Silk Road leads from Uzbekistan to London for landmark exhibition

Detail from the 7th-century wall painting from the ‘Hall of the Ambassadors’ in Uzbekistan. Photograph: © ACDF of Uzbekistan, Samarkand State Museum Reserve

A monumental six-metre-long wall painting created in the 7th century, and 8th-century ivory figures carved for one of the world’s oldest surviving chess sets, are among treasures set to be seen in Britain for the first time.

The items will travel from the ancient city of Samarkand to the UK for an exhibition opening in September, as part of the first-ever loan from museums in Uzbekistan to the British Museum.