All language subtitles for Mysteries.of.the.Abandoned.S08E10.Ghosts.of.Mount.Fortune.1080p.DISC.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-DoGSO_track3_[eng]

[narrator] A Caribbean island,
home to a once powerful
industry

and of end up people divided.

They set fire to the one thing
that the company really,
really cares about.

[narrator] An isolated ghost
town where dreams were made.

This was simply not something
you would expect to see
11,000 feet up.

It demonstrates just how much
wealth there that was here.

[narrator]
And in the Mediterranean,

[narrator]
And in the Mediterranean,

an ancient village
caught in the crossfire.

Neighbor feared neighbor.
The atmosphere had changed.

It had become dangerous.

[narrator] Decaying relics...

ruins of lost worlds...

sites haunted by the past,

their secrets
waiting to be revealed.

High in the San Juan Mountains
of Colorado,

tucked away
in a steep-sided valley
is a land of shattered dreams.

[Alicia] It's strikingly
beautiful and on a sunny day
it's even idyllic.

But you can't help
but wonder what this place
looks like in the winter.

But you can't help
but wonder what this place
looks like in the winter.

[Sascha] For anyone living out
here, you have to be pretty
resilient.

The weathers here are fierce.

Snowstorms, avalanches,
freezing cold temperatures.

It's not the normal place
you'd expect people
to put buildings.

So there must have been a good
reason for them to be there.

[narrator] From above
it's clear that there
was more to the site

than the structures
still standing today.

As you come closer, you see
the outlines of streets,

As you come closer, you see
the outlines of streets,

you see the foundations
of old buildings.

[Dougal] Clearly,
lots of effort was put
into some of these.

You've got some sort of quite
ornate wooden structures, some
really quite nice buildings.

[Alicia] And others
have seen better days.

They look,
as if they've been destroyed
by some other outside factor.

[narrator] What promise of
riches first lured settlers
to this inhospitable land?

[narrator] What promise of
riches first lured settlers
to this inhospitable land?

There must have been something
that we can't see,
something hidden from view.

[narrator] And what unforeseen
disaster would begin
its premature demise?

David Singer is a preservation
expert and helps to look after
what's left of the site today.

[David]
So, this building is a jail.

It was built in 1882.

This was law
and order on the frontier.

Buildings made of wood.
But the planks are laid flat.

So, the walls
are all six inches thick.

People would try and break
out of the jail, of course.

But people would try
and break into the jail

if they wanted to have their
own kind of vigilante justice.

[narrator]
In the mid-19th century,

the United States was a land
gripped by wild optimism
and savage greed.

This place
was a part of that story.

This place
was a part of that story.

Once the federal government
opened up this land
to western settlements,

it opened the floodgates.

Suddenly Americans were coming
in from the East Coast

and immigrants were coming
from other countries to seize

whatever opportunity
this land had for them.

[narrator]
Untamed frontiers like this

were where fortune seekers
chased the elusive
American Dream.

[Sascha] It's impossible
to overestimate how
inhospitable an area this is.

[Sascha] It's impossible
to overestimate how
inhospitable an area this is.

In 1884,

a 23-day blizzard dumped
25 feet of snow on the region.

People had to dig tunnels
just to get from building
to building.

[narrator] But what these
people wanted was worth
the terrible hardship.

[Dougal] The San Juan
Mountains form part of the
Colorado Mineral Belt.

And this is an area that's
famous for hard rock ores

And this is an area that's
famous for hard rock ores

caused by mineralization
associated
with volcanic activity.

And what you find is that this
volcanic activity caused veins
of gold, silver, lead,

copper rich material
to be intruded into the rocks
around them.

But it's actually very, very
hard to get this material out

because it's in the solid
geology.

[Sascha] As early as 1873,

some groups had started
to explore the Animas River

and gold and silver deposits
were discovered
pretty early on.

and gold and silver deposits
were discovered
pretty early on.

Log cabins started
to sprout up, scattered
all around the place.

And within a year or so,

the Animas River area had
become a central focus of hard
rock, silver and gold mining.

[narrator]
This is Animas Forks,

a remote mining boom town
built on the promise
of precious metals.

This would have
been the main street area.

This would have
been the main street area.

There were two streets,
Little Street and Hanson.

This area
would have been bustling

with miners going to work in
the mills and the mines,

carts full of equipment
and materials, kids playing,
children going off to school.

[narrator]
Perched at around 11,000 feet,

this was one of the highest
altitude mining towns
in the country.

[Alicia] Animas Forks became
a substantial town over time

[Alicia] Animas Forks became
a substantial town over time

but it really began to see
some of its biggest
developments

after the sawmill
and lumber mill were created.

[narrator]
Within three years there were
30 cabins, a general store,

several saloons, a pharmacy,
and a post office.

[Alicia]
Even had the Kalamazoo Hotel,

which was the grandest and
largest building in the area.

It also had the town's
only telephone, and
this beautiful grand piano.

It also had the town's
only telephone, and
this beautiful grand piano.

Animas Forks was
a bustling metropolis.

[narrator] At its height,
400 people called this home.

For one family drawn here,
theirs was a story

that captured the reality
of what towns like this
were really all about.

[David] When the Duncans
moved here in the late 1870s,

they were considering
this to be a place that
was going to grow and develop,

they were considering
this to be a place that
was going to grow and develop,

and become
a full-fledged town.

And so, they built a home that
was commensurate with modern
living in the Victorian era.

The amazing views out into the
mountains from this bay window

were unrivaled
for this kind of living,

having a bit of culture
while you were kind of
on the frontier as a pioneer.

[Sascha]
This was simply not something
you would expect to see

11,000 feet up the side
of a steep mountain.

And it demonstrates
just how much wealth
there was to be made here.

[narrator]
Pride comes before a fall.

And soon, the Duncans and
other townspeople would learn
that lesson the hard way.

The town had hit its height
and it was rapidly
going into decline.

[narrator] In the rugged
mountains of Colorado
is a gold mining ghost town.

Its rapid rise made
the inhabitants rich,
until catastrophe intervened.

The town's boom period
came to a sudden end
on October 22nd, 1891.

A huge fire burned down most
of the business district,

A huge fire burned down most
of the business district,

causing over
$20,000 in damage.

[Alicia]
The fire actually originated
in the Kalamazoo House kitchen

and then it ultimately ended
up spreading throughout
the rest of the town.

And to add insult to injury,
mining had already begun
to taper.

And so, with these two things
together,

this was a really crucial
moment for the people
of Animas Forks.

[narrator] Only five years
after they arrived, the
Duncans departed Animas Forks.

[narrator] Only five years
after they arrived, the
Duncans departed Animas Forks.

Their dream of striking
it rich in tatters.

But not everyone packed their
belongings in such a hurry.

[David] The town kind of
lay fallow for a while

until it was revived again
sometime after 1904

when the Gold Prince Mill
was being constructed.

This is a gravity-fed mill.

And so, that's why you're
seeing the foundation
of this large building tiered

And so, that's why you're
seeing the foundation
of this large building tiered

as they did things
to the ore to process it.

At its peak, it had
a 500-ton-per-day capacity

and it was fed ore
by this incredibly impressive

12,600-foot aerial tramway.

[Dougal]
Things were going swimmingly

and looked like things were
improving a lot in this area

until unfortunately the owners
of the Gold Prince Mill
went bankrupt in 1907.

until unfortunately the owners
of the Gold Prince Mill
went bankrupt in 1907.

[narrator] When it was no
longer profitable to extract
the mineral-bearing ore,

the town's days
were sadly numbered.

[David]
After the Gold Prince Mill
closed down in 1910,

people moved on

and there were some sporadic
repopulation here

in the '20s and then the '60s.

But the town
was never occupied again.

[narrator] For centuries,
the lure of gold has driven
humankind mad with lust.

A hard life of feast
or famine that shaped
not only the landscape

but the world
we live in today.

[Sascha] It might seem that
the story of Animas Forks
is just another story

of a boomtown gone bust.

And sure, in many ways it is.

But it's also a story
of lives made,
lives lost in the process.

And we shouldn't
forget that part of it.

And we shouldn't
forget that part of it.

[narrator] Off the
southern coast of England,

in The Solent
is an isolated structure.

[Lynette] The first time
I ever saw this,

I was sailing out of
Portsmouth through The Solent.

And there, up ahead of us,
looked like it was an island.

And we got closer,
and can't be an island,
it's... it's too round.

[Dougal] At face value,
it looks like something from
Mad Max meets Waterworld.

What's it doing there?

[narrator] Its state of decay
suggests this
is no modern construction.

[Sascha] This is really
falling to pieces.

[Sascha] This is really
falling to pieces.

The concrete is crumbling,
all the metal is corroded.

This has clearly been through
some really tough years.

[narrator] Inside is a
labyrinth of dark passages.

[Dougal]
And as you explore further,

you can see that
there's a whole series
of interconnecting corridors,

some of which are so tight
you have to squeeze past.

It's a real
claustrophobic environment.

[narrator]
Are the unobstructed
views of the ocean

[narrator]
Are the unobstructed
views of the ocean

key to understanding
the structure's purpose?

[Sascha] That rather
unique circular design

is a really crucial clue
as to what was going on here.

Another important fact

to consider is that there
are other emplacements
just like it.

[Dougal]
There's been a lot of thought

put into this very tightly
knit, very strong structure.

What was it for?

[narrator] For centuries,
in times of war,

the United Kingdom has taken
advantage of its position
as an island nation.

This hulking mass of concrete

was a vital part
of the strategy to ward off
foreign invaders.

[Dougal]
There are a number of things
that are built on top of it

that are clearly
from World War II.

There are outposts,
there's place to put guns.

I mean it's very reminiscent
of many of the structures

that we see along
this coastal part of the UK.

that we see along
this coastal part of the UK.

[narrator] Dom Hones
lives nearby on the mainland,

and is an expert on this
unique slice of history.

[Dom] We're downstairs
in the cartridge cellar,

which is the lower basement
floor at the fort.

And quite simply down here was
where all of the ammunitions
was initially stored

before it was taken up
to the higher levels to the
gun emplacements to be used.

[narrator] Clearly this was
designed for war.

But its qualities don't appear
suited to the incredible
firepower of the Nazis.

This was not something
that could withstand
the type of warfare

that was waged
in World War II.

I mean, you could either just
bomb it from the air,

or you could hit it with
heavy shells from a warship.

[Dougal] But these
structures from World War II,

are these built on
something that pre-existed?

are these built on
something that pre-existed?

And is that the key
to what this place
used to be used for?

[narrator]
If not intended to defend
against German attack,

what enemy threatened
England's shores?

[narrator]
In the English Channel is an
isolated defensive structure.

Surviving elements hint it
played a role in World War II,

and yet it appears to date
to a much earlier period.

This is clearly
more than 100 years old.

This is 150 years old.

[narrator]
A century before Hitler's
forces terrorized Europe,

[narrator]
A century before Hitler's
forces terrorized Europe,

fear of invasion
came from much closer to home.

In the old days England's
ancient enemy was France.

And of the continental powers,
France is the closest one.

It's only a few miles across
the English Channel
from Britain.

[narrator] Construction here
began in 1861,

a time of heightened tension

led by an ambitious
French family dynasty
with a score to settle.

led by an ambitious
French family dynasty
with a score to settle.

[Sascha]
France's new leader was
Napoleon Bonaparte III,

the nephew of the famous
Napoleon Bonaparte

who had fought an epic battle
against Britain

before finally facing defeat
at Trafalgar and Waterloo.

You can imagine

why his descendant might hold
just a little bit of a grudge
against the British.

[Dougal]
The prime minister
at the time,

Henry John Temple,
3rd Viscount Palmerston,
was a very popular man.

And he decreed
that it would be useful
to set up a series of defenses

against any potential attack
from the sea.

[narrator]
There was good reason to
think an attack was imminent.

The French were embarking
on an aggressive
shipbuilding program,

technologically advanced
and unparalleled in its might.

[Dom] The French military
was developed,

so that they had, you know,
ironclad warships including
La Gloire.

so that they had, you know,
ironclad warships including
La Gloire.

[narrator]
Britain had yet to develop
an equivalent armored warship.

Its aging wooden fleet
didn't stand a chance.

The La Gloire
was a major threat to Britain.

Palmerston knew that
the French ironclad could sail

right up a Royal Navy fleet

and that the cannons of those
ships could do very little
to dent the ironclad hull.

and that the cannons of those
ships could do very little
to dent the ironclad hull.

Britain was put on the
backfoot almost overnight.

The ironclad was a kind
of undefeatable super weapon.

[narrator] In response,
Palmerston ordered
a royal commission

to assess the United Kingdom's
ability to repel
foreign invaders.

Its findings spread panic.

If you can't get the
Royal Navy to suddenly
convert to ironclads,

If you can't get the
Royal Navy to suddenly
convert to ironclads,

you've got to defend
the Royal Navy's ports
with something else.

You've got to defend them
using armored
fortresses instead.

[narrator]
This is Horse Sand Fort,

one of a chain of four
sea-based defenses

intended to protect the key
naval position of Portsmouth
from French attack.

In today's money,
each stronghold
cost around $60 million.

And they were part of a far
larger nationwide plan

And they were part of a far
larger nationwide plan

that would come
to define Palmerston's reign.

[Dougal]
It's difficult to build at sea
at the best of time.

You imagine how hard it
must have been in the 1860s.

And what they would do
is they would sail these
pre-formed concrete blocks

out to the site and drop them
to form the foundations
on the sea floor

and build up from there.

And, eventually, you can
build up out of the sea

and build the structure
of these fortresses.

[narrator]
Above the foundation

was a basement level divided
radially into compartments
for ammunition,

was a basement level divided
radially into compartments
for ammunition,

with the outermost passage
designed to allow
additional armor

to be bolted
onto the exterior of the fort.

When finished in 1880
there was enough
firepower stored inside

to sink any approaching fleet.

So, here we have one
of the gun emplacements.

There would have been 49
in total, 25 on one level,
24 on the other.

There would have been 49
in total, 25 on one level,
24 on the other.

And this is where the main gun
emplacements were and the
main firepower for the force.

Originally been up
to 12.5-inch rifle
muzzle-loading guns,

huge, huge 38-ton guns.

[narrator]
On the fort's upper levels,

the troops kept
a round-the-clock watch
for any approaching enemy.

The way that these forts
were designed

was that they created a line
of defense across
the entire Solent

was that they created a line
of defense across
the entire Solent

that the French navy
would have to pass through
in order to get to the shore.

Had they attempted
to get through,

they would had to come through
between Horse Sand Fort

and No Man's Ford
and they would have been
obliterated from all angles.

And every area,
stretch of water in between
would have been covered.

[narrator]
Were the English
ready for the French attack?

And would the costly fort
stand up to the challenge?

[narrator]
In the English Channel
is an aging fort

designed to protect against a
French navy readying for war.

The soldiers stationed on
board kept a constant watch.

So when the alarm sounded,
which could have been
any time of day or night,

the soldiers had to, you know,
stop whatever they were doing
and take the call to arms.

[narrator] But that call
to arms never came.

[Sascha]
In the early 20th century,

the dynamics
of Britain's relationship

to its continental allies
shifted dramatically.

The unification of Germany
really changed the equation
on the continent.

[Lynette] Lord Palmerston
gears up for a French attack
that never comes.

The crisis in relations
with the French passes.

The crisis in relations
with the French passes.

And in fact, the French and
the British come together in
the middle of the 19th century

and are as close allies

as two nations can be
for decades.

[narrator]
For the man that ordered
the fort's construction,

the defenses became
a damning part of his legacy.

[Sascha] The official title
is The Solent Forts.

But while they were built,
they were given a different
name by a derisive press.

But while they were built,
they were given a different
name by a derisive press.

They were called
Palmerston's Follies.

[narrator]
Across the south coast, over
80 forts were commissioned.

To this day,
it was the single most
expensive military project

Britain has undertaken
during peacetime.

[Lynette] With hindsight,

you might say that Lord
Palmerston was foolish

to build all of those
fortresses with a massive
investment of national wealth,

to build all of those
fortresses with a massive
investment of national wealth,

but only with hindsight.

[narrator]
Even after the fort
was repurposed

for use in the First
and then Second World War,
the guns stayed silent.

[Don] There has never been
a shot fired in anger
from Horse Sand.

The closest they got to it
was during World War II

when one
of the French warships
sought refuge in Portsmouth.

And that's the only time
the cannons and the forts
were targeted on that ship

And that's the only time
the cannons and the forts
were targeted on that ship

just to ensure its safe
passage into the harbor.

[narrator]
A decade after the world's
deadliest conflict ended,

the fort was decommissioned.

To this day, it has sat empty,
an ocean albatross
motivated by fear.

On the island of Puerto Rico,

near the southern shore,
are the remnants
of a fallen giant.

[Jim] As you approach from
the water, you see what looks
like a Caribbean paradise.

But as you get closer,

you see the vast ruins
of some kind of big
industrial enterprise.

[Claire] There's conveyor
belts and chutes,
and chimneys.

There's a massive pier
heading out into the water.

Obviously,
we're taking something away.

There's some
transportation involved.

But what was it for?

[narrator] Surrounding
the industrial zone are clues

this area was even bigger
than it first appears.

[Claire] There's also signs
that there's a typical
town here.

There's all sorts of
little buildings,
different shapes and sizes,

There's all sorts of
little buildings,
different shapes and sizes,

some very domestic, some
clearly for the community.

[Jim]
You see what looks like
it might have been a hotel.

Everything built for those
tropical conditions
with large verandas,

lots of big windows for the
breezes to blow through.

[narrator] But the layout of
this town suggests not all
was as it seemed.

Whatever this place was,
you can see that it obviously
housed a lot of people.

Whatever this place was,
you can see that it obviously
housed a lot of people.

But there appears to be
something off with it.

You can spot
that there's two very, very
different standards of living.

[narrator]
The rusting structures that
cling to the landscape today

were once the
beating heart of this island.

Wilfredo Santiago lives
nearby and is fascinated
by the run-down site's past.

Wilfredo Santiago lives
nearby and is fascinated
by the run-down site's past.

[Wilfredo] So, at its height,

this facility was basically
creating tons of this product
that was in super high demand.

Basically, sustained
the economy of the country
for almost 100 years.

So, right now we're standing
at the central office.

It was basically filled with
desks, a lot of processors,
a lot of paperwork.

It was the central hub
of information.

Every process
went through here.

So, most of the workforce here
in the central office
were Americans.

So, most of the workforce here
in the central office
were Americans.

They were
the figures of power.

[narrator] For four centuries,
Puerto Rico had been
a Spanish colony.

As the 1800s drew to a close,

a new superpower emerged
that would change the course
of the island's history.

[Jim] In 1898,
a very short but intense war

started between
Spain and the United States.

Within a year,
Spain had decided there was
no way they could win this war

Within a year,
Spain had decided there was
no way they could win this war

and they actually granted
the island of Puerto Rico
to the United States.

A lot of Americans
saw Puerto Rico as a wonderful
opportunity for investment.

[Claire] So, Ford and Co.,
that's not the car people,
a different Ford,

acquired the land here,

and with it they decided
to invest a huge amount
of money

in order to make an even
bigger amount of money.

[Alicia]
Everything was centered around

[Alicia]
Everything was centered around

and everything came to be
because of one commodity,
sugar.

[narrator] These are the ruins
of Central Aguirre,

a company town
built on sweet white gold.

[Wilfredo] The employees
worked sun to sun,
what they called it sol a sol.

It was basically 6 a.m.
to 6 p.m.

And a lot of people,
there was no transportation.

So, if you live pretty
far away from the area,

you have to walk one hour,
two hours to get here.

you have to walk one hour,
two hours to get here.

So, you were losing almost
all your life working
for a misery.

[narrator] Profit was key,

and the surrounding
neighborhood grew to
support the booming industry.

[Claire]
You can't run a place
like this just on the factory.

You need all the
extra supporting stuff.

You need a town, hospitals,
schools, places to worship.

It had the lot absolutely tied
to the factory at its heart.

[Alicia] By establishing
these communities
around the factories,

[Alicia] By establishing
these communities
around the factories,

factory owners were
helping to ensure a consistent
and stable labor force.

[Jim]
So, in the early 20th century,

the Aguirre plantation became
the focus of a lot of
very modern industrialization.

They realized
if they could get the cane
from the fields to the plant,

crushed and processed,
and loaded onto ships with the
fewest human hands possible,

crushed and processed,
and loaded onto ships with the
fewest human hands possible,

that would be the most
cost-effective way
to run the whole operation.

[narrator] By 1920, production
increased to record levels,

generating over
$5 million per year.

The population
swelled to almost 6,000,

mostly employees
of Central Aguirre.

But for the workers,
a dark side
would soon be revealed,

unleashing a violent wave
of protest.

unleashing a violent wave
of protest.

They set fire to the one thing
that the company
really, really cares about

in order to get people
to pay attention.

[narrator] In Puerto Rico are
the remains of a huge
industrial sugar mill

surrounded by
the company town
that supported it.

It offered the hope of
prosperity to local workers.

But underlying intolerance
threatened to destroy it.

In theory,
providing this community
for workers is utopian.

But if we actually look
at the site,

But if we actually look
at the site,

we see that there
is segregation that
runs rampant in this facility.

[Jim]
Where the American overseers
lived in these lovely houses,

they socialized strictly among
themselves and they had
the best of everything.

The people from Puerto Rico
who live there lived
in very modest housing.

[narrator] The accommodation
was of such poor construction,

little of it survives
to be seen today.

little of it survives
to be seen today.

[Claire] So, here it's not
just about civil planning,

making life beautiful
for everybody.

There's a hierarchy
and there's apartheid.

You've got one area
that's for the Americans

and you've got the other area
that's for the locals.

[narrator] The divide
didn't stop at the housing.

At the American hotel,
the deep-seated prejudice
becomes painfully clear.

[Wilfredo] We got to a point
that if a Puerto Rican snuck

[Wilfredo] We got to a point
that if a Puerto Rican snuck

in or walked in
and got into the pool,

they would completely dry
it out and clean it
so they can refill it.

They basically had this idea
that we Puerto Ricans
were dirty,

we're unhygienic,
and we were filthy.

[narrator]
For over three decades,

the sugar mill thrived
and profits soared

at the expense of the workers
segregated
on their own island.

In time the employees would
fight back against the poor
wages and mistreatment.

[Claire] Beginning on the 26th
of December 1934,

a wave of strikes sets off
across Puerto Rico.

And this has huge implications
for sugar processing industry.

[Alicia]
You have a number of workers

who destroyed about
2,900 cords of sugarcane

at an enormous loss
to the factory
and the factory owners.

This was particularly
catastrophic,

This was particularly
catastrophic,

but it was effective
in that they were able to
negotiate some better terms.

[Claire] Over the next decade,

it's a constant battle
to improve worker's rights
and conditions,

balanced up against
the new machinery
that's being brought in.

[Wilfredo]
It was not until they started
to unionize and, you know,

fight for the right for more
money and more equal pay

that when they started getting
a little bit more stable in
the whole community.

[narrator]
But the hard-fought
rights didn't last for long.

[narrator]
But the hard-fought
rights didn't last for long.

Despite continual efforts
to modernize production,

the sugar industry here was
entering a terminal decline.

[Jim] By the mid-'60s,
the boom was ending.

The end of the road
was becoming visible.

The price of sugar
was collapsing.

[Claire] The American owners
effectively abandoned the town

and it's taken on by this
local and national government.

But by 1993,
the writing was on the wall.

But by 1993,
the writing was on the wall.

This was not
a profit-making town anymore.

And the factory closed,
and with it the town
just fell apart.

[narrator]
Today, the abandoned
company town is no more

than a ghost of Puerto Rico's
colonial past.

[Jim] It's fascinating to see
the remnants of what was once
this thriving industry,

and also to understand the
degree of exploitation that
was involved in this business.

and also to understand the
degree of exploitation that
was involved in this business.

[narrator] On the island
of Cyprus in the
Eastern Mediterranean Sea

is a crumbling ruin.

Its walls tainted by tragedy.

[Lynette]
Among some pretty hills
is a stone village.

[Lynette]
Among some pretty hills
is a stone village.

This is not fancy,

but it is absolutely clear
from the way this has survived

that the people who built
this place built well.

They built to last.

Some stone stairways
are still visible

and windows and doors
give an idea of what
the place used to look like.

[Geoff] The odd
assemblage of buildings

that they could date
from almost any era.

Some look quite old,
some look less old.

Some look quite old,
some look less old.

[Dominic]
The sense you get from all of
this is that this is a place

that's been inhabited down
the ages and potentially
by different cultures.

[Geoff] And yet
the people are all gone

and this whole area
would have been cultivated,
and, yet, now it's empty.

[narrator]
What story of sorrow
weighs heavy on this land?

And why is this village
now abandoned?

[Dominic] There was
an underlying divide
in the country,

which had been bubbling
away for decades,

which had been bubbling
away for decades,

came to the surface in the
most violent and shocking way.

[narrator] On the island
of Cyprus is the ruin of an
ancient stone village.

For many locals in this area,

traditional Christian belief
lies at the heart
of their community.

Christodoulos Papaminas
is a farmer
in the neighboring village.

He remembers fondly the simple
way of life that existed here.

[speaking other language]

[speaking other language]

[translator] It was a village
of livestock farmers.

People spent most
of their time in the fields.

That was their life.

[narrator]
In time, events on the island
would tear this village apart.

A single building holds the
key to its sudden abandonment.

[speaking other language]

[translator]
This used to be the mosque
for the Turkish Cypriots.

They used to come here to
attend their formal worship.

They used to come here to
attend their formal worship.

If we've got a mosque
here in the village,

this is a sign that this might
have been
not a Greek Orthodox village

but a Turkish Muslim village.

And in the history of Cyprus,
in the recent history
of Cyprus, that's significant.

Cyprus has for many years
been a country made up
of two groups,

the Turkish Cypriots
and the Greek Cypriots.

the Turkish Cypriots
and the Greek Cypriots.

The Greek Cypriots
are predominantly
Christian orthodox,

whereas the Turkish Cypriots
are predominantly Muslim.

For many, many years
they lived happily
side by side.

[narrator] This is Foinikas,
a once harmonious
Mediterranean village.

In living memory,
it was home to 235 people.

Yet, in the past, life
here was not always peaceful.

[Geoff] Cyprus enjoys
a really strategic location.

[Geoff] Cyprus enjoys
a really strategic location.

And because of its key
position in the Mediterranean

and because of its relatively
flourishing economy
and its good natural harbors,

Cyprus was battled over
by the powers for centuries,

the Greeks, the Romans,
the Phoenicians, the Turks.

[narrator] The run-down walls
are evidence of one of the
earliest occupying forces.

In the 12th century,
the Knights Templar
called this place home.

In the 12th century,
the Knights Templar
called this place home.

They built the village
from stones from the
nearby vertical rock faces.

[narrator] During the
violent era of the Crusades,

the Knights Templar protected
European Christian travelers

visiting sites
in the Muslim-held holy land.

The Templars
want to control Cyprus

because it will enable them
to strengthen

their control
of Middle Eastern
trade routes.

their control
of Middle Eastern
trade routes.

So, the Knights Templar build
what they call a commandery,

that is a command post
here in this village.

[narrator] It may have been
founded at a time
of religious warring,

but over the centuries
the people learned
to live together.

Through the years
of coming to trade
with fellow cattlemen,

Christodoulos
made many friends.

[speaking other language]

[speaking other language]

[translator] One close friend
I had was called Somalios,
and his father, Mustafa.

We had good relationships with
the rest of the cattlers and
the farmers in the village.

We used to meet them often
in a little coffee
place off the village.

The daily activities and the
life in the village was pretty
much the same every day.

[narrator]
But trouble was brewing.

The religious divide,

central to the holy wars of
the Crusades, would resurface
hundreds of years later.

central to the holy wars of
the Crusades, would resurface
hundreds of years later.

So, this growing tension
between the Greek Christians
and the Turkish Muslims

explodes into open warfare
in 1974,

when the Greek government
led by a military junta
decides,

you know, "We're going
to annex the island of Cyprus

because it's largely Greek,
it belongs to Greece."

[speaking other language]

[translator]
We were surprised to hear
about the coup that morning.

We didn't know
about it before it happened.

All hell broke loose.

All hell broke loose.

[Lynette] Turkey's response
to the Greek Cypriot
nationalist coup d'etat

is to seek to protect

the Turks of Cyprus
by invading Cyprus.

[narrator] The island
instantly descended
into violent chaos.

In the fog of war,

both sides were guilty
of committing
unforgivable atrocities.

[Dominic]
Now, neighbor feared neighbor.

[Dominic]
Now, neighbor feared neighbor.

The atmosphere had changed.
It had become dangerous.

What once had been a peaceful
landscape of coexistence
had been shattered.

It's such a waste.

[narrator] For 30 days,

bitter fighting raged until
finally a ceasefire was agreed
and the country divided up.

And as a condition
of the ceasefire, there were
massive population transfers.

Tens of thousands
of Greek Christians migrated
from the now Turkish zone

Tens of thousands
of Greek Christians migrated
from the now Turkish zone

in the north of the island
to the now Greek zone
in the south of the island.

And the same thing
happened on the other side.

[narrator] This village on the
south of the island was now
part of Greek-held territory.

The civilians of Foinikas
were caught in the middle
of the chaos

and had to decide what to do.

It had been a Turkish village
for years,

but now they were being told
that they're on the wrong side
of the border.

[narrator] Fearing reprisals,
the Muslim occupants fled.

Christodoulos remembers
only too well the trauma
of this terrible period.

Christodoulos remembers
only too well the trauma
of this terrible period.

[speaking other language]

[translator] It's a great
sorrow for all these people

and the loss they
had to go through.

No one can
ever forget about that.

You just become sad
only by thinking about it.

I don't believe that anyone
will come here ever again.

How can anyone be
able to live here anymore?

[narrator]
Over four decades have passed

since the shocking events
that transformed
this Mediterranean island.

Yet, Cyprus
is still a country divided.

The Turks of Northern Cyprus
are convinced

that if they let their guard
down for even a moment,

the Greeks will take over.

The Greeks of Cyprus
are convinced

that if they let their guard
down for even a moment,
the Turks will take over.

that if they let their guard
down for even a moment,
the Turks will take over.

And the partition of Cyprus

remains part of the daily life
of that island to this day.