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For 5,000 years this land, Egypt,
and the epic civilisation it gave
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birth to has been shaped by one
thing more than any other,
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this awesome river.
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The River Nile.
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00:00:25,506 --> 00:00:27,786
The Nile helped temples to rise...
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00:00:29,986 --> 00:00:34,226
...Pharaohs to rule and pyramids
to be built.
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00:00:35,586 --> 00:00:39,275
Without the Nile there'd have been
no Ancient Egypt.
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00:00:40,962 --> 00:00:46,556
So, I'm setting off on the
historicaljourney of a lifetime,
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a 900 mile adventure, along the
Nile, across the whole of Egypt.
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00:00:51,736 --> 00:00:55,386
I'll explore Egypt's
greatest achievements...
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00:00:55,386 --> 00:00:57,746
It is truly wonderful, isn't it?
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00:00:57,746 --> 00:01:01,356
...And find treasures hidden
for thousands of years.
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00:01:01,356 --> 00:01:03,746
Oh, my God. That's a sheer
drop down.
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This is my chance to travel
this fabulous land.
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And experience it as the ancient
Egyptians did, from the River Nile.
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From pharaohs to slaves,
from facts to fantasies,
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I want to explore, first hand,
and understand how this river
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shaped one of the world's first,
and greatest, civilisations.
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Join me as I uncover 5,000 years
of history along the River Nile.
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For thousands of years this river
has been the lifeblood of Egypt.
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My first taste of the mighty
Nile is its mouth.
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I've hitched a lift on this
fishing boat to check out
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00:02:00,945 --> 00:02:03,075
where the river meets the sea.
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These boats are coming in from
the Mediterranean.
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I'm right at the very mouth of the
Nile delta.
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Since ancient times this has been
Egypt's gateway to the world,
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and it was along these waters
the world connected
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to a civilisation that's had
enormous influence on all our lives.
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For thousands of years the Nile
has nourished culture,
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and civilisation, and technology.
But it's also been people's home.
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So over the next few weeks
I'm going to be leaving the land,
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and living on the water.
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I hope to be meeting old friends
and perhaps making new ones
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so I can try to understand the
power, and the secrets,
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00:02:47,486 --> 00:02:50,616
and the stories of
this historical dynamo.
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My journey proper begins
on the other side of the Nile Delta
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at Cairo, where the mass of streams
and canals at the Nile's end come
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together to form one glorious river.
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00:03:05,716 --> 00:03:09,536
From there, I'm sailing upstream
using the river like a historical
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00:03:09,536 --> 00:03:13,336
treasure map to investigate
great sites and new discoveries
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00:03:13,336 --> 00:03:15,005
from ancient Egypt.
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It's an adventure along Egypt's
river artery,
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all the way to its border
with Sudan.
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But to do any of this, I'm going
to need more than
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just a fishing boat.
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Because I'm making a historical
journey,
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my home for the next couple of weeks
is going to be a traditional boat
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that for centuries has sailed
up and down the river Nile.
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00:03:41,646 --> 00:03:45,075
It's this beautiful thing,
a Dahabiya.
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00:03:49,916 --> 00:03:55,142
Part barge part sailboat, Dahabiyas
are unique to the shallow waters
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of the Nile.
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My goodness, this
is absolutely huge.
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I wasn't expecting it to be so big.
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Hello. Hi. Are you Osama? Please.
Nice to meet you.
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Thank you. Welcome. Thank you
so much. Please. I will.
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00:04:08,656 --> 00:04:12,086
Gosh, this is so beautiful.
What an amazing boat.
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00:04:12,086 --> 00:04:15,416
I've seen them in pictures,
these, but I've never actually
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had a chance to sail on one before.
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00:04:17,616 --> 00:04:20,216
Flat bottom boats like this
have sailed up the Nile
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00:04:20,216 --> 00:04:22,156
for thousands of years.
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In ancient Egypt the symbol
for any kind of a journey
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was a boat.
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This is our captain.
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Hi, nice to meet you.
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Hi, I'm Bettany. Welcome.
Thank you.
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00:04:34,786 --> 00:04:38,296
And this is this is your cruise.
Yeah. Hi, Gentlemen.
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Hi, I'm Bettany.
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The ancient Egyptians were a bit
wary of ocean travel,
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00:04:42,496 --> 00:04:46,726
but when it came to the Nile
they were in their element.
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Let me show you cabin.
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00:04:48,805 --> 00:04:53,086
Cruises on Dahabiyas like this
became popular 200 years ago,
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00:04:53,086 --> 00:04:56,626
as modern day travellers fell under
Egypt's spell.
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Pitch-black in here, everybody.
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I'll open the curtains.
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00:05:08,676 --> 00:05:09,766
Oh, my goodness.
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00:05:12,795 --> 00:05:14,146
Hello, Nile.
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This is ridiculous.
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What am I going to tell my husband
and my kids when I get home?
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They think I'm working very hard.
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00:05:21,785 --> 00:05:25,626
This is your private terrace.
I've got my own little deck.
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00:05:30,676 --> 00:05:35,636
Oh, that's not bad, Osama.
I do really love this river.
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00:05:36,716 --> 00:05:40,766
The river Nile is actually
the father of all other rivers,
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00:05:40,766 --> 00:05:41,875
all over the world.
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00:05:41,875 --> 00:05:44,556
Yes. This is what I think
about the River Nile.
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00:05:44,556 --> 00:05:49,196
Yes. Yeah, well, it just created
a whole world, didn't it, the Nile?
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00:05:49,196 --> 00:05:51,656
There's no doubt. No. Amazing.
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I'm not going to explore
its secrets.
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00:05:58,096 --> 00:06:02,145
One thing you learned quickly
in Egypt is that it's smart to avoid
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00:06:02,145 --> 00:06:03,986
the midday heat.
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00:06:03,986 --> 00:06:07,376
So, as dawn arrives the crew
get ready to depart.
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00:06:23,866 --> 00:06:26,786
And as the sun
appears we're on our way.
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00:06:39,856 --> 00:06:44,706
The Nile united ancient Egyptians
from north to south, bank to bank.
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I want to try to understand
these people,
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00:06:49,706 --> 00:06:52,945
and the role this river
played in all their lives.
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00:06:54,666 --> 00:06:59,416
And I'll be exploring the land
that first got me hooked on history.
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00:07:04,935 --> 00:07:08,346
Whenever I go travelling I always
take one of these,
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so I write notes on the places
I've visited.
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I bring quotes from ancient authors
and sometimes photos.
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00:07:15,506 --> 00:07:19,736
But for this trip I've been asked
to include some photos of myself
100
00:07:19,736 --> 00:07:22,566
and there's a reason for this.
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00:07:22,566 --> 00:07:26,556
I was five years old when I first
saw the British Museum,
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00:07:26,556 --> 00:07:29,516
and it's amazing
Tutankhamun exhibition.
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00:07:31,476 --> 00:07:35,726
That experience inspired me
to write my first book.
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This is My Busy Book,
by Bettany.
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This is my theory on why, and how,
Tutankhamun died.
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00:07:44,246 --> 00:07:46,966
"Tutankhamun was a long time ago.
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He must have lots of men
because he was rich,
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00:07:49,786 --> 00:07:51,576
and he was very, very nice.
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But one day some, spelt 'sum',
mosquitoes, that were very germy,
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bit him, and he died. Somebody
buried the jewellery,
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00:08:01,706 --> 00:08:06,526
and made doors for the jewellery,
but after some men dug it up."
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00:08:06,526 --> 00:08:08,456
Obviously, archaeologists.
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00:08:08,456 --> 00:08:12,815
And lots and lots, and lots, and
lots of people went to the museum,
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00:08:12,815 --> 00:08:15,736
and on the television you can
see it.
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00:08:18,376 --> 00:08:22,815
The story of Tutankhamun
has captivated millions.
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00:08:22,815 --> 00:08:25,976
He's one of the reasons
I became a historian.
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00:08:27,055 --> 00:08:30,466
I've been tipped off that this
afternoon something rather
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00:08:30,466 --> 00:08:32,376
extraordinary is happening.
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I've got an appointment
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00:08:35,166 --> 00:08:38,236
with one of the world's
leading Egyptologists
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00:08:38,236 --> 00:08:39,786
at the Egyptian Museum.
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00:08:42,216 --> 00:08:45,416
I can't tell you how much
this is my happy place,
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00:08:45,416 --> 00:08:48,025
because this museum is 5,000
square meters.
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It's absolutely jam packed
with artefacts,
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00:08:50,786 --> 00:08:52,145
and treasures and objects.
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00:08:52,145 --> 00:08:54,456
They even say there's not
enough room for them all.
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00:08:54,456 --> 00:08:56,945
So they have to be stored
out here in the courtyard.
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00:08:59,866 --> 00:09:06,286
This magnificent museum
holds 120,000 Egyptian antiquities.
129
00:09:06,286 --> 00:09:10,795
Amongst them is the world's greatest
collection of royal coffins.
130
00:09:10,795 --> 00:09:15,076
And this afternoon one of them
is going to be opened
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for a very rare glimpse of the
mummy inside.
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I think it's somewhere around here.
I think.
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00:09:25,746 --> 00:09:26,746
Hi, Salima.
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Professor Salima lkram and I share
a passion for the story of Egypt.
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I'm so pleased that you could come.
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00:09:35,176 --> 00:09:38,145
Salima is a world expert
in mummification.
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And today I'm joining her team.
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Their subject is 3,400 years old.
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She's called Thuya.
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And she's no less than the great
grandmother of Tutankhamun.
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I've never actually seen her face.
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No, no, because this has not
been opened for ages.
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Salima needs to check on
Thuya's body, so her glass cabinet
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00:10:04,226 --> 00:10:05,786
is being opened.
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Her coffin lid will be removed.
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And for the first time in years,
we'll be able to see her mummified.
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In the centre of modern Cairo
just yards from the River Nile
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I've come to the Egyptian Museum
for a rather special rendezvous.
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This afternoon I'm coming
face-to-face with the great
grandmother
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of Tutankhamun.
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Oh, my goodness. My heart
is actually beating faster.
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00:10:48,587 --> 00:10:52,957
Why she's special, is it's maybe
one of the best preserved mummies.
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00:10:52,957 --> 00:10:57,756
Absolutely. She is one of the best
preserved mummies that we have.
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This is Thuya.
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She was discovered two decades
before her great grandson.
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When we look at her face, do you
think that could give us
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00:11:06,906 --> 00:11:09,457
any genetic clues as to what
Tutankhamun looked like?
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00:11:09,457 --> 00:11:12,417
I think that would be quite possible
especially because they've got
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00:11:12,417 --> 00:11:14,736
the same set of teeth sticking
out a bit.
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00:11:14,736 --> 00:11:18,736
What's really extraordinary
is that she's not born royal.
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There's a lot of social mobility.
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I mean, she starts off quite
common. just has a priestess,
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00:11:24,297 --> 00:11:27,617
and then she's in this splendid
tomb with all of this gold,
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and stuff. Amazing.
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00:11:29,746 --> 00:11:31,947
Can you smell that?
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It smells like resins and incense.
It does.
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So, look down here.
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That's actually the resins that
are part of the mummification
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00:11:42,117 --> 00:11:45,367
and burial ritual, and they were
poured over,
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00:11:45,367 --> 00:11:47,187
and some of them are still...
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you can see it must have been in a
funny position
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00:11:50,197 --> 00:11:53,447
because of the way it's
dribbled. Wow.
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Can I just have a moment to get
this millennia old smell?
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That is amazing.
175
00:12:01,077 --> 00:12:04,087
This is closer than anyone
normally gets to Thuya.
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Yeah, I think all of our
conservators are ready.
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It's time to see how the lady
herself is faring.
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OK.
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Oh, my God! Look at her!
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She's magnificent.
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She's so tiny, and so perfect.
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Look at her hair, she's got this
beautiful, thick head of curly,
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kind of, strawberry blonde...
is that the original colour?
184
00:12:55,447 --> 00:12:57,407
Well, we did... We're not 100% sure,
185
00:12:57,407 --> 00:13:01,087
but when you're using natron which
we use for mummification,
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00:13:01,087 --> 00:13:02,756
it's a bleach.
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00:13:02,756 --> 00:13:06,806
So it's like putting salt on your
hair, when you go to the beach.
188
00:13:06,806 --> 00:13:09,037
And look at her. She's got double
pierced earrings.
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00:13:09,037 --> 00:13:10,047
She has.
190
00:13:11,067 --> 00:13:13,897
She does have that
Tutankhamun overbite.
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00:13:16,097 --> 00:13:19,357
She's even more beautiful
than in her pictures.
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00:13:19,357 --> 00:13:22,627
By Thuya's time mummification
had been practised
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00:13:22,627 --> 00:13:25,097
for at least 1,200 years.
194
00:13:25,097 --> 00:13:29,856
That sophisticated process
of preparing and preserving the body
195
00:13:29,856 --> 00:13:32,546
would have taken over two
months to complete.
196
00:13:35,352 --> 00:13:37,615
She's a really fine example
of mummification
197
00:13:37,615 --> 00:13:40,785
but how can you tell that? What here
tells you this is a really, really,
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00:13:40,785 --> 00:13:43,146
really good job. Well, I mean, it's
a totally, beautifully
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00:13:43,146 --> 00:13:46,306
well-preserved, recognisable face.
200
00:13:46,306 --> 00:13:49,675
Completely. You can
see her eyebrows and cheekbones.
201
00:13:49,675 --> 00:13:52,396
Sometimes the nose goes a bit funny.
Yeah, she's got a little bit of
202
00:13:52,396 --> 00:13:54,596
stuffing, she looks
absolutely gorgeous.
203
00:13:54,596 --> 00:13:56,526
The ears are so well preserved,
it's not broken,
204
00:13:56,526 --> 00:13:58,456
she's got her hair, the kind
of wrapping,
205
00:13:58,456 --> 00:14:02,015
the individual wrapping of her
tootsies is so perfect.
206
00:14:02,015 --> 00:14:04,446
The fact that she's wearing sandals,
207
00:14:04,446 --> 00:14:07,606
and really every care was taken
with her,
208
00:14:07,606 --> 00:14:10,116
and from the smell you can also tell
209
00:14:10,116 --> 00:14:12,966
that it was really
good quality resins.
210
00:14:12,966 --> 00:14:14,635
OK, look this is really cool.
211
00:14:14,635 --> 00:14:17,685
OK. See. Look at her eyes. Yeah.
212
00:14:17,685 --> 00:14:20,865
So what they did was, they lifted
the lids up and then they put
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00:14:20,865 --> 00:14:25,146
in pieces of cloth which they put
a bit of resin onto and made them
214
00:14:25,146 --> 00:14:29,665
look like eyes, so that she can see
things in her afterlife.
215
00:14:29,665 --> 00:14:31,545
Just look at that face.
216
00:14:31,545 --> 00:14:34,386
What she's seen, what she's lived
through.
217
00:14:34,386 --> 00:14:36,795
The world that she experienced.
218
00:14:36,795 --> 00:14:40,026
My God, if she could talk,
what she could tell us.
219
00:14:41,266 --> 00:14:44,535
Salima will now check
that the humidity of the museum
220
00:14:44,535 --> 00:14:47,106
hasn't been affecting to Thuya.
221
00:14:47,106 --> 00:14:51,306
But the signs are, that well
into her fourth millennium,
222
00:14:51,306 --> 00:14:53,436
she's doing very well indeed.
223
00:14:54,586 --> 00:14:57,896
Just to be that close to her face
it really makes you realise
224
00:14:57,896 --> 00:15:01,735
this was a woman, like me. A woman
who's had children,
225
00:15:01,735 --> 00:15:07,116
who lived through a life and was now
going really happily through death
226
00:15:07,116 --> 00:15:08,356
to another world.
227
00:15:08,356 --> 00:15:11,406
And I think you've got to remember
that. We think that mummies
228
00:15:11,406 --> 00:15:13,846
are something kind of grisly,
and gruesome, and scary.
229
00:15:13,846 --> 00:15:16,916
But, for these people, this is
the beginning
230
00:15:16,916 --> 00:15:18,916
of the best after-party.
231
00:15:18,916 --> 00:15:22,096
And whatever happened to her, I hope
that Thuya
232
00:15:22,096 --> 00:15:23,966
has been enjoying herself.
233
00:15:29,436 --> 00:15:33,186
The eternal afterlife,
and the detailed preparations
234
00:15:33,186 --> 00:15:38,256
for it, make the ancient
Egyptians endlessly fascinating.
235
00:15:38,256 --> 00:15:44,565
But they weren't death obsessed.
They were great lovers of life too.
236
00:15:46,126 --> 00:15:49,206
From the Nile's water levels,
to the sun's movement
237
00:15:49,206 --> 00:15:50,846
and nature around them.
238
00:15:52,815 --> 00:15:57,326
They made detailed observations
of the world that they lived in.
239
00:15:59,716 --> 00:16:03,326
I brought something slightly
bizarre with me.
240
00:16:03,326 --> 00:16:07,046
This is a replica of an ancient
Egyptian hedgehog.
241
00:16:08,486 --> 00:16:10,815
The Ancient Egyptians
loved hedgehogs.
242
00:16:10,815 --> 00:16:13,765
They thought they were slightly
magical because they hibernated,
243
00:16:13,765 --> 00:16:16,126
and then seemed to come
back to life.
244
00:16:16,126 --> 00:16:18,446
They were very resilient
against snake bites,
245
00:16:18,446 --> 00:16:21,755
and so the hedgehog was a symbol
of good luck.
246
00:16:21,755 --> 00:16:25,685
And for good luck travelling
the Nile ancient boats would often
247
00:16:25,685 --> 00:16:28,206
carry an image of a hedgehog.
248
00:16:28,206 --> 00:16:33,276
So while my friend keeps an eye
on the boat, I'm disembarking
249
00:16:33,276 --> 00:16:35,476
to investigate some monuments
that combine
250
00:16:35,476 --> 00:16:40,356
the Egyptian fascination with death,
with the pioneering work of living.
251
00:16:44,815 --> 00:16:49,006
It's difficult to imagine
an ancient site more iconic
252
00:16:49,006 --> 00:16:51,645
than the pyramids of Giza.
253
00:16:51,645 --> 00:16:54,846
Just look at these
incredible things.
254
00:16:54,846 --> 00:17:00,056
However many times I see them,
I'm never not blown away by them.
255
00:17:00,056 --> 00:17:02,536
They just pound with human ambition.
256
00:17:08,256 --> 00:17:12,486
The West Bank of the Nile boasts
over 100 pyramids,
257
00:17:12,486 --> 00:17:15,446
but none are as famous as these.
258
00:17:15,446 --> 00:17:20,536
They've been astounding onlookers
for 4,500 years.
259
00:17:20,536 --> 00:17:24,056
And recent discoveries mean
we're finally able
260
00:17:24,056 --> 00:17:25,926
to appreciate them properly.
261
00:17:27,336 --> 00:17:30,765
We're so used to thinking these are
desert monuments, in a desert
262
00:17:30,765 --> 00:17:33,266
landscape but when they were
originally built it would've
263
00:17:33,266 --> 00:17:36,126
been completely different
around here.
264
00:17:36,126 --> 00:17:39,086
For the Nile, now, is about
five miles away.
265
00:17:39,086 --> 00:17:42,815
But at the time it came right
up close to the pyramids.
266
00:17:42,815 --> 00:17:47,336
And when it flooded they would be
reflected in its glittering surface.
267
00:17:49,685 --> 00:17:53,916
It's one of these structures
in particular I've come to see.
268
00:17:53,916 --> 00:17:58,496
The Great Pyramid the eternal
resting place of the Pharaoh Khufu.
269
00:17:59,905 --> 00:18:05,256
Scaling almost 500 feet, its
completion set new levels
270
00:18:05,256 --> 00:18:07,695
for human achievement.
271
00:18:07,695 --> 00:18:12,466
It was the world's tallest structure
for nearly 4,000 years.
272
00:18:15,326 --> 00:18:18,256
This is one of the Seven Wonders
of the ancient world,
273
00:18:18,256 --> 00:18:21,966
and it is the only one
that is still standing intact.
274
00:18:23,286 --> 00:18:25,536
I'm obviously a huge fan
of the ancient world,
275
00:18:25,536 --> 00:18:27,726
and ancient civilisations,
276
00:18:27,726 --> 00:18:31,396
and there are many amazing things
across the globe,
277
00:18:31,396 --> 00:18:34,545
but this is truly wonderful,
isn't it?
278
00:18:36,156 --> 00:18:40,466
There are 2.3 million blocks
of stone here,
279
00:18:40,466 --> 00:18:45,545
and each one has been perfectly
sculpted so it fits right next
280
00:18:45,545 --> 00:18:48,445
to its neighbour. It's incredible.
281
00:18:53,206 --> 00:18:56,316
The Great Pyramid took two decades
to complete.
282
00:18:56,316 --> 00:19:00,545
With its original polished, white
limestone casing
283
00:19:00,545 --> 00:19:02,675
it would have gleamed out in the
Egyptian sun.
284
00:19:04,116 --> 00:19:08,625
Exactly who built it, and how,
has been the subject of wild
285
00:19:08,625 --> 00:19:10,516
speculation for centuries.
286
00:19:12,266 --> 00:19:16,885
It's been said that this was built
by aliens from outer space,
287
00:19:16,885 --> 00:19:21,186
but, thank goodness, some new
historical evidence has appeared
288
00:19:21,186 --> 00:19:26,416
that tells us without a doubt that
this pyramid was made by human hand.
289
00:19:26,416 --> 00:19:28,755
And it's this remarkable thing.
290
00:19:31,956 --> 00:19:35,156
This is a copy of an
ancient papyrus.
291
00:19:35,156 --> 00:19:39,116
Found just six years ago
in a cave near the Red Sea,
292
00:19:39,116 --> 00:19:43,266
it's the 4,500 year old journal
of a man called Merer.
293
00:19:45,326 --> 00:19:48,685
Now, Merer was no less than a
project manager
294
00:19:48,685 --> 00:19:50,425
for the Great Pyramid.
295
00:19:51,836 --> 00:19:55,066
There is remarkable detail in here.
296
00:19:55,066 --> 00:20:00,256
He's written down how they made
this beautiful thing.
297
00:20:00,256 --> 00:20:03,366
There's that a line that tells us
that the limestone blocks that cover
298
00:20:03,366 --> 00:20:06,366
the pyramid, that made it
that amazing gleaming white,
299
00:20:06,366 --> 00:20:09,256
were brought from 15 miles
along the Nile.
300
00:20:09,256 --> 00:20:13,337
Merer says it takes one day's
sail for this special stone
301
00:20:13,337 --> 00:20:14,816
to reach the site,
302
00:20:14,816 --> 00:20:20,062
confirming the Nile's crucial role
in the pyramids construction.
303
00:20:21,612 --> 00:20:24,922
It's really a thrilling time to be
studying the pyramids.
304
00:20:24,922 --> 00:20:28,412
Professor Mark Lerner
has spent his career investigating
305
00:20:28,412 --> 00:20:29,771
the Giza Plateau.
306
00:20:31,412 --> 00:20:33,852
So, if we'd been standing
here 4,500 years ago
307
00:20:33,852 --> 00:20:37,012
what would be the landscape
that we'd be looking at?
308
00:20:37,012 --> 00:20:39,691
You would have seen harbours,
and waterways,
309
00:20:39,691 --> 00:20:43,162
and Nile barges coming in from
Aswan bringing granite.
310
00:20:43,162 --> 00:20:44,852
You would have seen seagoing
ships coming
311
00:20:44,852 --> 00:20:47,082
in from Lebanon bringing timber.
312
00:20:47,082 --> 00:20:50,212
You would have had an multiethnic
community here,
313
00:20:50,212 --> 00:20:53,062
and not just men. Men,
women, families.
314
00:20:53,062 --> 00:20:55,412
It was a busy bustling scene,
315
00:20:55,412 --> 00:20:58,521
with fires, and bakeries,
and butchers.
316
00:20:58,521 --> 00:21:01,142
It's almost like a whole
civilisation culture, that's growing
317
00:21:01,142 --> 00:21:02,972
around the creation of the pyramid.
318
00:21:02,972 --> 00:21:07,891
They conscripted people from towns
and villages all throughout Egypt.
319
00:21:07,891 --> 00:21:11,362
Then they come here and they are
embedded and integrated
320
00:21:11,362 --> 00:21:16,362
into a project that involves tens
of thousands of people.
321
00:21:16,362 --> 00:21:19,882
So, I'm still interested in how the
Egyptians built the pyramids.
322
00:21:19,882 --> 00:21:23,492
But I'm almost more interested,
Bettany, in how the pyramids helped
323
00:21:23,492 --> 00:21:24,571
to build Egypt-
324
00:21:26,972 --> 00:21:31,202
Building the world's first
skyscraper was a transformational
325
00:21:31,202 --> 00:21:32,982
moment in human history.
326
00:21:34,162 --> 00:21:38,561
The city of workers that settled
here collaborated in a game changing
327
00:21:38,561 --> 00:21:42,531
way, and with Mark's help I'm
getting a privileged look
328
00:21:42,531 --> 00:21:46,691
behind the scenes, to get a glimpse
of their remarkable world.
329
00:21:50,372 --> 00:21:54,092
So, welcome to our field lab.
Thank you so much.
330
00:21:56,212 --> 00:22:01,421
For the past 30 years thousands
of artefacts found at Giza
331
00:22:01,421 --> 00:22:03,882
have been brought here
to be assessed,
332
00:22:03,882 --> 00:22:06,722
and studied in the archaeologists'
storeroom.
333
00:22:07,982 --> 00:22:12,192
You can see it's much bigger
than you would think from outside.
334
00:22:12,192 --> 00:22:14,551
One of the things we find
all over the site
335
00:22:14,551 --> 00:22:19,132
are what we call dolerite
hammer stones. Here.
336
00:22:19,132 --> 00:22:20,852
Oh, yeah. I knew it was going
to be heavy.
337
00:22:20,852 --> 00:22:22,742
I didn't know it was going to
be that heavy.
338
00:22:22,742 --> 00:22:25,372
That's actually straining
my arms. Yeah.
339
00:22:25,372 --> 00:22:26,602
That's like a cannonball.
340
00:22:26,602 --> 00:22:29,382
Well, when they started using it,
it is like a cannonball.
341
00:22:29,382 --> 00:22:31,781
But when they started
it was probably pear shaped,
342
00:22:31,781 --> 00:22:34,701
and they just use it to smash stone
surfaces away,
343
00:22:34,701 --> 00:22:37,062
and then they'll turn
it and keep turning it,
344
00:22:37,062 --> 00:22:40,332
so, in the end, they get kind
of a ball shape.
345
00:22:40,332 --> 00:22:43,882
In Mark's latest excavation
he's found remarkable evidence
346
00:22:43,882 --> 00:22:47,222
of how the people constructing
the pyramid lived.
347
00:22:47,222 --> 00:22:48,781
And what they ate.
348
00:22:48,781 --> 00:22:50,661
We found this enormous dump,
349
00:22:50,661 --> 00:22:54,212
and it was so much animal bones
sheep, and goat, and cattle.
350
00:22:54,212 --> 00:22:58,502
Yeah. And there was something
very curious about it.
351
00:22:58,502 --> 00:23:02,142
Whenever we separate out
the good meat bearing bones,
352
00:23:02,142 --> 00:23:04,492
we find that the ends
are broken off.
353
00:23:04,492 --> 00:23:08,392
Two of our Egyptian field school
students said, "Oh, that's easy.
354
00:23:08,392 --> 00:23:12,422
It's shorba kawareh which is
Arabic for like gelatine soup,
355
00:23:12,422 --> 00:23:14,092
knuckle bone soup,
356
00:23:14,092 --> 00:23:18,972
and the evidence is that somebody,
elites, people of higher status,
357
00:23:18,972 --> 00:23:23,691
were eating the meat off the long,
good meat bearing parts of the bone.
358
00:23:23,691 --> 00:23:27,062
But people of lower status
are eating very high fat,
359
00:23:27,062 --> 00:23:29,651
high protein knuckle bone soup.
360
00:23:29,651 --> 00:23:33,431
Mark's found the casseroles this
soup was served in...
361
00:23:33,431 --> 00:23:35,142
It's so beautiful, that.
362
00:23:35,142 --> 00:23:37,681
...And even their bespoke stands.
363
00:23:37,681 --> 00:23:40,152
It's almost like a Tupperware set.
364
00:23:40,152 --> 00:23:42,872
So, actually, it seems like they're
getting a pretty good diet.
365
00:23:42,872 --> 00:23:45,362
Indeed. That casserole is
interesting cause that's
366
00:23:45,362 --> 00:23:47,082
just like a family size casserole.
Yeah.
367
00:23:47,082 --> 00:23:49,681
Are they mass-producing food
as well?
368
00:23:49,681 --> 00:23:54,482
They were making your standard,
average kitchen bread mould,
369
00:23:54,482 --> 00:23:58,372
and bread loaf. And then, if I
may, over here... Mm hmm.
370
00:23:58,372 --> 00:24:00,062
They were increasing it.
371
00:24:00,062 --> 00:24:03,062
They were reaching for economy
of scale, by making
372
00:24:03,062 --> 00:24:06,062
these gigantic bread moulds.
Yeah, yeah.
373
00:24:07,502 --> 00:24:11,012
Have a feel. Oh, my gosh.
That is quite a responsibility,
374
00:24:11,012 --> 00:24:12,701
you can have it back. Thank you.
375
00:24:12,701 --> 00:24:17,531
But the big picture here is that
they didn't have bread factories.
376
00:24:17,531 --> 00:24:20,812
They were creating the world's
first bread factory.
377
00:24:20,812 --> 00:24:24,422
It's all a long way from
the stereotype of sweating slaves,
378
00:24:24,422 --> 00:24:27,781
toiling away under
the Pharaoh's whip.
379
00:24:27,781 --> 00:24:30,701
Even the tiniest finds
are captivating.
380
00:24:30,701 --> 00:24:33,451
These are tubular beads.
381
00:24:33,451 --> 00:24:35,172
We find these beads everywhere.
382
00:24:35,172 --> 00:24:38,242
Look at the colour. It's such a
tiny little thing.
383
00:24:38,242 --> 00:24:39,732
But, I mean, who's wearing these?
384
00:24:39,732 --> 00:24:42,331
And we're finding them
in the workers' barracks.
385
00:24:42,331 --> 00:24:44,812
Right where we find all the big
heavy dolerite pounders.
386
00:24:44,812 --> 00:24:46,382
So what, are you pounding stone
387
00:24:46,382 --> 00:24:49,252
as you're wearing your
beaded nugget? We don't know.
388
00:24:51,661 --> 00:24:53,972
Finds like these speak volumes,
389
00:24:53,972 --> 00:24:57,742
helping to jigsaw puzzle together
a picture of life
390
00:24:57,742 --> 00:25:00,302
for those at the bottom of the pile.
391
00:25:02,182 --> 00:25:06,422
Upstream though, I'm about to
witness the terrifying power
392
00:25:06,422 --> 00:25:11,422
of the Pharaoh, as I adventure
right inside a very special pyramid.
393
00:25:32,331 --> 00:25:34,182
So I've said goodbye to Cairo,
394
00:25:34,182 --> 00:25:36,832
and we're off, and it's 500 miles
of the Nile to come.
395
00:25:39,382 --> 00:25:43,232
From here to the southern city
of Aswan my riverboat
396
00:25:43,232 --> 00:25:48,812
will be following in the footsteps
of Pharaoh's warriors and traders.
397
00:25:48,812 --> 00:25:52,541
But this journey was also
made by tourists of the past,
398
00:25:52,541 --> 00:25:55,502
and their vessel of choice was
the Dahabiya.
399
00:25:58,461 --> 00:26:01,312
I'm still a bit embarrassed
by the luxury of this boat,
400
00:26:01,312 --> 00:26:04,486
but, actually, it is quite
appropriate for how people
401
00:26:04,510 --> 00:26:06,837
used to sail down the Nile.
402
00:26:06,837 --> 00:26:09,967
Dahabiya gets its name from the
Arabic word 'dhabab',
403
00:26:09,967 --> 00:26:12,927
which means golden because these
boats were supposed to be
404
00:26:12,927 --> 00:26:16,887
so luxurious, and we have amazing
accounts of 18th and 19th century
405
00:26:16,887 --> 00:26:18,877
travellers who used them.
406
00:26:18,877 --> 00:26:21,087
Let me just tell you of some
things they brought on.
407
00:26:21,087 --> 00:26:27,207
So one packed 100 bottles of wine,
champagne, a piano for entertainment
408
00:26:27,207 --> 00:26:30,306
and there was even a British family
who brought their own cow,
409
00:26:30,306 --> 00:26:33,747
so that they could have fresh
milk every morning.
410
00:26:35,157 --> 00:26:40,047
These cruises could last for months
on a river famed, from ancient times
411
00:26:40,047 --> 00:26:43,237
onwards, for its hidden
and unexpected dangers.
412
00:26:45,396 --> 00:26:46,597
Hi, boys. ls everything OK?
413
00:26:51,721 --> 00:26:55,564
Oh, my gosh. There's somebody
down in the Nile down here.
414
00:26:58,665 --> 00:27:01,005
Two of them.
415
00:27:01,005 --> 00:27:04,355
What's happening? We have a very
shallow water. Yeah.
416
00:27:06,564 --> 00:27:09,574
And one of the ropes has gone around
the paddle. OK.
417
00:27:10,644 --> 00:27:14,434
It seems that the tug boat that
helps pull the Dahabiya along
418
00:27:14,434 --> 00:27:17,955
has got stuck on one of the Nile's
many sand banks.
419
00:27:17,955 --> 00:27:21,555
It's tight rope is now wrapped
around its propeller.
420
00:27:24,194 --> 00:27:27,875
Tim, our cameraman, decided to
go in and see if he can help.
421
00:27:42,475 --> 00:27:45,564
There's loads of people just doing
that classic thing when something
422
00:27:45,564 --> 00:27:47,885
bad happens, they're just sort
of standing around.
423
00:27:49,394 --> 00:27:51,745
The Nile is such a paradise river.
424
00:27:51,745 --> 00:27:55,165
So there are sand banks
and cataracts.
425
00:27:55,165 --> 00:27:58,394
But, isn't it interesting,
that this can still happen?
426
00:27:58,394 --> 00:28:01,745
You get the feeling this isn't
the first time the crew have dealt
427
00:28:01,745 --> 00:28:03,555
with something like this.
428
00:28:06,155 --> 00:28:10,394
It's all very new to us
though, especially Tim.
429
00:28:10,394 --> 00:28:13,875
You know the funniest thing,
Bettany? What?
430
00:28:13,875 --> 00:28:16,005
Like a plonker, I left my wallet...
431
00:28:20,725 --> 00:28:22,755
But with the propeller freed,
432
00:28:22,755 --> 00:28:25,465
and some British cash drying
in the sun,
433
00:28:25,465 --> 00:28:26,675
we're on our way.
434
00:28:29,444 --> 00:28:31,125
Ten miles south of Cairo
435
00:28:31,125 --> 00:28:34,805
I'm heading to the fast royal burial
ground of Saqqara.
436
00:28:36,644 --> 00:28:40,285
But first, there's just time to
share with you one of the biggest
437
00:28:40,285 --> 00:28:43,955
breakthroughs ever in our
understanding of Ancient Egypt.
438
00:28:47,285 --> 00:28:51,075
The people who lived around the Nile
Valley were some of the very first
439
00:28:51,075 --> 00:28:53,475
to do an incredible thing.
440
00:28:53,475 --> 00:28:56,245
They put their spoken language
into something
441
00:28:56,245 --> 00:28:58,155
that could be recorded, a writing,
442
00:28:58,155 --> 00:29:01,444
and of course that's amazing for us
historians because we get
443
00:29:01,444 --> 00:29:03,605
to understand their lives,
and how they lived
444
00:29:03,605 --> 00:29:05,035
and what mattered to them.
445
00:29:05,035 --> 00:29:07,314
Now, of course the language
that they used was Egyptian
446
00:29:07,314 --> 00:29:10,404
hieroglyphics which is very
beautiful, but the problem
447
00:29:10,404 --> 00:29:14,095
is that we lost the ability
to translate it for centuries,
448
00:29:14,095 --> 00:29:18,295
which is one of the reasons
that the ancient Egyptians were such
449
00:29:18,295 --> 00:29:20,675
a mysterious civilisation.
450
00:29:20,675 --> 00:29:27,555
Then, in 1799, there was the most
amazing discovery on the Nile Delta.
451
00:29:27,555 --> 00:29:29,115
It was the this thing.
452
00:29:30,115 --> 00:29:32,675
This is the Rosetta Stone.
453
00:29:32,675 --> 00:29:36,915
In 1882 the real Rosetta Stone
was snaffled by the Brits, and ended
454
00:29:36,915 --> 00:29:39,295
up in the British Museum
in London.
455
00:29:39,295 --> 00:29:44,885
Covered in writing it's been a vital
key to understanding ancient Egypt.
456
00:29:44,885 --> 00:29:48,035
Because it's got two languages
on it,
457
00:29:48,035 --> 00:29:50,475
so Egyptian and ancient Greek,
458
00:29:50,475 --> 00:29:53,835
it means it can act as a kind
of code breaker.
459
00:29:55,085 --> 00:29:56,524
The problem was, of course,
460
00:29:56,524 --> 00:30:00,534
that people could read ancient Greek
but not the Egyptian hieroglyphics.
461
00:30:00,534 --> 00:30:04,324
And there was this race
on between France and England to see
462
00:30:04,324 --> 00:30:06,654
who could crack the code first.
463
00:30:06,654 --> 00:30:08,394
And I'm sorry to say the French won,
464
00:30:08,394 --> 00:30:12,755
and what they did was that they
found this word, here,
465
00:30:12,755 --> 00:30:18,475
which in Greek says day of birth
or birthday, genethlia.
466
00:30:19,915 --> 00:30:24,955
And they matched that up with this
hieroglyphic here,
467
00:30:24,955 --> 00:30:27,394
which says birthday too.
468
00:30:27,394 --> 00:30:33,125
So at once we could start to piece
together the story of the ancient
469
00:30:33,125 --> 00:30:35,255
Egyptians in their own words.
470
00:30:36,735 --> 00:30:40,475
This is the thing that stopped
the Egyptians being a mystery.
471
00:30:40,475 --> 00:30:43,204
It meant that they were people
that we could really get
472
00:30:43,204 --> 00:30:45,565
to know intimately.
473
00:30:45,565 --> 00:30:47,885
And there's a prime example of that
474
00:30:47,885 --> 00:30:49,765
at my next stop along the Nile.
475
00:30:51,524 --> 00:30:54,184
They were building pyramids
here at Saqqara a whole
476
00:30:54,184 --> 00:30:55,815
century before Giza.
477
00:30:56,885 --> 00:31:00,805
I've come to find one of
Saqqara's hidden gems.
478
00:31:00,805 --> 00:31:03,485
And I'm going to need
some desert transport.
479
00:31:03,485 --> 00:31:05,404
Hello, sir. Hello, lady.
480
00:31:05,404 --> 00:31:06,645
Hi.
481
00:31:06,645 --> 00:31:08,245
Nice to see you. Hello!
482
00:31:08,245 --> 00:31:10,444
You and your beautiful camel.
483
00:31:10,444 --> 00:31:11,605
What's his name?
484
00:31:11,605 --> 00:31:15,965
Ramesses ll. Ramesses ll?
So a very powerful pharaoh.
485
00:31:15,965 --> 00:31:17,314
How old? Ten years.
486
00:31:17,314 --> 00:31:18,725
Ten years!
487
00:31:18,725 --> 00:31:21,454
Oh, you're so gorgeous, aren't you?
488
00:31:21,454 --> 00:31:24,095
Oh! Hello, darling! Hello!
489
00:31:24,095 --> 00:31:26,274
Oh, lovely!
490
00:31:26,274 --> 00:31:30,475
Kissing me, and a little bit
of camel slobber in my ear.
491
00:31:30,475 --> 00:31:32,475
I've missed that feeling. Hello!
492
00:31:32,475 --> 00:31:35,245
Yes. Oh! Oh!
493
00:31:35,245 --> 00:31:37,085
Camel slobber on my cheek!
That's beautiful.
494
00:31:37,085 --> 00:31:38,805
He's very, very lovely. Thank you.
495
00:31:38,805 --> 00:31:41,845
But sadly I'm not going to
be going on this camel today.
496
00:31:41,845 --> 00:31:44,125
Thank you. Thank you so, so much.
497
00:31:44,125 --> 00:31:47,365
I'd love to say that I'm doing
this Lawrence of Arabia moment,
498
00:31:47,365 --> 00:31:49,685
I'm going to travel across
the desert on a camel.
499
00:31:49,685 --> 00:31:52,815
But the problem is, when
the pyramids were first built,
500
00:31:52,815 --> 00:31:54,035
there were no camels here,
501
00:31:54,035 --> 00:31:56,925
we think. There's no evidence of
them, there are no bones, there's no
502
00:31:56,925 --> 00:31:58,454
camels in hieroglyphs.
503
00:31:58,454 --> 00:32:01,685
It took another 2,000 years
or so for them to come here,
504
00:32:01,685 --> 00:32:03,845
but at the time of
the first pyramids...
505
00:32:03,845 --> 00:32:05,524
Hello, good afternoon, sir.
506
00:32:05,524 --> 00:32:07,095
...what you did have was a donkey.
507
00:32:07,095 --> 00:32:09,245
Hello! Lovely to meet you.
508
00:32:09,245 --> 00:32:10,524
Lovely to see you.
509
00:32:10,524 --> 00:32:11,685
This morning,
510
00:32:11,685 --> 00:32:17,165
my authentic Bronze Age desert
transport is called Whisky And Soda.
511
00:32:18,255 --> 00:32:20,965
I'm not sure they had stirrups
then but, you know, in the name
512
00:32:20,965 --> 00:32:24,885
of security... I can do this.
OK. Two, three. Oh!
513
00:32:26,845 --> 00:32:29,284
Lovely. Oh, perfect.
514
00:32:29,284 --> 00:32:31,925
I'm excited! Shall we go?
Yalla, yalla! Yalla, yalla!
515
00:32:33,645 --> 00:32:38,685
Bye, Ramesses. See you
in 2,000 years! Bye!
516
00:32:38,685 --> 00:32:41,324
Come on, darling. Up you go.
517
00:32:41,324 --> 00:32:43,485
Oh, she's great, isn't she?
518
00:32:43,485 --> 00:32:44,975
She's just a natural historian.
519
00:32:44,975 --> 00:32:47,075
She wants to get there.
520
00:32:47,075 --> 00:32:50,475
This empty desert landscape
would once have played host
521
00:32:50,475 --> 00:32:55,685
to massive funeral processions as
dead pharaohs were carried to their
522
00:32:55,685 --> 00:32:59,245
show-off newly designed tombs -
523
00:32:59,245 --> 00:33:01,045
PYFamids.
524
00:33:01,045 --> 00:33:04,074
This is the very first
pyramid ever built.
525
00:33:06,675 --> 00:33:07,895
It's the Step Pyramid.
526
00:33:09,125 --> 00:33:12,324
So you've got a tomb laid out
at the bottom, and then the pharaoh
527
00:33:12,324 --> 00:33:15,475
decided to build another one on top
and another one and another one
528
00:33:15,475 --> 00:33:19,005
that becomes like some kind of
massive wedding cake.
529
00:33:19,005 --> 00:33:21,835
It's a kind of experiment, really.
530
00:33:21,835 --> 00:33:25,045
It's when they're going,
I'm the most powerful man on Earth.
531
00:33:25,045 --> 00:33:26,135
Look at me!
532
00:33:26,135 --> 00:33:28,965
I can reach up to the sky,
I can reach up to the gods.
533
00:33:30,635 --> 00:33:34,605
What I've come to see, though,
is another first for Egypt
534
00:33:34,605 --> 00:33:37,565
on the other side of
the Step Pyramid.
535
00:33:37,565 --> 00:33:39,045
Thank you.
536
00:33:39,045 --> 00:33:40,485
Thank you, darling.
537
00:33:40,485 --> 00:33:41,685
You've been beautiful.
538
00:33:44,715 --> 00:33:47,414
These are the sorry ruins
of the pyramid built
539
00:33:47,414 --> 00:33:48,975
for the pharaoh Unas.
540
00:33:50,055 --> 00:33:52,775
People are being allowed back
in here for the first time in two
541
00:33:52,775 --> 00:33:56,125
decades because it wasn't safe
and there was restoration work done.
542
00:33:57,255 --> 00:34:03,805
When it was built 4,350 years ago,
this was the smallest pyramid
543
00:34:03,805 --> 00:34:04,805
of its era.
544
00:34:05,995 --> 00:34:07,905
But it was a game changer.
545
00:34:09,045 --> 00:34:12,074
This is an extra special treat for
me because this is the first time
546
00:34:12,074 --> 00:34:14,334
since I've come to Egypt that
I've been allowed in.
547
00:34:18,495 --> 00:34:21,194
Hi, how are you? I'm very good.
You're from where? London.
548
00:34:21,194 --> 00:34:23,355
London, welcome. Nice to see you.
Thank you.
549
00:34:23,355 --> 00:34:25,005
So you've got the key to go in? Yes.
550
00:34:25,005 --> 00:34:26,015
Amazing. Thank you.
551
00:34:28,445 --> 00:34:33,435
The unique treasure of Unas'
pyramid is found underneath it.
552
00:34:43,895 --> 00:34:45,445
Amazing. Thank you. Shukran.
553
00:34:47,485 --> 00:34:48,485
It's pitch-black.
554
00:34:52,284 --> 00:34:55,895
This 30-metre tunnel is leading me
right under the centre
555
00:34:55,895 --> 00:34:56,895
of the pyramid.
556
00:34:58,485 --> 00:35:02,925
Three granite slabs once blocked
this passage, separating
557
00:35:02,925 --> 00:35:07,324
the outside world from
the burial chambers of Unas.
558
00:35:09,324 --> 00:35:10,414
Oh, my goodness!
559
00:35:11,725 --> 00:35:14,204
This is so beautiful!
560
00:35:15,845 --> 00:35:18,565
I've seen pictures of this,
but I've never been in here.
561
00:35:22,895 --> 00:35:25,775
Floor to ceiling, you've got...
562
00:35:25,775 --> 00:35:29,255
...the walls covered in hieroglyphs.
563
00:35:32,255 --> 00:35:35,255
Look at the state of them!
They're so beautifully preserved.
564
00:35:36,334 --> 00:35:39,845
This was the first pyramid
ever to be decorated
565
00:35:39,845 --> 00:35:42,534
in carved hieroglyphic writing.
566
00:35:44,164 --> 00:35:46,775
Ritual spells for the dead.
567
00:35:48,255 --> 00:35:49,534
Unas was a...
568
00:35:49,534 --> 00:35:55,414
...I'd say a man with quite an ego,
and we can tell this here because...
569
00:35:55,414 --> 00:35:56,615
...this is his name.
570
00:35:56,615 --> 00:36:01,845
So here this is the name of Unas.
It's in what's called a cartouche,
571
00:36:01,845 --> 00:36:03,084
which is French for a bullet.
572
00:36:03,084 --> 00:36:04,845
It's a kind of bullet-shaped thing.
573
00:36:04,845 --> 00:36:05,925
And once you start...
574
00:36:07,265 --> 00:36:11,055
You can see the name of Unas
absolutely everywhere!
575
00:36:11,055 --> 00:36:16,185
So it's Unas, Unas, Unas, Unas,
Unas. It just goes on.
576
00:36:16,185 --> 00:36:19,135
And I don't know if you can see
here, there's another symbol that
577
00:36:19,135 --> 00:36:22,294
keeps on appearing.
It's these waves of water.
578
00:36:22,294 --> 00:36:25,575
So there are two here.
There's one here.
579
00:36:25,575 --> 00:36:28,895
There's one here, there's one here,
there's one here.
580
00:36:28,895 --> 00:36:32,615
The importance of water
and rivers couldn't be clearer.
581
00:36:32,615 --> 00:36:37,975
One spell even claims Unas
is he who has caused the land
582
00:36:37,975 --> 00:36:39,164
to be underwater.
583
00:36:40,255 --> 00:36:43,705
Not only did Unas tell us
that he was the most powerful king,
584
00:36:43,705 --> 00:36:47,935
but that he had divine powers,
and what he's saying here
585
00:36:47,935 --> 00:36:54,055
is that it's him who caused the Nile
itself to flood. These hieroglyphs
586
00:36:54,055 --> 00:36:56,735
don't always make for
pleasant reading.
587
00:36:56,735 --> 00:36:59,255
They show that the ancient
Egyptians often blended
588
00:36:59,255 --> 00:37:02,084
brilliance with brutality.
589
00:37:02,084 --> 00:37:05,775
He says that he holds the hearts
of his enemies in his fingers,
590
00:37:05,775 --> 00:37:10,005
that he burns their houses to the
ground, but there's something else,
591
00:37:10,005 --> 00:37:12,815
and, actually, if you read
it, it's really shocking.
592
00:37:12,815 --> 00:37:17,005
It's really upsetting
because it's Unas using his sex
593
00:37:17,005 --> 00:37:18,255
BS a weapon.
594
00:37:18,255 --> 00:37:21,414
It says that Unas copulates
with his penis.
595
00:37:21,414 --> 00:37:26,455
Unas is lord of his seed. Unas
takes the wives of husbands
596
00:37:26,455 --> 00:37:30,645
whenever he wants, whenever
his heart desires.
597
00:37:31,775 --> 00:37:36,725
This is not a man that I would
have liked to have met in the flesh,
598
00:37:36,725 --> 00:37:38,485
and it seems as though
he's no longer here,
599
00:37:38,485 --> 00:37:42,805
we don't have his body, but there's
something that's recently
600
00:37:42,805 --> 00:37:45,255
been discovered - that...
601
00:37:45,255 --> 00:37:52,084
...if you look on the wall,
I don't know if you can see that,
there indented in...
602
00:37:52,084 --> 00:37:54,535
...is the ghost of Unas.
603
00:37:54,535 --> 00:37:56,094
So he's still here with us.
604
00:37:59,695 --> 00:38:05,214
Unas has left a mighty legacy
and, along the Nile, there are other
605
00:38:05,214 --> 00:38:09,414
treasures that are still as vibrant
today as they have been for
606
00:38:09,414 --> 00:38:10,765
thousands of years.
607
00:38:23,945 --> 00:38:28,424
The River Nile has always
been the lifeblood of Egypt,
608
00:38:28,424 --> 00:38:31,304
and I'm exploring the sites
and the people who made
609
00:38:31,304 --> 00:38:34,145
up a great civilisation
along its banks.
610
00:38:36,945 --> 00:38:40,984
The many sites and treasures
around Cairo are behind me.
611
00:38:40,984 --> 00:38:44,425
And this is my first taste
of a much quieter river.
612
00:38:50,695 --> 00:38:52,495
Is that OK? Are you sure?
613
00:38:54,025 --> 00:38:58,184
Bakkar has been working on dahabeahs
since he was 12 years old.
614
00:38:59,585 --> 00:39:04,545
I've done a bit of sailing
too, but never anything like this.
615
00:39:04,545 --> 00:39:08,964
So I'm sort of hopelessly trying
to help with the tiller.
616
00:39:08,964 --> 00:39:10,234
It's quite hard,
617
00:39:10,234 --> 00:39:12,695
this river. It's a difficult
river to sail on.
618
00:39:12,695 --> 00:39:14,545
Yes.
619
00:39:14,545 --> 00:39:15,825
So how old are you?
620
00:39:17,335 --> 00:39:19,974
And the rest of your family have
all worked on boats, have they?
621
00:39:22,695 --> 00:39:23,865
OK.
622
00:39:23,865 --> 00:39:26,385
Is it your plan to become
a captain? Yes.
623
00:39:26,385 --> 00:39:28,214
Very good! Yes.
624
00:39:28,214 --> 00:39:30,054
We are actually heading
into the bank now.
625
00:39:30,054 --> 00:39:31,625
Sorry, I'm really sorry!
626
00:39:31,625 --> 00:39:33,825
I was pulling the wrong rope!
627
00:39:33,825 --> 00:39:36,665
This is getting us in
the right direction, isn't it?
628
00:39:36,665 --> 00:39:38,304
Good. Argh!
629
00:39:40,415 --> 00:39:44,745
2,500 years ago,
Egypt was described as the gift
630
00:39:44,745 --> 00:39:45,735
of the Nile.
631
00:39:47,104 --> 00:39:49,265
And that's not changed.
632
00:39:50,905 --> 00:39:53,314
Life just bursts out of the banks.
633
00:39:55,255 --> 00:39:59,865
You can see why the ancients called
Egypt the Red Land for the desert
634
00:39:59,865 --> 00:40:03,375
and the Black Land for the fertile
strips along the river.
635
00:40:05,945 --> 00:40:10,615
This is a really lovely typical Nile
scene with farm animals and palm
636
00:40:10,615 --> 00:40:13,395
trees and reeds and, actually,
if you start to look, you'll see
637
00:40:13,395 --> 00:40:17,465
that there are people everywhere
because, in Egypt, 96%
638
00:40:17,465 --> 00:40:21,064
of the population live near
or next to the Nile.
639
00:40:21,064 --> 00:40:24,665
And that's because there's
just so little waterfall here.
640
00:40:24,665 --> 00:40:29,405
This river really is the
source of life for Egypt.
641
00:40:30,535 --> 00:40:34,775
And, actually, the water in this
river, almost all of it comes from
642
00:40:34,775 --> 00:40:38,145
1,500 miles south in the
Ethiopian Highlands.
643
00:40:39,974 --> 00:40:43,955
For thousands of years, the rainy
season in the Highlands led
644
00:40:43,955 --> 00:40:45,615
to Egypt's annual flood.
645
00:40:47,304 --> 00:40:50,425
By late summer, the water level
here could have risen eight
646
00:40:50,425 --> 00:40:51,665
or nine metres...
647
00:40:53,054 --> 00:40:54,385
...feeding the valley.
648
00:41:00,945 --> 00:41:06,335
It was food nourished by the Nile
that powered a great civilisation.
649
00:41:07,735 --> 00:41:10,705
And the crew have tipped me off
that right now is the time
650
00:41:10,705 --> 00:41:13,495
for harvesting an ancient
Egyptian crop
651
00:41:13,495 --> 00:41:16,104
still being fed by
the Nile's waters...
652
00:41:17,135 --> 00:41:18,695
...dates.
653
00:41:18,695 --> 00:41:23,505
They've been cultivating dates
here for over 6,000 years,
654
00:41:23,505 --> 00:41:26,745
always fed by the waters
of the Nile.
655
00:41:26,745 --> 00:41:30,974
The ancient Egyptians used dates
for everything - for building,
656
00:41:30,974 --> 00:41:35,615
for furniture, for food,
for magic, for medicine,
657
00:41:35,615 --> 00:41:39,775
and it was said that the date
was the bread of the desert.
658
00:41:44,025 --> 00:41:47,626
From Stone Age coffins made
of date palm leaves...
659
00:41:48,745 --> 00:41:53,675
...to dates themselves left as
offerings in the Step Pyramid,
660
00:41:53,675 --> 00:41:56,645
and even for Tutankhamun himself.
661
00:41:59,635 --> 00:42:03,164
This fruit has been the superfood
of ancient Egypt
662
00:42:03,164 --> 00:42:05,845
since the very beginning.
663
00:42:05,845 --> 00:42:08,024
The reason is simple -
664
00:42:08,024 --> 00:42:12,005
dates can be dried, stored
and carried across the desert.
665
00:42:13,315 --> 00:42:18,204
In bad times as well as good, dates
have kept this civilisation going.
666
00:42:19,585 --> 00:42:23,525
They're a super-food in the modern
sense,too -
667
00:42:23,525 --> 00:42:26,105
they're full of fibre and potassium
668
00:42:26,105 --> 00:42:29,395
and - it's said - can even
lower blood pressure.
669
00:42:29,395 --> 00:42:30,805
Morning, girls.
670
00:42:30,805 --> 00:42:33,204
But if you want to taste
a truly fresh date,
671
00:42:33,204 --> 00:42:36,565
you've got
to be here at harvest time.
672
00:42:36,565 --> 00:42:38,865
Is it nice?
673
00:42:38,865 --> 00:42:41,834
OK, here we go. First fresh date.
674
00:42:41,834 --> 00:42:43,195
Slightly grubby.
675
00:42:45,084 --> 00:42:47,365
SHE EXCLAIMS
676
00:42:47,365 --> 00:42:49,164
No, not sweet.
677
00:42:50,565 --> 00:42:52,745
Quite bitter, but very good.
678
00:42:52,745 --> 00:42:55,005
Very nice and completely
white on the inside.
679
00:42:55,005 --> 00:42:57,515
Thank you. Shukraan, ladies.
Shukraan.
680
00:43:03,995 --> 00:43:08,225
The date harvest was always
an excuse for a good time -
681
00:43:08,225 --> 00:43:10,954
for weddings and family
get-togethers -
682
00:43:10,954 --> 00:43:13,084
and it's still the case today.
683
00:43:15,315 --> 00:43:18,445
Well done. And he's learning.
You're teaching him. Yeah.
684
00:43:18,445 --> 00:43:20,235
Yeah.
INDISTINCT
685
00:43:20,235 --> 00:43:22,315
You will.
686
00:43:22,315 --> 00:43:26,954
Tonight, some of the crew have
invited me to join them...
687
00:43:26,954 --> 00:43:29,084
This looks delicious.
Have you got some?
688
00:43:30,235 --> 00:43:33,015
...for a feast of traditional
dishes
689
00:43:33,015 --> 00:43:36,044
Is this hummus? I love this. Hummus.
690
00:43:36,044 --> 00:43:38,935
We think that we invented
the idea of superfoods.
691
00:43:38,935 --> 00:43:43,725
I love the notion that the ancient
Egyptians actually got there first.
692
00:43:43,725 --> 00:43:49,565
And in a way, the date was the fuel
of ancient Egyptian civilisation
693
00:43:49,565 --> 00:43:54,005
and whether you were an all-powerful
pharaoh or one of those workers
694
00:43:54,005 --> 00:43:57,084
who laboured away to build
the Giza pyramids,
695
00:43:57,084 --> 00:44:02,164
you knew that you lived
in a land of plenty, and we know
696
00:44:02,164 --> 00:44:06,405
that on beautiful nights
like this under a full moon,
697
00:44:06,405 --> 00:44:11,805
men and women would get together
to share and celebrate the gifts
698
00:44:11,805 --> 00:44:13,525
of the Nile -
699
00:44:13,525 --> 00:44:15,465
as we are tonight.
700
00:44:15,465 --> 00:44:18,954
I can't eat another date,
I've had so many!
SHE LAUGHS
701
00:44:18,954 --> 00:44:22,645
It's nice. I know - it is better
for you than the biscuit.
702
00:44:24,465 --> 00:44:25,465
Next time...
703
00:44:27,195 --> 00:44:29,365
I'm on the trail of Cleopatra.
704
00:44:30,445 --> 00:44:33,174
I'll brave the longest tomb
in Egypt...
705
00:44:33,174 --> 00:44:36,245
The only thing I don't like are
small dark spaces.
706
00:44:36,245 --> 00:44:39,125
Excuse me. Thank you.
707
00:44:39,125 --> 00:44:41,925
...and I'll discover how
mummification
708
00:44:41,925 --> 00:44:43,725
wasn't just for humans.
709
00:44:43,725 --> 00:44:48,034
Its eye-sockets are staring
at me across 2,000 years.
60131
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