1 00:00:04,804 --> 00:00:08,934 l'm continuing my journey to see 80 of the world's greatest treasures. 2 00:00:11,778 --> 00:00:15,544 This week l travel through holy lands on the quest to understand 3 00:00:15,715 --> 00:00:20,414 man's compulsion to celebrate the gods through works of eternal beauty. 4 00:00:22,055 --> 00:00:24,751 lt's ajourney which will take me from the romantic 5 00:00:24,924 --> 00:00:27,324 and most contested places on Earth, 6 00:00:27,494 --> 00:00:29,894 to hidden gems of Ethiopia. 7 00:00:53,019 --> 00:00:54,509 Over the past three months 8 00:00:54,687 --> 00:00:56,552 my cultural marathon has covered 9 00:00:56,723 --> 00:01:00,318 the Americas, Australia and Asia. 10 00:01:00,660 --> 00:01:03,754 Now l find myself in the Kingdom of Jordan. 11 00:01:09,502 --> 00:01:13,404 l'm heading towards the centre of a great hidden city. 12 00:01:13,573 --> 00:01:15,803 A city lost for centuries 13 00:01:15,975 --> 00:01:19,934 yet stands at the heart of the Holy Land. 14 00:01:23,216 --> 00:01:25,844 The deep and twisting gorge, or seek 15 00:01:26,019 --> 00:01:31,423 is the gateway to one of the most extraordinary and mysterious places ever created by man. 16 00:01:56,483 --> 00:01:59,941 Of all the ancient ruined cities of the world l've seen on my journey, 17 00:02:00,053 --> 00:02:02,749 Petra is in a league of its own. 18 00:02:04,924 --> 00:02:09,088 Here's Petra's great architectural treasure. 19 00:02:09,329 --> 00:02:10,694 Al Khaznet. 20 00:02:10,997 --> 00:02:15,525 lt's eh, sculpted from the rock face - 21 00:02:16,136 --> 00:02:17,603 - and beautifully preserved, 22 00:02:17,770 --> 00:02:20,136 like ajewel in a casket, 23 00:02:20,306 --> 00:02:24,675 protected by the cliffs that rise all around it. 24 00:02:25,178 --> 00:02:29,512 lt's a - very, very sophisticated piece of classical design. 25 00:02:29,682 --> 00:02:32,207 Beautifully, delicately detailed, 26 00:02:32,385 --> 00:02:37,254 dating from, it's now thought, the first century B.C. 27 00:02:37,957 --> 00:02:39,982 Al Khaznet means treasure. 28 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:43,652 The Bedouin thought this building was so wondrous 29 00:02:43,830 --> 00:02:46,321 it had to contain a treasure from Egypt, 30 00:02:46,499 --> 00:02:48,126 so it means 'Treasury.' 31 00:02:48,401 --> 00:02:50,096 But really what else can it be? 32 00:02:50,270 --> 00:02:52,738 Well, a tomb perhaps. 33 00:02:52,906 --> 00:02:55,170 A temple? Almost certainly. 34 00:02:55,341 --> 00:02:57,536 Some people see it as a great calendar, 35 00:02:57,710 --> 00:03:00,270 but what is absolutely clear from the central figure, 36 00:03:00,446 --> 00:03:02,573 which is lsis, the Egyptian goddess, 37 00:03:02,749 --> 00:03:05,013 which the Nabataens had taken to their hearts. 38 00:03:05,185 --> 00:03:09,246 And this temple faces east towards the rising sun. 39 00:03:09,422 --> 00:03:12,823 So, with lsis up there and its orientation would suggest 40 00:03:12,992 --> 00:03:16,155 it's to do with - birth, with life, with fertility. 41 00:03:22,168 --> 00:03:26,002 Gosh! Just look at this room. 42 00:03:26,172 --> 00:03:27,662 Absolutely incredible. 43 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:30,138 lt's a sort of natural marbling. 44 00:03:30,310 --> 00:03:33,768 This is the wonder of Petra. 45 00:03:34,681 --> 00:03:40,620 The beauty of nature - - combined with the er, with the skill of man - 46 00:03:40,787 --> 00:03:44,985 - to create a very, very special place indeed. 47 00:03:51,030 --> 00:03:55,729 Petra was built by the Nabataen people more than two thousand years ago. 48 00:03:56,035 --> 00:03:59,232 At its peak, the city was home to thirty thousand people, 49 00:03:59,405 --> 00:04:03,933 before being finally abandoned around one thousand years ago. 50 00:04:04,944 --> 00:04:09,381 The Nabataens were merchants who controlled the Holy Lands' key trade routes. 51 00:04:10,283 --> 00:04:14,117 These links brought influences from the great ancient civilisations of the region. 52 00:04:14,287 --> 00:04:17,620 The Greeks, the Romans and the Egyptians. 53 00:04:24,163 --> 00:04:30,398 The cliffs are alive with tombs, alive with death l suppose. 54 00:04:31,170 --> 00:04:37,075 l say as l look around everywhere l see doors cut into rock faces, 55 00:04:37,243 --> 00:04:41,839 all of which would have contained bodies of the people 56 00:04:42,615 --> 00:04:47,245 that once lived here when this was a thriving city. 57 00:04:53,226 --> 00:04:56,559 The Tomb of the Obelisks has echoes of Ancient Egypt. 58 00:04:57,397 --> 00:04:58,193 To Nabataens 59 00:04:58,364 --> 00:05:00,764 the obelisks represented the souls of the dead 60 00:05:00,933 --> 00:05:02,332 buried in a tomb. 61 00:05:04,070 --> 00:05:10,703 Wow! lnside there are - one, two, three, four, five - 62 00:05:10,877 --> 00:05:13,744 - main burial places 63 00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:15,775 and this is clearly the most important one, 64 00:05:15,948 --> 00:05:18,178 there's a great big arch above it - 65 00:05:18,351 --> 00:05:23,015 - and over this texturing on the stonework - is all this soot blackening. 66 00:05:23,189 --> 00:05:26,818 l suppose that's from centuries of Bedouin inhabitation. 67 00:05:26,993 --> 00:05:29,120 These nomadic people would have come up here, 68 00:05:29,295 --> 00:05:33,288 lit fires, cooked and then moved on. 69 00:05:36,302 --> 00:05:40,295 lt's likely the Bedouins are responsible for clearing all the tombs of their contents, 70 00:05:40,473 --> 00:05:42,464 including any treasure. 71 00:05:44,077 --> 00:05:46,068 The portal here - the door, 72 00:05:46,245 --> 00:05:50,511 leads to what's now called a triclinium - 73 00:05:50,817 --> 00:05:53,377 - which is simply a banqueting room 74 00:05:53,553 --> 00:05:57,284 with benches on three sides. 75 00:05:57,457 --> 00:06:00,119 There are many of these in Petra - 76 00:06:00,293 --> 00:06:01,920 - used to celebrate the gods, 77 00:06:02,095 --> 00:06:05,929 or perhaps part of the ritual of funerals. 78 00:06:06,566 --> 00:06:09,501 A funeral feast would be held in here. 79 00:06:16,609 --> 00:06:19,476 l leave behind the most beautiful graveyard on Earth 80 00:06:19,645 --> 00:06:22,808 and climb the Nabataens' holy mountain. 81 00:06:25,318 --> 00:06:26,683 Phew! 82 00:06:27,487 --> 00:06:31,048 This is the high place of the Nabataens, 83 00:06:31,224 --> 00:06:34,591 their sacred acropolis. 84 00:06:35,294 --> 00:06:41,824 This is where - they would pray to their gods. 85 00:06:42,268 --> 00:06:46,295 Dus-Sara in particular, the god of the mountains. 86 00:06:47,140 --> 00:06:49,973 They'd kneel, the Nabataens 87 00:06:50,143 --> 00:06:52,304 and look to the altar over there 88 00:06:52,845 --> 00:06:58,010 on which there would have been some abstract image of Dus-Sara. 89 00:06:58,184 --> 00:07:02,245 A rock bigger but this will do. 90 00:07:02,555 --> 00:07:05,422 l'm on the altar now, rather wicked really, 91 00:07:05,591 --> 00:07:10,392 and you can see from here the world as seen by the Nabataens 92 00:07:10,563 --> 00:07:16,593 from their very special holy high place. 93 00:07:33,853 --> 00:07:36,788 l head higher into the realm of the mountain god. 94 00:07:38,090 --> 00:07:40,388 My sturdy mule is on autopilot, 95 00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:45,429 as he surges up the narrow path teetering on the side of the deep gorge. 96 00:07:49,769 --> 00:07:53,535 lt's like being on a magic carpet with a mind of its own. 97 00:08:02,515 --> 00:08:06,042 After a forty minute climb, l reach the monastery. 98 00:08:06,486 --> 00:08:10,422 A building just as imposing as the Treasury where my journey began. 99 00:08:11,991 --> 00:08:13,219 Good boy. 100 00:08:13,793 --> 00:08:17,126 This is a - twin of the Treasury down below. 101 00:08:17,930 --> 00:08:21,024 lf that's to do with the feminine, with birth, 102 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:23,191 it looks east towards the rising sun - 103 00:08:23,369 --> 00:08:27,863 - this is more to do with death, with the masculine. 104 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:30,338 lt looks west towards the setting sun - 105 00:08:30,510 --> 00:08:34,002 - and is probably the masculine god - Dus-Sara. 106 00:08:42,321 --> 00:08:44,687 lmagine what it was like two thousand years ago. 107 00:08:44,857 --> 00:08:50,227 These communities of travellers and traders from all over central Asia and Europe, 108 00:08:50,396 --> 00:08:51,226 coming here - 109 00:08:51,397 --> 00:08:58,530 - and suddenly burst into this wonderland of perfect classical architecture. 110 00:09:01,474 --> 00:09:03,840 The lost world of the Nabataens is only known to us 111 00:09:04,010 --> 00:09:06,706 for the monuments they built to their dead. 112 00:09:16,188 --> 00:09:17,155 The beginning of the end came 113 00:09:17,323 --> 00:09:21,157 when Petra was annexed by the Romans in 106 A.D. 114 00:09:21,327 --> 00:09:23,727 and the city declined as a trading centre. 115 00:09:23,896 --> 00:09:27,832 lt was later devastated by two huge earthquakes. 116 00:09:35,675 --> 00:09:36,539 My day is not over. 117 00:09:36,709 --> 00:09:38,438 l have a dinner date with Bedouins 118 00:09:38,611 --> 00:09:41,011 who once took shelter in the tombs. 119 00:09:41,614 --> 00:09:44,640 l'm hoping they will tell me about Petra's ghosts. 120 00:09:48,321 --> 00:09:51,415 Excellent. What a nice gentleman? Excellent. 121 00:09:52,892 --> 00:09:53,859 Are there Bedouin stories and myths - 122 00:09:54,026 --> 00:09:56,995 - about some of the buildings, they're very haunting, aren't they? 123 00:10:05,638 --> 00:10:08,266 They have many stories that they were stoning them, those spirits. 124 00:10:08,441 --> 00:10:08,930 Stoning them? 125 00:10:09,108 --> 00:10:11,440 Yeah, as they walked by night. 126 00:10:12,912 --> 00:10:16,541 He was stoned by - by spirits and um, 127 00:10:16,716 --> 00:10:18,183 then he - he lost conscious. 128 00:10:18,351 --> 00:10:21,684 He was unconscious for twenty-four hours. 129 00:10:22,421 --> 00:10:24,514 Gosh, l must say perhaps we should um, 130 00:10:24,957 --> 00:10:29,087 sort of come down to Earth and sample some of this delightful food. 131 00:10:32,531 --> 00:10:33,998 - This is the Bedouin food. - Oh, l say. 132 00:10:34,166 --> 00:10:35,565 - This is bread. - Bread, yes. 133 00:10:35,735 --> 00:10:37,532 - And rice. - Yes. 134 00:10:37,703 --> 00:10:38,635 This is a whole lamb. 135 00:10:39,138 --> 00:10:40,833 ls it lamb, lamb, oh lovely. 136 00:10:43,676 --> 00:10:46,076 Umm. Now these, what are these - 137 00:10:46,245 --> 00:10:48,042 l haven't seen these, what are these things? 138 00:10:48,214 --> 00:10:49,340 Testicles. 139 00:10:50,016 --> 00:10:54,112 Oooh! How did these chaps know l was partial to a testicle? 140 00:10:54,387 --> 00:10:57,015 He's very well endowed this sheep. 141 00:10:57,189 --> 00:10:59,054 Good Lord, this is massive. 142 00:11:00,092 --> 00:11:05,291 Very fine. Nothing like a good testicle. 143 00:11:12,471 --> 00:11:14,166 The following morning l leave Petra 144 00:11:14,340 --> 00:11:18,106 and head along one of the great trading routes of the ancient world. 145 00:11:18,678 --> 00:11:20,270 The King's Highway. 146 00:11:32,525 --> 00:11:34,322 This monotonous desert landscape 147 00:11:34,493 --> 00:11:38,896 was once the holy epicentre of three of the world's major religions. 148 00:11:39,065 --> 00:11:42,501 Judaism, Christianity and lslam. 149 00:11:50,009 --> 00:11:50,703 My next treasure is 150 00:11:50,876 --> 00:11:54,368 in the small Jordanian town of Madaba. 151 00:12:00,786 --> 00:12:02,981 This church may look pretty ordinary. 152 00:12:03,155 --> 00:12:05,680 lt was built in the 1890s in fact. But - 153 00:12:05,858 --> 00:12:08,884 - it contains a remarkable treasure. 154 00:12:09,328 --> 00:12:15,858 The oldest known map of the Holy Land showing Christian sites. 155 00:12:19,538 --> 00:12:21,301 Only a fragment survives, 156 00:12:21,807 --> 00:12:23,138 but it still throws fascinating light 157 00:12:23,309 --> 00:12:26,540 on the Holy Land fifteen hundred years ago, 158 00:12:27,113 --> 00:12:31,675 before the age of lslam and when Christianity was a dominant religion. 159 00:12:33,486 --> 00:12:38,446 This mosaic was created in about 550 - 160 00:12:38,624 --> 00:12:42,993 - and was the floor of an early Christian basilica. 161 00:12:43,162 --> 00:12:46,427 Originally it measured twenty-four metres by six metres. 162 00:12:46,599 --> 00:12:48,089 This is what's left. 163 00:12:48,334 --> 00:12:49,961 lt is utterly remarkable. 164 00:12:50,136 --> 00:12:53,902 l'm standing here on the Mediterranean coast - 165 00:12:54,073 --> 00:12:55,768 - so this is the west. 166 00:12:55,975 --> 00:13:04,610 What we have here - is a um, an extraordinary detailed vision of this sacred land. 167 00:13:04,950 --> 00:13:08,181 There is the ancient city of Jericho, 168 00:13:08,354 --> 00:13:11,551 surrounded by date palms. And here - 169 00:13:11,724 --> 00:13:15,524 - the earliest map of the city of - Jerusalem. 170 00:13:15,995 --> 00:13:17,724 Here it is with its wall. 171 00:13:18,230 --> 00:13:19,492 Oval in form. 172 00:13:19,732 --> 00:13:22,667 Here is the great Roman street 173 00:13:22,835 --> 00:13:26,635 going through the centre of the city with columns on each side. 174 00:13:26,939 --> 00:13:32,104 And of course the great Christian monument here - is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre - 175 00:13:32,278 --> 00:13:35,042 - shown upside down with its yellow dome, 176 00:13:35,214 --> 00:13:38,581 the greatest Christian church in the world at the time. 177 00:13:38,751 --> 00:13:40,878 Over there, Bethlehem. lt's - 178 00:13:41,053 --> 00:13:43,078 - like a tourist guide to the great sites 179 00:13:43,255 --> 00:13:47,351 and l imagine Christian pilgrims coming here from all over - 180 00:13:47,526 --> 00:13:50,359 - and look at this map and know where to go. 181 00:13:56,302 --> 00:13:59,601 l decide to follow one of the great pilgrimage routes to Mount Nimo. 182 00:13:59,772 --> 00:14:04,072 A sacred site which helps explain how the rival faiths of the Holy Land 183 00:14:04,243 --> 00:14:08,304 locked horns in a seemingly endless cycle of violence. 184 00:14:26,198 --> 00:14:31,295 l'm standing on one of the most extraordinary and powerful places on Earth. 185 00:14:31,470 --> 00:14:35,804 Because right here, according to the Old Testament, 186 00:14:35,975 --> 00:14:39,934 the Lord showed Moses the Promised Land. 187 00:14:40,179 --> 00:14:43,580 Stretching before me to the west. 188 00:14:44,216 --> 00:14:47,413 Jerusalem, Jericho, Bethlehem, 189 00:14:47,586 --> 00:14:50,282 the Dead Sea, the Holy Land. 190 00:14:50,990 --> 00:14:53,356 Now lsrael and the Occupied Territories, 191 00:14:53,525 --> 00:14:55,356 formerly Palestine. 192 00:14:56,428 --> 00:14:59,727 The lsraelis believe this ancient text 193 00:14:59,899 --> 00:15:03,391 and promise is alive today as in the past 194 00:15:03,569 --> 00:15:11,135 and therefore underpins and supports their case for possessing the Holy Land. 195 00:15:11,310 --> 00:15:14,711 A terrain that here looks incredibly romantic and peaceful, 196 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:18,407 but which we know is tragically a scene of - 197 00:15:18,584 --> 00:15:23,317 - turmoil, conflict and misery. 198 00:15:24,456 --> 00:15:30,019 All because of a promise made right here where l'm standing now. 199 00:15:49,348 --> 00:15:51,077 The following morning l leave Jordan 200 00:15:51,250 --> 00:15:53,810 for the Promised Land of the lsraelites. 201 00:16:06,865 --> 00:16:08,662 We drive along the banks of the Dead Sea 202 00:16:08,834 --> 00:16:10,563 towards Jerusalem. 203 00:16:11,236 --> 00:16:12,294 lt's a city which is holy to 204 00:16:12,471 --> 00:16:14,371 three of the world's great religions, 205 00:16:14,540 --> 00:16:18,169 yet for centuries has been divided by fear and suspicion. 206 00:16:27,619 --> 00:16:30,486 The Temple - Mount in Jerusalem is my treasure, 207 00:16:30,656 --> 00:16:34,558 because it contains one of the most inspirational 208 00:16:34,727 --> 00:16:37,252 and mysterious buildings in the world. 209 00:16:37,463 --> 00:16:39,727 A building which, according to the Old Testament, 210 00:16:39,898 --> 00:16:44,267 was designed according to God's own specifications 211 00:16:44,436 --> 00:16:46,700 and in its forms, details, 212 00:16:46,872 --> 00:16:50,035 proportions and contents enshrined 213 00:16:50,209 --> 00:16:55,738 and revealed the laws of beauty and harmony and the secrets of creation. 214 00:16:57,883 --> 00:17:00,943 Most of Solomon's Temple has long since vanished. 215 00:17:01,120 --> 00:17:03,554 Destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon 216 00:17:03,722 --> 00:17:05,747 two and a half thousand years ago. 217 00:17:06,792 --> 00:17:08,316 But Jews, Christians and Moslems 218 00:17:08,494 --> 00:17:11,019 each view Temple Mount as sacred. 219 00:17:11,330 --> 00:17:14,163 Now, a late seventh century lslamic shrine, 220 00:17:14,333 --> 00:17:15,300 the Dome of the Rock, 221 00:17:15,467 --> 00:17:17,025 stands on the top. 222 00:17:38,857 --> 00:17:41,291 Before the rise of the Christian and lslamic faiths, 223 00:17:41,460 --> 00:17:45,794 three great temples were built in succession on Temple Mount. 224 00:17:45,964 --> 00:17:50,401 The focus of worship for the ancient lsraelites going back three millennia. 225 00:18:06,585 --> 00:18:10,646 The last - reconstruction of the Temple took place in about 20 B.C., 226 00:18:10,823 --> 00:18:13,087 undertaken by King Herod. 227 00:18:13,258 --> 00:18:14,850 And that wall in front of me, 228 00:18:15,027 --> 00:18:16,221 the lower portion anyway, 229 00:18:16,395 --> 00:18:23,028 dates from that time with these spectacular - very large, beautifully cut blocks. 230 00:18:23,268 --> 00:18:25,634 This portion of the western wall of the Temple 231 00:18:25,804 --> 00:18:28,739 is known universally as the Wailing Wall, 232 00:18:28,907 --> 00:18:31,808 the site most sacred to Jews. 233 00:18:32,177 --> 00:18:34,873 People there are praying, men on the left, women on the right. 234 00:18:35,514 --> 00:18:36,503 Praying towards the wall, 235 00:18:36,682 --> 00:18:39,242 putting little messages, prayers in the chinks of the wall. 236 00:18:39,418 --> 00:18:41,682 They're not praying to the stones, it's more - 237 00:18:41,854 --> 00:18:42,684 - abstract than that. 238 00:18:42,855 --> 00:18:46,450 They're praying to the heart of the Temple Mount - 239 00:18:46,625 --> 00:18:52,860 - to the foundation stone enshrined, buried within the Mount, which they believe - 240 00:18:53,031 --> 00:18:56,296 - is where God started his creation. 241 00:19:01,874 --> 00:19:04,365 So how did a site venerated by Jews and Christians 242 00:19:04,543 --> 00:19:07,535 end up having lslamic buildings on top of it? 243 00:19:10,182 --> 00:19:11,547 ln 638 A.D. 244 00:19:11,717 --> 00:19:13,446 Moslem forces captured Jerusalem 245 00:19:13,619 --> 00:19:15,985 and built a mosque and their own shrine, 246 00:19:16,155 --> 00:19:18,817 the Dome of the Rock, on the Mount. 247 00:19:19,625 --> 00:19:21,058 Today it's one of the most tense 248 00:19:21,226 --> 00:19:23,490 and fought over places on Earth. 249 00:19:23,762 --> 00:19:24,456 The top of the Mount 250 00:19:24,630 --> 00:19:26,962 is administered by Moslem Palestinians, 251 00:19:27,132 --> 00:19:30,533 but is ultimately under the control of lsrael. 252 00:19:38,644 --> 00:19:42,341 Beneath the Dome is a huge and rough hewn lump of rock. 253 00:19:43,348 --> 00:19:45,782 This is what Temple Mount is all about. 254 00:19:47,986 --> 00:19:49,112 The rock is sacred to Moslems, 255 00:19:49,288 --> 00:19:50,516 Jews and Christians 256 00:19:50,689 --> 00:19:52,919 because they all believe it to be the place where Abraham, 257 00:19:53,091 --> 00:19:55,616 the primary patriarch of all three religions, 258 00:19:55,794 --> 00:19:58,592 planned to sacrifice his son, lsaac. 259 00:20:00,966 --> 00:20:02,228 ln addition for lslam 260 00:20:02,401 --> 00:20:05,336 it is the rock from which Mohammed ascended to heaven. 261 00:20:09,641 --> 00:20:11,233 But there's another reason why Temple Mount 262 00:20:11,410 --> 00:20:13,901 means so much to all three faiths. 263 00:20:14,780 --> 00:20:15,906 The Temple of Solomon is said 264 00:20:16,081 --> 00:20:19,448 to have been home to the Ark of the Covenant. 265 00:20:19,918 --> 00:20:21,909 God's throne on Earth and a casket 266 00:20:22,087 --> 00:20:24,214 containing the Ten Commandments 267 00:20:24,389 --> 00:20:27,324 as handed down from God to Moses. 268 00:20:28,227 --> 00:20:28,955 So what happened - 269 00:20:29,127 --> 00:20:31,152 to the Ark of the Covenant, 270 00:20:31,330 --> 00:20:34,060 this great treasure of the lsraelites? 271 00:20:34,233 --> 00:20:36,030 Well, there's been much speculation over the centuries, 272 00:20:36,201 --> 00:20:38,465 but really no one knows. 273 00:20:38,971 --> 00:20:39,665 The Ark, it is said, 274 00:20:39,838 --> 00:20:41,499 stood in the holy of holies, 275 00:20:41,673 --> 00:20:43,038 in Solomon's Temple, 276 00:20:43,208 --> 00:20:49,841 and it could have been hidden in a secret chamber deep in the Mount, 277 00:20:50,015 --> 00:20:52,142 just before Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Temple, 278 00:20:52,317 --> 00:20:56,515 and the Ark could be there to this day. 279 00:20:56,688 --> 00:20:58,986 There's also another story. 280 00:20:59,157 --> 00:21:02,354 Solomon had a son by the Queen of Sheba 281 00:21:02,527 --> 00:21:04,654 and Solomon gave his son the Ark 282 00:21:04,830 --> 00:21:07,765 to take back to his homeland, Ethiopia. 283 00:21:15,240 --> 00:21:17,538 Many have searched in vain for the Ark of the Covenant, 284 00:21:17,709 --> 00:21:20,234 including Crusaders after they captured Jerusalem 285 00:21:20,412 --> 00:21:22,277 in the late eleventh century. 286 00:21:23,815 --> 00:21:27,774 l too am determined to take up the quest, however unlikely. 287 00:21:43,602 --> 00:21:46,366 Ethiopia's problems of war, famine and poverty, 288 00:21:46,538 --> 00:21:48,267 are all too well known. 289 00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:50,137 But looking down on the land 290 00:21:50,309 --> 00:21:52,834 it's beautiful, fertile, lush, 291 00:21:53,011 --> 00:21:55,275 with valleys, gorges and plateaus. 292 00:21:55,881 --> 00:21:58,042 lt looks like the Garden of Eden. 293 00:22:09,628 --> 00:22:13,086 And of course this is an intensely - biblical land, 294 00:22:13,265 --> 00:22:15,995 with the values of the Old Testament 295 00:22:16,168 --> 00:22:20,696 becoming part of the culture of the country. 296 00:22:21,406 --> 00:22:22,998 As the Ethiopians say, 297 00:22:23,175 --> 00:22:26,611 'this land has a religion that goes back - 298 00:22:26,778 --> 00:22:28,575 - to the days of King Solomon.' 299 00:22:35,754 --> 00:22:37,688 The connection with Solomon starts here, 300 00:22:37,856 --> 00:22:40,290 in the ancient City of Axum. 301 00:23:01,179 --> 00:23:02,771 The Ethiopian legend goes 302 00:23:02,948 --> 00:23:05,746 that the Ark was removed from the holy of holies in Jerusalem 303 00:23:05,917 --> 00:23:08,351 while Solomon was still alive. 304 00:23:09,788 --> 00:23:12,416 So King Solomon's son, Menelik, 305 00:23:12,591 --> 00:23:15,389 the son he had with the Queen of Sheba, 306 00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:18,791 is said to have brought the Ark of the Covenant here, to Axum, 307 00:23:18,964 --> 00:23:21,558 nearly three thousand years ago. 308 00:23:21,967 --> 00:23:25,232 The Ark of the Covenant, God's great gift to man. 309 00:23:25,404 --> 00:23:29,306 The Ark containing the secrets of creation. 310 00:23:29,741 --> 00:23:31,868 Unlikely as it may seem, 311 00:23:32,043 --> 00:23:33,635 this building could contain 312 00:23:33,812 --> 00:23:38,442 one of the great treasures - of the world, 313 00:23:38,817 --> 00:23:41,183 which holds the answers to all of our questions 314 00:23:41,353 --> 00:23:45,255 about where we come - from and where we're going to. 315 00:23:47,292 --> 00:23:52,457 May l enter this building to look at the Ark of the Covenant? 316 00:23:52,631 --> 00:23:54,292 Only one monk inside. 317 00:23:54,499 --> 00:23:56,091 Even the Bishop not inside. 318 00:23:56,268 --> 00:23:59,431 So um, the one monk is inside now 319 00:23:59,604 --> 00:24:01,697 and this one monk apparently, the guardian monk, 320 00:24:01,873 --> 00:24:02,965 can never leave this building. 321 00:24:03,141 --> 00:24:06,042 He has to stay in the building, in the compounds, all his life. 322 00:24:06,211 --> 00:24:09,840 His mere task, or his great task is to er, 323 00:24:10,015 --> 00:24:11,676 well, keep people like me out. 324 00:24:11,883 --> 00:24:13,248 So what do you recommend l do now, 325 00:24:13,418 --> 00:24:15,045 if l want to get nearer to the building? 326 00:24:15,220 --> 00:24:18,849 Monk is not to talking for tourists for any something. 327 00:24:19,024 --> 00:24:21,584 lt's every day pray, even in the outside. 328 00:24:21,760 --> 00:24:22,954 He prays twenty-four hours a day, 329 00:24:23,128 --> 00:24:23,787 seven days a week? 330 00:24:23,962 --> 00:24:24,758 Yes. Never outside. 331 00:24:24,930 --> 00:24:25,828 This is a - this is an admirable monk. 332 00:24:25,997 --> 00:24:29,433 Um, all right, so there must be some other person then l can speak to. 333 00:24:29,601 --> 00:24:32,035 lf he's never - um, never leaves the building, 334 00:24:32,204 --> 00:24:33,603 clearly speaking to him is rather difficult 335 00:24:33,772 --> 00:24:35,740 since l'm the other side of his gate. 336 00:24:35,907 --> 00:24:37,534 So there must be - is there somebody else? 337 00:24:37,709 --> 00:24:38,733 Other head priest. 338 00:24:38,910 --> 00:24:40,002 Head priest. 339 00:24:40,245 --> 00:24:41,872 That's the very man l need to see. 340 00:24:42,814 --> 00:24:43,712 lt's not encouraging but if, 341 00:24:43,882 --> 00:24:48,376 against all the odds, the Ark is here, l just have to see it. 342 00:24:49,020 --> 00:24:50,146 Hello. 343 00:24:52,224 --> 00:24:58,026 Thank you very much for er, allowing me to visit you. Most kind. 344 00:24:58,196 --> 00:25:04,795 Welcome. Welcome. Welcome to Axum. 345 00:25:06,338 --> 00:25:08,272 What does the Ark - contain now? 346 00:25:08,440 --> 00:25:13,742 Does the head priest know what's inside of the box so to speak? 347 00:25:26,658 --> 00:25:30,594 The holy Ark contains the Ten Commandments. 348 00:25:30,762 --> 00:25:31,456 The Ten Commandments. 349 00:25:31,630 --> 00:25:34,758 The Ten Commandments and it's inside gold box. 350 00:25:35,133 --> 00:25:36,725 l'm going to ask this question now 351 00:25:36,902 --> 00:25:39,029 which l know maybe is a presumptuous question, 352 00:25:39,204 --> 00:25:41,229 but are there any circumstances in which 353 00:25:41,406 --> 00:25:46,901 l could be allowed to approach or indeed even to see the Ark of the Covenant? 354 00:25:59,291 --> 00:26:03,421 Okay, he says that the Holy Ark of the Covenant is not to be seen. 355 00:26:03,695 --> 00:26:05,458 l cannot go and see it, now, 356 00:26:05,630 --> 00:26:07,495 even in any special circumstances, 357 00:26:07,666 --> 00:26:09,566 because l say l've come a long way 358 00:26:09,734 --> 00:26:15,195 and l've come from Jerusalem in quest of the Ark of the Covenant. 359 00:26:22,714 --> 00:26:24,477 The high priest ended up warning me 360 00:26:24,649 --> 00:26:27,709 that if l saw the Ark a terrible fate would befall me. 361 00:26:28,053 --> 00:26:29,816 l'd be turned to ashes. 362 00:26:31,389 --> 00:26:33,687 But one glimmer of hope does remain. 363 00:26:34,259 --> 00:26:35,521 Most Ethiopian churches contain 364 00:26:35,694 --> 00:26:37,252 copies of the Ark. 365 00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:51,000 There's a priest who may be able to help me see one of these, 366 00:26:51,176 --> 00:26:55,010 according to Raphael whom l meet in the town square. 367 00:26:56,381 --> 00:26:57,473 And what about the Ark of the Covenant, 368 00:26:57,649 --> 00:26:59,082 that's interesting - isn't it? 369 00:26:59,551 --> 00:27:03,112 Sometimes copies of it are taken round the town by the - monks. 370 00:27:03,288 --> 00:27:05,688 Yeah, walked around but that mass is - 371 00:27:05,857 --> 00:27:06,983 - On Sunday? - Not original. 372 00:27:07,158 --> 00:27:08,648 Not the original, l know. 373 00:27:11,730 --> 00:27:12,560 The real one lives in there. 374 00:27:12,731 --> 00:27:14,596 Yeah, the real one, yeah, he's in here. 375 00:27:14,766 --> 00:27:16,859 - Ah, hello. Being guarded. - Yeah - 376 00:27:17,035 --> 00:27:18,093 - he's a big guard. 377 00:27:18,403 --> 00:27:20,303 With his AK47, well. 378 00:27:21,039 --> 00:27:23,371 ls there any chance - will you translate for me? 379 00:27:23,541 --> 00:27:25,839 l want to ask him is there any chance of me 380 00:27:26,011 --> 00:27:29,947 being able to see one of the copies of the Ark of the Covenant? 381 00:27:30,115 --> 00:27:31,207 l know the original one's there 382 00:27:31,383 --> 00:27:32,907 but there are copies in the church, 383 00:27:33,084 --> 00:27:34,142 can l see them? 384 00:27:51,302 --> 00:27:53,964 He will not say for any peoples. 385 00:27:54,239 --> 00:27:56,036 He see only the priest. 386 00:27:56,307 --> 00:28:01,574 The priest also you will not see but you just see only one monk. 387 00:28:02,380 --> 00:28:03,813 lt's the same old story. 388 00:28:03,982 --> 00:28:05,142 Yes, there are copies, 389 00:28:05,316 --> 00:28:06,943 but l can't see them. 390 00:28:07,152 --> 00:28:08,642 l'm frustrated. 391 00:28:10,121 --> 00:28:13,420 So near and yet - and yet. 392 00:28:13,725 --> 00:28:20,824 Can the Ark of the Covenant, one of the oldest and most powerful sacred objects ever created, 393 00:28:20,999 --> 00:28:25,129 really be - in that modern building over there with its crumbling mosaics 394 00:28:25,303 --> 00:28:27,669 and the street lamp sticking out of the top of it? 395 00:28:28,306 --> 00:28:32,675 l can't see it to really protect me - from the power of the object, 396 00:28:32,844 --> 00:28:35,278 if l see it l'll be cursed. 397 00:28:37,716 --> 00:28:39,809 l fear it's a treasure too far. 398 00:28:49,060 --> 00:28:51,494 My trip to Axum is not, however, wasted, 399 00:28:51,663 --> 00:28:54,826 because it possesses another ancient and mysterious treasure 400 00:28:54,999 --> 00:28:58,298 which could date back as much as two thousand years. 401 00:29:06,611 --> 00:29:11,173 l'm exploring - the ruins, the remains of Axum which was, 402 00:29:11,349 --> 00:29:14,113 two thousand years ago, a great city. 403 00:29:14,319 --> 00:29:16,412 The kingdom that ruled this land 404 00:29:16,588 --> 00:29:22,117 was the most powerful kingdom between the eastern Roman Empire and Persia. 405 00:29:25,463 --> 00:29:29,365 This is um, carved granite 406 00:29:29,534 --> 00:29:32,697 and is one l believe of a series of stelae, 407 00:29:32,871 --> 00:29:40,505 these great obelisks that stood here in this site which was the necropolis of the city 408 00:29:40,678 --> 00:29:45,012 where the kings and leading members, the elite of the land were buried. 409 00:29:52,824 --> 00:29:57,318 Everywhere you look in Axum there are toppled stone obelisks known as stelae. 410 00:29:57,929 --> 00:29:59,954 More than three hundred of them. 411 00:30:00,765 --> 00:30:04,257 lt's like stumbling upon Stonehenge after an earthquake. 412 00:30:05,336 --> 00:30:08,601 This whole area is the remains of a royal cemetery. 413 00:30:09,574 --> 00:30:11,269 Beneath my feet could lie the skeletons 414 00:30:11,442 --> 00:30:15,378 of long dead kings and queens of a lost empire. 415 00:30:27,058 --> 00:30:30,721 My god, just look - at this monster. 416 00:30:31,029 --> 00:30:33,930 lt's the largest of the stelae. 417 00:30:34,232 --> 00:30:39,431 lt was originally one stone and it was the largest - 418 00:30:39,838 --> 00:30:44,275 - carved stone monument from the ancient world. 419 00:30:44,742 --> 00:30:48,735 l'm told it weighs five hundred tons 420 00:30:48,913 --> 00:30:58,379 and this great object originally stood thirty-three metres above ground level. 421 00:30:58,556 --> 00:31:03,550 Just think of the technology, the organisation of this kingdom, 422 00:31:03,728 --> 00:31:10,133 to be able to quarry, cut, carve, transport 423 00:31:10,768 --> 00:31:14,636 and then erect an object of this size. 424 00:31:15,106 --> 00:31:17,768 lt absolutely beggars belief. 425 00:31:18,009 --> 00:31:23,140 And what's incredible, nobody really agrees about its age. 426 00:31:29,153 --> 00:31:30,677 lt's thought that most of the stelae 427 00:31:30,855 --> 00:31:33,619 date back to the early fourth century A.D. 428 00:31:34,025 --> 00:31:36,823 Though some are certainly older, others more recent. 429 00:31:40,465 --> 00:31:45,027 A single stone rising twenty-one metres high and - 430 00:31:45,203 --> 00:31:45,965 - what's astonishing, 431 00:31:46,137 --> 00:31:51,302 it is conceived as a um, as a building, as a sort of mini skyscraper - 432 00:31:51,476 --> 00:31:54,570 - because here is a door. 433 00:31:55,213 --> 00:31:58,046 And above me are windows and floors. 434 00:31:58,283 --> 00:32:01,980 Clearly if a monument to the dead, 435 00:32:02,153 --> 00:32:04,849 this must have been the dwelling of the dead. 436 00:32:05,023 --> 00:32:08,982 And this er, obelisk - faces south, 437 00:32:09,160 --> 00:32:09,819 facing the sun 438 00:32:09,994 --> 00:32:12,963 as it goes on its course from east to west. 439 00:32:13,131 --> 00:32:14,530 The sun must have been very important 440 00:32:14,699 --> 00:32:18,430 because we have here - discs, sun discs right the way up. 441 00:32:18,603 --> 00:32:21,936 So l suppose the dead soul had some relationship to the sun, 442 00:32:22,106 --> 00:32:23,733 would take energy from the sun, 443 00:32:23,908 --> 00:32:26,536 would in a sense, continue to live. 444 00:32:26,711 --> 00:32:31,705 ln which case this obelisk is a phallic symbol, 445 00:32:31,883 --> 00:32:33,475 a symbol of fertility. 446 00:32:35,253 --> 00:32:38,745 The stelae, which are topped by the Pagan image of a sunrise, 447 00:32:38,923 --> 00:32:41,221 are symbols for life and rebirth. 448 00:32:41,459 --> 00:32:44,553 Yet strangely there are hints of Christianity too. 449 00:32:44,929 --> 00:32:48,160 The windows can also be interpreted as crosses. 450 00:32:50,735 --> 00:32:54,364 This suggests a remarkable continuity between old and new beliefs after 451 00:32:54,539 --> 00:32:57,133 Christianity arrived in the Ethiopian royal court 452 00:32:57,308 --> 00:32:59,071 in the fourth century. 453 00:33:07,151 --> 00:33:08,243 l chance upon a wedding 454 00:33:08,419 --> 00:33:09,579 and it's revealing to witness 455 00:33:09,754 --> 00:33:12,450 how memories of ancient kings and queens, 456 00:33:12,623 --> 00:33:14,989 perhaps even Solomon and Sheba, 457 00:33:15,159 --> 00:33:19,323 live on as part of Ethiopia's unique brand of Christianity. 458 00:33:40,218 --> 00:33:43,153 The next day l'm up at the crack of dawn. 459 00:33:43,921 --> 00:33:45,684 l head north out of Axum. 460 00:33:46,324 --> 00:33:49,316 A gruelling six hour drive lies ahead. 461 00:34:06,044 --> 00:34:07,204 At this early hour 462 00:34:07,378 --> 00:34:09,676 you can really understand why Ethiopia 463 00:34:09,847 --> 00:34:12,441 is described as 'God's country.' 464 00:34:26,364 --> 00:34:28,161 l'm travelling with Samson Mekonnen, 465 00:34:28,332 --> 00:34:30,357 who can guide me to my treasure, 466 00:34:30,535 --> 00:34:32,833 a notoriously difficult thing to see, 467 00:34:33,004 --> 00:34:35,165 as l'm about to find out. 468 00:34:38,576 --> 00:34:40,339 l'm on my way to Debre Damo, 469 00:34:40,511 --> 00:34:43,071 to the oldest monastery in Ethiopia, 470 00:34:43,247 --> 00:34:46,774 to l hope, see a treasure that will give me 471 00:34:46,951 --> 00:34:48,919 more facts about the legend of the Ark 472 00:34:49,087 --> 00:34:51,647 of the Covenant coming to Ethiopia. 473 00:35:02,767 --> 00:35:07,295 Debre Damo dates from the time of Ethiopia's legendary nine saints 474 00:35:07,472 --> 00:35:10,839 who spread Christianity through the land in the fifth century. 475 00:35:12,009 --> 00:35:15,638 The monastery houses a remarkable collection of ancient manuscripts. 476 00:35:15,980 --> 00:35:19,313 l'm aiming to see the most important and sacred of these. 477 00:35:27,725 --> 00:35:31,183 Almost as the monastery Debre Damo, and there it is - 478 00:35:31,362 --> 00:35:33,193 - this great rock 479 00:35:33,564 --> 00:35:36,362 rising very high with vertical sides. 480 00:35:36,667 --> 00:35:41,104 On top of this sort of plateau sits a monastery. The road - 481 00:35:41,272 --> 00:35:44,673 - is nowjust getting below this monstrous obstacle - 482 00:35:44,842 --> 00:35:47,037 - which we have to ascend. 483 00:35:47,478 --> 00:35:49,378 Looks pretty daunting actually. 484 00:35:49,780 --> 00:35:51,873 God - looks very high. 485 00:35:53,618 --> 00:35:55,347 We must proceed with care. 486 00:35:55,653 --> 00:35:58,679 We've had word from London that not far from Debre Damo 487 00:35:58,856 --> 00:36:00,289 there are mounting border tensions 488 00:36:00,458 --> 00:36:03,916 between Ethiopia and neighbouring Eritrea. 489 00:36:05,129 --> 00:36:06,619 You have any energy to climb up. 490 00:36:06,797 --> 00:36:08,162 Yeah, energy. 491 00:36:08,533 --> 00:36:09,761 But those people are being pulled, are they not? 492 00:36:09,934 --> 00:36:13,893 l mean l don't think l could climb twenty metres myself vertically. 493 00:36:14,572 --> 00:36:16,267 They're being pulled by what, by monks at the top? 494 00:36:16,440 --> 00:36:17,566 Yeah - monks. 495 00:36:19,343 --> 00:36:21,038 Hey, let me take this. l've got to get up - 496 00:36:21,479 --> 00:36:22,377 - this sheer - Yeah. 497 00:36:22,547 --> 00:36:24,105 - cliff face, about twenty metres. - Yeah, yeah. 498 00:36:24,282 --> 00:36:26,477 So you see this one? How? Okay. 499 00:36:26,651 --> 00:36:28,346 We put this - round your waist here, 500 00:36:28,519 --> 00:36:30,316 and haul you up. 501 00:36:30,488 --> 00:36:33,924 Okay, shoes off, yeah. Do that first off. 502 00:36:34,292 --> 00:36:36,283 - So. - Yeah? 503 00:36:36,761 --> 00:36:38,752 How often does it break this safety thing? 504 00:36:38,930 --> 00:36:40,989 l presume they haul heavy things up there. 505 00:36:41,165 --> 00:36:43,065 Carcases of dead animals. 506 00:36:44,035 --> 00:36:45,366 Things as heavy as me anyway. 507 00:36:45,536 --> 00:36:48,232 Well yeah sometimes people they pull up oxes, 508 00:36:48,406 --> 00:36:49,168 so don't worry. 509 00:36:49,340 --> 00:36:50,705 So they should just about handle me. Okay. 510 00:36:50,875 --> 00:36:52,001 You'll be fine for sure. 511 00:36:52,176 --> 00:36:53,006 Like that? 512 00:36:53,177 --> 00:36:54,974 Yes you see that's your belt. 513 00:36:55,246 --> 00:36:56,440 That's my safety belt. 514 00:36:57,315 --> 00:36:58,304 Oh, what's that? 515 00:36:58,649 --> 00:36:59,707 Maximum security. 516 00:36:59,884 --> 00:37:00,851 Maximum? 517 00:37:01,519 --> 00:37:01,848 Two loops. 518 00:37:02,019 --> 00:37:03,611 l see l get a double loop. 519 00:37:04,589 --> 00:37:06,216 Oh this is very um, like a boatswain's hoist, 520 00:37:06,390 --> 00:37:08,654 it's very sort of nautical. 521 00:37:08,926 --> 00:37:11,087 - Okay, shall l get going? - Yeah. 522 00:37:12,263 --> 00:37:13,355 This one, this one. 523 00:37:14,832 --> 00:37:15,958 Okay. 524 00:37:20,204 --> 00:37:23,298 Someone's going to have to pull a bit more. Whoah. 525 00:37:25,243 --> 00:37:27,268 Hang on, am l going too far to one side? 526 00:37:27,511 --> 00:37:29,775 Yeah. Just try to keep your balance. 527 00:37:30,081 --> 00:37:32,072 - l'm getting the hang of it a bit, yes. - Yes. 528 00:37:32,250 --> 00:37:33,114 Get my feet in. 529 00:37:33,284 --> 00:37:36,082 Yes. Oh, wait, wait. 530 00:37:38,823 --> 00:37:41,519 Pull a bit more. Hang on. 531 00:37:43,661 --> 00:37:44,992 Couldn't stand there, you see. 532 00:37:45,930 --> 00:37:50,560 l'm about two thousand metres above sea level. 533 00:37:50,735 --> 00:37:52,293 Nearly three, it's three thousand actually. 534 00:37:52,470 --> 00:37:53,994 - Three thousand. - Yeah. 535 00:37:54,171 --> 00:37:55,832 Take a breather half way up. 536 00:37:56,474 --> 00:38:03,038 The experience is l can say er, exhilarating, thrilling. A little bit 537 00:38:03,214 --> 00:38:03,942 How you feeling now? 538 00:38:04,115 --> 00:38:06,743 - it's a bit alarming. Phew. 539 00:38:08,185 --> 00:38:09,777 This bit's a bit slipperier. 540 00:38:10,621 --> 00:38:13,385 Oh, got a foothold, that's it. 541 00:38:13,557 --> 00:38:15,047 You keep on pulling. 542 00:38:15,226 --> 00:38:15,920 This bit's more difficult, 543 00:38:16,093 --> 00:38:17,754 l can't - hang on. 544 00:38:18,195 --> 00:38:19,321 That's it. 545 00:38:21,098 --> 00:38:24,124 Not too elegant but did the business. 546 00:38:24,568 --> 00:38:28,698 Oh, wow. Wonderful, thank you very much. 547 00:38:28,973 --> 00:38:30,964 All these men needed to pull me up. 548 00:38:31,275 --> 00:38:32,799 Or assist me in my climb. 549 00:38:35,212 --> 00:38:36,406 The treasure l hope to see 550 00:38:36,580 --> 00:38:40,641 is a book called The Glory of Kings, or Kebra Nagast. 551 00:38:40,951 --> 00:38:44,182 But l've had worrying reports of a fire in Debre Damo's library 552 00:38:44,355 --> 00:38:46,653 which caused extensive damage. 553 00:38:47,091 --> 00:38:49,059 So Samson, what chance of seeing the Kebra Nagast, 554 00:38:49,226 --> 00:38:50,488 the Book of the Glory of Kings? 555 00:38:50,661 --> 00:38:54,062 l know they have a copy here so will we see it? 556 00:38:54,432 --> 00:38:57,492 Well my experience is never be sure about this thing. 557 00:38:57,668 --> 00:38:59,431 Yeah, if they like us. 558 00:38:59,603 --> 00:39:00,570 But this is kind of a key text, isn't it, 559 00:39:00,738 --> 00:39:01,727 because it's offering some - 560 00:39:01,906 --> 00:39:06,002 some facts about this legend of the Ark coming with Menelik. 561 00:39:06,177 --> 00:39:08,168 That's sure. l mean that's for sure. l mean er - 562 00:39:08,346 --> 00:39:08,937 lt's a document. 563 00:39:09,113 --> 00:39:12,207 lt's a document. lt's a - it's an inheritor, you're talking history. 564 00:39:12,383 --> 00:39:14,283 The history of the church, the history of god, 565 00:39:14,452 --> 00:39:17,080 the history of Ark of the Covenant, the history of kings too, so. 566 00:39:17,254 --> 00:39:19,882 This is - this is the church right here, it's sort of sixth century. 567 00:39:20,057 --> 00:39:22,048 This is the oldest church in Ethiopia. 568 00:39:22,793 --> 00:39:23,851 Golly. 569 00:39:24,195 --> 00:39:26,459 What an intriguing building, Samson the church is. 570 00:39:26,630 --> 00:39:28,621 No mortar, it's all dry stone, isn't it? 571 00:39:28,799 --> 00:39:30,061 Yeah, it's lovely. 572 00:39:31,102 --> 00:39:33,332 And er, what do we have here? 573 00:39:33,504 --> 00:39:34,232 We're admiring the church. 574 00:39:34,405 --> 00:39:36,805 You don't - you don't point your hand like that. 575 00:39:36,974 --> 00:39:38,100 - Don't point? - Yeah. 576 00:39:38,275 --> 00:39:40,004 Okay, l stand advised on that. 577 00:39:40,177 --> 00:39:41,610 Yeah, l mean you know it's a - 578 00:39:41,779 --> 00:39:45,408 l won't - without pointing lets go in. After you. 579 00:39:45,583 --> 00:39:46,743 Yeah, we can go. 580 00:40:05,069 --> 00:40:06,730 Yeah we can't find the Kebra Nagast here. 581 00:40:06,904 --> 00:40:09,464 l know there was a um, a fire quite recently 582 00:40:09,640 --> 00:40:10,538 and the library was damaged. 583 00:40:10,708 --> 00:40:12,835 ls that why it's not longer around? 584 00:40:13,010 --> 00:40:15,706 Was the book, was the manuscript destroyed? 585 00:40:22,953 --> 00:40:28,357 Yeah, the books, including - as he said, Kebra Nagast, 586 00:40:28,526 --> 00:40:36,262 including Kebra Nagast and other heritage, treasure of the church, destroyed. 587 00:40:36,500 --> 00:40:38,365 Well, okay, l understand. 588 00:40:38,536 --> 00:40:39,764 This is - this is rather like the Ark of the Covenant, 589 00:40:39,937 --> 00:40:44,101 things are clearly quite complicated and hard to - to see. 590 00:40:44,408 --> 00:40:45,807 But l mean there are other manuscripts here l know 591 00:40:45,976 --> 00:40:47,136 that survived the fire. 592 00:40:47,311 --> 00:40:47,834 l mean can l - 593 00:40:48,012 --> 00:40:51,345 can l see any other doc - any old documents? 594 00:40:51,515 --> 00:40:54,109 Out of this building there's another library. 595 00:40:54,285 --> 00:40:56,082 So you - there are books there. 596 00:40:56,253 --> 00:40:57,720 Oh, well we can visit the library then - 597 00:40:57,888 --> 00:40:59,753 - if that's agreeable. 598 00:40:59,924 --> 00:41:02,449 Yeah let me take you to the library. 599 00:41:02,726 --> 00:41:03,556 lt's disappointing, 600 00:41:03,727 --> 00:41:07,219 but then l'm told l can see something equally wonderful. 601 00:41:07,965 --> 00:41:10,957 The most important book to survive the blaze. 602 00:41:16,140 --> 00:41:18,005 Ah, oh gosh, okay. 603 00:41:18,175 --> 00:41:19,369 lt says Tambla Mariam. 604 00:41:19,543 --> 00:41:20,601 Miracle of Mary. 605 00:41:20,778 --> 00:41:21,972 Miracle of Mary. Mariam. 606 00:41:22,146 --> 00:41:23,511 Okay, it's like other books l've seen 607 00:41:23,681 --> 00:41:27,879 so it's about the Virgin Mary and the birth of Christ. 608 00:41:28,052 --> 00:41:31,715 So l mean how old is this as far as these priests are concerned? 609 00:41:38,195 --> 00:41:39,526 More than one thousand five hundred years. 610 00:41:39,697 --> 00:41:41,790 More than one thousand, five hundred years. 611 00:41:42,132 --> 00:41:45,499 lf l could see the illustrations l'd be a very happy man. 612 00:41:47,505 --> 00:41:49,905 Oh this is the first one is it? Ah, my goodness me. 613 00:41:50,441 --> 00:41:52,306 So what are we - what are we seeing here? 614 00:41:57,882 --> 00:41:58,576 Yeah, father. 615 00:41:58,749 --> 00:42:00,410 He's the father, he's the founder of this. 616 00:42:00,584 --> 00:42:02,711 No, no, no. l mean god father. 617 00:42:02,887 --> 00:42:03,819 - That's god? - Yeah. 618 00:42:03,988 --> 00:42:06,286 Shown as an image. That's quite bold. 619 00:42:06,457 --> 00:42:08,982 So that is an image of god? And if - 620 00:42:09,159 --> 00:42:11,389 - we go on, this is fascinating. 621 00:42:11,562 --> 00:42:13,359 Ah, Mariam, Mary. 622 00:42:13,531 --> 00:42:14,498 Mary. 623 00:42:16,233 --> 00:42:20,101 And St George. Gosh, and there are more? 624 00:42:20,271 --> 00:42:21,898 Yeah, there is one more l think. 625 00:42:23,240 --> 00:42:24,605 Ah, the crucifixion. 626 00:42:26,176 --> 00:42:27,939 Yeah crucifixion of Christ. 627 00:42:28,812 --> 00:42:30,973 With - there's Mariam, Mary crying. 628 00:42:32,750 --> 00:42:37,585 l must say - you know, seeing a book like this - that dates back, well, fifteen hundred years, 629 00:42:37,755 --> 00:42:40,747 incredible, always having been on this site. 630 00:42:40,925 --> 00:42:43,587 The site for which it was made - an individual, unique, 631 00:42:43,761 --> 00:42:45,285 to use that word and it's absolutely right, 632 00:42:45,462 --> 00:42:46,986 use it it's a complete unique - 633 00:42:47,631 --> 00:42:49,292 - a book that's so important to people in this country 634 00:42:49,466 --> 00:42:51,400 it's really overwhelming to see it. 635 00:42:51,602 --> 00:42:53,365 And out of all that - 636 00:42:53,537 --> 00:42:56,529 - it's a beautiful object artistically, isn't it? 637 00:42:56,907 --> 00:42:57,896 lncredible. 638 00:43:00,811 --> 00:43:04,440 The miracle of Mary is one of the most moving examples l've seen 639 00:43:04,615 --> 00:43:08,244 of the ancient art form of the illuminated manuscript. 640 00:43:09,620 --> 00:43:11,815 l doubt whether it's really fifteen hundred years old, 641 00:43:11,989 --> 00:43:13,581 but that's not the point. 642 00:43:14,191 --> 00:43:17,058 ln the eyes of the monks it comes alive. 643 00:43:17,328 --> 00:43:19,262 There's real sacred power. 644 00:43:25,636 --> 00:43:28,230 l still have two more treasures in Ethiopia. 645 00:43:28,706 --> 00:43:31,368 l hope to find both in the small town of Lalibela 646 00:43:31,542 --> 00:43:33,442 in the Lasta Mountains. 647 00:43:41,018 --> 00:43:42,349 lt's now a backwater, 648 00:43:42,519 --> 00:43:45,977 but was once one of the Africa's great cities. 649 00:43:55,566 --> 00:43:57,932 About 850 years ago, 650 00:43:58,102 --> 00:44:03,734 King Lalibela, the man who ruled this - beautiful land, 651 00:44:03,907 --> 00:44:05,238 had a vision. 652 00:44:05,509 --> 00:44:10,378 He believed the Star of David had moved from the Holy Land, 653 00:44:10,547 --> 00:44:12,981 from Jerusalem, to Ethiopia. 654 00:44:13,651 --> 00:44:16,950 And he wanted to create here in his kingdom, 655 00:44:18,122 --> 00:44:22,354 the new Jerusalem and a new holy land all rolled into one, 656 00:44:22,526 --> 00:44:25,586 with rock cut churches commemorating, 657 00:44:25,763 --> 00:44:27,958 representing the most sacred sites, 658 00:44:28,132 --> 00:44:28,962 the most sacred buildings, 659 00:44:29,133 --> 00:44:33,001 the most sacred places in and around Jerusalem. 660 00:44:42,046 --> 00:44:48,781 This is St George's Church and um, it's absolutely sensational. 661 00:44:48,952 --> 00:44:53,685 A very tall structure carved, burrowed out of this very hard rock, 662 00:44:53,857 --> 00:44:54,915 granite really. 663 00:44:55,325 --> 00:44:56,622 lt's quite incredible. 664 00:44:56,827 --> 00:44:58,886 lt's a two or three storey building. 665 00:44:59,096 --> 00:45:01,394 A perfect geometrical form - 666 00:45:02,299 --> 00:45:04,790 - the Greek cross and lovely detail. 667 00:45:04,968 --> 00:45:08,961 Beautiful windows here at the top, like um, they're called ogi, 668 00:45:09,139 --> 00:45:10,800 pointed arches, rather lslamic. 669 00:45:10,974 --> 00:45:12,305 The technical achievement, 670 00:45:12,476 --> 00:45:16,537 the technical ability to create this, the will, the manpower, 671 00:45:16,714 --> 00:45:20,309 it's incredible evidence of a great civilisation here. 672 00:45:20,517 --> 00:45:23,975 This is really one of the Wonders of the World this church. 673 00:45:38,268 --> 00:45:40,327 lt's a mystery why Lalibela's builders 674 00:45:40,504 --> 00:45:44,531 chose the laborious option of carving the churches and pathways 675 00:45:44,708 --> 00:45:46,938 deep into the volcanic rock. 676 00:45:48,112 --> 00:45:51,479 Perhaps it's to do with Christ's body being entombed in a cave. 677 00:45:52,349 --> 00:45:54,544 Or even the sacred nature of the rock itself, 678 00:45:54,718 --> 00:45:57,482 as at Temple Mount and Petra. 679 00:46:01,558 --> 00:46:02,456 So l'm in this great trench. 680 00:46:02,626 --> 00:46:06,357 Oh gosh, there's tombs over there cut into the side of this trench. 681 00:46:06,530 --> 00:46:08,088 Obviously burials have taken place. 682 00:46:08,265 --> 00:46:10,256 My goodness, look at this. 683 00:46:11,769 --> 00:46:12,667 There's a body still here. 684 00:46:12,836 --> 00:46:15,771 A pair of bodies, mummified. 685 00:46:19,243 --> 00:46:22,906 Great Scot! The skull, feet, skin. 686 00:46:24,081 --> 00:46:25,548 There's a passageway cut right the way round, 687 00:46:25,716 --> 00:46:29,345 it's obviously honeycombed - with burial chambers. 688 00:46:30,821 --> 00:46:35,121 You know, it's great to get up closer to the church itself. 689 00:46:35,392 --> 00:46:39,761 One can begin to imagine the task of cutting this hard rock. 690 00:46:39,930 --> 00:46:40,726 What with? 691 00:46:40,898 --> 00:46:41,626 Presumably iron, 692 00:46:41,799 --> 00:46:43,790 chiselling it away, cutting it away. 693 00:46:44,234 --> 00:46:46,930 lt's a mental sort of work as well as the physical. 694 00:46:47,104 --> 00:46:49,664 Having to conceive the thing and then of course 695 00:46:49,840 --> 00:46:53,037 to set it out accurately as one cuts down. 696 00:46:53,544 --> 00:46:56,138 lt's a - a great work of sculpture really. 697 00:47:01,585 --> 00:47:04,076 Wow! Golly, this is wonderful. 698 00:47:04,254 --> 00:47:05,312 There's Saint George, 699 00:47:05,489 --> 00:47:07,855 after whom the church is named and this - 700 00:47:08,025 --> 00:47:08,616 - gentleman's showing me 701 00:47:08,792 --> 00:47:12,751 a rather strange contraption, an interesting machine. Oh. 702 00:47:16,066 --> 00:47:16,464 Well what is this? 703 00:47:16,633 --> 00:47:20,000 lt's a cask, it's like the um, Ark of the Covenant. 704 00:47:20,170 --> 00:47:23,196 Not quite the right shape. The Ark of the Covenant? 705 00:47:23,373 --> 00:47:26,467 - This is your Ark? Yes? - Yes. 706 00:47:26,844 --> 00:47:28,368 What, what, what, what, what? 707 00:47:28,745 --> 00:47:30,804 Does this open? Do you have the key? 708 00:47:31,048 --> 00:47:37,078 No. Ah. So near so far as always. 709 00:47:39,289 --> 00:47:41,382 Well, l think probably getting a bit carried away here 710 00:47:41,558 --> 00:47:43,219 because of course l know Arks 711 00:47:43,393 --> 00:47:45,691 are religiously guarded in these Ethiopian churches, 712 00:47:45,863 --> 00:47:48,661 kept at the east end in the holy of holies. 713 00:47:48,932 --> 00:47:50,024 That was an Ark though, l think, 714 00:47:50,200 --> 00:47:51,132 but pensioned off. 715 00:47:51,301 --> 00:47:55,829 Now it's probably just some - contains the church vestments and 716 00:47:56,006 --> 00:47:56,665 odds and ends, 717 00:47:56,840 --> 00:47:58,933 but l'm sure, from its proportion, 718 00:47:59,109 --> 00:48:00,406 once upon a time, 719 00:48:00,577 --> 00:48:04,707 that was one of the great copies of the Ark of the Covenant. 720 00:48:04,882 --> 00:48:07,874 Gosh. The church is being locked and end of the day. 721 00:48:08,051 --> 00:48:09,541 Thank you very much indeed. 722 00:48:23,533 --> 00:48:25,558 Lalibela's eleven rock cut churches 723 00:48:25,736 --> 00:48:28,534 are split into two separate complexes. 724 00:48:29,072 --> 00:48:30,835 One representing the Earthly 725 00:48:31,008 --> 00:48:33,476 and the other the celestial Jerusalem. 726 00:48:34,711 --> 00:48:37,407 The churches are linked by a subterranean world, 727 00:48:37,581 --> 00:48:40,812 a labyrinth of tunnels, caves and passageways. 728 00:48:41,718 --> 00:48:44,482 Defence was clearly a factor in their design. 729 00:48:48,625 --> 00:48:50,991 These rock cut passages around the churches 730 00:48:51,161 --> 00:48:53,459 are not just utilitarian. 731 00:48:53,630 --> 00:48:58,567 They - they unite the churches into a - a sacred world. 732 00:48:59,736 --> 00:49:01,067 And as l walk through them, 733 00:49:01,238 --> 00:49:04,867 l feel like l'm blood coursing through 734 00:49:05,042 --> 00:49:09,411 this great holy body of Lalibela. 735 00:49:24,795 --> 00:49:26,160 This tunnel seems to go on for ever. 736 00:49:26,330 --> 00:49:28,264 lt twists and turns. 737 00:49:28,465 --> 00:49:32,526 Ah, now l wouldn't say there's light at the end of the tunnel 738 00:49:32,703 --> 00:49:35,399 but there is a hatch and steps. 739 00:49:35,572 --> 00:49:37,130 Rock hewn steps. 740 00:49:37,474 --> 00:49:41,535 This, l presume, takes me into Beta Emmanuel 741 00:49:41,712 --> 00:49:45,011 which will emerge in a rather peculiar way, 742 00:49:45,315 --> 00:49:49,945 through the floor of the church if it all goes according to plan. 743 00:49:50,654 --> 00:49:54,181 Looks like the game's up. 744 00:49:54,791 --> 00:49:57,726 lt's bolted or fixed down. 745 00:49:58,528 --> 00:49:59,290 Have l missed my turning? 746 00:49:59,463 --> 00:50:01,863 ls there actually another way into the church? 747 00:50:02,499 --> 00:50:04,831 Well, okay, back the way l came. 748 00:50:08,772 --> 00:50:12,640 Gosh, it's quite complicated this tunnel system. 749 00:50:13,043 --> 00:50:14,442 Anyway, l'm out now. 750 00:50:20,584 --> 00:50:22,984 At last Beta Emmanuel. 751 00:50:23,220 --> 00:50:26,553 One of the churches that symbolises the celestial Jerusalem, 752 00:50:26,723 --> 00:50:29,556 representing the seven heavens. 753 00:50:31,161 --> 00:50:33,186 The facade, including windows shaped 754 00:50:33,363 --> 00:50:37,322 like the sun rise symbol on Axum's stelae, is impressive. 755 00:50:38,035 --> 00:50:38,967 But l don't linger 756 00:50:39,136 --> 00:50:40,603 because l'm not told that another of the churches 757 00:50:40,771 --> 00:50:43,535 has the most extraordinary interior. 758 00:50:57,554 --> 00:50:59,454 Gosh. This is Beta Mariam. 759 00:50:59,623 --> 00:51:02,592 That is the Church of the Virgin Mary. 760 00:51:02,893 --> 00:51:06,260 lt's meant to represent her house in the Holy Land. 761 00:51:13,570 --> 00:51:15,595 The church is said to date from the 12th century but - 762 00:51:15,772 --> 00:51:19,333 - some people think it's earlier, maybe the 10th century. 763 00:51:19,543 --> 00:51:23,775 What's clear though it's inspired by Roman classical architecture. 764 00:51:23,947 --> 00:51:28,008 But it's the painting that makes this building absolutely - extraordinary. 765 00:51:28,185 --> 00:51:30,813 Up here the Seal of Solomon, 766 00:51:30,987 --> 00:51:32,750 the six pointed star - 767 00:51:32,923 --> 00:51:34,788 - making a connection between here 768 00:51:34,958 --> 00:51:37,426 and the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. 769 00:51:37,594 --> 00:51:40,062 Up there's something extraordinary. 770 00:51:40,230 --> 00:51:42,198 A sun, solar disc - 771 00:51:42,699 --> 00:51:46,533 - making connections back with old religions of this land. 772 00:51:49,673 --> 00:51:51,971 lt's heartening how early Christians in Ethiopia 773 00:51:52,142 --> 00:51:54,542 seem to have embraced old beliefs and symbols 774 00:51:54,711 --> 00:51:56,838 rather than eradicate them. 775 00:52:06,022 --> 00:52:07,853 lt's the 26th of September. 776 00:52:08,358 --> 00:52:11,327 The date of one of Lalibela's great annual festivals. 777 00:52:11,495 --> 00:52:13,588 The Festival of the Cross. 778 00:52:14,498 --> 00:52:17,865 l hope to find my next treasure in the middle of the celebrations. 779 00:52:18,301 --> 00:52:21,293 ln fact pilgrims have travelled far and wide to see it. 780 00:52:21,471 --> 00:52:22,665 To touch it. 781 00:52:23,406 --> 00:52:25,670 lt's the symbol of the new Jerusalem. 782 00:52:38,388 --> 00:52:38,979 Well, incredible. 783 00:52:39,156 --> 00:52:40,783 This is the Lalibela Cross. 784 00:52:41,024 --> 00:52:43,015 Seven, eight hundred years old, l'm told. 785 00:52:43,660 --> 00:52:45,787 And the procession is now beginning. 786 00:52:46,329 --> 00:52:48,422 The priests are allowing people to kiss this cross, 787 00:52:48,598 --> 00:52:52,398 one of the most sacred objects in Ethiopia. 788 00:53:09,553 --> 00:53:12,716 The procession's made its way down to this bonfire. Some sort of - 789 00:53:12,889 --> 00:53:15,790 - faggots being gathered by the local people. 790 00:53:16,059 --> 00:53:17,424 Bundles of twigs l think 791 00:53:17,594 --> 00:53:18,185 constitute the offering, 792 00:53:18,361 --> 00:53:19,692 a symbolic offering. 793 00:53:20,096 --> 00:53:22,087 As they burn away their sins l guess. 794 00:53:33,510 --> 00:53:36,001 The cross is reputedly made of solid gold 795 00:53:36,980 --> 00:53:40,108 and it's an elaborate piece of work with layers of meaning. 796 00:53:40,917 --> 00:53:41,474 The central crucifix 797 00:53:41,651 --> 00:53:43,585 symbolises Christ of course. 798 00:53:44,421 --> 00:53:46,912 And around the top edge are twelve cusps, 799 00:53:47,090 --> 00:53:48,682 representing the Apostles. 800 00:53:49,125 --> 00:53:51,559 And on either side the wings of an angel. 801 00:53:52,495 --> 00:53:54,087 Can l have a - blessing from the cross? 802 00:53:57,701 --> 00:53:59,601 l'm a Christian, yes. l'm born in England. 803 00:53:59,769 --> 00:54:04,035 And that - and that's my blessing. 804 00:54:04,507 --> 00:54:06,475 Thank you very much, thank you very much. 805 00:54:08,578 --> 00:54:11,979 The Lalibela Cross is one of Ethiopia's national treasures, 806 00:54:12,148 --> 00:54:15,447 so when it was stolen from a church here in 1997, 807 00:54:15,619 --> 00:54:18,486 there was a huge outpouring of grief and anger. 808 00:54:18,722 --> 00:54:20,383 lt was finally tracked down in Belgium 809 00:54:20,557 --> 00:54:21,785 and returned. 810 00:54:35,639 --> 00:54:38,233 - Do these goes through here? Another one? - Yes. 811 00:54:38,942 --> 00:54:41,604 Technical problem here. lnserting my offering. 812 00:54:57,927 --> 00:54:59,121 There it goes. lt's very hot. The - 813 00:54:59,296 --> 00:55:01,787 - crowds move back very rapidly, so have l. 814 00:55:01,998 --> 00:55:03,465 lncredible this fire. lt's a - 815 00:55:03,633 --> 00:55:06,830 - sort of symbol of national pride really, national identity. 816 00:55:07,637 --> 00:55:11,437 The whole idea of Christianity coming here to this land. 817 00:55:11,608 --> 00:55:13,735 Ethiopia becoming the new Holy Land 818 00:55:13,910 --> 00:55:16,037 and Lalibela the new Jerusalem. 819 00:55:16,212 --> 00:55:17,474 That's what it's about. 820 00:55:28,258 --> 00:55:30,089 After the festival the cross is returned 821 00:55:30,260 --> 00:55:32,888 to its home in Lalibela's largest church. 822 00:55:33,229 --> 00:55:35,060 Beta Medhana Alem. 823 00:55:35,332 --> 00:55:37,926 The House of the Saviour of the World. 824 00:55:42,939 --> 00:55:48,241 The faithful queue patiently to come into contact with the cross and its magical powers. 825 00:56:02,859 --> 00:56:06,124 Ah! So here's the eastern end. The - 826 00:56:06,296 --> 00:56:08,730 - holy of holies or the sanctuary. 827 00:56:09,532 --> 00:56:11,727 Ah, here's the gentleman, the priest. 828 00:56:11,901 --> 00:56:16,668 Ah, hello. Hello. Nice to see you again. 829 00:56:25,415 --> 00:56:29,579 Thanks for god who led you to be here for this holy day. 830 00:56:29,953 --> 00:56:31,443 Thank you very much indeed. 831 00:56:41,798 --> 00:56:45,928 This cross is not human made, handmade cross. 832 00:56:46,169 --> 00:56:49,935 lt's given from god, took angels to - 833 00:56:50,874 --> 00:56:52,865 Like the Ark of the Covenant. l understand. 834 00:56:59,783 --> 00:57:01,273 They call it Afwa agavam, 835 00:57:01,451 --> 00:57:02,315 you know Mareg, 836 00:57:02,485 --> 00:57:06,012 it means people never be afraid, ashamed. 837 00:57:06,189 --> 00:57:10,956 Who take this one will get healing and er, blessing. 838 00:57:11,194 --> 00:57:12,889 So the cross has miraculous powers 839 00:57:13,062 --> 00:57:14,927 and they're the powers to heal 840 00:57:15,098 --> 00:57:18,761 and to make you free from fear, fear from shame. 841 00:57:19,102 --> 00:57:22,265 Fantastic. And l've - l've touched it. 842 00:57:36,820 --> 00:57:39,288 From the Holy Land and Jerusalem - 843 00:57:39,456 --> 00:57:41,651 - to the holy land of Lalibela, 844 00:57:41,825 --> 00:57:47,058 here in Ethiopia created about 850 years ago. 845 00:57:47,297 --> 00:57:53,361 lt's a curious thing the way human beings to pursue their spiritual life need to worship - 846 00:57:53,536 --> 00:57:57,563 - physical relics, objects and places. 847 00:57:57,807 --> 00:58:01,766 lt's a paradox. A paradox that can lead to conflict 848 00:58:01,945 --> 00:58:04,743 when two faiths via to possess, 849 00:58:04,914 --> 00:58:07,849 to control the same sacred sites. 850 00:58:08,084 --> 00:58:13,078 l've seen that conflict, that sense of violence in Jerusalem, 851 00:58:13,256 --> 00:58:15,850 but at least here in Lalibela, 852 00:58:16,025 --> 00:58:22,692 this holy land possesses a sense of peace, a sense of bliss.