East to West (2011– )
3/10
Little knowledge is a dangerous thing
28 November 2023
I was looking for a comprehensive documentary covering the history of Central Asia and this was a great find. The sequence of episodes starting from pre-Roman times to spread of Islam to Turkey to modern times was perfect! Episode 1 started on the right tone with some interesting pieces of information. And then from Episode 2 onwards it seems the documentarians came together and aligned what's the main motif we want to get through the documentary - and the rest are just partial, half-baked parts of history which align with the message.

For eg, in Ep 4 on Renaissance the documentary focuses highly on how the East enabled Renaissance because it translated the Greek books of the yore but complete ignored the rest of the history between 600AD to 1500AD which was marked by murderous raids all over the world from east to west. Again in episode 5 it focuses on some of architectural wonders built by the Mughals & Mongols but completely ignores what funded these conquests and the brutality and beastiness the rulers displayed. The knowledge experts the documentary uses to make a point are so biased themselves that its almost jarring - repeatedly saying the same thing ad nauseum

Its one thing to worship the best of what a region/ sect has to offer, and its complete 'fake news' when you harp on just some random facts and use it to draw a wider conclusion.

A very partial view of history for some self-conceited reasons.
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