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00:00Arabia a land of extraordinary wonders it's epic out here where ancient
00:09civilizations there were rock inscriptions scattered all over this
00:13landscape meet rising modern cities I'm Clive Standen and I'm embarking on a
00:23journey across the Arabian Peninsula this place is unlike anywhere else I'm
00:28forging far and diving deep uncovering its best-kept secrets a little precarious
00:35meeting the people who call this place home and the pioneers preserving its
00:41natural treasures that is remarkable I want to show you the beautiful it's just
00:46a little untouched piece of paradise the surprising it's an unbelievable sight and
00:51the heartwarming what am I supposed to do exploring the secrets that make this land
00:56so captivating I really do feel like an archaeologist mom I'm never coming home
01:02Wow this is Arabia like you've never seen before come on there's plenty more to see
01:11my journey to uncover the hidden gems of Arabia has led me to Abu Dhabi the capital city of the
01:25United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi is best known for its impressive architecture opulent palaces
01:34and gleaming mosques as well as the vast desert that surrounds it this remarkable land holds countless
01:43wonders yet to be discovered but before I get a taste of the city I've been invited on a very special trip out to sea
01:52the environmental agency of Abu Dhabi have given me exclusive access to a very special island and I can't wait for you to find out what happens there
02:05as I leave the city behind I can't help but admire the skyline where modern life meets the water with 400 miles of pristine coastline it's no surprise that Abu Dhabi's heritage is deeply connected to the sea
02:23it's a rich marine ecosystem full of life it's become the focus of passionate efforts to protect it and it's a project that takes me back to one of my childhood dreams
02:38I actually really really wanted to be a marine biologist before I was an actor I've always had a special connection with the ocean I've been mad about sharks and whales and dolphins and he just brings so much joy
02:50joy one of the things I love to do away from acting is any chance I can is to try and get involved in conservation work and bring more awareness to how much we actually need this this big pool around me because the world can't survive without it
03:10I'm heading to the small island of Butina situated about 87 miles to the west of the capital city
03:17It's a secluded spot that sits at the heart of a key conservation project that stretches 4,000 square miles
03:24Butina is one of the most undisturbed nature reserves in Abu Dhabi home to numerous threatened marine species
03:34Little mini off the grid island
03:38Looking forward to this adventure
03:39Access to Butina island is restricted and only a small team of rangers and scientists are allowed to set foot here working year-round to study and safeguard this extraordinary ecosystem
03:58Butina is a place teeming with life and few people know it better than Hamad al-Jelani my guide on the island
04:06Ahmed
04:08Hey Claude
04:09Good to meet you
04:10Nice to meet you too
04:11Amazing, this is a little untouched piece of paradise
04:12Yeah, yeah, welcome to Butina island
04:14What did I catch you doing here?
04:15I was actually just looking at the birds right now
04:17They're nesting
04:18It's the time of the year
04:19Oh, what type of birds?
04:20We have white-cheeked terns, ospreys and comrades all over here
04:25Alongside its colonies of seabirds Butina also boasts a sizable turtle population
04:30And I'm hoping to catch a glimpse of them while I'm here
04:34Turtles are endangered all over the world
04:36But here in Butina they have a chance to find sanctuary in this protected environment
04:43We're in the middle of the turtle nesting season
04:45So you might be lucky and see some turtles nesting
04:47I want to learn as much as possible
04:49Let's search for some turtles
04:50Let's go
04:54Catching a turtle laying her eggs is a rare privilege even in peak season
04:59And with nesting season almost over the odds aren't exactly in our favor
05:04But I'm still more than willing to try my luck
05:07All right, Clive, these turtles when they leave sea to lay their eggs they're a bit sensitive
05:17And red lights are something they cannot sense
05:20Let's go
05:21Let's do it
05:26So far there hasn't been a sign of any new nesting turtles
05:29The ripples makes it look like it's moving
05:31But nests that are found are monitored by the scientists
05:34So Clive, here we have a live turtle nest
05:40Right under here there's roughly around 150 to 200 eggs
05:44How many are likely to survive when they hatch and start making it to the sea?
05:48Depending on the conditions but the survival ship can be anywhere from 50 to 80%
05:53But the hard part is after they hatch
05:56So the survival ship after they hatch is much lower
05:59As they're very small and prone to predation
06:02Actually our 1,000 hatchlings only 1% survives to other turtles
06:08That little?
06:09Yeah, that little
06:10Hopefully these little ones haven't got far to make it to the sea
06:12It's right there
06:13Yeah
06:14After a long search under the stars
06:17It seems tonight just wasn't our night
06:20Not a turtle to be seen
06:22So I think it's best now to get some well-deserved shut-eye
06:26And just see what tomorrow brings
06:28Arabia's best-kept secrets presented by Gulf Air
06:38Arabia's best-kept secrets presented by Gulf Air
06:42My journey to Abu Dhabi has led me to Butina Island
06:52A nature conservation reserve that's home to a community of rare turtles
06:57Last night they weren't ready to put an appearance
07:00But straight away I can tell they're here, ready to play
07:04That's a big one, look how big it is
07:06Oh yeah, there's a big turtle there, a big green turtle
07:08Oh yeah, there's a big turtle there, a big green turtle
07:09There's even right in front of us
07:10There he is right there in front of us
07:12There he is right there in front of us
07:13There's so agile in the water they move on
07:15There's a massive, look at the size of that turtle
07:17Whoa
07:18There he goes
07:20Instantly we're finding green turtles everywhere
07:27They're thriving in this climate
07:29Look, there's one right here in front of the boat
07:31Oh, she's a beauty
07:35She's calm as well
07:37Dinosaur, prehistoric
07:40Look at the size
07:41That's not enough
07:47How many green sea turtles are in this area?
07:50You know, there's anywhere between 200 to 500 at its peak
07:53It just goes to show what happens when you preserve a piece of nature
07:58It gives them a haven for them to thrive, you know
08:00The little ones, they really zoom
08:02Yeah, yeah
08:03When they start off small, their color is brownish
08:06In which they eat sponges and corals, et cetera
08:09But as they grow older, they transition to a more greener diet
08:13So that includes seagrass and macroalgae
08:16And that actually changes their pigmentation
08:18Oh, so the more seagrass they eat
08:20The more the greener color comes out
08:22There's one right there
08:27Oh
08:28Oh
08:29Little baby over here
08:30There he goes
08:31Rocket
08:32Whoa
08:33Oh, how quickly
08:34You can change direction
08:35They're agile, yeah
08:36Is that a turtle there?
08:37That's a rock
08:38I think it's moving, it's a turtle
08:39That's a massive turtle
08:40Whoa
08:41That's a rock
08:42That's a rock
08:43Yeah
08:47Some green turtles as well
08:48It's the hawkbill turtle
08:49They're critically endangered
08:51It's so amazing to see so many of them just thriving here
08:55In the waters of Abu Dhabi
08:58It's not just the animals making a splash here
09:01The rangers have given me a tip-off about another exciting project taking root on the island
09:07Mangroves grow in abundance along the coastlines of Abu Dhabi
09:11And Butina is no exception
09:14Scientists are studying these mangroves here
09:16To find out how they evolved and what role they play in hot coastal habitats
09:22Keen to take me out and ensure I see the groves for myself
09:24Is one of those experts
09:27Amna Alamsouri
09:31So you're a marine scientist but you specialize in mangroves
09:35Mangroves are very unique
09:36They thrive where no other tree exists
09:40And so I was very curious as a marine scientist
09:43How do they thrive in this area?
09:45What would you say is the main threat to mangroves in the Middle East?
09:51When it comes to human intervention
09:54When it comes to human expansion
09:56That puts them in a very vulnerable situation
09:58Because they're between the land and sea
10:00And this is where coastal communities are thriving here
10:03And so I think the biggest threat is trying to cope with developing
10:07But also protecting these ecosystems
10:10What made you decide to focus your career on mangroves?
10:15I want people to see how important they are
10:17Well I'm here today
10:18Let's go and see some mangroves
10:19I'm really excited
10:20Let's do that
10:24Why are the mangroves so important to the biodiversity of this island?
10:29If you think of the Arabian Peninsula
10:30You think of a huge land of desert
10:33Sand, sand, sand
10:34But really in fact these vegetative habitats are the only trees that thrive in these areas
10:42Mangroves have a lot of different roles
10:45Producing so much nutrients and food for all the biodiversity
10:49While their root structure stabilize a lot of the sediment
10:52They act like a coastal shield for coastal communities
10:55They capture a lot of the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
10:59And store it in the soils
11:00This is a perfect example of Avicenia marina
11:03The one type of species that thrives here
11:07This could be more than 50 years old
11:09Wow
11:11And what are all these little, like almost straws sticking out of the ground?
11:15Yeah, so these are breathing roots
11:18And these breathing roots are actually very important for the trees
11:22To produce oxygen and store that carbon when the tide is low
11:26And how deep do the roots and the breathing roots underneath this ground, how deep do they go?
11:32So the trunks could go down to four to five meters
11:36But then horizontally it could go hundreds of meters
11:41Particularly here in Abu Dhabi, the research that you're doing affects the discoveries all over the world
11:46Climate is changing and we've got really extreme temperatures here
11:49Like we've got 37 degrees seawater temperatures and then it drops all the way to 12 and lower
11:55We've got more than 70, 75 species worldwide of mangroves
11:59So this area kind of acts like a natural laboratory for so much research
12:05To try to understand how do these ecosystems and species adapt to the changes that are happening elsewhere
12:12It's been a real privilege seeing the vital work scientists are doing to protect this incredible ecosystem
12:19But my time on Botina has to come to an end
12:22Now it's time to head back to the mainland
12:26Towards the capital, Abu Dhabi
12:28I'm in Abu Dhabi
12:29I'm in Abu Dhabi, the largest of the seven emirates in the UAE
12:31I'm making my way towards the capital where an island is
12:34I'm in Abu Dhabi, the largest of the seven emirates in the UAE
12:35I'm making my way towards the capital where in the heart of this bustling city
12:38I've got an appointment I really can't wait for it
12:39I'm in Abu Dhabi, the largest of the seven emirates in the UAE
12:42I'm in Abu Dhabi, the largest of the seven emirates in the UAE
12:45I'm making my way towards the capital where in the heart of this bustling city
12:50I've got an appointment I really can't miss
13:05This city is full of spectacular buildings
13:10But no visit would be complete without taking in the most magnificent of them all
13:14The city is full of spectacular buildings
13:19The stunning Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
13:26Named after the founder of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nayan,
13:31this mosque is one of the largest in the world.
13:36An architectural marvel that stands today as an enduring monument to Sheikh Zayed's legacy.
13:43Cultural specialist Mohamed Khaled Al-Shamsi is keen to show me around.
13:51Mohamed.
13:52Sir Clive.
13:53So good to meet you.
13:54Good to meet you.
13:56This mosque is something else.
13:58Everywhere I walk, I feel like I'm walking on ground.
14:00Everything I touch is a spectacle.
14:02Talk me through this architectural phenomenon.
14:05Sheikh Zayed had a very passionate vision to create and build a Grand Mosque.
14:10And he wanted the Grand Mosque to be a pioneering international centre,
14:14promoting and reflecting our country's core messages and values,
14:18which are tolerance, peace, and coexistence.
14:20It is the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates,
14:23and one of the largest mosques around the world.
14:25It's just colour and spectacle.
14:27When I touch some of the pillars, you see it and you see all these beautiful flowers.
14:31It's only when you touch them, you realise that actually it's carved with all these semi-precious stones.
14:35Everything, the design, the detail, has all been calculated and considered.
14:39I mean, the floor here is something like St. Paul's Basilica in Rome.
14:43The courtyard itself is 31,000 worshippers at the same time.
14:48Wow.
14:48The longest or tallest element we have in the mosque is the minarets.
14:51We do have four with a height of 106 metres.
14:55So these minarets, they're responsible for calling out the prayer song all over the city.
15:00So in history, it allowed the caller of the prayer to get at the top and call for prayer.
15:06Nowadays, thanks to all the technologies, no one has to be climbing five times a day to call for prayer.
15:11But it is still a very important element that can be found in every mosque.
15:15It seems like no fortune was spared.
15:17You've taken everything from the four corners of the world
15:19and put it all here to make the most beautiful, peaceful work of art.
15:27This building's artistry shines forth from every angle of its gleaming marble exterior.
15:33And the interior is just as breathtaking.
15:37I had no idea how beautiful it looked on the inside.
15:40And this is the main prayer hall.
15:44It accommodates up to approximately 8,000 worshippers at the same time.
15:49The scale of this place is jaw-dropping.
15:52And while the grandeur above grabs most of the attention,
15:56beneath it all lies a design feature far too big to be ignored.
16:00My journey across Abu Dhabi has led me to Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque,
16:27the largest mosque in the country.
16:29The scale here is nothing short of breathtaking.
16:34But while all eyes are drawn to the magnificence above,
16:37beneath my feet is a masterpiece too monumental to overlook.
16:42And this brings us to the most important element in the main prayer hall, which is the carpet.
16:48I was actually thinking how you get a carpet this size into a building of this magnitude.
16:54Is it one piece of carpet?
16:56It is?
16:56It is the largest single-piece carpet in the world that was hand-knotted,
17:01according to Guinness World Record of 2007.
17:05It has a total area of 5,400 square meters, with a total weight of 35 tons.
17:1135 tons?
17:1235 tons.
17:12How do you begin to get a carpet that weighs 35 tons in here and through those doors?
17:17This is the difficult part.
17:20So it came as nine different pieces.
17:22They finished hand-knotting and joining all the pieces together here in the main prayer hall.
17:26And then I'm just starting to notice as I look up, not only have you got all this natural light coming in,
17:32but you've got these amazing chandeliers.
17:34I can see there's this intricate glass, which is making me think Italy, Venice, somewhere like that.
17:39Very close.
17:40You're getting very close to it.
17:41So in total here we have seven chandeliers, and the largest one is the one at the center.
17:46In fact, it is one of the largest chandeliers around the world.
17:48The design of the three chandeliers in the main prayer hall represents a date palm tree, but flipped upside down.
17:56Do you see the cylindrical part?
17:57It represents the trunk.
17:59The concaved part represents the front.
18:01The colored globes, they represent the dates and different seasons.
18:05Really?
18:05Yes.
18:05And all the chandeliers were made using Italian morano glass and Swarovski crystals.
18:11And Swarovski, they're crystals?
18:12Yes.
18:13Oh, wow.
18:13They've used over 40 million Swarovski crystals.
18:16Nothing but the best.
18:18This really is something else.
18:24I mean, somehow very simple, but so grand and over the top.
18:30But you can't help but stand here and think, it doesn't matter what your beliefs are, there's a sense of peace and tranquility here.
18:38I usually try and find my peace and tranquility in nature, but I mean, when you look at this floor and it almost glistens like ice,
18:47it may be man-made, but you cannot deny by standing here, taking it all in, it really is a special wonder of Abu Dhabi.
18:56The structure of the mosque is dominated by its four giant minarets.
19:04The word comes from the Arabic for beacon or lighthouse.
19:07It's not often that people are allowed up the minarets, but at the last minute, they've granted me special permission, but I'll have to get my skates on if I'm going to make it up before the sun sets.
19:22I think we can go higher.
19:28See, sometimes, if you go the extra mile, you get to find something quite special.
19:34But I did promise you the best-kept secrets.
19:36You don't really get a sense of how big this mosque is until you see it from above.
19:56As the prayers echo out across Abu Dhabi's dusky skyline, it signals the end of my time here in the city.
20:19But my Abu Dhabi adventure is far from over.
20:21Next time, I dive deep into Arabian desert culture.
20:27Hold that, lean back.
20:28Lean back, whoa!
20:30Navigate some unexpected haggling.
20:32Here we go, two for one?
20:33Two for one.
20:36What am I supposed to do?
20:39And encounter wonders in the desert.
20:42It's epic out here.
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