All language subtitles for Ancient.Egypt.by.Train.with.Alice.Roberts.S01E01.Alexandria.1080p.HDTV.H264-DARKFLiX[eztv.re]_track4_[eng]

I'm Alice Roberts

and I'm on an adventure to look at
the world's oldest

and greatest civilisation.

SHE SPEAKS IN ARABIC

I'm going to be travelling the
length and breadth of Egypt by train

to discover its ancient past.

I want to understand how the tombs,

temples and pyramids came to be made

and dig even deeper to understand
what life was like for the ordinary

people that made them.

Along the way, I'll be meeting
archaeologists who are still working

to uncover the story of
ancient Egypt.

I'll be looking at some
familiar sights,

but also learning about
brand-new discoveries.

In the first part of my journey,

I'll be looking at how Egypt was
transformed under

the Greeks and Romans.

Look at this, oh.

And this one here as you can see.

Isn't it beautiful?
Look at those colours.

I learn about the slave soldier who
created the most beautiful fort.

So we're looking out here from
the battlements over the harbour

and you suddenly realise what a
prime position this citadel is in.

And I meet the archaeologist who
believes she can solve one of

the biggest mysteries in the world,
finding the tomb of Cleopatra.

Welcome to the underworld.

Just incredible that it's only
emerged in the last few years.

As I travel Ancient Egypt By Train.

Ah, coffee.

SHE ASKS FOR COFFEE IN ARABIC

Is this right? Qahwa? Coffee?

Qahwa. Qahwa. Coffee.

I think my train's coming soon.

This is good coffee, it's thicker
than the coffee I have at home,

sweeter than the coffee I have at
home, it's just the ticket today.

It's my first time here and it's
nice to see that train stations

around the world are more
or less the same -

from coffee vendors to reflecting
the hustle and bustle

of a nation's daily life.

I have always dreamt of
coming to Egypt,

especially after reading so much
about it since childhood.

Until now, I've only encountered
Egypt in books,

like Emilia Edwards'
Journey Up The Nile.

And in museums.

But now, I'm here to see it
for myself,

to immerse myself in the ancient
history and culture of this country.

I'm going to see the Sphynx,

the Pyramids,

the Temple at Karnak, of course.

But I'm also going off the beaten
track to find new discoveries

and talk to the people who are still
uncovering the secrets of

ancient Egypt.

And I'm traveling across this epic
country by train.

Over 4,000 miles of railways stretch
the full length of Egypt,

mostly following the Nile.

I'm starting by traveling
to Alexandria

from the airport in Cairo,

a journey of 140 miles towards the
Mediterranean coast.

Alexandria is linked to some of the
most famous names

from our history books.

Alexander the Great,
Marc Anthony, and Cleopatra.

For a time,

it was the world's biggest
and most important city,

with its university and the great
library of Alexandria,

it was a centre of learning
and it also had

one of the seven wonders
of the ancient world -

the lighthouse of Alexandria.

The library and the lighthouse are
long gone, both lost to time.

And I'm finally here in Alexandria,

which is the perfect place to begin,

it is the gateway into Egypt,

an immense, famous port city founded
by Alexander the Great,

bearing his name in
the 4th century BCE.

And it became the capital of Egypt.

Today, it's absolutely vast,

it's home to five and a half million
people, it's incredibly busy,

it stretches along 25 miles of the
northern Egyptian coastline.

But I'm here to find out all about
ancient Alexandria.

The seafront promenade known here as
the Corniche is where locals

come to relax and simply to enjoy
the views of their beautiful city.

What better way to take in the
sights and sounds of a place

that's completely new to me than
by exploring on foot.

You get a feel for the history of
Alexandria just walking around -

there's some fantastic architecture.

You get really modern buildings
rubbing shoulders

with edifices like this from a
century or two ago

and then here, we've got the
Mursi Abu al-Abbas Mosque,

absolutely stunning,
dating back to the 14th century.

There are two separate mosques here,

one for women,

and a larger one for men.

But it seems I'm allowed to at least
look inside the men's mosque.

Head scarf on, shoes off...

...a stone's throw away from
the seafront,

the mosque is a relatively recent
addition being only 700 years old.

It's doors and window frames are
made from teak and walnut.

The decorated ceiling contains an
octagonal skylight

called a Shokhsheikha.

This mosque is a classic example of
Islamic design which flourished in

Egypt after the Muslim conquest of
the seventh century.

A much later addition to Alexandria
is the tram.

With the roads heaving with traffic,

the tram is how many locals
prefer to travel.

Especially the city's vast
population of students.

There are 20 lines and 140 stops
crammed into the city centre.

And my first stop
is around the corner

from a special place called
Kom el-Dikka.

Kom el-Dikka is the biggest and most
spectacular archaeological site

in Alexandria.

Alaikum Assalaamu, nice to meet
you.

The director of the site is
Mahmoud Abdel-Rahman.

Good morning. So, this excavation's
been going on since the 1960s?

From 1960 until now.

Every year?

Every year.

It was found by chance in the 1960s
when city developers planned to

build new apartment blocks.

But a couple of 1,000 years
earlier in Roman Alexandria,

people were coming here
for learning and leisure.

I'm keen to find out more about
what Egyptian life was like

under the rule of the Romans,

starting with what looks like a
small theatre.

This seems like quite a
narrow theatre.

A small one.

Yeah.

Yes, actually, it's not a theatre.

Actually, it was odeum for listening
for the music in the ancient time.

OK.

And all of the place covered with
huge bulb covering the place here.

A dome?

Yes, a huge dome for the echo sound,

collecting the sound and
reflecting for the people.

And over 2,000 years later,

I can experience
the same acoustic effect

as the musicians of
Roman Alexandria.

Some echo sound and
you can try it here.

OK, so I'm going to stand
on this spot

and then speak to the room...

AMPLIFIED: That's extraordinary.

Yes. I can hear my voice
echoing back to me,

that's so peculiar, isn't it?
CHUCKLING: Yes.

My voice changes completely.

I'm hearing myself very, very
differently now.

I feel like I'm in a bubble,
in an echo chamber, in fact.

Yes.

And then, presumably,
my voice is carrying up

to the highest seats up
there, as well.

I'd like to give lectures
in a place like this,

this would be wonderful.

I'm in Alexandria,

at a site that was earmarked for
some new apartments.

But then they discovered
spectacular Roman remains

and rather than being turned in
apartment blocks,

the site has become
an open air museum.

There's an odeum for live music

and just alongside it,
what Mahmoud, the site director,

believes was part of the famous
University of Alexandria itself.

Also, we have this university,
magnificent 22 classroom.

In the ancient time,

is a place for the professor
and a place for the audience.

Can you and I walk on there?

We can walk in there.

Now, if I could just transport
myself back in time

by around 2,000 years...

OK.

I'm going to be the professor
and I would be here?

Yes, and your students come in here.

Yeah. So, here I am,
Professor Alice Roberts.

Yes. Talking... To the students.

...to my Byzantine students.

Yes, for Philosophy maybe or
Chemistry or something like this.

Lecturing them presumably in Greek,
that was the scholarly language.

Late Greek.

Now, we can go in down,
under the ground.

It's magnificent architecture.

In the ancient time, we cannot see
what's happening under the ground

for the slaves and the people.

Yeah.

But it's a hypocaust system.

The Romans also brought underfloor
heating to Egypt -

a system called a hypocaust, where
slaves working beneath street level

would stoke furnaces to heat the
bathhouse above.

Here we are beside the
hypocaust system,

and you can see the traces
of fire inside it.

Yeah.

OK, it was closed here,

and they just put the fuel
inside here. Yeah, yeah.

And the huge fire inside
and temperature.

If you can imagine
if you're walking on the marble,

it will be warm and sometimes you...

Yeah, it's fantastic -
underfloor heating, isn't it?

You will feel not, you know, it's
not cold in Egypt in this time.

Alongside the odeum,
university and bathhouse,

there are also private
dwellings here.

One of these homes is known as
The Villa of the Birds

and it contains a stunning example
of Roman-Egyptian style.

Now, we're getting to
The Villa of the Birds,

the Roman villa. As you can see
with the mosaic floor...

Oh, wow.

...it's something well preserved.

Isn't that gorgeous?

A unique one because we didn't
have any Roman villa,

something like this.

Yeah, made out of pieces of marble,
but look at this.

And this one here, as you can see,

that's why we called it
Villa of the Birds...

Isn't it beautiful?
Look at those colours!

I mean, they're so bright and...

Until now. ..and clear.

Also, we're making some restoration
every year for it.

Have you repaired those mosaics?
Are those...

Are any of those tesserae
new tesserae?

No, it's ancient one,

and we found in this condition

because we found a huge ash over it,

over the mosaic directly for
50 centimetre

because of a huge fire
in the ancient time -

preserved the mosaic to
this condition.

Look at those colours! I mean,
and recognisable species of bird.

So, that's a duck. A duck.

Yes, and this is a peacock.

This is a peacock. Yeah.

I mean, look at the colours there,
that's absolutely gorgeous.

They're using different materials -
glass and also marble.

What's this bird here?
Almost like a parakeet.

This is parrot, yes,
this one is parrot. Yeah. Yes.

Something else we have here,

another mosaic showing panther.

Nowadays, the panther,
it disappeared from Egypt.

So, we've got this classic Roman
design, this mosaic.

Yes. But showing...
Typical in Alexandria.

Showing Egyptian...
Yes, Egyptian, yes.

Egyptian wildlife, yeah.

A mystery that has confounded
archaeologists in Egypt

is the location of
Alexander the Great's tomb.

It was visited by
Julius Caesar and Cleopatra,

but today, its precise
whereabouts remain unknown,

although Mahmoud has his theory.

And, Mahmoud, what about
the tomb of Alexander the Great?

Tomb of Alexander.

Where do you think it is?

It's supposed to be in the
north of this direction

because it was in the Suma Square.

And Suma Square
is lying in the north,

direct in the north of this side,
500 metres distance away.

Oh, really close to where we are.

And we can't remove the building

to continue the excavation
inside the site.

Yeah. It's here somewhere.

Hidden for somebody will come to,
you know, to discover it.

Yeah, yeah.

Let's wait and see.

Alexandria's history captures that
later story of ancient Egypt

when the country was under
Greek, then Roman rule.

We see different empires,

civilisations and cultures
meeting here.

This column, known as
Pompey's Pillar,

though actually dedicated to the
Roman emperor Diocletian

was erected next to
an ancient Greek temple.

The Romans like to make their mark.

This site is also the only real
remaining connection

to the Great Library of Alexandria.

It contains an annexe known as the
Daughter's Library used as

an additional storage space for the
vast collection of texts.

As the first day of my adventures
in Egypt comes to a close,

I'm keen to find out more about the
beautiful fort on the headland.

It can be seen from every part of
Alexandria's coastline

as it juts out into the
Mediterranean Sea.

It was the location of
the Lighthouse of Alexandria,

one of the seven wonders of
the world.

The lighthouse stood for around
1,000 years and was thought to be

the tallest building in the world.

Only a few ancient
descriptions survive,

and it seems that it was
rebuilt several times

after damage from earthquakes.

But by the 14th century,
it had fallen into ruins.

What stands there now is a
15th century fortress

known as the Citadel of Qaitbay.

Qaitbay is the man who built it

and he started life as a slave
soldier known as a Mamluk.

Hello, Assalaamu Alaikum.
Alaikum Assalaamu.

Archaeologist Nermine Sami who's
lived in Alexandria all her life

is going to tell me more about
this magical place.

Wow, look at that beautiful door.

And also, connection with
the first floor.

Oh, it's impressive.

This is such a beautiful place,
tell me about it.

It was named after the
sultan who built it, isn't it?

Qaitbay was one of Mamluks who
ruled Egypt for 28 years.

So, this is the Mamluks, they were,

they were slaves that were
brought here?

A soldier of a slave origin.

So, how does he end up being Sultan?

How does he make
that transformation?

Yes, how he became a sultan
because he showed many of bravery

and intelligence
to become a sultan.

Yeah, yeah.

He was approved by all the soldiers,

and he was chosen to be
a sultan of Egypt.

Incredible. Yes, it is.

Yeah.

So, Qaitbay comes here and builds
this fortress on what presumably is

the site of the original lighthouse?

Actually, the lighthouse site was in
a distance of 20 metres.

So, pretty close.

Pretty close, OK.

And we still see some traces
of lighthouse.

Stone clocks were used in
construction of internal parts of

the fortress.

So, the lighthouse is gone.

Gone.

But Qaitbay spots this as being

the ideal place to put
this fortress.

To protect his supporters of
Alexandria by the sea,

because there was a huge attack that
would come by the Ottoman.

So, Sultan Qaitbay is worried
about the Ottoman empire -

this is part of his defences
against the Ottomans.

But eventually Egypt does
fall to that empire?

Yes, he was afraid of
Ottoman attacks,

and he had to fortify the
whole country, not just Alexandria.

But Alexandria was always the
gate to conquer Egypt.

Yeah, I mean, what do you think
about Qaitbay as a man?

It's an extraordinary story.

He begins life as this slave soldier
and ends up being a sultan.

Yes, I think it's...
He was different, unusual character.

He was not just a militant
or soldier man,

he was, formed a foundation and
construction and project of opening

this country to all people to come.

So, he was interested in that kind
of cosmopolitan side,

which you see, I mean,
you still see today in Alexandria.

Yes, we still have the
same concept and idea

and the spirit of welcoming others.

Yeah, and that goes, I mean, that
goes right back

to the foundation of Alexandria,

as well and the idea of this place
as a famous,

famous seat of learning.

Possibly, you know, possibly
the most famous seat of learning

in the ancient world at one time.

They cared about learning
and education,

I think that's what leads
this city to be

so special than any other cities.

Yeah.

So, we're looking out here from
the battlements over the harbour

and you suddenly realise what a
prime position this citadel is in

to defend this harbour.

In that time, actually, the
fortification of Mamluks were not

enough because they were still
using the old techniques.

But when Ottoman came,
fortress couldn't resist.

The rising power of
Ottoman was very super

comparing to the power of
the Mamluks.

It's so different from
the southern battlements,

where we're looking over that safe
harbour, lovely, calm water.

And then you look out from
the northern side

and you've got the crashing waves
of the Mediterranean.

It's an image of contrast
actually. Yeah. And you...

It makes you love the city and also
to be afraid to be enemy to it.

Yes.

Yes, so, you have to be careful.

If you are an enemy,
you are not welcome.

If you are a friend,
you are welcome.

Alexandria today reflects its
cosmopolitan history

and its continuing reputation as
a seat of learning

where different cultures co-exist,

a beautiful and defiant city on the
edge of the Mediterranean Sea.

At this time of the day,
as the sun sets...

...you see a few fishermen out here
just on the quayside,

it's easy to think yourself back
to ancient Alexandria.

It's the start of a new day for
my adventures in Egypt.

I'm in Alexandria, heading to meet
a woman on a mission to track down

one of Egypt's most famous names.

Along the coast, west of Alexandria,

a few stops down the line,
is an archaeological site

that has the Egyptologists divided.

I'm off to meet someone who is
convinced that she is close

to finding the illusive tomb
of Cleopatra.

Just 30 miles out of the city

and I find myself in the
Egyptian countryside,

where stations are little more than
a concrete platform.

This is also where archaeologists
have been excavating

a 2,000 acre site called
Taposiris Magna.

It has a lighthouse,

an ancient temple and a more
recent discovery -

a system of tunnels that go out
and beneath the Mediterranean Sea.

Kathleen Martinez, a former lawyer
from the Dominican Republic,

has been working here
for almost 15 years.

Kathleen, this is just incredible.

It's huge and you realised
that there was much more

to find still buried
under the ground here.

Yes, I wanted to prove that the
temple was a functioning temple

that functioned for many centuries.

And when you arrived here,
what did it look like at that point?

It was completely covered with sand.

So, pretty much the level
that we're standing on here,

right across the site.

So, this is all your excavations?

Yes.

So, you've obviously done quite
a bit of reconstruction here.

I can see that
this is all new mortar.

Yes.

So, these plinths are strange

cos they've got little steps
leading up.

So, what do you think it's for?

They put offering here.

Yeah. On here, to the gods.

Right. You think this is the
original entrance here,

so this would have been the way that
worshippers came into the temple?

Yes.

At least for the pharaohs
to come into the temples

because they have their
own entrance that's in the north.

Yeah.

In terms of the longevity
of this temple,

when did it go out of use,
do you know that?

We have archaeological evidence

that it's functional till
the 5th century.

So, how did you prove it, then?

You presumably, as you dug, you...
With archaeological evidence.

You've got dating evidence?

Yes, dating with ceramics that
we discovered, the tombs,

who are the ones
who are buried in these...

In these catacombs.

Yeah. There are people that lived in
the time of Queen Cleopatra.

While other archaeologists believe
Cleopatra was buried in Alexandria,

Kathleen's own research
has led her to look here.

With a background as a lawyer,

she's made a case based on
circumstantial evidence.

Archaeology is a science, this is
obviously more than a hunch,

this is all about your very
careful research.

What was it that made you think that
this was a really good candidate

for Cleopatra's burial?

Cos I studied Cleopatra's death for
more than five years,

only the last days of her life.

Yeah.

And then I followed
her as a criminal lawyer

and I wanted to put myself
in her shoes.

What would I do
in my last days if I had...

I am the last Queen of Egypt,

and the Romans want to take me
to be paraded in Rome?

Because the Romans hated
her too much.

She had to make sure that her final
resting place was somewhere

the Romans wouldn't find her.

Exactly, that's why it couldn't
be Alexandria city,

it couldn't be there because it was
under the control of the Romans.

We know she committed suicide

and she chose the place that she
wanted to be buried.

And I believe that this temple
reunite all the conditions.

The temple itself,
the religious centre,

the architecture is magnificent.

Mm, it's incredible.

And we know Cleopatra, everything
she did, it was a grandeur,

she did everything in a big scale.

Second, it was a Greek temple.

You've also found this crucial piece
of evidence that says

who this temple is for,
who it's dedicated to.

Yes, it was one of the greatest
digs of my life.

Yeah.

I was able to prove when I saw
the foundation plates,

because it already linked
the temple to Queen Cleopatra.

Ancient Egyptian temples have
a foundation plate,

a sort of registration marking
the temple's creation.

Look here, this square,

I discovered the foundation plate.

Just here? Yes.

This nondescript looking hole?

Yes, it was about this size -
exactly the size of the cellphone.

So, as soon as it appeared,
did you know what it was?

Did you realise
what this object was?

Yes, it was a very exciting
moment in the excavation.

Of course, we knew the
foundation plates.

Let me show you.

Oh, wow.

Everybody was searching for them,

and it has inscriptions
in hieroglyphic.

And you can see clearly here.

So, Greek, I can read bits of,
and I can see here, "Vasilias."

That's... That's King.

And then that, "Isidi," so, of Isis.

Exactly. Yeah.

This revelation was important
to Kathleen

because Cleopatra identified
herself with the goddess Isis,

a strong reason Kathleen believes
that Cleopatra would have chosen

this site for her own burial.

So, everything at that moment,
it changed history.

Yeah. My heart was beating
so strong about what,

to whom was it dedicated.

Yeah. And we saw Isis.

Imagine, I was able to prove it

cos it could be dedicated
to any other god.

That's amazing,
so what does it say, then?

The whole translation says,

the king of upper
and lower Egypt, Ptolemy,

may he live forever,
the love of Isis,

son of the king of upper
and lower Egypt,

Ptolemy, and the ruler Berenice,

the two beneficent gods made this
sanctuary for Isis.

That's just extraordinary.

And, Cleopatra, as you said,

is identifying herself with
the goddess Isis.

Yes.

Inside one of the temple walls is
a collection of fragments

not quite good enough to be sent to
Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities.

But these remnants still mean
a lot to Kathleen.

Oh, so is this your stores?

Yes, we have some
architectural elements.

Yeah. These are pieces
which are not good enough,

they're not considered artefacts,

but they are very important for me

because I can have an idea
how the temple looks like.

Yeah. All the temple
was covered in marble,

that means a lot, it was very rich.

Yeah, I just love the details,
you know,

I love this little one here with
this little spiral.

This is architectural elements that
goes in the top of the columns.

It's just lovely, isn't it? I mean,
it looks so fresh, that carving.

This is the head of a sphinx.

So, you're able to conjure a picture
of what these temples

would have looked like
when they were in use?

Yes. Yeah.

So, how many artefacts have you
found in total

during your excavations?

Right now, I have around
2,000 objects.

Are you moving your focus of
attention out of the,

out of the temple now and looking
more outside, at the necropolis?

Yes, we widen the search
to the east.

Can I come and see what you've
been doing? Yes. Yeah?

Yes, I'm looking forward
to showing you.

In 2019, Kathleen's team started to
dig down to locate some tunnels

that she'd identified using
scanning technology.

Down below the temple, her team of
Bedouin workers spent weeks

with basic tools to excavate
the tunnels

that Kathleen believes
may run for miles.

And now, I'm going to go underground
to see what she's found.

I'm at an archaeological site on
the outskirts of Alexandria

with Kathleen Martinez,
who believes that

Cleopatra herself is buried
somewhere here.

Kathleen has been searching for
Cleopatra for 15 years,

but it's only recently that she's
discovered hidden tunnels

stretching out beyond
the highway for 2km

underneath the Mediterranean Sea.

So, how did you find the shafts?

Are you using
ground-penetrating radar?

Are you, you know, how are you
detecting where the shaft is?

Some, we have discovered with
GPR, sound excavating.

Yeah, yeah. Can we go down?

Yes. Yeah?

How do you feel to go down,
there are snakes and...?

Erm, how deep is it?

Eight metres.

Eight metres, not too bad.

But there are snakes down there?

There are snakes and also
some scorpions.

Yeah, OK.

Snakes and scorpions.

OK, I'm coming down.

Now, you said there were
venomous snakes down here,

but I didn't bring my flaming torch
to get rid of them,

so I hope they've all scarpered.

Ah.

Welcome to the underworld,
the world of Osiris.

KATHLEEN CHUCKLES
Thank you.

These tunnels are just astonishing.

So, when did you dig this out?

When did you and your team
dig this out?

I've been digging three years,

but it's very hard to work here.

Yeah. And you can see
the way it was built,

it was chiselled in this direction.
Yeah. Yeah.

It's perfectly cut,

cut in the bedrock.

You see, it has a lot of humidity,

this part. Yeah.

Right now, we are exactly
beneath the highway.

Really?

Yeah, you can feel the vibration.
Can you...

The road could so easily have
destroyed this archaeology,

couldn't it? Yes.

The tunnel, it's leading me to
the Mediterranean Sea.

It goes all the way out?

And there was no historical
records that indicate

that the temple was bigger. Yeah.

Or it has some other structures.

Yeah, yeah.

Just incredible that's it's only
emerged in the last few years

thanks to all your perseverance.

The tunnels were full of sand
which has been dug out.

But there's much more to clear
before Kathleen finds out

where they eventually lead and what,
if anything, she'll find there.

How does it feel to be amongst the
latest generation of archaeologists

to be making discoveries
like this in Egypt?

I think many discoveries will be
made in the near future

because new generation
of archaeologists are

thinking out of the box. Yeah.

And that will help to understand
better our past.

So, you're not afraid to challenge
those old theories?

Yes, I'm not afraid at all.

As a matter of fact, I'd like to
change all of those wrong theories

and books written, of example,
about Queen Cleopatra.

And if I discover Cleopatra's tomb,

she will speak to us
through her tomb,

and we will have another
understanding of her

as a historical character.

And I believe
these tunnels are the key.

Kathleen's passion for her quest to
find Cleopatra's final resting place

has to be admired.

Kathleen believes that the tunnels

may have some connection
with the tomb.

I'm somewhat doubtful.

But the ongoing excavation will
either prove her correct or not.

Many Egyptologists dismiss her
mission as fantasy,

but I have a feeling that any
scepticism will do nothing more than

spur Kathleen on in her quest.

Back on the train to a destination

halfway between Alexandria
and Cairo,

the town of Tanta.

This is where I'm making a quick
stop because I've been told about

an active archaeological site
that dates back

to the very beginnings of
ancient Egypt.

Going back almost 5,000 years to
the time of the earliest pharaohs.

I'm intrigued.

So, this is very much off
the beaten track,

but I was desperate to come here.

This place is known as
Tell el-Fara'in,

The Hill of the Pharaohs.

To the Greeks, it was Buto,

to the ancient Egyptians themselves,
it was Per Wad jet,

the place of Wad jet.

Now, she's the cobra goddess of
lower Egypt.

First impressions, though.

I might have travelled a long way
just to look at a mound of earth.

This was once a vibrant city.

It was discovered in the late 19th
century by Scottish Egyptologist

Flinders Petrie.

But excavation only really started
in earnest in the 1960s.

It was also an important sacred site
connected in ancient Egyptian myth

to the goddess Isis and her son,
the god Horus.

Ah, there's all this evidence of
your excavations around us.

Shall I sit here? Yeah.
So, this is what we...

I'm lucky enough to be meeting
the site director,

Dr Hossam Ghoniem,

with translator Mohamed Hawash.

Oh, this is incredible.

So, underneath all of this mound,

you've got incredible
archaeology emerging.

So, was there a temple of
Horus here?

TRANSLATES IN ARABIC

ANSWERS IN ARABIC

There is a temple for Horus here

and there is another temple
for Wad jet

because Isis' and Osiris'
story is started here.

Oh, really?

So, and also, this place was the
capital of lower Egypt

before they united all of
lower Egypt and upper Egypt.

Right.

So, this is a really,
important place?

It is.

In ancient Egypt, then.

Yeah, yeah, very,
very important place, yeah.

Hossam, what level are
we looking at here?

ANSWERS IN ARABIC

It's the new kingdom. Right, OK.

The old kingdom
around 12 metre depth.

It's layers of civilisation
on top of each other. Yeah.

What's the most ancient?

Most ancient is...
HE SPEAKS ARABIC

Yeah, and that takes us back to?

Fourth millennium BC.

Fourth millennium BC.

So, you've got 6,000 years of...

Yeah.

...of history here.

There is still a lot to see
or to discover. Yeah.

Cos what they're working on is
around one hectare,

and the old temple's area is
like 11 hectares.

Really?

So, it's like, it's a massive area.

And you're obviously still digging.

Is this part of the same vessel?
Yeah. Does that go together?

Yeah, it's the same one.

Oh, that so satisfying,
look at that.

By restoration, we can complete it.

And that's what,
the top of an amphora?

Yeah, from amphora and this is the
base. Yeah. Like this.

Huge vessels. Yeah, yeah.

Full of what - wine, oil?

Maybe. Yeah? Maybe for wine.

HE CONTINUES IN ARABIC

He's very happy when
he finds anything

because anything he found,
he add knowledge to him.

It's incredible, isn't it,
that we're still,

we're still learning,
you're still digging,

you're still making
discoveries every year. Yeah.

Thank you so much,
I'm going to go and explore now.

Yeah, thank you. Shukran.
Thank you. Thank you.

With sites as rich as this,
there is still so much to unearth.

The whole history of the settlement
is preserved here.

Ah, just look at that section,

you've got the history
of the site there.

You can really see all these layers,
all these strata.

And we go back and back in
time as we go down.

And they're packed full of pottery,

so you'll be able to date
each of those.

And we're looking at going back in
time thousands of years

until we get right back into the
early pharaonic period

and these columns are sitting
down on that level.

6,000 years of history in one place.

Hossam has told me to look
carefully in this passage,

there should be some ancient
writing on the walls.

Well, this is fantastic,
it just goes down and down.

We descend beneath the Roman layers,

beneath the Ptolemaic layers,

get back to the time of
the Pharaohs.

And down here are some hieroglyphs.

Over here, what we've got are these
rounded off rectangles.

Now, these are car touches,

and we know then that
that contains a name.

So, you've got a set of symbols in
here which will be a name,

this one you can see has got a
little scarab in it.

And here's a falcon.

And over here, I think this is the,
is the double crown.

So, the crown, the red and white
crown of upper and lower Egypt,

when the two Kingdoms come together.

This looks like horns with a sun
disc in the middle.

So, that's very possibly Hathor,
the cow goddess.

And this is taking us back to the
early dynasties of ancient Egypt.

Three mounds of earth taking me
back 5,000 years ago,

it's given me so much
to think about.

Hossam is continuing the work here
that Flinders Petrie started

over 100 years ago.

Now, when Amelia Edwards died,

she left a bequest
to University College London

to set up a chair in
Egyptian Archaeology

and the first professor in that
post was Flinders Petrie.

He was a pioneer of Egyptology and
indeed modern archaeology.

But he's a deeply
controversial figure

for his political views and
his racist ideology.

So, we've got a familiar quandary
here in the history of archaeology

and science in general.

What do we do about these people

when we want to respect
their discoveries

and their contribution to knowledge,

but at the same time,

we want to confront that troubling
history of archaeology?

And perhaps it's a lesson not
to put people on pedestals.

The cosmopolitan
and historic city of Alexandria

has given me a great insight into
the tail end of ancient Egypt.

From finding out more about how the
romans lived at Kom el-Dikka...

...to walking in the tunnels that
could lead to Cleopatra's lost tomb.

I'll be forever grateful
for my time spent here.

More treasures
of ancient Egypt await me

and it's time to get
back on the train.

SHE SPEAKS IN ARABIC

I'm going to be heading south to
Cairo, the capital city.

I'm really sad to be saying
goodbye to Alexandria

and the Mediterranean Sea,

but my journey now lies
to the south.

I'm also leaving behind
that more recent history,

the Mamluk rulers of Egypt,

the Romans and the Greeks,

and I'm going in search of
the Pharaohs.

I'm headed for the pyramids.

Next time, I find out about the
British involvement

in the birth of
the Egyptian railways.

Robert Stephenson,
Newcastle on Tyne.

Bridge up.

The death of the most
famous pharaoh of them all.

I've seen so many pictures of this,

but nothing quite prepares you for
the real thing.

It's absolutely beautiful.

This would have been roofed over?

Yes.

I get amazing access

to the only surviving ancient
wonder of the world.

I'm incredibly privileged

to be going inside the
Great Pyramid of Khufu on my own.

Surely, the greatest tomb
that has ever been made.

And I even squeeze in a bit
of shopping.

I love that one.

That's 50.

Or 25, 307 OK.

Thank you, thanks very much.

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