For thousands of years Turkey has been at the heart of ancient trade routes linking China and Europe that have brought silk, exotic spices, new cultures and ideas through Turkey – to the west and beyond. Trade on the Silk Road played a significant role in the development of civilisations, opening long-distance political and economic relations between them. Today these routes still exist, on a larger scale and are carrying more than silk, spices and new ideas.

In this one-hour film, presenter Holly Morris discovers who uses this famous Silk Road today, and how Turkey’s history has shaped and impacted what remains. Travelling over 1000 miles from Ankara to Mt Ararat in the east, Holly uncovers the products and goods that are brought along the Silk Road routes, and the trucks and truckers that carry them.

Beginning in Turkey’s capital city of Ankara, Holly visits some of its main sites and monuments: the Kocatepe Mosque, Ankara Castle, Ulus Square and a traditional food market. Holly reveals a little about the thousands of conquering armies who over ran Turkey for centuries, and how Ankara became the capital city of the country when Ataturk formed the modern republic it is today.