.

The guilds certainly have something to do with it,

but the Iranian concept of ta'arof

or etiquette must also play a role.

According to this legendary art of politeness,

a vendor will never solicit a customer

who stops in front of a neighbor stand.

Moreover, the trade guilds fix their own

selling prices beforehand, so as to keep the market stable.

A rather opaque system which however,

has been used for centuries.

Most of the merchants here in the bazaar

have owned their shops for many years.

They were passed down to them

by their fathers and grandfathers.

That's one of the reasons why these shop owners

care so much about this bazaar

and they've been helping us with the restoration work

for many years now.

(calming Persian music)

What renovations are you especially proud

of in this bazaar?

What do you consider to be some

of your major accomplishments here?

I'm very touched by your question.

I think that just living and working here is a great honor

and this place always makes me proud.

But what we've been able to accomplish in this bazaar

myself, my friends and the people who work with me,

is in fact nothing compared to the bazaar itself.

Three years ago, we received one of the biggest awards

given in our profession, for restoring the Tabriz Bazaar.

What it shows is that the people who are involved

in the restoration work here, are highly professional

and worthy of this place.

I noticed that you drink your tea in a special way

with a sugar cube, can you show me how you do it?

Yes of course.

I take one of the sugar cubes, dunk it

and I stick it here.

So instead of sweetening the tea you sweeten the mouth

and then put the tea inside.

Right.

(speaking foreign language)

(Persian music)

Marco Polo calls the city Tauriz,

he writes that the men here make their living

from trade and handy crafts,

which are mainly related to the production of textiles.

They weave many kinds of beautiful

and valuable stuffs of silk and gold.

(dramatic music)

Over the centuries, because of it's wealth,

Tabriz was often the target of plunderers.

The Mongol hoards practically destroyed the city

before they took it over.

Their reign began in 1229.

This imposing citadel is one of the monumental remains

that date back to the Ilkhanate Dynasty

founded by the descendants of Genghis Khan.

Built to be a mausoleum it was later turned

into a defensive structure.

These walls are 10 meters thick.

That gives you an idea of the size of the mosque

which became a citadel built by the Ilkhanates

the kings descended from Genghis Khan,

who ruled over Persia.

Their massive citadel however,

did not stop Tabriz from being captured and recaptured

over the centuries, until the Russians invaded the city

in the early 19th century and made Persia sign a treaty

which forced it to cede several

of its northern provinces including Georgia and Armenia.

We can in fact, still see the marks

left by the cannonballs when the Russians attacked

the city in 1826 and 1911.

But it would've taken much more to bring down

this stronghold which is nearly 50 meters high.

(dramatic music)

Tabriz is the epitome of multiethnic city.

Marco Polo wrote about it in his account,

there are Armenians, Nestorians, Georgians and Persians.

There are also worshipers of Mahomet,

these latter are the inhabitants of the city

and are called Taurisians.

Today the majority of the city's population is Azeri.

They speak a variant of the Turkish language.

But as we stroll among its streets,

we come upon a thousand little signs that points

to the rich diversity of cultures

that contributed so significantly

to the splenda of imperial Persia.

For example, Armenian culture is still

very much alive in Tabriz.

I wanted to find out what remained of this community

36 years after the founding of the Islamic Republic.

So I went to the house of the Armenian Quarter,

located around Saint Mary's Church.

(speaking foreign language)

How are you?

(speaking foreign language)

Historically, the Armenian's were some

of the biggest organizers of caravans.

They were very active on the Silk Road,

where they were often in charge of security.

The famous Armenian churches around Tabriz

are described in the travels of Marco Polo,

including the illustrious Saint John's,

which was later destroyed by earthquakes.

A handful of churches are still standing today,

including Saint Mary's, which dates from the 18th century.

There are still several thousand

Armenian families living in Tabriz.

Almost all are involved in the retail trade.

The city still has six churches with active congregations.

In fact, the eastern most Christian community

along the old caravan route is now found in Tabriz.

(dramatic music)

I wanted to ask the Armenians in Tabriz

what it was like for a religious minorities

living in Iran today.

Two representatives of the community, Karen Sarkissian,

an archeologist, who's also a children's toy shop manager

and Narine Sayadian, a school teacher,

very graciously welcomed me.

But why does Marco Polo talk so much about the Armenians

and on the Silk Road, what role did the Armenians

play historically?

At the time, the Armenians were generally involved

in trade, most of them were merchants

and they traveled frequently to Europe,

especially in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries.

After the 16th century, the Safavid ruler Shah Abbas

made more than 300,000 Armenians migrate from

Armenia to Isfahan, so that they number

of Armenians in Iran suddenly increased

in the early 17th century.

Some of those Armenians stayed in Julfar

others went to live in Shiraz, Hamadan, Tehran and Tabriz.

Over the next four centuries,

they continued to migrate in increasing numbers to Iran

and that's why the Armenian population continued to grow.

And this, of course, influenced trade, industry,

and art in the area because many Armenians were

craftsman or artists.

And so we can say that the Armenians of Iran

were pioneers in many industrial and artistic fields,

for example, in theater, in painting,

in the film industry.

And nowadays, anywhere in the country,

whenever there is a reference to our Armenians,

it often has to do with recognizing their arts

and their skills, which are highly regarded by everyone.

There's now, once again, an Armenian homeland

in the country of Armenia.

Are you tempted to go and live there

or are there good reasons to remain in the diaspora

here in Iran for example?

I'd like to ask Narine

since she represents the younger generation.

I was born in Iran, my families roots are in Iran.

In other words, my father and my grandparents

were born here, just like me.

And our roots are here.

It's true that Armenia is the land of our ancestors

and I do sincerely love it with all my heart.

But since we can freely practice

all of our religious activities here without any problem,

in other words, in Iran we're allowed to enjoy

all of those benefits.

We have our own establishments, our own gyms,

so we don't feel like outsiders.

We feel at home in Iran, in Tabriz.

You say that tolerance

and religious freedom exists here in Iran.

But how, as a teacher, do you explain to the girls

in your classes, who are Armenians,

in an Armenian school, that they have to wear a veil?

If they were in Armenia, but not only, in Iraq

or Syria as well, they wouldn't have to wear a veil

nowadays, how do you explain it?

In terms of how we dress, as an Iranian woman,

one of the laws of the Islamic Republic is

that girls from the age of 10 must wear the hijab,

the veil, they must cover themselves.

Since we have always lived here,

and have thus grown up with these customs,

wearing the veil seems very normal to us.

We're used to wearing the veil outside of the house,

whether at school or at the university.

But when we're in our own establishments,

in our own circles, we're free

and there's no obligation to cover our hair

or to wear a coat.

Amongst ourselves, we're completely free.

We can walk around freely, let down our hair, wear makeup.

Girls and boys are allowed to mingle, to play together,

to play basketball or ping pong.

We can sit together in cafes, talk about anything,

there are no restrictions.

But outside of our own establishments,

we have to respect the Islamic law.

The writer Nicolas Bouvier lived for

several long winter months in this Armenistan area

of Tabriz in the early 1950s.

He describes his travels along the Silk Road,

in what has since become a cult book entitled,

"The Way of the World."

Over the centuries, Tabriz was chosen several times

to be the capital of the Persian empire,

or at least the capital for the local dynasties,

for example, during the reign of the Qara Qoyunlu,

the Timurid Turkman who are the descendants of Tamerlane.

The famous blue mosque of Tabriz was built

under their dynasty in the middle of the 15th century.

(calming music)

Perhaps they wanted to build this

masterpiece of architectural elegance,

in order to make up for the terrible destruction

brought by Timur and his Tamerlane, the fearsome conqueror,

who raised and slaughtered his way across Asia.

This Blue Mosque, which is famous throughout the East

for it's mosaics

prefigures the architectural splendors of the Persian style.

The style of Shia-Islam.

The Shiite minority represents approximately 10 percent

of the 1.5 billion Muslims around the world.

Unlike the Sunnis,

the Shiites have an institutionalized clergy

and are especially devoted to Ali,

the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad.

(calming music)

Controlling a section of the Silk Road

is a profitable business providing a guaranteed

income from duties and taxes.

However in return, the safety of the merchants

passing through had to be ensured,

which lead to the creation of caravansarais,

literally caravan palaces in the Persian language.

(calming music)

(hands clapping)

I'm clapping my hands just in case,

because it's very green here and there's water,

so it's exactly the kind of place

where snakes might be hiding out.

Other than that, it's gorgeous.

(calming music)

What's astonishing about Iran

is that you're always coming upon something

totally unexpected.

We're in the middle of a completely arid landscape

and then we come to a little valley

and there you find its typical qanat system of irrigation

that creates a little green oasis full of fields.

And on the edge of the fields,

there are huge wild rose bushes.

They may not look like the kind of roses

we're used to seeing,

but the scent of roses is just amazing.

The qanats or irrigation canals invented by the Persians

3,000 years ago, are still maintained with great care,

because the most precious resource in this area is water.

In these tiny villages out in the middle of nowhere,

life is tough.

There's only one old Turkman farmer

who lives here all year long.

He is with his sickle, the guardian of tradition,

the last of his kind.

(cheerful music)

Jamal Abad is a typical example of the old caravansarais.

The history of this passive trade

goes back to the Achaemenid Dynasty

which rules this entire part of Asia 23 Centuries ago

until Alexander the Great vanquished Darius,

the King of Kings of the Persian Empire.

The Greek historian Herodotus

tells us that the Achaemenid emperors

built 111 caravansarais along a 2,500 kilometer stretch

of the ancient caravan route

that would go on to become the Silk Road.

(dramatic music)

You can see the traditional caravansarai layout here.

A large courtyard enclosed on three sides by blind walls,

with a big entrance on one of the sides.

In the middle was the water system.

And well here we have the old system on the left

and then the modern system on the right.

And all around were the alcoves, the merchant's lodgings

and then behind you had the stables

for the horses or camels.

What is quite striking is the simple symmetry of the lines

in such a functional building,

as well as how cool it is inside.

It's almost as if Plato's Theory of Ideal Forms

were embodied in this structure,

which harmoniously combines the beautiful,

the good, and the true.

(calming music)

Far out in the middle of the steppe

lies the little town of Soltanieh

and the reason the Mongol Conquerors

chose it to be their capital, might seem rather surprising.

It was for its grass.

But we must remember that these nomadic warriors

relied heavily on their cavalry,

and so they needed good pastureland

to feed their thousands of horses.

It was the Mongol Il-khan Oljeitu

who started building this mausoleum here in 1302.

He wanted it to be a shrine for the remains of Ali,

the son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammad

and the holiest figure in Shia Islam.

Its size and ornamentation, would make it

the most exceptional monument of its time.

But Ali's ashes never came to Soltanieh.

They remained in Iraq, in Najaf,

where they can still be found today.

So Oljeitu decided to make this edifice his own tomb.

It's one of the oldest double shell domes in the world,

along with the Duomo in France

and the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.

This mausoleum with its incredibly audacious architecture

is said to have inspired the Taj Mahal.

(Persian music)

The craftsman who worked on the mosaics

in this mausoleum used two different techniques.

The first, which we can see here,

is a little like stained technique,

cutting out shapes that were then pasted together

to create a pattern.

The second technique up here, which is faster,

consisted of painting directly on to the ceramic.

(Persian music)

If Ali's ashes had been moved here,

a huge city would have undoubtedly sprung up

and taken over these meadows and fields around Soltanieh.

Instead it ended up being all but forgotten by the world.

But in 2005, the sleepy little town on the old Silk Road

finally had the immense satisfaction

of seeing its mausoleum designated

as a World Heritage Site.

(Persian music)