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Egypt with Dan Snow S01E01
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00:03Welcome to one of my favorite countries in the world, Egypt.
00:09Egypt is a place that takes my breath away.
00:13I'm traveling the length of the country,
00:16following the Great River Nile,
00:18visiting some of the most extraordinary sights on Earth,
00:23and getting under the skin of this amazing country.
00:29From ancient tombs and pyramids,
00:32to camel rides and luxury steamers,
00:35I am seeing and doing it all.
00:56I'm beginning my Egyptian adventure right in the heart of the country,
01:01in a place that's one of the greatest open-air museums in the world.
01:07Luxor, right on the banks of the mighty River Nile.
01:13I'll be exploring the monumental Valley of the Kings
01:16and the tomb of the world's most famous pharaoh,
01:20discovering the secrets of this ancient city.
01:24Setting off into the desert by camel,
01:27before stepping aboard a romantic steamship.
01:31Later in the series, I'll be traveling up the Nile,
01:34going south to the desert city of Aswan,
01:37and finishing my journey in the capital city,
01:40home of the pyramids and so much more, Cairo.
01:48But back to my first stop, Luxor,
01:50a city where busy everyday life
01:52and world-class historic sights rub shoulders.
02:08As we're gliding along on this gentle breeze,
02:11let's just take a look at the map.
02:13No danger of it blowing away today.
02:14And that is Egypt.
02:15You've got the Mediterranean up there,
02:17the beautiful blue seas Mediterranean,
02:18the Nile dominating the country.
02:21Cairo, capital, there we go, in the north.
02:23You can see the pyramids of Giza on that west bank.
02:26As we come down the Nile, or go up the Nile, I should say,
02:29we get to Luxor, which is where I am now.
02:343,500 years ago,
02:35it was one of the biggest cities on the planet,
02:38known back then as Thebes.
02:41And it's this river, the Nile, that made it all possible.
02:47This is great. I'm a happy place now.
02:49At the helm of a lovely sailing vessel.
02:53A little tickle of breeze, not very much,
02:54but enough to push me through the water.
02:56And I'm going through the middle of the world's biggest open-air museum.
02:59We've got Luxor on the east bank over here,
03:03with, well, the biggest temple complex ever built by human beings.
03:07And on the west side, we've got the land of the dead.
03:10See those mountains there?
03:11In there, you've got the Valley of the Kings.
03:15Some of the most extraordinary sites,
03:18extraordinary tombs from ancient Egypt,
03:19including Tutankhamun over there.
03:23It's just so peaceful out here.
03:26But even crossing the Calm River Nile can be a little tricky.
03:34Well, when there's no wind and you've got no engine,
03:36there's only one way of getting a boat through the water.
03:38And that is rowing.
03:42Do what the pharaohs did.
03:44So I don't think they would have rowed themselves.
03:46They had a lot of other people do that for them.
03:49And I can see why.
03:55Come on.
03:57They're just big planks of wood.
03:59They're not really oars.
04:02But I'd better get a move on,
04:03because I've got to check into my hotel.
04:06Fingers crossed for a room with a view.
04:17May I ask for...
04:18Sure thing.
04:19Yeah.
04:19Signature, please.
04:23Thank you very much.
04:29This is me.
04:32Hope I've got Nile view here.
04:37Looking hopeful.
04:42Yes.
04:43Look at that.
04:46It's great.
04:47I'll take that.
04:48Nile views.
04:50Boats sailing.
04:51And those beautiful mountains there,
04:53the Valley of the Kings is right in there.
04:56It'll do.
05:04Taking in this incredible view,
05:06you can appreciate why the ancient Egyptians
05:09thought the Nile was heaven sent.
05:11The river is over 4,000 miles from end to end,
05:15making it the longest river on earth.
05:17And it's one of the most beautiful, too.
05:26Early start.
05:27Five o'clock.
05:29And we are leaving at Luxor to head to the Valley of the Kings,
05:32one of the greatest...
05:35sites in the world.
05:38I've been to the Valley of the Kings before,
05:39but in a way, if you love history,
05:41this is just one of the world's greatest places to go.
05:44There's no question.
05:47I maintain, if you want to see things in the best possible light,
05:51at the best temperature, with minimum crowds,
05:54you've got to go super early.
05:57Particularly today,
05:59because they've said that if we get here really, really early,
06:02we can get Lenin before the public,
06:04which means that I'm going to have a bit of time to myself,
06:08by myself,
06:09in...
06:11The world's most famous archaeological site,
06:14and that is the tomb of the teenage pharaoh, Tukum.
06:21The Valley of the Kings is on the west bank of the Nile,
06:24directly across the river from Luxor City and my hotel.
06:29It's the home of Egypt's pharaohs,
06:32lying in their beautifully decorated tombs,
06:35resting, they hoped, for eternity.
06:38All driving through the desert now,
06:40we've got these mountains on the other side,
06:41so we're getting to the valley,
06:42the Valley of the Kings,
06:43and we've arrived in the dark,
06:46which is...
06:46you know you're on time.
07:04I don't think I've ever driven in
07:07to next the tomb before.
07:09Yeah, we'll finish.
07:12I'm seeing...
07:21All right, thank you very much. Shukran.
07:26Welcome to the Valley of the Kings,
07:28one of the most magical places on earth.
07:34A mountain ravine, a mountain valley,
07:37leading up to that pyramid-like peak up there,
07:40so a sacred place to the ancient Egyptians.
07:44Into the walls of this valley
07:45are burrowed the tombs of the pharaohs of ancient Egypt,
07:50the new kingdom of ancient Egypt.
07:52It's like a warren of tombs.
07:57The ancient Egyptians stopped building pyramids
08:00around 3,500 years ago.
08:03Instead, as power shifted to the centre of the country,
08:07they buried their royals here.
08:11And the most famous one of all
08:14is this one right here, KV 62, Kings Valley 62,
08:18the tomb of Tutankhamen.
08:22Coming up, I'll be heading deep underground
08:24into Tut's tomb.
08:26And you can't help thinking when you're down here,
08:29is there anything else somewhere else in the wild like this
08:32that we don't know about yet?
08:33Testing my haggling skills at a local market.
08:36Do your best price. Do your best price.
08:38I love Egypt.
08:39And uncovering when these desert-dwelling animals
08:42first arrived in Egypt.
08:44It's later than you think.
08:46Tutankhamen would never have seen a camel.
09:01I'm deep in the Valley of the Kings,
09:04the home of the tombs of Egypt's pharaohs.
09:07It never gets old.
09:09It's so magical each time I come here.
09:15And right here, in the floor of the valley,
09:19is the most famous one of all.
09:21The tomb of Tutankhamen.
09:29Archaeologist Howard Carter spent years digging in the desert,
09:33desperate to uncover something new in the Valley of the Kings.
09:36But money was running out,
09:38and Carter and his team had found nothing.
09:41But then, in 1922,
09:44a breakthrough.
09:48Howard Carter was a chisel his grandma had given him when he was a teenager
09:51and he made a little hole right up here in the left-hand side.
09:56And he looked through that hole.
09:59One of the most exciting moments in, I think in history,
10:03but certainly the history of archaeology.
10:04What he saw was gold glittering back at the team from inside the tomb.
10:11In front of them lay chariots, thrones, statues and furniture.
10:15Thousands of objects filling up the tiny space.
10:19It must have been utterly breathtaking.
10:23And slowly, slowly, over the months and even the years that followed,
10:27Carter methodically went through this tomb.
10:29And they reached this wall here and they found the burial chamber.
10:35Just look at this.
10:40Tutankhamen's tomb is small because he died so suddenly and young,
10:43at just 18 or 19 years old.
10:46The decoration had to be finished at speed.
10:49The burial rushed.
10:51But incredibly, it was never seriously robbed,
10:54leaving its treasures hidden for thousands of years.
10:59So I can't remember how old I was when I found out about this tomb.
11:02But it changed my life, I think, the idea that archaeologists could explore a desert valley
11:09and discover something that was almost untouched from 3,000 years before
11:15and filled with all these things, all these treasures.
11:19Old objects from the ancient world made me want to explore and come to places like this.
11:27I love how you've got the cartouche, the royal signature, if you like, of Tutankhamen.
11:32You can make it out here again and again and again.
11:35His body was in this sarcophagus.
11:36It was inside three human-shaped coffins with that extraordinary death mask,
11:42the golden death mask.
11:44It has to be the most famous psychological object ever found.
11:50You can imagine the burial happening.
11:52The priest chanting, incense burning,
11:56the heavy golden coffin being carried through that tiny doorway.
12:01And then the door sealed.
12:04Darkness for more than 30 centuries.
12:07When you're down here by yourself and you just go completely still,
12:11you get a sense of what it must have been like for those thousands of years
12:15when it was just lying here completely undiscovered, undisturbed.
12:19There is nowhere quite like this on earth.
12:24And you can't help thinking when you're down here.
12:27Is there anything else somewhere else in the world like this that we don't know about yet?
12:36I feel very lucky to have spent time down here alone, the first tourists of the day are coming in.
12:40Before I leave, I wanted to come and look at this because Tutankhamen's body has been returned to his tomb.
12:47And after so much unwrapping and scanning and prodding and studying,
12:53here are his mortal remains back in the tomb.
12:56And for me, this really reminds me that the heart of this story is not the gold
13:01and not the discoveries and not the excitement and the treasures,
13:04but a young man who died prematurely.
13:09Ultimately, this is a very human story.
13:21Back out to the fresh air. It's quite warm down there. It's quite stuffy.
13:25And now I get to see dawn sunrise in the Valley of the Kings.
13:40It's the sunrise in the Valley of the Kings, certainly the place to see it.
13:47You can see why the ancient Egyptians were so obsessed with the sun.
13:51Because as soon as it rises, everything changes.
13:54The colours, the temperature, the whole vibe of this valley is transformed.
14:02One and a half million tourists flood into the Valley of the Kings every year.
14:07Making sure everything runs smoothly is the director of monuments for the whole West Bank,
14:12Dr. Baha Gabba.
14:15Very good to see you again.
14:16It's my pleasure.
14:17This is one of your more recent discoveries here.
14:19Exactly. The excavation of the tomb, number 63.
14:23It's a modern tomb, had been discovered in 2005 by Memphis University.
14:28It was not a sort of decorated pharaoh's tomb. What was in there?
14:33Yeah, it's just an unknown tomb, because we didn't find any inscription.
14:37Just a cave on a mountain had been cut, but on the late Egyptian period,
14:43when the thieves and tomb wrappers attacked the tombs in Valley of the Kings.
14:47So the high priest of the area saved the mummies and the coffins in certain tombs.
14:52That was one of the tombs which had been used as a save room.
14:56So it became a sort of cache of other mummies.
14:57Exactly.
14:58I'm sorry to ask this question.
15:00But are there any other tombs in the Valley of the Kings that you are going to discover one of
15:04these days?
15:05Yes.
15:06I think that Valley of the Kings still, some of the tombs not have been discovered,
15:10but still something missing in Valley of the Kings.
15:13Can you imagine if discovering something like Tutankhamun, something...
15:17The whole world would be obsessed.
15:19Yes.
15:20Don't. It's too exciting. I can't cope.
15:22Yes.
15:22I can't cope.
15:24Every single day, there's a huge operation, from digs to conservation, to just managing the tourists.
15:31And today is a big day for footfall.
15:34It's still early, and everyone is desperate to get underground.
15:39Well, it is now 9.30 in the morning, and this place is overrun with people.
15:46I've never seen the Valley of the Kings so busy.
15:48There are queues outside all the tombs, not just the famous ones.
15:53Long, snaking queues.
15:55This one's for Tutankhamun.
15:56I mean, this is one-in-one-out nightclub stuff here you're talking about.
16:00It feels like every single tourist in Egypt has come to this place this morning.
16:05The world is here.
16:08And within these voices from around the world, I can hear some Brits.
16:12What was it like this morning when your alarm went off at 5am?
16:15Five o'clock. Oh, it was awful, but...
16:18Did you have second thoughts?
16:19I did.
16:20And I thought, I just want to stay here, but now I'm out and about. It's fantastic.
16:24It was the right decision.
16:26You've got to really commit, and then die off for five days somewhere nice and warm.
16:32Well, listen. Stop wasting your time talking to me.
16:34Get in there and look at some tombs.
16:36Nice to meet you. Thank you.
16:43I hate tearing myself away from this place.
16:45An unforgettable morning, though, in the Valley of the Kings.
16:54Whenever I go to the Valley, I'm always looking around thinking,
16:57definitely space between those two tombs. I hope someone's checked that bit.
17:02Everyone's got something they dream about.
17:04Scoring a winning goal in the World Cup Final,
17:07being a lead singer in a stadium gig with everyone screaming your name.
17:10For me, finding, exploring a previously undiscovered two in the Valley of the Kings.
17:20That's it. That's my Everest.
17:22I would die a happy man.
17:27Can't think of anything else I'd rather do.
17:32But it's not just the Valley of the Kings that attracts visitors.
17:38A market has stood here in Luxor for thousands of years.
17:42And the trading items might have changed, but I think the atmosphere remains the same.
17:47Nice to meet you. Welcome, guys.
17:49Welcome, guys.
17:51Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you.
17:53I have something in mind. Let me show you.
17:57Look at this guy. Look at this guy.
18:00My very limited haggling skills are going to be put to the test in this vast maze of shops.
18:05So I've enlisted Ahmed, a local Luxor legend, who's going to help me out.
18:13So you're from Luxor?
18:14Yes.
18:15So you know everyone well?
18:16Yes.
18:17So I at least know the best like this guy.
18:22Hello there.
18:23Hi.
18:25This is my shop.
18:27It's a very nice shop, that one.
18:29I'd be very happy to come. Even nothing to buy.
18:31Just to look at you because you're a nice man.
18:36Also, they do that also with me.
18:38Of course.
18:38Yeah.
18:40We found our shop.
18:41It's time to get haggling.
18:43Hello, gents.
18:45Good. How are you?
18:47Yeah, I'm lean.
18:48This is good. I'm looking for some things for my kids.
18:50Hey, assalamu alaikum. How are you doing? How are you?
18:53Hey, assalamu alaikum. How are you?
18:55So I've been to Tutankhamun's tomb.
18:57Uh-huh.
18:58And I think maybe I should get something Tutankhamun-y.
19:01Feels like we've got to do the boy king here.
19:03The teenage pharaoh.
19:04And maybe for my daughters.
19:05Let's get Nefertiti. Let's go now.
19:09Now.
19:10The teenager.
19:11Yeah.
19:12I have a teenage daughter. Very difficult.
19:14Yes, they're all in the world.
19:15They're all over the world.
19:16It's the same everywhere.
19:17I saw some jewelry out there, didn't I?
19:19Yeah.
19:20Now we're talking. This is what she likes.
19:22I think, yes.
19:23This is what she likes.
19:24Yeah, let's get Nefertiti.
19:26I think it's a good idea.
19:26Yeah.
19:27I like that.
19:28I think they're going to be happy.
19:30I think they're going to be happy.
19:31You shall buy stuff in the airport, so this is good.
19:33I'm getting ahead of it here.
19:34Yeah.
19:34Okay.
19:35Right.
19:37If I'm going to try haggling, I should probably practice my best market check.
19:42I'm going to remember my Arabic.
19:45Okay, fine.
19:46Okay.
19:47Okay.
19:47That means it.
19:48That's too much.
19:49I'm not going to pay the first price.
19:52I can do this.
19:53Come on, Dad.
19:54Okay.
19:54Here we go.
19:55What are we looking at here, guys?
19:58Do your best.
19:59Do your best price.
20:00Do your best price.
20:01I love Egypt.
20:03Egyptian pound, this and this, 700, but I make 600.
20:08Oh.
20:08600 Egyptian?
20:09Okay.
20:10This, 50 Egyptian pound.
20:11It's a good price.
20:12It's a fair price.
20:13He's a good guy.
20:14Egyptian price.
20:15You are good, man.
20:16Really.
20:17Okay.
20:17I was ready to bargain with you.
20:19I was going to bargain.
20:21You made it.
20:21You made it.
20:21Oh, okay.
20:22I am fair with you and with him.
20:24So that's just, that's a master class.
20:26You just agree from the first price that he says.
20:29You see?
20:29I was all, I was all revved up to go.
20:31Somehow, I've just been taken for the first price.
20:36One day, one day, I'm going to be good at bargaining.
20:40I love you.
20:43So good.
20:44So good.
20:45Thank you very much.
20:46So good.
20:47Coming up, I'm taking to the streets of Luxor, just like the Victorians did.
20:53This is where people have been coming since the 1800s.
20:58Celebrities, we've got movie stars, politicians like Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, hitting
21:02the desert for a ride on a very special animal.
21:05You can touch it.
21:06No problem.
21:06You see?
21:07That's going quite well.
21:09Usually, I don't get that far.
21:10No, no, no.
21:11And later, I'll be hopping on board a magnificent steamer to discover the incredible ancient
21:18sights along the Nile.
21:31Well, I've enjoyed the splendours of the Valley of the Kings.
21:35But you can't come to Egypt and not go for an adventure in the desert.
21:39But I'm a bit nervous about this one.
21:44I'm heading to the desert now for a date with a camel.
21:51Traditionally, camels hate having me on their back.
21:54There's been a lot of protest.
21:55We have not gone very well.
21:58But I'm hoping this is going to be different.
22:01Luckily, I've got a good wingman.
22:03I'm meeting Haji, my camel guy.
22:09Shukran, Mohammed.
22:15Haji.
22:15Yes.
22:16As-salamu alaykum.
22:17Sa'al-ta wa-rakaatu.
22:18And the tamam.
22:18And the tamam.
22:19Alhamdulillah.
22:20OK, well, here we go.
22:24For thousands of years, if you wanted to get across this landscape, you had one choice.
22:30Camel.
22:33Who's the camel?
22:35This is Ramesses 2.
22:36Ramesses 2.
22:37Ramesses 2.
22:38Ramesses the Great.
22:39Yeah.
22:39He's a very kind camel.
22:41Is he kind?
22:41Yeah, yeah.
22:42Yes, he's very kind.
22:43You can see?
22:43You can touch it.
22:44No problem.
22:44You see?
22:46That's going quite well.
22:47Usually, I don't get that far with camels.
22:49No, no, no.
22:49He's very kind.
22:50OK, he's a nice camel.
22:51There we go.
22:52Whoa!
22:54Yes!
22:55Yikes.
22:56OK.
22:57Almost came off there.
22:58Let's see what you got.
22:59Yeah, he's very kind camels, you know?
23:06And, you know, the camel, very intelligent.
23:09Very intelligent?
23:10Believe me.
23:10That's why they don't like me.
23:11He's very smart.
23:13And the camel, you know, he remembers if you do something bad with the camel.
23:18Really?
23:19He put it in his mind, believe me.
23:21And he doesn't forgive and forget?
23:23Never he forget.
23:24Ramesses, I just want to say I'm a big fan.
23:28Camels were born to be in the desert.
23:30But they weren't always here.
23:33It's funny.
23:34We think of camels and Egypt just going together.
23:37But actually, camels were introduced to Egypt, well, quite recently.
23:41About two and a half thousand years ago.
23:43So that means that as they're building the Valley of the Kings, no camels around.
23:47Tutankhamun would never have seen a camel.
23:50They only arrived about 800 years or so after Tutankhamun.
23:59Do you know what?
24:00Because I've learned the hard way.
24:02You ride like that.
24:03You don't walk for a few days.
24:06Don't straddle the camel.
24:07Yes, you are right.
24:08Yes.
24:12Out here, you're a whole world away from Luxor.
24:16No cars honking, no one touting for business, and no other tourists.
24:24It's just still and empty.
24:30It's very special being on a camel ride, not just anywhere, but here on the west bank of
24:34the Nile.
24:35Because I can see the mountain range where you've got the Valley of the Kings there.
24:39There are historic sites.
24:40Even in this landscape, you can see the remains of walls.
24:42There's a lot of broken pottery on the ground here.
24:44So you feel like you're in a landscape which has been traversed for thousands of years by
24:50humans and probably the odd camel as well.
24:55You can see why people are prepared to take these long journeys across these barren tracts
24:59of land.
24:59As long as they have their camels.
25:01The ship of the desert.
25:05Ramesses is my ship and I'm a happy sailor today.
25:07Okay.
25:07Almost fell.
25:13Okay.
25:14It's time.
25:16Okay.
25:17This is the dangerous bit.
25:17Right.
25:18I'm holding tight.
25:18Okay.
25:19Okay, Ramesses.
25:20Be gentle on me here.
25:21Okay.
25:21Hold on the clean back.
25:22Okay.
25:24Okay.
25:25Hold on.
25:27Okay.
25:31Okay.
25:32Okay.
25:33Nice.
25:34Oh.
25:35Oh.
25:36Okay.
25:37Oh.
25:37See how you walk now.
25:39Yeah.
25:39See how I walk.
25:42Well done, Ramesses.
25:43I'm sorry about that, buddy.
25:45I'm sorry.
25:48Oh.
25:50Oh.
25:52Oh.
25:52Oh.
25:53Oh.
25:54Oh.
25:54Oh.
25:54Oh.
25:55Oh.
25:56Oh.
25:56Oh.
25:57Oh.
25:58Oh.
26:00Oh.
26:02Oh.
26:05Oh.
26:15Oh.
26:18Oh.
26:26Oh.
26:34Oh.
26:34Oh.
26:35Oh.
26:36Oh.
26:36Oh.
26:36Oh.
26:36Oh.
26:36Oh.
26:36Oh.
26:36Oh.
26:36Oh.
26:36Oh.
26:36Oh.
26:36So many things in Egypt require you to get up before the sun comes up.
26:39And this morning, it's another early start.
26:41Luckily, I like them.
26:53Hot air ballooning is one of the big modern draws of Luxor.
26:58Dozens of balloons take off here every day in the nice, calm air of dawn.
27:04It's great to get up in the air.
27:06And just get a sense of how this landscape all works together.
27:10This little bird's eye view.
27:12Dominating it is the Nile.
27:14Beautiful silvery ribbon running through it.
27:17And that brings water.
27:19It gives life to this whole region.
27:21You've got the high mountains on either side.
27:24And then you've got this strip of green on either bank.
27:27This lovely fertile land.
27:28It's so striking because just beyond that green, you've got desert.
27:31And it's a hard stop.
27:33It all makes sense when you see it from up here.
27:42It's a proper mix of ancient monuments next to working farms.
27:47All right next to a modern city.
27:53Luxor has everything any modern city has.
27:57Well, plus the millennia-old temples and thousands of tourists pouring in and out.
28:02But along with the history and the modernity, there's also another two sides to Luxor.
28:08The East Bank and the West Bank.
28:11And that's where I'm heading next.
28:18As-salamu alaykum.
28:19As-salamu alaykum.
28:20Lil'garb.
28:21Yalla-fadda.
28:22Let's go to the West Bank.
28:23Here we go.
28:30To us, this river is the mighty Nile.
28:33But for the people who live here, it's just part of everyday life.
28:38For exercise.
28:40For fishermen and kingfishers waiting for their next catch.
28:44For farmers in the fields tending their animals and crops.
28:47And of course, for travellers like me being carried to their next adventure.
28:53Or simply, just enjoy the slow pace of life.
29:00We're just pulling up to this pontoon now on the West Bank.
29:03And I'm seeing for the first time this amazing hotel built in the traditional style.
29:09It looks like a palace.
29:10It's like something out of Aladdin.
29:12And everyone's talking about this project in the area.
29:15It's being led by a local legend.
29:16And the funny thing is, she's British.
29:36The Jorf Palace is the brainchild of husband and wife team, Mohamed Fawie and Dr. Marina Spee.
29:46I didn't really decide to start a hotel.
29:48I was just...
29:50I'm not a planner.
29:51I used to worry about what had happened to me when I retired.
29:54And then I forgot about it and thought something would turn up.
29:56And, well, I think something has turned up.
29:58Something definitely turned up, yeah.
30:01The hotel was designed without plans or drawings by Marina and her husband, Mohamed.
30:10Feels like a labour of love.
30:11I mean, it's quite an eccentric thing to do is just build this gigantic palace here, isn't it?
30:14Out of using original materials.
30:17Is it?
30:18I think a bit, a little bit.
30:19I don't think so.
30:21A lot of things I do I think are normal and other people don't think are normal.
30:25Crazy people change the world, don't they?
30:26Before we continue, Marina and Mohamed are keen to show me around this unique place.
30:33And so, what's the inspiration here?
30:36Is this old Cairo?
30:37Yeah, yeah.
30:38Okay.
30:40He's a master of using space, my husband.
30:42There's all these spaces here.
30:44We use them for storage.
30:45Oh, okay.
30:46For the cliffs.
30:47It's clever as well.
30:48It's good looking.
30:50Yeah.
30:52Tell you what, I might have to request to stay in here when I come in my way.
30:56Oh, it's so cool in here, isn't it?
30:58You decide all the individual rooms, what their character's going to be.
31:01Yeah.
31:02Yeah, that's you.
31:02You're the genius.
31:03That was me.
31:05She's being far too modest.
31:07This place is an icon in the making.
31:09And it's all down to Marina and Mohamed.
31:14Every single part of this place is a far cry from a normal hotel.
31:19And talking of normal, Mohamed has also created an otherworldly space, specifically for Marina.
31:28So, he wanted to build something that's just for me.
31:31And a lot of people think that's macabre, building a tomb.
31:35But it's what the pharaohs did.
31:36They all did that.
31:37So, you've got your own pharaoh's tomb here in this building.
31:41Yeah.
31:41So, I can't leave it even when I'm dead.
31:44Can we go and have a look?
31:45Yeah, let's go.
31:46Yes, you're hearing that right.
31:48She did just say tomb.
31:51I'm intrigued.
31:53You've got pep on the door now.
31:56Oh, look at that.
31:58Yeah.
31:58That is like a pharaoh's tomb.
32:02Look at these stars.
32:04This is a bit like the Valley of the Kings, I've got to say.
32:09This is quite dramatic.
32:11It will be, won't it?
32:15You know, I don't think I've ever been in anyone's tomb
32:17with the living person before.
32:21You know, everybody buys pots in England, don't they?
32:25We just don't go into them.
32:27Yeah.
32:29This plinth here, dare I ask, is that going to be the sarcophagus?
32:33Yes, we'll put that on top, yeah.
32:36Not a conversation I ever thought I'd be having, really.
32:39Well, I think the pharaohs must have done it like this.
32:42They must have.
32:44Well, like you, you're building a palace on the West Bank,
32:48and so did they, and they built their tombs as well.
32:51Yeah.
32:51It really makes me think of these wild journeys
32:53along with our life, because where were you born?
32:55Burnley.
32:55Born in Burnley.
32:57Dead in Luxor.
32:58Well, laid to rest in a pharaoh's tomb in Luxor.
33:01Yes.
33:09Well, I've climbed to the top of the hotel tower,
33:12and I've got to say, this is a fabulous view.
33:14I've never seen a better view of Luxor.
33:18Where would we be without people like Marina and Mohammed?
33:21We need those eccentrics.
33:24We just need people who have got the self-belief
33:27and the courage to do things that everyone else thinks are a bit crazy.
33:33And they've pushed through with their dream,
33:35and they've created something completely extraordinary
33:38and something important.
33:41This is a little oasis on the West Bank.
33:46Traditional, beautiful,
33:47and about as far away from a chain hotel as you can get.
33:53But it's time to head back over to the East Bank.
33:57Luxor has drawn tourists for centuries.
34:00And apparently, the best way to see the East Bank of this city
34:03is to travel exactly how the Victorians did.
34:07Salaam alaikum.
34:08Salaam alaikum.
34:09Trip round town, how much?
34:11OK.
34:11Round town?
34:12Yeah.
34:12800 Egyptian pound.
34:14Toto, mayor.
34:15Toto, 300.
34:16Make it five better.
34:18500 Egyptian pound.
34:19Hamsa.
34:20Hamsa, yes.
34:21OK, Hamsa.
34:21OK.
34:22It's a deal.
34:23And what's the horse called?
34:24Susie.
34:25Susie?
34:25Yes.
34:26OK.
34:27It's a horse.
34:29Well done, Susie.
34:30Yala, Susie.
34:31Yes.
34:32And what's your name?
34:33Ahmed.
34:33Ahmed, how are you?
34:34Nice to meet me.
34:35OK.
34:43What a beautiful day on the Nile.
34:44Look at that.
34:46It's nowhere in the world like Luxor.
34:49The great thing about Luxor is that you don't have to work very hard
34:52to get to the world-class historic sites.
34:55That is the temple of Luxor, just right in the middle of town.
34:59Just one of the great wonders of ancient Egypt, just sitting right there.
35:05You can imagine the Victorians clip-clopping their way along this waterfront.
35:09And Queen Victoria also has a link to Luxor.
35:12Although she didn't come in, her son, the future King Edward VII, and King Charles' great-great-grandfather, did.
35:19He travelled from Cairo and the Pyramids up the Nile in the 1860s, which basically made Egypt and Luxor a
35:27must-visit for wealthy Europeans.
35:32And the place to stay was overlooking the Nile, at the Winter Palace Hotel.
35:40This is where people have been coming since the 1800s.
35:45Celebrities, we've got movie stars, politicians like Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher.
35:49Everyone has stayed here, apart from me.
35:51And this was actually set up originally by Thomas Cook, who sold package holidays, made them affordable for the first
35:59time.
36:00Thomas Cook started package holidays to Egypt over 150 years ago.
36:05Every year, thousands of Brits still follow in his footstep.
36:10They built hotels like this, and they put steamships on the Nile.
36:15This is a holdover from the beginnings of modern Egyptian tourism.
36:19There are still some old photographs of the Winter Palace from back in the early 1900s.
36:25It's a real portal to the past.
36:27Everything is absolutely the same.
36:30There you go, that's Luxor Hotel, just been built.
36:34In fact, look, we're right here, look, that's that building there.
36:37Yeah, we're... That's so cool.
36:38Yeah, for right now.
36:39Couple of steamers on the river, nothing on the far bank.
36:41No.
36:42Look how built up it is now, that's amazing.
36:44MUSIC PLAYS
36:54Well, it's time for me to leave Ahmed and Susie behind, because my days in Luxor are coming to an
37:01end.
37:01Well, that's it.
37:02Thank you very much, Ahmed.
37:04Much appreciated.
37:06Thank you, thank you, thank you.
37:08Thank you, Susie.
37:11I've got one more ancient monument to explore here, and it's a biggie.
37:16The largest temple in the world.
37:19There's nowhere like Karnak Temple at sunrise.
37:24Before sailing south on a steamship built for royalty.
37:29Look at that.
37:30Paddle wheels.
37:31Yes, it is like being in Lagertha Christi.
37:50Today is my last day in Luxor.
37:53And I'm up, you guessed it, at the crack of dawn, to visit a very special place.
37:59My plan is simple.
38:01Get there super early to beat all the crowds.
38:04Turns out, I wasn't the only one with this idea.
38:10There's nowhere like Karnak Temple at sunrise.
38:14Even though it's 6, 7 in the morning, you've still got tourists coming in here to be part of this
38:18special, special moment.
38:21It is magical.
38:25MUSIC PLAYS
38:33What experience walking down this central line, massive pillars on either side, and the sun flashing right the way down
38:41it.
38:41And this temple was aligned to the sun.
38:45MUSIC PLAYS
38:57And so, on a day like this, it feels like you're experiencing it exactly the way that the architects, the
39:02pharaohs, would have wanted you to experience it.
39:05MUSIC PLAYS
39:13But to navigate this ginormous temple site, I'm in need of a little bit of help.
39:19So I'm meeting an expert who knows Karnak like the back of her hand, Professor Salima Ikram.
39:27MUSIC CONTINUES
39:27Seeing that this place is overwhelming, I just want to know what on earth is going on here.
39:32This is, in fact, the largest human constructed monument to a god.
39:38You can put the Vatican in here, it's sort of endless, and we are just in one tiny part of
39:43it.
39:44What is the point of it? What were they trying to achieve here?
39:46So this was dedicated to the god Amun, who became the Egyptian state god in about 2,000 B.C.,
39:52and then he just got powerful and got more powerful.
40:00You can see Amun's striking figure with his tall crown of feathers all over Karnak.
40:07Would there have been a congregation of people in here, like a modern cathedral, or was it just for the
40:12pharaoh and his senior priests?
40:13Some parts were just for the pharaoh and the senior priests.
40:16You would sort of get in depending on your level of sacred clearance.
40:20But in general, the masses came to the forecourt, and then the god would process and people could see him,
40:27but they couldn't really come deep into the temple.
40:30What about building it? Who is putting up these massive structures?
40:33The interesting thing about Karnak is that it was always a building site, and so it was never quite finished,
40:39and you would probably always hear the sound of hammers and mallets and things and stone being broken.
40:44And, Seneal, I can see that there's still quite a lot of colour on these pillars, which is just an
40:48amazing, after thousands of years, extraordinary thing.
40:51Would this have just been brightly coloured?
40:53All of this looks beige now, but it was sparkling with colour, and perhaps some people would call it a
41:00bit vulgar.
41:00But it was great fun, and the Egyptians really liked their colour, bright colours.
41:05I suppose it's sort of a counterpoint to the desert.
41:11It would be a magnificent spectacle.
41:13And, of course, it was there to impress as well as to appease.
41:18Places like Karnak Temple can sometimes feel utterly bewildering.
41:24Although, with the right guide, I think I've finally got a handle on this fabulous place.
41:32Well, it's time for me to leave Luxor.
41:34I must say I'm sad to leave it behind.
41:38I'm going all the way up this powerful river on a very special boat.
41:48This really is a dream come true.
41:51I'm not only about to embark on a Nile cruise, but I'm getting on the most famous, the oldest, the
42:00most peaceful, the most storied Nile cruise ship of all.
42:05The Sudan.
42:08I've stayed in some unusual and special places on my travels.
42:12But this might take some beating.
42:14The SS Sudan is a century-old Nile steamer.
42:19All polished brass and dark teak.
42:22Just look at that.
42:23Paddle wheels.
42:25Yes.
42:28It is like being in Agatha Christie.
42:34Salaam alaikum.
42:35Salaam alaikum.
42:37Hi there.
42:37Hello.
42:39Nice to meet you.
42:39I'm Dan.
42:40I'm here, boat manager.
42:41I'm here.
42:42Thank you so much for having me.
42:43Oh, thank you.
42:46It feels like I'm stepping back into another world.
42:54I've been told that my cabin is on the promenade deck.
42:58It sounds great.
43:00So, where are we?
43:01What number here?
43:02Number 1112.
43:05Right, here we go.
43:08Yes, look at that.
43:11Oh, my goodness.
43:12Look at the panelling.
43:14The old phone on the wall.
43:16All the fixtures and fittings.
43:18It's going to be like sleeping in a museum.
43:22I can't use this.
43:24I feel like I'm in the 1920s.
43:25This is the bedroom that history lovers dream about sleeping.
43:32This boat feels like time travel, and not just the 1920s.
43:42This was an empire.
43:45This was a civilization built around this river.
43:48So, I'm traveling from north to south now, just like the ancient Egyptians would have traveled thousands of years before.
43:56It feels right.
44:00In the next episode, I'll be continuing my journey on this remarkable steamer into Egypt's deep south.
44:08One of the most beautiful rooms on the ship.
44:12Seeing some of the most breathtaking stretches of the Nile.
44:15This is a gorgeous place.
44:17It's got to be the best kept secret in Egypt, this.
44:19And visiting the country's most stunning temple.
44:23I wish I had a time machine.
44:24I'd love to have seen that.
44:25Before coming face to face with a legendary pharaoh.
44:30This is Egypt in its palm.
44:32Yes.
44:33With its greatest pharaoh in charge.
44:40Catch on that brand new tomorrow at nine.
44:43Bird watching and good conversation from the comfort of you so far.
44:48Salmonade, go birding, brand new tomorrow at eight.
44:51And cracking cases no one else can.
44:53DCI Ellis is on the crime scene.
44:55Stream series one and two now on five.
44:59Next, police night shift 999.
45:01Nine.
45:03Bones.
45:05This is true.
45:05The.
45:06The.
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