All language subtitles for Ancient.Egypt.by.Train.with.Alice.Roberts.S01E02.The.Pyramids.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 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
who 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
new discoveries.

I'm now on the railway line
that hugs the Nile

all the way to Aswan via Luxor.

In Luxor, I find out why
it's known as

the world's greatest
open-air museum.

In Aswan, I visit the land
of the temples.

Today I'll be making my base
in Cairo.

I'll visit the great
Egyptian Museum...

...get up close with the pyramids...

...even going inside.

Down in a souk,
I find a hidden gem...

...and off the beaten track,
the hillside graveyard

where the elite are buried
alongside the commoners...

...as I travel ancient Egypt
by train.

My first stop is
the country's capital city.

I started my journey in Alexandria,
140 miles away from Cairo.

After a quick stop in Tanta,

I'm now getting close
to the Egyptian capital.

I've been intrigued by ancient Egypt
since I was a child,

and it's down to one
particular woman.

In my local churchyard was
the grave of

the pioneering Egyptologist
Amelia Edwards.

Amelia travelled to Luxor and Aswan,
starting her journey in Cairo.

I'm 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, the Greeks,
the Romans,

and I'm going in search
of the pharaohs.

I'm heading towards the pyramids.

This is the book that Amelia penned
as she made her journey up the Nile.

Amelia Edwards wrote that the first
glimpse that many travellers would

have of the pyramids was on this
train ride from Alexandria to Cairo,

so I'm hoping I might see
them myself.

And of course, they're the most
famous landmarks in Egypt

and surrounded in myth
and mystery still.

Some people say that they
are the relics of

an ancient technologically-advanced
civilisation,

others that they were built
by aliens.

But the archaeological truth is much
more interesting,

and I'm going to meet the experts
who are delving into those secrets.

I'm also hoping to uncover
the origins

of the great city of Cairo itself.

As I pass through the city,
it becomes clear

that the pyramids can't be seen from
the train any more.

Cairo has grown dramatically since
Amelia was here over 100 years ago.

Egypt was the second country
in the world,

after Britain, to have a railway.

It was built by British pioneer
and designer Robert Stephenson.

Stephenson was also
contracted to make the trains.

Cairo is the hub of
the whole rail network,

with hundreds of trains passing
through it every day.

Cairo station was renovated
in 2014 and it is splendid.

As the nation's main station,
this was a no-expense-spared revamp,

demonstrating just how proud
the Egyptians are of their railways.

The station also has its own museum

dedicated to the nation's
railway history.

Oh, look, there's the plate.

Robert Stephenson,
Newcastle on Tyne.

And just when I thought I'd finished
with trains today,

along comes Dianne from
the museum to distract me.

This to make it move.

There it is.

Dianne, when did the railways first
open in Egypt?

And where did it travel
from and to?

It started from Alexandria in 1852.

From Alexandria, it reached
Cairo, in stages, in 1856.

With an engine built by
Robert Stephenson?

Yes.

Today the Egyptian railway spans
over 4,000 miles

and every year more than 270 million
journeys are taken by passengers.

Cairo and its sister city Giza,

directly across the Nile,
form Greater Cairo.

With a population
of around 21 million,

this isn't just the biggest city
in Egypt,

it's the biggest city in Africa.

And yet, it's not big enough.

The city's traffic is
congested 24/7,

making travelling anywhere
quickly impossible.

So the Egyptian solution is build
a brand-new capital,

New Cairo, just 30 miles away.

This is a nation that isn't afraid
to think big.

I start this new chapter of my
journey into the deep past

in the Egyptian Museum,

right in the heart
of Cairo city centre.

I'm meeting Yossra Ibrahim...

Pleased to meet you.
Very, very nice to meet you.

...an Egyptologist from the city

who now works at the
University of Mainz in Germany.

INAUDIBLE

So, tell me about this, then.
I mean, this is extraordinary.

When does it date to?

It dates from about Dynasty I.

It marks the unification
of Upper and Lower Egypt.

So this is the very beginning
of that Pharaonic period?

Yes, it's the beginning of
a unified kingdom. Yeah.

We have the pharaoh Narmer or
the pharaoh Menes.

He's the tallest one?
Yes, he's the biggest character

to denote his importance
and his power as well.

And who are these headless bodies
over here?

Yeah, so these people are supposed
to be

the enemies who were against
Narmer or were against unification.

When are we talking about,
fourth millennium?

Yes, possibly. BCE?
Possibly, yes.

Yeah, yeah.

A very interesting detail - in the
middle here, you see the circle?

This is where the make-up pot
would be prepared.

It's a make-up pallet?
It's supposed to be,

but we're not sure if it was used
or not.

I'm drawn towards
a face I'm familiar with.

It bears a striking resemblance
to the bust of Queen Nefertiti

which resides in
the Neues Museum in Berlin.

She's one of the most copied works
of ancient Egyptian art.

This is Nefertiti, is it?

This is an unfinished bust
of Nefertiti.

So the famous bust of Nefertiti
currently in the Berlin museum...

It's recognisably the same face.
Yes, yes. Yeah.

It's the same technique.
The facial features are prominent.

And she is, you know, she's... Yeah.

...chin up, yeah, looking out.

Now that's really naturalistic.

It's very naturalistic.

Compared with these statues,
which are quite bizarre.

They are quite unique with reference
to the Egyptian art

because it's quite strange to see
the pharaoh depicted in this manner.

The museum's collection
is spellbinding.

They have artefacts from ancient
Egypt spanning thousands of years.

Both large...

...and small.

But the treasures of one pharaoh
in particular

draw in visitors in
their millions - Tutankhamun.

Here we have the mummy mask.

Ah... Do you know, I've seen
so many pictures of this,

but nothing quite prepares you
for the real thing.

It's exquisite.

It's absolutely beautiful.

It's made of gold,
and you can see a lot of details.

You can see a fake beard denoting
the death of the pharaoh. Right.

You can also see the cobra and
vulture at the top

or at the head in order
to protect it.

Just layers and layers of symbolism.
Yes.

And, you know, the symbolism
of the wealth

that is poured into this tomb
and almost saying,

"We can afford to just lose this,

"we can afford to put all this
gold away..."

Yeah. "..and we're still rich

"and we're still powerful and this
dynasty will continue." Exactly.

Now, can we see his name anywhere
here? I really want to see the name.

You can. You can see it on a number
of objects.

So this is a mummy case belonging
to Tutankhamun,

and here you can find his name,

Twt-ankh-imn or Tutankhamun.

This is the meaning of his name. And
what's giving you the sound of "Tut"?

So Tut is composed of these two
semicircles, of the sound "T". Yeah.

And then the "W" - the quail,
that's the "W" so "Twt".

The top one is the sound
for the "M". Mm.

And the zigzag is the "N",

and the one on the right is
the "E" or the "I", "Imn".

That's a feather?

That's a feather, yes.

Oh, it's just...
Isn't it incredible?

Yes. You're making it a living
language again. Ah, yeah.

I'm so... Honestly, it's wonderful.

Would you like to see
the sarcophagus of Tutankhamun?

Yes, I would like to see the
sarcophagus. Of course. Please.

Is this his sarcophagus as well?

Yes, this one was placed
inside this.

How many sarcophagi,
how many cases were there?

Well, these were several cases.

There were about four on the inside,

and then there are two surrounding,

or two emboxing the coffins.

And again, you've got these
ornate patterns,

but you've also got hieroglyphs,

and these hieroglyphs
are inlaid. Yes.

And even at his feet you've got
that extraordinary detail.

This is the goddess Isis stretching
her wings

in order to aid the protection of
the deceased, of Tutankhamun.

And in the pantheon of Egyptian gods
and goddesses,

what was the division of power?

How important were the goddesses
compared with the gods?

I would say they assumed
equal importance

because you have several
female deities

and several male deities as well,

and Isis is a very important
and a powerful figure

who doesn't just
represent motherhood.

I just think that's such a wonderful
image with those beautiful wings.

Isis was the goddess of fertility
and motherhood,

death and rebirth,
and this image of her

at the feet of Tutankhamun's
sarcophagus is so beautiful.

It's night-time when the city
really comes to life.

Cairo's souk is at least
600 years old.

A kilometre of shops
and street traders.

And you couldn't ask for more of
a contrast

from the tranquillity of the museum.

I love that one.

That's gorgeous.

And it's the perfect place
for the weary traveller

to part with some money at the end
of a long day.

That's 50? What about...

.. 2577

307 Yeah.

Thank you.

There's so much to be tempted by,
but one craftsman caught my eye.

Ah, isn't that lovely?

I've seen a design. I don't know...
I don't know if you have it,

but it is on
Tutankhamun's sarcophagus...

...Isis with her wings out.
Can you do a plate with that on?

Yeah, OK.
You can do that for me?

Yeah. Mumkin?

Ah, mumkin! Mumkin. Yeah.

"Mumkin" is a little bit of Arabic
I picked up meaning "if possible".

Welcome. Thank you. Have a nice
time. Thank you. See you later.

CALL TO PRAYER ECHOES

Beside the souk is a huge mosque

and I want to see if I can have
a look around.

Is this the Qalawun mosque?

Yeah, this is the Qalawun complex.

So, it's the tomb of Qalawun
himself? Yeah. And he built it?

He built this, yes, in 1285. Yeah.

He was a slave, but he became king.

He was a Mamluk? He was a slave
soldier? Mamluk, yeah.

Yeah. He built this?

Yeah, the tomb.

The tomb over here.

Mm-hm. Here is the mosque
and school. On that side.

And front, this is a hospital.
You want to have a look?

I'd love to. Can I go and explore?

It's OK. Thank you.
HE SPEAKS ARABIC

Built in the 13th century, this is
a mosque with a school attached.

The student accommodation was
arranged around this courtyard.

This is absolutely stunning,
right in the centre of Cairo.

You can hear the traffic outside,
you can hear the souk,

and then you come into this
sacred space.

And this is all part of this complex

which includes the school,
but it's also a mosque,

a place for learning about Islam.

And the architecture's so beautiful.

This really is a jewel
of Islamic Mamluk architecture.

Another important part
of this complex was a hospital,

which also functioned as
a medical school.

And these buildings capture what
has been going on in Egypt

for thousands of years - recycling
and reusing features from the past.

This is such stunning
medieval architecture.

But there are also more ancient
elements here as well.

These pillars are Roman.
They come from Alexandria.

And these huge columns here
are Pharaonic, from Luxor.

The most elaborate architecture and
decoration is seen in the mausoleum.

When Qalawun died, his body was kept
nearby for two months

while they completed this tomb
for him.

And later, his family members
would be added.

So this is the tomb of Qalawun
lying in the centre

of this complex that bears his name.

Just like the pharaohs
in their pyramids,

he made sure that he'd
be remembered.

The Qalawun mosque complex is
a hidden gem,

a wonderful piece of history
that is still functioning

in a contemporary world,

buried deep in a city that not only
embraces change,

it thrives on it.

Before the night is done,
there's just enough time for me

to check on my Tutankhamun
plate design.

Is it nearly done? Oh, welcome back!

Oh, wow, look at that!
You like it?

... I think it's absolutely
beautiful. She's fantastic.

Thank you. You're welcome.
Have a nice time.

Thank you so much for doing that.
I really... That's lovely.

Nice to meet you. Bye. Thank you.
Nice to meet you too. Bye-bye.

Today is the big day. It's all about
the pyramids and the pharaohs,

and I'm heading for Saqqara
to find out

where the idea of the pyramids
came from.

But I also want to find out what was
here in Cairo

before it was called Cairo.

The expansion of modern day Cairo

has consumed legendary cities
from ancient times.

In the north of the city
are the remnants of Heliopolis,

one of the oldest cities In
ancient Egypt and a former capital.

This last remaining obelisk was one
of many in Egypt.

A few were taken by the Romans
to adorn other cities,

and one can even be seen on
the Victoria Embankment in London.

Heliopolis is in what's now
a small suburb of Cairo,

and from here it's a 40-minute drive
to Saqqara,

right on the edge of
the city limits.

Saqqara is a site of around
40,000 acres.

It has hundreds to tombs...

...and the very first pyramid ever.

Known as the Step Pyramid,

it was built almost 4,700 years ago
for the pharaoh Djoser.

Look here. These niches,
they had statues in here.

Yeah. All this.

I'm meeting Yomna Salama,
an Egyptologist,

tour guide and university lecturer
with a focus on

the role of women throughout
Egyptian history.

They say sometimes it's older than
Stonehenge.

Yeah, it is older than Stonehenge,
and it's also... Yeah.

It's also more nicely made.

And this is a pharaoh's tomb?

Yes, that's King Djoser,
the founder of the third dynasty

so we're talking about 2700 BC.

It's astonishing, isn't it?

I mean, it's absolutely enormous.

I mean, that took a lot of work
to create.

We actually consider
the building of Djoser's pyramid

as a revolution in architecture
in Egypt,

because before the time of Djoser,
it was mainly mud brick

and wood used in the construction
and building. Right.

So, actually, the first time
to construct something in stone,

limestone, was here.

This is the first pyramid?

Yes, that's the first pyramid
in the world.

This idea of the pyramid. Do we have
any idea where it comes from?

It actually started
with a pit under the ground

and then a shaft leading
to this pit

and then a mastaba, which is a
rectangular superstructure... Right.

...on top of this shaft
and the burial pit.

And it's interesting cos it's quite
steep-sided, isn't it,

when you look at each layer? Mm.

If you look, it's nothing
but six mastabas,

six rectangular superstructures
above each other.

There is all solid stone.

The burial chamber is underneath.

Here in Saqqara, also it's not just
a necropolis for people.

We have burial shafts
for birds and animals,

and last year we discovered
a mummified small lion,

baby lion. Really?

Yes, so it's birds, animals,
cats and falcons,

hundreds of mummified animals.

Do we have literature from ancient
Egypt telling us... Yes.

...you know, why these animals are
being given very similar treatment?

The Egyptians, for the soul of
the dead person,

they made sacrificial gifts
and the mummified cats and falcons,

those were actually sacred animals.

But to mummify falcons and cats,

this is something very unusual
and very Egyptian.

Yes. I like that, very Egyptian.

Everything in ancient Egypt
is related to one concept,

life after death
and the circle of life.

And it's incredible to come here,

actually, and realise
that it isn't...

I mean, I say "just the pyramid."

The pyramid's really impressive,
but this is... wWell, yeah.

This is all fantastic as well,
this archaeology.

You need to stay at least one month
with me here to see everything.

That sounds great! But we'll try to cover the
highlights. Yeah, we'll do that, then! Yeah!

Coming here to Saqqara,
there's so much.

What is all this around
the pyramid?

Well, this is very important,
actually, what you mention.

Pyramids are one architectural
component of what we call a burial

or a funeral complex of the pharaoh.

So here, for example,
in Saqqgara, you see the open court,

you see a temple, you see gates
leading to the complex.

This is a funerary complex
that has all kinds

of wonderful architectural features.

This gateway leads into
a narrow colonnaded room.

This is the door or entrance,

the only true entrance of
the 14 gates.

And that's the wall that used
to surround the entire complex.

So 13 of these gates are just
false entrances?

Yes, just to amaze the tomb robbers
and the thieves.

Wow, yeah. And here you can see
the columns

on the right and on the left side,

they are imitating a bunch of
papyrus reeds tied together.

Yes.

And of course, the gaps here,
right and left,

were occupied by statues of
the pharaoh sitting on his throne.

The courtyards and walkways would be
places for festivals,

but there are also areas for quiet
reflection and paying respects.

Look at this. We have here a frieze
of cobra snakes.

And it's just a feature along the
top of the wall all the way around?

All the way round. Thousands of
cobras for protection.

That's why you see cobras on the
forehead of the pharaohs,

hey are protective.

At the end of the Saqgara site,
pyramids of ancient rulers

can easily be mistaken
for mounds of earth.

This is the tomb of King Teti,
who died more than 4,000 years ago.

It certainly hasn't stood
the test of time.

But Yomna is taking me to
a well-preserved tomb

of one of King Teti's employees.

So whose tomb is this?

This is the tomb of
the high official Mereruka.

He is the Prime Minister

or the supervisor of all the work
of King Teti.

Is this him?

That's him represented in
a noble style.

He's wearing a stretched kilt
with a walking stick and a sceptre.

And who's this here under
his skirt?

This is his wife.
Here she's very small.

Here she's small because the tomb
belongs to him originally. Yeah.

But inside you will see her
as equal.

Can we go in?

Yes, let's go inside
the silence of the dead.

And here you will see Mereruka
and his wife holding hands.

Oh. They are represented as equal.

Ah, so this time she's
the same height as him?

Yes, and they're holding hands,
a very loving and caring attitude.

And all the men are in action,

so that shows you the daily life
in Egypt.

This man, for example, is giving his
master water to drink.

And you can see the lotus flowers

are beautiful here
in the River Nile. Yeah, yeah.

Fishing scenes with nets.

It's stylised, but there's also
these naturalistic elements to it,

and the fish are brilliant.
All the different kinds of fish.

There's a catfish!
There is the catfish.

Isn't it wonderful?
It tells a story, doesn't it?

Exactly.

So, here we have a big statue
of Mereruka right here,

the owner of this tomb,
to your right.

And to your left-hand side, you see
him represented in a noble style.

He's wearing the panther skin.

Oh, yes. You can see the head
of the panther up there. Exactly.

So wearing the panther skin shows
his status.

There's all these animals here.
I can see some COWS.

Yes, and even you can see they are
turning ones upside down

to be slaughtered,
to be given as sacrificial gifts.

It's brilliant to have such a
detailed record of life

in ancient Egypt, and not just for
the elite but the whole economy.

Exactly.

And where was his actual tomb, then?
I mean, obviously this whole thing

is his tomb, but where is...
Was there a sarcophagus?

Yes, there is a shaft in this tomb,
in this room behind us,

and his sarcophagus or coffin should
be in this shaft.

It was inserted down into the floor?

Yeah, under the ground. Yeah.

Was it sealed after his death
or did people come in?

No, no, no. After the burial,

the tomb will be sealed
and shall never be entered again.

They have only 40 to 70 days,
the mummification time,

to bring all the furniture
and the personal belongings

of the dead person and all
the sacrificial gifts,

and then the tomb will be sealed
and closed.

I mean... And that sealing
of these tombs,

that's why they've been
so well preserved

and that's why we get this
astonishing insight

into ancient Egypt through them.

That's one of the major reasons
and also because of documentation.

They documented everything,
so we can tell what's missing. Yeah.

I've been in Cairo
for a couple of days now

and I'm already getting
a good feel for it.

There's a fascinating old European
grandeur to its architecture.

The broad city streets carry
a seemingly endless flow

of traffic day and night.

Today I'm heading to
the other half of Greater Cairo,

directly across the Nile
- the city of Giza.

At the edge of this vast city,
where it meets the desert,

it reveals its claim to fame...

...the Great Pyramids of Giza...

...as well as the Sphinx.

Giza is a big draw for tourists.

I'm getting there early to avoid
the crush.

I'm meeting Ashraf Mohie EL-Din,

the man with the best job title
in the world...

...the Director of the Pyramids.

Ashraf, this is beautiful.
And I think...you see the Sphinx,

but actually there's so much more
around the Sphinx as well.

Yes.

This was remains
of ancient harbour. Oh, really?

So the boat which bring
the blocks was parked here.

So there was a river just here?
Yes.

On the right-hand side, we have
the Sphinx temple.

It is the oldest and the first
sun temple

to worship when the sun rises
and to worship when the sun sets.

Yeah, yeah.

You have to remember
everything started,

created on this land!
Right here?

Yes!

It's really a huge temple.

Ashraf, what is this temple, then?
What was it for?

This the Valley Temple of
the King Kha-ef-ra,

Khafre. Khafre.
It's a huge temple.

Dates back to Dynasty IV,
4,600 years.

The temple itself, it was
built from limestone

and was cased inside
and outside with granite blocks.

Each pillar, it's about 60 tonnes.

If you have a look from here,

you can see all the pillars in one
straight line.

That's amazing, isn't it?
I mean, that engineering. Yes.

And that degree of precision.

It's exactly one straight line.

Yeah. It's almost like
brutalist architecture.

It's very simple and very powerful.

Yes.

This would have been roofed over?

Yes. It would have been a dark,
mysterious place.

That's right, but there are some
niches in the ceiling over there...

Yeah, yeah. ..to bring the sun rays
to the statues, who were shining,

because when the sun rays went to
the statues, we get the reflection.

So do you think
right at this point, then,

there's that kind of identification
of the sun as a deity

and the king as, effectively,
that deity?

Of course, yes, because the king,
he's the son of the god.

After the death, he became
the god himself. Yeah.

So all the people come
to worship the god,

bring offerings to the god,
to where? In his temple. Mm.

And it's so perfectly fitted.
I mean, do you think they were

finishing these blocks once they'd
placed them in situ?

We have workshops. We have
workshops outside. Yeah.

So they brought the granite,
cut it and polish it,

and after they finish it,
they brought the block to here.

I mean, it's so neat. I mean,
look at these joints

and you just see that precision.
Just incredible.

It's really perfect.

This is so beautiful and enormous.

I mean, it's just amazing

to even think about how they started
this sculpture.

Sphinx was cut from one single rock,
just one piece.

This is literally carved out of
the mountain in situ?

Yes.

It represent the King Khafre
as the sun god.

It takes the face features of Khafre
and the body of a lion.

It's a combination between
the wisdom of the human face

and the power, strength of the lion.

It's really complex beliefs,
isn't it? Really complex symbolism.

Yes, of course.

Do you get the impression that this
religion was something

which inspired fear or joy?

The workers, they have a strong
belief in god,

they have a belief in the afterlife,

they believe in rebirth
and resurrection,

so they were doing this by
their desire.

They were not forced,
they were not slaves.

If you have the belief,
you will do miracles.

We do many studies,
we do many excavations,

and from excavations we found loads
of information

telling us about the history. This
is what I think is so incredible

about ancient Egyptian archaeology

is that you have this documentary
evidence that goes alongside it.

You've got the writing,
you've got the written word,

you've got what was in
the minds of the makers.

We were lucky, because they were
recording everything on papyri,

on the walls of the tombs,
so we got loads of information.

From 4,500 years ago.
I mean, it's incredible.

And in terms of this
miraculous construction,

what kind of tools are they using?

Actually, this is limestone.

Around, you know,
we found workshops,

and in the workshops,
we found tools from granite,

because granite's harder
than limestone.

So they're not using metal tools?

Not, because wasn't invented
at this early time yet.

Just across from the Sphinx
are the Pyramids.

Their enormous scale is all about
the status of the Pharaoh,

whose body is entombed deep inside.

But they also stand as testament
to the ancient Egyptians' ability

to construct monumental architecture
on a superhuman scale.

They're saying, "Look at us.

"We can make the greatest buildings
in the world."

It's really difficult to get
a sense of scale, isn't it?

It's really huge.
Yeah, yeah.

I mean, I can see there's a little
horse-drawn cart

just disappearing over there. Yeah.

And suddenly you actually
appreciate the...

...the immensity. They are huge.

We have three big pyramids of Giza.

Khufu.

And the second one, his son
is Khafre,

or Kha-ef-ra.

And the grandson is Menkaure.

And the small pyramids for
the queens, the wives of Menkaure.

And this is a family

and their tombs just kind of
securing that idea

of a dynasty in the landscape.

Yes, this is one dynasty,

dates back - Dynasty IV -
4,600 years.

Oh, it's just incredible!

Museums here and across the world

are full of artefacts
from ancient Egypt,

and yet it's estimated they've only
found a tiny fraction

of the archaeological remains
under the sands.

There is still so much more
to be discovered.

Presumably the pharaoh has to start
the work on this

when he comes to the throne?
Of course, yes.

Building a pyramid takes
about 20 years.

And the Khufu pyramid's about
2.3 million blocks.

It's about 13 acres square.

Yeah. It's really huge.

Do they build the chamber first

and then start accumulating
the pyramid around the chamber? OK.

How does it work?

It's a very good question.
I will answer to you.

This is the base of the pyramid.

They make a ramp from sand.

So this ramp goes up in a circular
way around the pyramid

and start to build the chambers,
the tunnels, the passages. Yeah.

And they're going up
course by course, level by level.

So it all has to be planned out
from the very beginning? Yes.

That's right. And they're going up
course by course.

So this ramp goes up in a circular
way to be easy for the sledges

which hold, you know, the blocks
to go up

until they reach the top of
the pyramid.

So they start to case
the pyramid from outside

with fine and white limestone

and were removing the ramp from
the top to the bottom down there.

Oh! So, if you imagine how the
pyramid looked like in ancient time,

it was so smooth, so flat.
Yeah, yeah. So white.

So what's happened to the casing?

Because, you know, that middle one
has still got some casing. Yes.

But most of it's gone.

They were stripped out to be used
in the modern buildings. Right.

They didn't care about the pyramid.
They used the pyramid as a quarry.

So what we see of the surface today,
that stepped effect,

that wouldn't have been there. It
would have been completely smooth.

Smooth and flat.

And you can see remains of the outer
casing on the top of Khafre. Yeah.

Because the robbers didn't go to
the top of the pyramid.

So we can imagine it.

We can imagine what it would have
looked like. Yes.

I'm lucky to have been given half
an hour to see the tomb of Khufu

deep inside the Great Pyramid before
it opens to the public.

I'm told it's a bit
of a steep climb,

around 70 metres
and over 400 steps.

And I'm just about to leave
all the tourists behind

because thanks to Ashraf,
I'm incredibly privileged

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

I'm climbing deep inside
the Great Pyramid,

looking for the tomb of Khufu.

I can see a shaft descending
down there...

...to a chamber far below me,
but I'm...

...heading up to the King's Chamber.

This is just incredible.

It's like being in a cave
or a mine...

...but actually, I'm going deep
inside a pyramid.

It's opening out.

Oh, my God! Look at this space.

It keeps on going into the heart
of the pyramid.

It's getting hotter
and hotter the higher I climb.

Phew!

And now a bit of a crawl.

This is it.

This is the central chamber right
in the heart of the pyramid.

And this space is...

...is incredible. It's austere.

There's nothing on the walls,

no inscriptions, no carving.

But we know that this was
the resting place of Khufu

because of graffiti elsewhere.

And this is his great
granite sarcophagus

and it would have held his mummy.

But when the chamber was opened just
over 200 years ago,

it was like this. It was just as I'm
seeing it now, empty.

It had been plundered
centuries before.

It's completely awe-inspiring.

But there's also something quite
terrifying about it.

I'm getting quite a strong sense
that I shouldn't be here.

The Great Pyramid is a monumental
piece of history,

a statement from a civilisation
whose kings were all-powerful,

whose architects were heroic.

It feels incredibly special
to be this close to it,

to be able to touch it.
But there are some rules.

That sign definitely wasn't here

when Amelia Edwards came
to visit in 1873.

Amelia did her whole journey
up the Nile

and then comes back
to the Pyramids at Giza,

and she climbs this one,
the Great Pyramid of Khufu.

"The view from this place
is immense." she writes.

"The country is so flat,
the atmosphere is so clear,

"the standpoint so isolated that one
really sees more and sees further

“than from many a mountain summit
of 10,000 or 12,000 feet.

"The ground lies, as it were,
immediately under one,

"and the great necropolis is seen
as in a ground plan.

"Without ascending the pyramid,
it's certainly not possible

"to form a clear notion of the way
in which

“this great burial field
is laid out.

"We see from this point how each
royal pyramid is surrounded

"by its quadrangle of lesser tombs,
some in the form of small pyramids,

"others partly rock-cut,
partly built of massive slabs

“like the roofing stones
of the temples.

"We see how Khufu and Khafre
and Menkaure lay

"each under his mountain of stone

"with his family
and his nobles around him.

"They are the grandest graves
in all the world."

Back on the train, and this next
journey is symbolic.

I'm following the Nile south
from Cairo to Min ya.

This is such a beautiful,
fertile landscape,

and here on the banks of the Nile
are some of the most iconic temples

and the most prestigious tombs in
all of ancient Egypt.

The railway crosses from
Lower Egypt to Upper Egypt,

and Min ya is a border town that
links the two.

I'm not too far now from
the land of the temples,

the Valley of the Kings
and Queens. They're next.

But now I'm going somewhere well off
the main tourist trail.

A short trip from the station brings
me to a place called Beni Hasan.

I suspect there's
a lot more steps to come.

It's an ancient Egyptian cemetery.

Here the tombs are protected

and well away from the flood plain
of the Nile.

The cemetery dates back around
4,000 years

and, in more recent times,
some kind person has built

a long set of steps.

Now, the name of Beni Hasan comes
from that town over there,

that abandoned Arab town.

I'm down amongst the graves of
the lower cemetery here

and these are all shaft graves.

There's about 900
of them across this hillside.

This whole site was excavated
by John Garstang

from Blackburn, Lancashire at
the beginning of the 20th century.

He discovered two separate areas
for burials.

Here, all over the hillside,
is for the ordinary people -

small rectangular holes
one after the other.

I'm heading up to the upper
cemetery, and that's where the elite

were buried in these rock-cut tombs.
I can just see the entrances.

At the very top are 39 tombs for
the upper echelons of society.

Ah!

Made it to the upper cemetery.

This is the tomb of Amenembhat,
a local ruler and priest.

The tomb artwork reflects his
interests and hobbies in life.

He seems to have liked music,
wine and sport.

There are also some wrestling
or fighting scenes.

Khnumhotep Il was buried
in this one.

He came from a family
of local governors.

The scenes in here tell
the story of a group of traders,

perhaps coming
from the eastern desert,

bringing pigment for eye paint.

Each tomb also contains
a burial shaft

for the sarcophagus
of the mummified body.

Thank you so much.

Cairo, Giza and Beni Hasan have
given me an incredible insight

into ancient Egypt.

My next location is Luxor,
the Valley of the Kings,

the Temple of Karnak,
and the Avenue of the Sphinxes.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media