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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
01:02home Wow this is Arabia like you've never seen before come on there's plenty more
01:10to see my journey to find the hidden treasures of Arabia has brought me to Abu Dhabi the capital city
01:23of the United Arab Emirates so far I've been granted exclusive access to a remote conservation island
01:31look at the size of that turtle whoa and visited its most iconic grand mosque I had no idea how beautiful it looked on the inside taking in a view that few will ever experience
01:45now I'm heading to the outskirts of the city to learn more about one of Arabia's most culturally revered icons
01:53falconry has a long and rich history in the Arabian Peninsula where it's been practiced for centuries the desert tribes people known as the Bedouin developed a close relationship with these powerful birds of prey when hunting with falcons was key to survival in the desert
02:11and to this day they're associated with grace power and nobility
02:17as treasured status symbols falcons can come with an eye-watering price tag and there's no expense spared either when it comes to breeding champion falcons
02:29I've come to a place that has over 25 years of expertise of doing just that head of operations Adrian Botha knows more than most about these revered birds
02:40hi how's it going I'm good man thanks for having me today so Banjara what am I expecting to see here
02:46well Banjara is a falcon breeding facility so we can go take a look at the breeding chambers at the incubation rooms and you can see what we do
02:52fantastic lead the way let's take a look
02:53a total of 120 eggs are laid during the breeding season and Adian has his hands full from the moment they are hatched
03:02but let me show you this egg that might be hatching
03:06take a look he's nearly cut the egg all the way
03:09we can open the door we can have a have a quick peek
03:12so what we need to do now we need to take the chick out of here
03:17we'll make sure the chick is perfectly healthy we'll observe everything and then the chick will go into one of our brooders
03:21so the shell comes off no problem
03:25oh look at that the baby's perfect it has completely perfectly
03:31what are you going to name that one
03:34I think we'll call it Clive
03:35he's a handsome chap he's going to win the beauty pageant in 2026
03:42see you later Clive
03:45so I'll show you some older chicks
03:47so these are about seven eight days old
03:49so you can hold that
03:50just be gentle
03:51hey bud
03:52if you'd like to we can even feed this baby
03:55really oh fantastic
03:56we'll take these forceps and we'll pick up a small piece of food
03:59hey
04:00immediately take it just like that
04:02so what we can do just to get their attention you can just make a clicking sound or chirp like a falcon
04:07yep
04:07you'll see the reaction from the baby
04:10there we go that's perfect you sound just like a falcon
04:12oh there it is
04:15not so easy being a mother falcon is it
04:18it's not
04:18these babies may look tiny and vulnerable
04:23but in just over three months they'll have reached maturity
04:27and next door Adian has some fully grown adults on display
04:31what I can do is I can show you this one
04:33wow who do we have here
04:35so this is just a jur falcon
04:36you'll notice behind us we have some other falcons
04:38some peregrines some jurors of different color varieties
04:41and the hood that he's wearing now
04:44why is that
04:46they're sight orientated animals and if the bird can't see anything it's not afraid
04:51can you talk me through how the falcon became such an important symbol for Arabian culture
04:56falcons were extremely important to the Bedouin people
04:58they were able to borrow these birds from the wild and they use them to help provide protein to their families
05:03by using them as hunting tools and becoming their hunting partners
05:07I have to say it's a privilege to be up so close to these magnificent creatures
05:12you really can feel their charisma
05:15no wonder the people of Arabia still want to maintain that deep historic bond between man and bird
05:22everywhere you go in Abu Dhabi everywhere in the UAE everywhere in the Middle East
05:27you'll see falcons you'll see them on banknotes you'll see them on government documents you'll see falcons on posters next to the road
05:34so even in the modern day when the falcon is no longer required to provide food to them
05:38they're still highly regarded
05:40it's actually a lovely little fam with all this heat
05:43and if you'd like to hold the falcon you're more than welcome to
05:47just like that
05:49wow
05:50it doesn't weigh as much as you think
05:53no looking at them you think that they weigh a lot more
05:55he has to fly if he weighs too much he's going to have a hard time
05:58and those giant talons what can this raptor take down
06:02he can take down just about anything up to about three times his own body weight
06:05but a geofalcon like this would specialize in hunting other bird species
06:09I wish I could take this little man home with me
06:11if I have to get you a little passport you can sit next to me on the plane
06:14it's my emotional support
06:16emotional support falcon
06:18as much as I'd love to stay I must bid farewell to Aideon and his falcons
06:24it's time to journey onward to the desert lands beyond the city
06:29arabia's best-kept secrets presented by gulf air
06:40arabia's best-kept secrets presented by gulf air
06:45my journey across abu dhabi has brought me to one of its cultural icons
06:56the falcon central to desert life for centuries
06:59now i'm leaving the city behind and heading inland to al-ein
07:04to discover more about the desert way of life
07:07al-ein is a sprawling city of half a million people
07:10at its heart lies the al-ein oasis
07:13a unesco world heritage site that has sustained life here for over 4 000 years
07:19the oasis itself contains 147 000 date palm trees
07:25date farming is big business
07:28with the uae producing some 750 000 tons annually
07:33that's about 14 of the world's dates
07:36the farmers have to scale every single tree to pollinate and harvest the dates
07:45all by hand
07:47and they make it look so easy
07:50the success of this lush green oasis is down to an ancient communal water irrigation system
07:59that has sustained it for thousands of years
08:01local guide halal al-kawaiti is here to pour some light on the history of this place
08:07nice to meet you
08:09thanks for taking some time out of your day
08:10you're almost welcome
08:11walk me through this beautiful sanctuary
08:14built by the bedouin people living here 3 000 years ago
08:19this ancient watering system is known as a falaj
08:23by digging channels in the ground and connecting them by pipes to distant mountains
08:28they could direct water into the oasis and create a reliable all-year-round water supply
08:35so the water zigzags down hits the walls
08:39the momentum drags it down here
08:43we have over 550 farms
08:45and this way we divide the water for equal
08:49can you show me how it works so right now the water has been channeled into this
08:52now you will open the gate for the water
08:54right here we go
08:56so we'll pull it out
09:00and we'll close the sub one
09:03you can see
09:05how quickly it fills up
09:06yeah
09:11it's crazy to think that this is 3 000 year old technology
09:15it makes me realize that sometimes we should be looking to the past in order to find solutions for the future
09:23the way of life of the desert people who originally built the oasis remained much the same for hundreds of years
09:30but the transformation that came with the discovery of oil in 1958 saw many of their traditional ways consigned to the past
09:38but in this hot desert region
09:41you don't have to go far to find traces of their desert heritage
09:44camels
09:46camels
09:47were once indispensable to the bedouin way of life
09:50they could travel great distances under the blazing sun
09:53their wool was used to make clothes and their milk and meat provided sustenance in the barren desert
09:59on the edge of town is the bustling alain camel market
10:05where these magnificent and somewhat gregarious icons of the desert can be found in all their glory
10:12there's quite the colorful buzz to this place
10:16and my fixer tusif montaz has kindly volunteered to show me around
10:21this is arabic market
10:23does it get busier as the day goes on
10:25yes
10:26mostly in the holidays
10:28camels no longer play such an essential role in daily life as they once did
10:33but breeding them for racing is now serious business
10:38camel racing has deep roots in bedouin culture and today it remains one of the most popular and passionately followed sports in the uae
10:53same
10:55gotta go over and see some racing camels
10:59oh
11:00he will he will he will
11:01he's dangerous this camel is dangerous
11:03for our
11:04what camel is this this is a racing camel
11:06so this racing camel
11:09it's actually a she
11:10she's pregnant
11:11mother of a future camel champion
11:13Hilary
11:14Hilary
11:15her name's Hilary
11:16Hilary
11:17Hilary
11:18Helen
11:19Helen
11:20Helen the Camel
11:21hey Helen
11:22I have this thing sometimes when I look at certain animals
11:25I always imagine how they might speak
11:27look at this guy over here and he's like
11:29hello mate
11:30it's it
11:31that's how I imagine he speaks
11:32right
11:33have a nice day
11:34Helen's voice
11:35hello
11:36hello
11:37like Miss Bouquet
11:38oh it's Miss Bouquet not Bucket
11:41hello Helen
11:42that camel
11:44is from Saudia and that is dancing camel
11:47the dancing camel
11:48yes
11:49dressage
11:50they actually do is there a competition for that
11:51yes
11:52I had no idea camels could dance
11:54but it's not just camels on sale here
11:57there's another animal that always gets me
12:00acting the goat
12:10Arabia's best kept secrets presented by Gulf Air
12:15Arabia's best kept secrets presented by Gulf Air
12:17my trip across Abu Dhabi has led me to Al Ain's famous camel market
12:30but that's not the only animal on sale here
12:33another creature has caught my eye
12:35goats
12:36goats
12:37and lots of them
12:38and lots of them
12:43this is the locals here they have Africans
12:45they have Pakistani
12:46they have Australian
12:48like mix
12:49so what is this difference then with the Pakistani goats
12:54oh I will show you the Pakistani
12:56you will see the difference
12:58this is the Pakistani goats
13:00these are the goat of goats
13:03they're the ones that are most sought after
13:08can we take him?
13:10Storgan's my producer from here
13:12can we take him?
13:13two for one
13:14oh done
13:15look
13:16thank god yeah
13:17awww
13:19it's really cute
13:20but it's kind of heartbreaking too
13:21because I really want to just take them with me
13:24so I can feel this little heartbeat
13:26how much for these two?
13:28each for 300
13:30200
13:31okay done in 250 each
13:33250 each
13:35done
13:36my producer says it's just for the show
13:37it's not
13:38go on give him the money
13:39we're taking these goats with us
13:40it's a deal right?
13:41super
13:45I want you to introduce you to my new friends
13:48this one's Messi
13:50and that's Ronaldo
13:53greatest of all time
13:55I'm going to find someone here
13:58give them a good home
13:59let them run free
14:01you have a farm?
14:03I need someone who's going to look after these goats
14:06I know I'm a sucker for an impulse buy
14:09but I think I've really gone undone it now
14:12what am I supposed to do?
14:16would you be able to find them the home?
14:18yeah? you'll be able to do it?
14:19yes
14:20you promise me?
14:21yes
14:22can't break a promise?
14:23no
14:24okay
14:25little goat pinky pinky promise look
14:27there we go
14:28I'm glad I found a home for my new pet pals
14:30because the reality is
14:32where I'm going
14:33I can't take them with me
14:35my final destination
14:36is renowned for being
14:37one of the most inhospitable places on earth
14:41and it's certainly one of the hottest
14:44this
14:46is the empty quarter
14:48over 250,000 square miles
14:51of uninterrupted sand dunes and salt flats
14:53it stretches right across the peninsula
14:56touching Saudi Arabia, Amman and Yemen
15:00I'm heading to Liwa to experience this truly epic place
15:04and catch a flavour of the romance of the desert
15:08once explorers required endurance skills to survive in this unforgiving environment
15:13but in one corner of the empty quarter
15:16human ingenuity has defied all the elements carving out a safe haven amid these sun-blasted dunes
15:23this is Kassa al-Sarab
15:29which means house of mirages in Arabic
15:32rising out of the desert
15:34looking like a fantasy of an ancient desert fortress
15:38this is actually a luxury hotel set in a man-made oasis
15:43to learn more about this unexpected edifice
15:46I'm hoping general manager John Paul Dantil has the answers
15:50on the approach up here driving in there's nothing for miles around
15:54and then you see this fortress in the middle of the desert
15:57and yet on the approach when you come in through the archway
16:00it's nothing like that
16:01it's actually really hospitable beautiful hotel
16:04we love this reaction
16:06see you arrive to this majestic fort here in the middle of nowhere
16:09this was an idea from the royal family in 2009
16:11and they used to camp and they said why can we not give this to the people
16:16to the guests coming here to this region and celebrate the deserts
16:20there are Bedouins originally
16:22and this is a way of celebrating it in style of course
16:25how did you begin to build something of this magnitude in this environment
16:30this inhospitable desert
16:31they had to really dig deep and build the foundations 10 meters down here
16:35in order to ensure that the that the construction of the palace as we call it
16:39stays in place
16:41with over 200 rooms, suites and villas
16:44plus numerous swimming pools and thirsty landscape gardens
16:48access to water is key if this oasis is to function
16:51it turns out water is pipe from desalination plants in Abu Dhabi
16:59over an astonishing 124 miles away
17:03you can't help but wonder what the Bedouins of old would have thought of this place
17:07had they come across it in the desert
17:09Arabia's best-kept secrets presented by Gulf Air
17:20Arabia's best-kept secrets presented by Gulf Air
17:24I'm deep in Abu Dhabi's interior
17:36in the vast desert known as the Empty Quarter
17:40a land forever connected to the Bedouins
17:43whose resilience was key to their survival in this unforgiving wilderness
17:49and as my journey draws to a close
17:51I'm glad to say I've got one last chance to let the desert carry me away
17:57but this time in the saddle
18:00I'm in the middle of the Empty Quarter
18:03it's epic out here
18:05and I would be a fool not to ride a camel
18:08this is essentially how the Bedouins got around the desert
18:12it was the only form of transport from one end to the other
18:14in harsh conditions and I just want to get a taste of this
18:17let's go
18:21let's go
18:25Yasin
18:26Assalamualaikum
18:28Good?
18:29Good, yeah
18:31so today we're going to be going on these cheeky chappies
18:33Who's this one? This one's Baba?
18:34Yes, Baba
18:36How do we get on Baba?
18:38Yes, Baba
18:39Yes, ready?
18:40Yep, yeah
18:42Okay, go
18:43Hold tight
18:44Hold tight, lean back
18:45Lean back
18:46Yes
18:49Apparently this one is used to obnoxious Brits
18:54In summer temperatures here can reach over 122 degrees Fahrenheit
19:05but Arabian camels are perfectly adapted to survive these harsh extremes
19:10They can travel over a hundred miles without water
19:13and are well equipped to deal with dehydration
19:17converting the fat stored in their humps into water and energy when food is scarce
19:22It's no wonder these creatures became the long trusted companions to the people of the desert
19:28They couldn't have survived without them
19:31I really wanted to get a sense of the empty quarter and its vast epicness
19:50and what it would have been like to be a Bedouin travelling from one end of the desert to the other with just what you have on your back
19:56There's so much more to Abu Dhabi than meets the eye
20:07Of course there's the grandness of the mosque and the royalty in the city
20:12But you've got to leave all that behind to really understand this place
20:18You know, from an off-the-grid piece of paradise to this
20:21This is like epic, otherworldly landscape
20:26But you really have to just sit here
20:29At this time at magic hour
20:31In the silence of the sand dunes to really understand its majesty
20:36Thanks, majesty
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