this one is being used to make a traditional specialty. meat filled dumplings. gone or dep it was situated between the then still flowing arms of the margot river which was by melt water from the mountains and flowed down into the flat lands bringing the desert to life. and intricate canal network distributed the water in the fields something that required a highly effective division of labor and organization similar to that in other advanced cultures. the waters of the most abundant in spring. the land flourished with herds of cattle grazing along the banks the fields were rich with grain fruits vegetables and cotton meanwhile the population grew and produced surpluses to trade with other peoples.

but changing climate sand natural disasters remained a constant threat. rare but intense rainfall caused tremendous flooding and threaten the clay buildings. so the march devised a sophisticated drainage system to keep large water volumes under control. under go. a complex network of clay conduits was installed for fresh water and sewage a technological innovation that reflects the bronze age people's advanced way of life. is surrounded by large cemeteries filled with thousands of graves. most of them are simple chambers. but near

a palace the excavators chanced upon some very special burial sites. here the deceased were laid to rest in mortuary houses. archeologists also found the skeletons of camels donkeys dogs and. was it used for writing. or cards are left as food for the afterlife. one thing is certain horses played an important role in. just outside the modern capital of is the state run horse breeding farm housed in. building. the fountain in itself is a monument with the oil rich nation investing heavily to honor its prized horses.

to this day many turkmens are passionate about horse breeding. on this training ground the local star horses the turkmen breed are showcased and all their splendor they're essentially a sacred national treasure. instructs the team of trainers. which. are extraordinarily skilled at galloping. their movements take up wide spaces and are very elastic. the extreme desert climate has lent the breed exceptional resilience and stamina and they are top class in long distance riding even through desert areas devoid of

water. be the. horses of the most beautiful purebreds in the world so compared to one of the breed. is really. actually all of the horses have blood in them because the breed is 5000 years old. there are only 8000 purebred in the world making them very valuable. one horse costs 100000 euros on average. but some enthusiasts have paid as much as 2000000. going to the burial sites presumably built for margi on his rulers resembled the above ground palace interior. and while the priceless grave goods where rob the long ago archaeologists

still make astonishing find. servants were buried alongside their masters and in 12 they were laid to rest next to a 4 wheel carriage. a mere status symbol it was surely never ridden through the desert. many of the fines from going our deputy are now kept at the museum of the modern regional capital of mari near the ancient away says. the prestigious building reflects the turkmens pride in their history. the museum director presents unique pieces of bronze age art the likes of which have only been associated with highly developed ancient cultures. the inlay work from the royal necropolis was an unprecedented 2 luxury in central asia and it adorned jewelry cases and wooden chests and. these treasures

show the diverse cultural influences that reached turkmenistan 4000 years ago a region that was anything but peripheral at the time. metal analyses of the large bronze containers reveal that they were usually made of elaborate copper and arsenic alloys rather than the more common copper in tin combination found in most bronze. this wooden disk will also involve to completely new technology and was stabilized by a bronze tire. this figure adorned with gold plating depicts an eagle diving down and symbolizes a power conscious ruling elite. as one of the largest bronze age settlements ever excavated but large areas remain unstudied to this day. archaeologists hope to find potential signs of temple

complexes what gods were worshiped here and what led to marciano's fall. in the in the ancient city of merit in the car a comb desert is shrouded in legend and lay at the intersection of the old silk road trade routes leading from china to the middle east and onward to europe america is steeped in a long and buried history. since the 2nd century b.c. has blossomed several times palaces and 12 kilometers of fortification walls were erected here again out of clay bricks its former glory can only be imagined. dynasty after dynasty each one left its mark. during his conquest of the persian empire alexander the great renamed mer of alexandria and margie ana reconstructing it as a greek city. but wind and rain have eroded the once thriving trade hub rendering

it largely unrecognizable. america's wealth and strategic location made it highly coveted among major powers in the 1st century a.d. the city acted as a border fortress to ward off nomads coming from the east while in the middle ages it rose to become one of the most illustrious cities in the world and an important center of islamic learning little remains of that legacy today. the ancient craft of jewelry making has remained alive in the region of merit. turkmens ascribe mystical powers to silver such as driving out evil spirits through it sound or neutralizing poison. in the traditional jewelry crafted in the marab area is considered uncertain past even today. and not to rely . on in heaven my name is and.

i live in my and come from a family of jewellers my. i'm proud of this golden a medal that the president awarded to me personally it makes me very happy thank you for everything to do good and our heroic protector received an additional in this year we call him the people's elder in graduation. and that enthusiasm for the president is widespread a number of ruins in the city have been elaborately reconstructed. while the muslims primarily attract believers from neighboring iran who come to pay respects to their shiite saints. america has always been a melting pot for not just luxury goods but also news and ideas changed hands

between cultures. around $200.00 b.c. the 1st capital of the parthian civilization rose to become a bustling trade hub the magnificence of nisa was renowned well beyond the borders of the kingdom which developed into a powerful rival of the roman empire. professor carlo li pollies has been studying the ancient center of power for years. his italian team have already studied the imposing palace of nisa together with their turkmen colleagues. now there are on earth in the palace a storeroom send cisterns. and then there was the message in our exploratory digs these past weeks we discovered 2 large storage containers and we're still busy excavating these round wind vessels as they're

really baked into the ground. and. we found little inscribed tablets used just labels that mark the contents from quantity of the big containers. and. then let them. sit at it and so that's what lipa lease especially hopes to find are written documents precious little is known about this mysterious people who ruled bast expanses of territory in central and western asia for half a millennium party and culture featured a blend of ancient persian and greek traditions. the view in part was an extraordinarily exciting place i'm fascinated by the entire period which began through the political and cultural conquest of central asia by alexander the

great. the cultural impact in particular continued to resonate for a long time in later king. which is. you know we've dug up these architectural elements might have fired. these leaf motifs a typical of western style i mean characteristically greek central i usually. in the legal gray adopting greek culture and utilizing greek artistic and stylistic elements let me emphasize the elite stand a good light to known greek rulers i'm to uphold as a way of demonstrating their power in that. they get on the in faith in the quit list they have. the fines a nice m r testament to the strong greek influence in the region. is this one of the heroes of greek legends. this

marble goddess of love is reminiscent of figures on the acropolis in athens. these magnificent ivory drinking horns were likely used during lively feasts in the royal court. the works of art are adorned with elements from greek mythology such as this winged lion with snakes on its head . or this nim bathing. and this centaur half man half horse carrying a child through the air. this scene is from the day to day life of greek heroes. zone. but this desert land holds more than treasures from the past. the car coom also boasts one of the largest

reserves of natural gas in the world. this wealth of natural resources has its dark side noxious gas that seeps out here in countless places. a car a coom desert poses a potential threat to the global climate. at least if the german scientist tunnel schaumburg has spent years trying to find a way of stopping the gas from escaping. to spilling. in the middle of the desert lies darva so far away from the big cities of the country here in one of the largest deserts in the world camels have always been invaluable much sought after goods were transported from china on their backs along the silk road to the middle east and europe we'll carriages and carts would have gotten stuck in the sand to this day roots to darvocet are all unpaved in

1971 geologists who were drilling chanced upon a gas filled cavern causing it to collapse through the sudden drop in pressure this formed a crater 70 meters in diameter that has been expelling methane ever since. the geologists set the greenhouse gas on fire to prevent it from spreading and it's still burning. ideally the scientists would stop. but they've yet to find a solution. locals call this place the gates of hell. the fiery spectacle draws visitors from far and wide to the dirt's of the desert nomads. their hosts greet them with

a rousing musical performance. churchmen singers are highly esteemed in the country . they're considered to embody the crowd nation's memory and have an important place at family celebrations formal dinners they play musical accompaniment untraditional turkmen instruments the 2 string long necked guitar and the 3 string violin like. the threat of. the 1st meanwhile pockets of gas blaze away in the dark bozza crater day and night. methane streams out of the desert floor. and enormous quantities still lie deep in the earth turkmenistan has yet to find an

answer to this daunting problem. the northern silk road running from. russia passed through the car. along it lead the trade. away says thanks to the waters of the river today the former capital of the islamic empire has been reduced to rubble and ruins. few structures remain that attest to the former greatness of one of the most significant metropolises of its time. again was called the heart of islam and capital about 1000 wise men the famed physician even siena known in the west is obvious saina taught here. the could look timor minaret remains the tallest in central asia and has miraculously survived the various wars and earthquakes young couples traditionally walk around it praying for

a happy marriage and healthy children. as in marriage. is golden age ended in 1221 when ganga's khan marched to the city with a huge army the mongol ruler redirected the waters of the daria flooding the city and allegedly killing over 100000 inhabitants now the walls are being repaired and a project that will take decades to complete. after turkmenistan gained independence from the soviet union its own history became acutely important the ancient city of again she is now being elaborately restored. among goal ruler could look to more presumably had this magnificent tomb built for his wife. its interior depicts

a stone calendar with 4 large windows standing for the weeks of the months 12 curved arches for the months of the year 24 pointed arches for the hours of the day . and $365.00 mosaics representing the days of the year and ensemble symbolizing divine order. the husband tour of big kanu buried here must have loved her deeply as he spared no expense also with the sumptuous doors from fine woods. but today makes quite an impression as well with many modern buildings constructed in an eastern architectural mix and featuring white marble facades and mirrored glass. it's also home to the largest mosque in central asia.

a city of super lives. also claims to have the world's biggest indoor ferris wheel . and the place wouldn't be complete without and a limpid complex with a mascot wearing traditional attire. heroes of the past stand at many public squares as the country seeks to affirm its own great history after the many years of soviet occupation and suppression of the turkmen culture and language. for thousands of years life was dictated here by trade routes and the availability of water. and now turkmenistan's economic lifeblood is natural gas along with its market price.

this great ancient moscow now had withstood numerous disasters intact but then in 1948 a tremendous earthquake sent the magnificent structure and many other cultural treasures tumbling down. for many local women this ruin is now a pilgrimage site. childless women are particularly drawn to the tomb of the soupy saint keys baby whose spirit is said to help them become pregnant. we think of to remember how common that is in the study of the me of my visit is to shake gemma leadin last day just come as pilgrims to the tomb of this legendary saint. they also make animal sacrifices and share the minutes with their

relatives and neighbors who join them here. if they have troubles they find comfort and help from beyond and in this ruin it's really a wonderful place the high video. visitors put children's clothes and plastic toys into the remains of the walls an unusual ritual for and islamic country. and amongst the debris believers placed little crips and baby dolls it's based on an ancient bertelli ritual from pre islamic times hope springs eternal. it's said that women must walk around the sacred ruin 3 times while praying in order for their wishes to be answered. i prefer to think that me going to cuba after being inhabited without interruption for 4000 years dep it was deserted in the early 1st millennium b.c.

and the structure collapsed after a major fire through. a small number of inhabitants stayed in the city in the mother and in the 3rd century b.c. nomad settled in these ruins after that the site was completely abandoned and its former residents settled in other places in the foothills of the kobe dag mountains bus rolled up into. animal bones from look death and are being analyzed by archaeologists at the french national museum of natural history in paris. they want to find out more about life in ancient turkmenistan it was especially regarding how people ate. stillness that it was ever going deep that we were lucky to find numerous 2 through means some in their entirety. the really exciting thing is that our fines include many very young animals

particularly males that seem to have been deliberately killed while. sit in this indicates to us that the farmers were only interested in producing milk. with this material we can reconstruct the life of the 5 to 6000 year old site and understand how the people ate back then. and looked this year's 6 week excavation season is ending. just the one card will be staying behind at the site. julio sarmiento is the last to leave his ruins. the work goes on in the expedition house where restores pieced together individual shards and filling gaps. it seems like

a great deal of work for often meager findings but who knows if this barry bronze arrow tip might prove to be very important because it indicates surprising trade relations or military conquest spy foreign rulers just for an excavation supervisor the nights are short as the limited weeks at the dig site need to be utilized intensely. julio sarmento knows that a successful expedition takes meticulous planning and a bit of luck. and then maybe he'll make a sensational find next year. after all the royal tombs of the dep a must still be lying on earth somewhere and the excavation site. even very ordinary finds are analyzed in a paris laboratory with state of the art equipment. one seemingly insignificant

detail might be a crucial piece in the overall puzzle like these plant remains. these are carbonized long through my eyes they come from halls and all vns and places where people were cooking or making fire and they were preserved because they were exposed to the fire and carbon as you can see the old black those remains we have wheat remains so the cultivated plants volley so another scenario but we also have great remains we have signed some great cultivation from the 1st millennium b.c. so that's from the brawn sage and looked at and also on the sides julio stormy and so as come to paris with the turkmen head archaeologist to learn more about the latest analysis results here we have some would desist from that and we put them under this reflected lights microscope where we can have strong magnification so if you want to have a look at the at the structure. the specimen

is juniper wood as can be found growing in the highlands around look depp a today. they a clear indication that it wasn't climate change that drove people away. and. the louvre museum in paris regularly holds expert conferences in order to provide information on the latest developments and findings the focus today is on turkmenistan julio's army anto and mohammad are reporting about the latest research there for a long time the country was basically a blank spot in the historical atlas but excavations show that for millennia it was a hotspot of world history from 4000 b.c. to the beginning of modern times it played an important role in the expanse of eurasian cultural sphere life ancient turkmenistan grew rich from conducting trade along the silk road which carried highly valued goods from eastern asia to the

middle east and rome with its strategically important position between western and central asia the region formed by the link between the rulers of china and the emperors of faraway rome. to. this speech go it doesn't leave any crimes behind because there's enough plastic lying around into town to one is clear enough. for cycling this is a make or break your camp can succeed when children see the bigger picture. they

will think if they kill where they live. for. 30. dollars. where i come from we have to fight for a free press and was born and raised in a military dictatorship with just one t.v. shadow and a few newspapers with official information as attorneys i have walked off the streets like many cancers and they have problems are almost the same 14 the social inequality a lack of the freedom of the press. go up should work on the floor to stay silent when it comes to the fans of the humans and see them why the old school had decided to put their trust in us. my name is james harrison i work.

this is you know your new is a live from berlin the battle to replace uncle americal heats up 2 men declare themselves ready to leave the conservatives in germany's upcoming election our political editor tells us who's got the best chance also coming up on the show printing a revolution and mark activists put their pro-democracy message on paper amid internet blackout they're risking their lives to say they won't stop till they've defeated the military clinton act. and what's behind the flare up of violence in northern ireland we meet a young.