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Transcript
00:03Welcome to one of my favourite countries in the world, Egypt.
00:09Egypt is a place that takes my breath away.
00:13I'm travelling 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.
00:55I began my Egyptian adventure in Luxor, with its incredible tombs and temples.
01:03Now I'm heading into Egypt's deep south,
01:06on one of the most fabulous old steamers in the world.
01:10Travelling just over a hundred miles,
01:12passing by some of the most glorious scenery and history in Egypt,
01:17to the magical Philae Temple,
01:21and the epic Abu Simr.
01:25Oh, and not forgetting a stop off at a camel market on the way.
01:35Well, we've pushed out into the deeper water, and we're on our way.
01:40We've got the city of Luxor stretching out still on both sides of the River Nile here.
01:45But now, a new chapter begins, a new adventure awaits, heading south towards Aswan.
01:55And I'm cruising down the Nile in style,
01:59on this luxurious mini stately home on the water, the SS Sudan.
02:06It's straight out of the 1920s.
02:09Now, this is the promenade deck.
02:11The one problem with life aboard a steamship on the Nile is there's a lot to eat and drink,
02:15and there's not much exercise going on.
02:17So, promenade deck is where you come to take exercise.
02:22The SS Sudan is a vessel full of history.
02:26But to get more of a handle on the ship's current life,
02:29I'm getting an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour with the top man on board,
02:35boat manager Amir.
02:39This ship, it was built more than 100 years ago,
02:43then began sailing on the Nile in 1921.
02:47OK.
02:48And it was built especially for the Egyptian real family,
02:52kings Fouad and Farouk.
02:53Really?
02:54Yes.
02:54So it was built fit for kings?
02:56Yes, exactly.
02:59Nile cruising boomed through the roaring 20s and 1930s.
03:05Until suddenly, like so much, it all stopped when the Second World War broke out.
03:13The Sudan was left empty for decades, until it was relaunched in 2006.
03:20Its rooms were completely renovated, including the Royal Saloon.
03:26This is beautiful, isn't it?
03:29Yes.
03:29And this is where in the evenings people gather.
03:32Yeah, yeah.
03:33For the cocktails, for the aperitives.
03:35Yeah.
03:36I love seeing these iron supports here from the early 20th century.
03:42Feels very atmospheric.
03:43And believe me, then after 26 years on board, Sudan is not just a wooden ship.
03:53Sudan feels, speaks, says many, many, many things.
03:58Yes.
03:58She's alive.
03:59Yes, exactly.
04:00Exactly.
04:02Amir's right.
04:04The Sudan is a vessel full of stories.
04:06It's the last remaining vintage steamship still on the Nile.
04:11And it radiates a rich blend of old world glamour and intrigue.
04:17The Sudan doesn't just look like a beautiful piece of history.
04:22It is the key to unlocking the whole story of the golden age of Egyptian tourism.
04:29It all starts with one man in particular, Thomas Cook.
04:34Yes, the famous seller of package holidays.
04:37The man that made it possible for the first time for sort of normal people to travel across
04:42the globe.
04:43Thomas Cook visited Egypt in the late 1800s and he realised that this would just be the
04:48perfect holiday for people.
04:49And so he commissioned a fleet of steamships to work the Nile.
04:53And he and his sons became so successful that the Nile became known as the Cook Canal.
05:00Egyptomania was the great craze in the Victorian period, drawing thousands of Brits to Egypt.
05:06And right at the heart of it was Thomas Cook.
05:10And you've got these flyers advertising these Nile voyages to people back in the UK.
05:17Thomas Cook and some offer you the finest river steamers in the world.
05:22There you go.
05:23With a picture of one of Sudan's sister ships and it advertises for 70 quid.
05:28Not bad.
05:30Going to Luxor and Aswan and back.
05:32I just think these are so eye-catching, aren't they?
05:35You can imagine sitting in smog-choked London.
05:41It was like a vision from a storybook.
05:43Camel colours, the sun, the river Nile.
05:47And people loved it.
05:54Like my fellow travellers, the gentle pace of cruising means there's plenty of time to settle
05:59in on deck, take in the sights and get lost in a good story.
06:06Whenever I'm travelling, I always love trying to read a book that's set in that environment.
06:10And there just could not be a better match-up than the Nile in Egypt and the Agatha Christie classic,
06:17Death on the Nile.
06:19Agatha Christie first came to Egypt as a young woman with her mother in 1910.
06:23She was wealthy, curious and already scribbling stories.
06:28But Egypt got under her skin.
06:30In the 1930s, she would make a glorious return.
06:35This time she was travelling with her husband, Max Malone.
06:38He was an archaeologist.
06:39They had a wonderful time in Egypt, visiting all sorts of archaeological digs up and down the country
06:44and travelling to and fro on the Nile.
06:48On, in fact, this very steamship.
07:04As the day draws to a close, I'm indulging in the slow but luxurious pace of life on board the
07:12Sudara.
07:17That is just what the doctor ordered.
07:31Coming up, I'll be touring one of the most fascinating places in Egypt.
07:37Philae Temple.
07:38And discovering an intriguing link with the Romans.
07:42I wish I had a time mission. I'd love to have seen that.
07:45I go behind the scenes of the Sudan to find a very British connection.
07:50I'm using the paddles.
07:52That's turning the paddles.
07:53It feels unstoppable.
07:54And uncover a surprising fact about this vast monument to the great pharaoh, Ramesses II.
08:02He would be thrilled to think we're still experiencing this moment of magic.
08:20Another day is beginning on the SS Sudan.
08:24The team is busying the boat before the guests' wake-up call.
08:30But I love an early start, so I'm up early exploring this fascinating vessel.
08:38My favourite bit of this ship is actually the business end here, right at the bows, right on the front.
08:43The ship's bridge, where the pilots, the helmsmen, sit and control the vessel.
08:48As-Salaamu Alaikum.
08:50Enter Tamam.
08:52Tamam.
08:53Tamam.
08:54Abdallah.
08:55Now, obviously, the skippers here, they need the best possible vantage point to see where they're going.
09:00And that's why I like to come up here, because, actually, it's the best view on board.
09:04It gives you a great vantage point.
09:06You can see further inland, beyond the palm trees that fringe the Nile, out into the desert itself over there.
09:15I could stay here all day.
09:18It's a real privilege.
09:20I've been allowed to come and sit with the skipper, Ahmed.
09:23There's real expertise here.
09:2525 years he's been driving boats like this, but he's been coming out of the Nile since he was eight
09:31with his dad.
09:32This is where he got his training on the job.
09:35He's just learned where the sandbanks are, how they shift and change over the years.
09:42And he's been entrusted with the most valuable of all Nile cruisers, so he knows what he's up to.
09:51Amir is back, and he's agreed to show me behind the scenes of this very special ship.
09:57And this is the only one left on the Nile.
09:59The only one.
10:00The unique one.
10:02The only one.
10:04Including those incredible and original paddle wheels.
10:09Look at that.
10:13That is driving us through the water.
10:15What an extraordinary thing it is.
10:18You're looking after the guests.
10:19You're looking after historic machinery here as well.
10:24Everything on board this whole ship is kept in peak condition, including below deck.
10:31Here, this is the original boiler.
10:34That's the fire.
10:35Yeah, that's the fire box.
10:36Yeah.
10:37Where was this made?
10:38In England.
10:39In England.
10:40Here is the paddock.
10:41That's turning the paddle.
10:44It feels unstoppable.
10:47It's like a time capsule down there.
10:49It's like something you find in a museum, but unlike a museum, it's still held in absolutely working order.
10:55It's still driving people along the Nile on their sightseeing voyages, just as it was built to do over a
11:02hundred years ago.
11:05Fascinating.
11:05Pistons, pressure gauges, and a boiler that looks like it could star in its own period drama.
11:12But I can't spend all my time in the engine room.
11:19It's time for an excursion.
11:21I'm going to visit a temple located on an island.
11:24Taking me there is local guide, Dr. Muhammad Ali.
11:29Muhammad Ali.
11:31You're welcome.
11:32Wa alaykum.
11:32Wa alaykum as-salam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.
11:34Yes.
11:35Alhamdulillah.
11:36Alhamdulillah.
11:37This place attracts tourists in their thousands.
11:40It's great boats for us.
11:41We are at the beginning of the busy season, which began every September.
11:46Okay.
11:46It's going well this year.
11:48Yes.
11:48Alhamdulillah.
11:50Yes.
11:55There it is.
11:57Just look at that.
12:00Philae Temple.
12:02Yes.
12:06It's so magical to see it appearing as if it's almost directly coming out of the water.
12:13This is the way to approach, isn't it?
12:15Yeah.
12:15By boat.
12:16I love it.
12:19The main temple at Philae is actually quite recent for ancient Egypt.
12:23It's 2,000 years younger than the pyramids.
12:27So this building is actually built really about halfway between our time and the pyramids.
12:32You are right.
12:33Shows how long ancient Egyptian history is.
12:35Anywhere else in the world, 2,500 years will be very, very old.
12:38Here, it's the baby.
12:39Yeah, it's the baby.
12:40It's the baby.
12:41It's the baby.
12:42It's the baby.
12:45It's the baby.
12:46It's the baby.
12:47It's the baby.
12:48At first sight, it looks totally Egyptian, with hieroglyphs carved everywhere, and images
12:54of gods and pharaohs on the walls.
12:57Wow, look at that.
12:58The temple was built in dedication to the Egyptian goddess Isis.
13:04Imagine the pharaoh, the high priest, processing up through here to carry out their rituals to
13:11seek the good favour of the god Isis.
13:15I wish I had a time machine.
13:17I'd love to have seen that.
13:19But if you look closely at the architecture here, there are clues that reveal several ancient
13:25civilizations shaped this place.
13:28Greek rulers took over Egypt around 300 BC.
13:32Their successors, including the famous Queen Cleopatra, dressed like Egyptian pharaohs and
13:38honoured their gods.
13:39But after Cleopatra died, Egypt became part of a new growing empire, the Romans, with leaders
13:48like Augustus, Nero, and Hadrian.
13:53Right, what are we looking at down here?
13:55Now we are in Hadrian Chapel.
13:58Here we can find Hadrian with his Roman crown.
14:03Yes, that's right.
14:04That's Emperor Hadrian on this wall.
14:07So this symbol here is the Roman emperor.
14:11I've never seen Hadrian presented in his Egyptian form.
14:14So the Roman emperors in Egypt were happy to sort of present themselves as pharaohs.
14:20Yes.
14:21They Egyptianised themselves.
14:22Interesting.
14:23There he is building walls in Northern England.
14:25He's also on the walls of temples in Southern Egypt.
14:28And alongside Hadrian is something else extraordinary.
14:33The final carving from the fallen ancient Egyptian civilization.
14:39The last hieroglyphs in Esgyptians and all over the Egyptian monuments and temples dated back to 394 AD.
14:48So hang on, 394 AD.
14:50Yes.
14:50That's very late.
14:53When the last ever hieroglyphs were carved, the Romans had been in charge of Egypt for nearly 400 years.
15:01They brought in Christianity and they banned old gods like Isis and forbid the use of hieroglyphs.
15:09The high priest inside, Philae temple, is still worshipping Isis.
15:13Really?
15:14Yes.
15:14So they're disobeying the emperor.
15:16Yes.
15:16And they're putting up hieroglyphs.
15:18Yes.
15:18So while the Romans are changing the whole empire to Christianity, there's a rogue priest here who's saying, no, we're
15:24still team Isis.
15:25Yes.
15:26Yes.
15:26Wow.
15:27That's exciting.
15:29These carvings, plus the beautiful mix of Egyptian, Greek and Roman architecture, make Philae truly unique.
15:40My guilty secret is that sometimes when I'm travelling around Europe, I need to get a little bit of church
15:45fatigue.
15:46There are times when I think, you know what, you've seen one Baroque church, you've seen them all.
15:50But that is not true of Egypt.
15:52I could never get bored of these temples.
15:55Every single one of them is magnificent.
15:58Maybe it's something about the fact that they're all bathed in sun under this blue sky.
16:02They all look superb.
16:04But it's the carvings on them.
16:05It's the clues.
16:07It's the scale of them.
16:09It's just so exciting.
16:10The idea that you can decode all of these figures, all of these hieroglyphs to reveal centuries, millennia of history.
16:21And with the backdrop of the Nile, this place feels timeless.
16:34Back on the SS Sudan, the kitchens are busy getting dinner prepared below deck.
16:43It's time for me to get suited and booted.
16:49Ready for a pre-dinner cocktail.
16:56Okay, suit on.
17:00Martini ordered.
17:01Shaken, not stirred, of course.
17:05Bring on the people watching in the glorious saloon.
17:11Agatha Christie loved a scene set in a saloon or a bar where all of the characters were together.
17:20Gave them all a chance to eyeball each other, try and work out which one was the murderer.
17:24I've got to say, there's something about this ship that makes me feel like I am in an Agatha Christie
17:30novel.
17:31I've come up looking around now, sorry to my fellow passengers, wondering who the eligible heiresses are.
17:38Who are the dashing young chaps who've suffered a bad run of luck at the card tables?
17:46And which ones are just mysterious global travellers with perhaps murky backstories?
17:58I just hope I can make it through my last night on the Sudan without getting murdered.
18:15I've survived.
18:16But it's time for me to bid farewell to this amazing ship.
18:21Well, this is it.
18:22I'm finally getting off.
18:24I'm a bit worried that the Sudan might have spoiled me.
18:27Still, new adventures beckon.
18:33I'm travelling to one of the most southerly monuments in Egypt.
18:38This is the first time that I've been away from the Bankston Isle.
18:41And it's just been a real eye-opener because I've spent hours driving through a nothingness, a wilderness of sand
18:50and rock.
18:52And this is the reality of Egypt.
18:54It's the Nile that gives this land life.
18:56Otherwise, look at it, nothing can survive, nothing can grow.
19:03But if anything is worth the long journey, it's what I'm about to see next.
19:15This morning, I'm up before dawn.
19:18Because I've been told that the best time to see my next stop is daybreak.
19:24The sun's about to come up.
19:26And so I'm in perfect position to see one of the, well, one of the greatest sights you can ever
19:31see, which is the sunrise at Abu Simbel Temple.
19:34One of the most famous, well, iconic temples from ancient Egypt.
19:40Look at that.
19:45There it is.
19:50Oh my goodness.
19:51Oh my goodness.
19:57I must have seen that thousands of times in books and TV and never seen it in the flesh before.
20:06Unbelievable, the scale of those statues carved into this mound.
20:12Greeting the rising sun.
20:15What an extraordinary thing.
20:19Abu Simbel's four 20-metre-high statues are of the famous pharaoh, Ramesses II.
20:27He ruled for nearly seven decades and built this temple to align with the sun, showing his divine connection to
20:35the gods.
20:36This is surely the moment that Ramesses wanted to create as that rising sun just lights up the temple.
20:44He would be thrilled to think that 3,000 years later, we're still experiencing this moment of magic.
20:55Ramesses the Great has passed into legend, and he's often remembered for his determination to leave a lasting legacy.
21:04Suddenly the shadows just popping out, these figures seem to be coming to life.
21:08It's changing every second.
21:11That colour's getting richer and richer.
21:14Go some sort of pink to just gold.
21:21It's all so incredible, but I want to understand more about this site and the Great Ramesses.
21:28So I'm meeting a very good friend of mine, ancient expert Tristan Hughes.
21:35Tristan.
21:35Dan.
21:36How are you, buddy?
21:37Very good to see you.
21:37Very good to see you.
21:38Well, all the better for seeing you here.
21:40And, well, here, the most magnificent ancient site of the wall.
21:43Well, I mean, absolutely.
21:44It doesn't ease you in, does it?
21:45I mean, straight away, you've got this monumental facade.
21:48It is stunning.
21:49What I also love about this is that each of these statues is some 20 metres high, and yet he's
21:54just sitting down.
21:55If he stood up, almost came to life from the rock, he would be kind of far higher than the
22:02whole facade of this temple.
22:03And once again, the great size of him in each of these statues is very much an emphasis of his
22:09might, of his power, and is linked to the divine as well.
22:11So this is a god pharaoh whose lands you're in.
22:14Yeah, I mean, for someone travelling down the Nile from further into Africa, you're left in no doubt what's going
22:20on here.
22:20It's like crossing Hadrian's Wall.
22:21I mean, you're crossing a line here.
22:23To an extent, but also, Ramesses' kingdom actually stretched much further south than where we are now.
22:28However, the important point is, like, the Nile as this very important highway in ancient times.
22:34And this is like a billboard overlooking this highway, promoting the pharaoh and, you know, how powerful and majestic he
22:40was.
22:41And the good thing about Ramesses, I suppose, he's on the throne for a while, so they can actually...
22:44Yes.
22:44Because this must have taken a long time to build.
22:46Yes, 66 years he's on the throne.
22:48He ruled for 66 years.
22:49Absolutely.
22:49This is probably built around maybe 20 years in, something around that.
22:53So maybe a third of the time.
22:54Still a spring chicken.
22:55Exactly.
22:55So he would have seen this temple in his absolute glory when he visited this area of his kingdom.
23:01This is a couple of generations after the famous Tutankhamun as well.
23:05Okay.
23:05And it's a time when Egypt rules a large empire that's stretched from Syria today all the way down to
23:12where we are now, going into Sudan.
23:15So this is Egypt in its pomp.
23:17Yes.
23:17With its greatest pharaoh in charge.
23:19So you're seeing kind of peak Egypt in.
23:21Well, you're saying what Ramesses would like you to say.
23:23Okay.
23:23Can we go inside?
23:25We can absolutely.
23:26Let's go.
23:28On the outside, Ramesses towers over you.
23:32But inside, you get directly face to face with him.
23:37I didn't realise it's as spectacular inside as it is out.
23:40Oh, yes.
23:41And coming here it never gets old.
23:42What are we looking at on the walls?
23:43Are these religious or are they part of Ramesses' life story?
23:46Lots of different scenes.
23:48You've got Ramesses as a warlord.
23:49You see a famous image of him in his chariot with bow and arrow.
23:53Also him making offerings to certain gods in the presence of gods.
23:57And also, one thing I really love is you see Ramesses as a god himself.
24:02So the images don't just portray him as a warlord, but also very much as divine.
24:09So he had quite an ego, wasn't it, Ramesses?
24:11Yes.
24:11If he ever wanted an unhealthy mega ego boost, he could come here.
24:18And to think that this area was effectively sealed by sand for over a millennia.
24:24Really?
24:25So it was just covered up?
24:26People didn't know it was here?
24:27People didn't know.
24:27Yes, exactly.
24:28And it was rediscovered only in the early 19th century.
24:31A Swiss explorer stumbled upon it largely by accident.
24:35Can you imagine how exciting that was?
24:36Oh, wow.
24:37Yeah, exactly.
24:38Finding out.
24:38Well, he wouldn't have known at the time.
24:40But he had stumbled upon what we think today is, you know, one of the greatest Egyptian temples.
24:47We've arrived now right at the back.
24:48Is this the holiest of holiest?
24:49Yes.
24:50So this is the innermost sanctuary.
24:51We're, say, roughly about 60 metres from the entrance.
24:54And what you have here is four statues of different gods.
24:58The four statues include the sun god with his snake headdress.
25:04Then Ramesses.
25:05Then the king of gods with his tall hat.
25:08And lastly, on the left, the god of the underworld.
25:12And that's important for a big event that happens here twice a year.
25:16When the sun rises, rays of light shine all the way back into the chamber and illuminates the three statues
25:25on the right.
25:25So, the sun god, Ramesses himself, and the king of the gods.
25:30But leaving that other god associated with darkness.
25:33In the shade?
25:34In the underworld.
25:34In the shade.
25:35Yeah.
25:36So it's not just a work of art.
25:37It is incredibly sophisticated science as well.
25:40Absolutely.
25:41Ramesses' architects, the people behind the building of this, you know, they were the best of the best.
25:46But all is not what it seems here.
25:49Coming up, I uncover how Abu Simbel nearly became a real Atlantis.
25:54You wouldn't realize it unless you knew beforehand that this isn't the original location.
26:00And discover a hotel with a very special VIP list.
26:04Princess Diana, Margaret Thatcher, Tsar Nicholas II, anyone who's anyone, stayed here when they were in Aslan.
26:25I am in southern Egypt, exploring the mysteries of Abu Simbel with ancient expert Tristan Hughes.
26:33Discovering how this fascinating facade has an unusual secret and is not from ancient times.
26:42You wouldn't realize it unless you knew beforehand that this isn't the original location.
26:48It was moved in the 1960s for the building of the Aswan Dam.
26:52It's crazy.
26:52Because with that building, you know, you had the creation of this great lake.
26:56So somewhere down there, a few metres down under this water, is the original site?
27:01The original location, if it had kept there, if it stayed there, it would be under water today.
27:05So they moved it a little higher, and to this location, they created the big mound as well.
27:09So that's all artificial, those mounds?
27:11That's artificial.
27:12They cut the whole monument into blocks, more than a thousand pieces, some as much as 30 tons.
27:18They moved them all up here in this painstaking process.
27:21More than 40 countries chipped in for the whole effort.
27:24And they reconstructed it, keeping with the alignment, keeping it as close to the original location in its look as
27:33possible.
27:33It's an amazing achievement to save this temple.
27:37And thank goodness it was saved, because every day, as you can see today, thousands of people come here to
27:43marvel upon this incredible architecture.
27:45Rameses would be proud.
27:47He would be thrilled.
27:48I can't believe all this was rebuilt here.
27:54Abu Simbel is testament to its builders 3,000 years ago.
27:59The people who spent thousands of hours meticulously hand-chiselling this site.
28:05But also to the 20th century engineers, archaeologists, and experts who rescued it.
28:12I, for one, am so incredibly grateful it was saved.
28:17And I'm sure Ramses is too.
28:22I'd much rather see this epic without a snorkel.
28:38It's been an amazing day.
28:40Looks like we're getting to the big smoke.
28:43Some hotels appearing and some tourist buses.
28:48I'm checking into my new hotel.
28:52In Egypt's most southerly city, Aswan.
28:57Quite fun being on the main drag, because you get all the activity, you get the noise, the cars and
29:01the horns, the people shouting.
29:03It's a bit like the soundtrack of an Egyptian city.
29:07And then you look out beyond it, it's a very different scene, because then you've got sun going down.
29:12These sailing felucas just moving back and forward on the breeze.
29:16And on the far side you've got that mountain of sand, the Sahara Desert.
29:21Real contrast.
29:22Teeming with life down here.
29:24Just nothing over that side at all.
29:28I should tell you there's anywhere in the world like it.
29:40This morning, I'm heading to the other end of town.
29:44What's better on a sunny day than a pedal down the promenade?
29:50What a beautiful day. Look at all those boats on the river.
29:54Morning, lads.
29:56Aswan is a small city by Egyptian standards.
29:59About 300,000 people live here.
30:01But it's always been important.
30:03I can tell you what, this bike is built neither for comfort nor for speed.
30:08Oh, my bum.
30:09You really feel every single paving slab and cobble.
30:15People and trade have flooded in and out for thousands of years.
30:19From the ancient Egyptians quarrying out the stones for Luxor's temples and the pyramids.
30:25Hey, guys.
30:29Literally being overtaken by jogging children.
30:33To the Victorian tourists on their holidays.
30:38And the sun seekers doing exactly the same thing today.
30:44What a view.
30:47And this has got to be one of the finest...
30:48Well, this is the finest view in Aswan.
30:50Probably one of the best views in Egypt.
30:51Look at this.
30:52You can see the sweep of the Nile here.
30:54It is a superb position.
30:56And that is why...
30:57She's reading the guidebook.
30:59That's why they built this majestic hotel.
31:02The old cataract hotel.
31:05Opened in around 1900.
31:07And it was built by Thomas Cook.
31:09Who else?
31:10It was the terminus for all these cruises they were organising up and down the river.
31:14And I was just reading the list of people that stayed there.
31:16We've got Agatha Christie, obviously.
31:17She spent about a year in there writing Death on the Nile.
31:20But we've also got Winston Churchill.
31:22Princess Diana.
31:23Margaret Thatcher.
31:24Tsar Nicholas II.
31:25Anyone who's anyone stayed here when they were in Aswan.
31:34In the centre of the city,
31:36I've got a local guide to find and food to buy.
31:42Iba.
31:43Hello. As-salamu alaykum. How are you?
31:45Alaykum as-salam. How are you?
31:48Alhamdulillah. Good. I'm good.
31:51Fortunately, the market in Aswan has been producing local delicacies
31:55for over a thousand years.
31:59Look at this place.
32:01Wow.
32:03And the smells hit you before you even arrive, don't you?
32:06Yeah.
32:06Oh, smell those.
32:08Fresh out of the oven.
32:09You can feel the heat coming off them.
32:13I would like to try every single thing in this bakery.
32:19It's like toast.
32:21You dip it in tea.
32:22And then when it softens, we eat it.
32:24I like the turmeric in it, but I think I'm after something a little sweeter.
32:29Let me try this.
32:32Dates.
32:33Dates.
32:34Dates. It's a date.
32:36No, we're talking.
32:41It's not as amazing.
32:43I think we need to escape before I go into some kind of frenzy of meeting.
32:49This morning has given me a taste of this Nile-side city.
33:00But my guidebook tells me that just a short trip out of town is a truly unique destination.
33:06Well done.
33:08I'm looking forward to this because it is good to get a look at the other side of Egypt.
33:13This, I think, will be an experience that will lift the lid on what's really going on in this part
33:18of the country.
33:28I'm told that if you want to buy a camel, this is the place to come.
33:33The market here at Dara feels like it hasn't changed for thousands of years.
33:39Well, except the old mobile phone.
33:42I'm always fine with these kind of places.
33:44They seem chaotic, but actually there's a choreography.
33:48People know what's going on here.
33:50Hello, little man.
33:52I've arranged to meet a local who knows camels from nose to tail.
33:57Hey, what's up, boys?
33:58Hey, Sam.
33:59Hi, how are you?
34:00I'm Dan.
34:01How are you?
34:03How are you?
34:04So what's going on here?
34:06Sam's not only a local, he's studied farming, too.
34:10Yeah.
34:10Oh, yeah, we got some goats.
34:14If anyone could show me that there is a method to what I'm seeing is rather organized chaos, it's Sam.
34:21Okay, we're in the sheep section here.
34:23Yeah.
34:24Lamb is very popular, isn't it?
34:26Yeah, very popular.
34:27You can buy a lamb for a wedding or a big feast.
34:29Yeah, and have to be more than two years old.
34:32Okay.
34:32The hotels in Aswan, are they big customers for the lamb?
34:37Oh, yes.
34:37I bet they are, yeah.
34:38I bet they are, yeah.
34:38So most of the Aswan hotels and even boats.
34:42And the boats?
34:42Yeah.
34:43So a lot of this meat will end up for the tourism industry?
34:47Yes.
34:50So far, I've seen all manner of animals.
34:53And a ton of donkeys.
34:55But it seems like I've come on the wrong day of the week for camels.
35:00Aha!
35:01Finally.
35:03What I'm keen to avoid is to take a camel kick in the nuts.
35:06It's one of my sort of main priorities.
35:09Every year, nearly 250,000 camels travel for 40 days and 40 nights to be sold right here.
35:19So this is the biggest camel market?
35:21Camel market in all of Egypt.
35:22And what do they use camels for?
35:24The camels were used for a long time for just carrying goods and crops.
35:29Yeah, yeah, yeah.
35:29Do any of them still carry loads?
35:31Big camels.
35:32Still using them for carrying sugarcane.
35:34Sugarcane?
35:35Yeah, when you've got harvest sugarcane to transport for the short distance.
35:39Okay.
35:39But this is for eating.
35:40But these are eating camels?
35:41Yeah.
35:43I had no idea people ate camel.
35:48I've been told they arrive early in the morning.
35:51Buyers come from farms and meat markets.
35:54It's got a glossy coat.
35:55It looks good.
35:56It's looking...
35:57Prices depend on age, strength, temperament, even colour.
36:02How do you tell a good camel? What are we looking for here?
36:04We looked at these teeth.
36:05Okay, teeth.
36:06What are we looking for here?
36:07Are those good teeth?
36:09Yeah.
36:09They're not ground down?
36:10Yeah.
36:10How long have you been coming to these markets?
36:12Yeah, I got from more than 10 years.
36:17So you know what you're looking for here?
36:18Yes.
36:19Are you a very good negotiator?
36:21Yes.
36:21I'm doing very well.
36:22What's the strategy?
36:23Do you go 50%?
36:25Do you go hard?
36:25Do you go low?
36:26For animals like this, I'm going to 25% or 30% off.
36:30Yeah, okay.
36:30Yeah.
36:31This is a fair price.
36:32These camels look young.
36:34Are these young, these camels?
36:35Yeah.
36:35These young camels have taken about 500 English pounds for the small ones.
36:40Most of Egyptians have the small camels.
36:42That's a valuable trade.
36:43Yeah.
36:44So you're paying top dollar for that?
36:45Yeah.
36:45Millions of pounds worth of camels is coming through this marquee tube.
36:53What a place.
36:55Egypt continues to surprise me.
36:58It's been pretty full on.
36:59And this might not be on everyone's wish list on their tourist trip to Egypt.
37:05But for me, I've loved it.
37:06I think I've got a real insight into what life's actually like for lots of people in this rural
37:11part of the country.
37:24Coming up, I'm exploring a captivating Nile village.
37:28I love these blues.
37:30Very colorful.
37:31Yeah.
37:33Brilliant.
37:34I'm a match.
37:35And traveling along some of the most beautiful bits of the Nile.
37:39It's going to be a best kept super angel list.
37:42I can't really think of anywhere else I've been like.
37:56Hello.
37:57Hey, friend.
37:57Asalaamu Alaikum.
37:58How are you?
37:59Asalaamu Alaikum Salaam.
38:00Welcome to Tamaam.
38:01Tamaam?
38:02Alhamdulillah.
38:02Alhamdulillah.
38:03I'm boarding the final boat of my Aswan adventure.
38:09This has to be one of the most picturesque views you can get of the Nile.
38:16All you can see is palm trees and water lapping at the granite lined banks.
38:22Kingfishers and herons dipping around waiting for their next catch.
38:28All of this green life is such a contrast to the sandy mountainous desert just beyond it.
38:35This is a gorgeous place.
38:37It's got to be the best kept secret in Egypt.
38:39I can't really think of anywhere else I've been like.
38:42On board to guide me through my last day in Aswan is a very special guy.
38:47Izzat.
38:48He's a local born and bred known as a Nubian.
38:52So tell me, what is Nubia?
38:54Is this the area?
38:56Nub.
38:56Actually, it's a hieroglyphic word.
38:58Yeah.
38:58It means gold.
39:00Gold?
39:00Gold.
39:02Nubian people have lived in this area of southern Egypt and Sudan for over 7,000 years,
39:09making them one of the world's oldest civilizations.
39:13The river today is quite peaceful.
39:15But back in ancient times, this section was full of nearly impassable whitewater rapids
39:21called cataracts.
39:23For the ancients, these cataracts were the borderlands where ancient Egypt met ancient Nubia.
39:30And crossing the last remaining cataract is the only way to get to Izzat's village.
39:37But due to the Aswan Dam, it's rather less rapid and more lazy river these days.
39:45Visiting Izzat's village is truly a family affair.
39:50Ben.
39:51Hey, how are you?
39:52Abdelrah.
39:53Ben.
39:53Hello.
39:55Mariam.
39:56Yalla.
39:57Yalla.
39:58Yalla.
39:58Yalla.
39:58Show me your town.
39:59Let's go.
39:59Yalla.
40:04I love these blues.
40:06Very colorful.
40:07Yeah.
40:08Blue, white, yellow.
40:12Yalla.
40:13Yalla.
40:14Yalla.
40:14Yalla.
40:15Yalla.
40:16Yalla.
40:17Yalla.
40:18Yalla.
40:21Yalla.
40:23Yalla.
40:24Yalla.
40:24Yalla.
40:24Yalla.
40:25Yalla.
40:26So this is like a market tree.
40:27Markets, we have...
40:29We have a scarves and...
40:31Handmaker says...
40:33This is a drum from camel skin, actually.
40:38From camel skin?
40:38Yeah.
40:39It's very important in our wedding and dancing.
40:42And you can use your finger to change.
40:48Yeah.
40:51That's good.
40:52That's impressive.
40:54Yeah?
40:55Brilliant.
40:56I'm a natural.
40:57This is a Nubian hat.
41:02It's very good.
41:05Izzat is a man who knows everyone.
41:12Let's get tiring saying hello to everybody.
41:14Yeah.
41:15If I don't know their name, I know their face.
41:31How old is this house?
41:33This house is about 80 years old.
41:35Really?
41:35But actually, from down, it's mud brick.
41:38Mud brick originally.
41:39Mud brick originally.
41:40And also, in the summer, we can sleep here.
41:43And go to the sky directly together.
41:45All around here, the same family, one house.
41:49The sister, grandmother, and the sister, unlike that, they are living around here.
41:54So the extended families build out from the old house?
41:58Yeah.
42:00Cooking a meal for the whole extended family is always a big task.
42:03I love these dones.
42:05They give a real airy sense here.
42:08You don't need anything to penetrate the kitchen.
42:11Yeah.
42:11It just goes straight out.
42:14Yes.
42:14As their guest, they've insisted that I eat first.
42:17Enjoy your meal.
42:19The Hanau Shifa.
42:20The Hanau Shifa.
42:21The Hanau Shifa.
42:21The Hanau Shifa.
42:23And it's a real feast.
42:25From okra stew.
42:27Grilled vegetables.
42:28Meat tagines.
42:31Authentic Nubian bread.
42:33Made in the same way for thousands of years.
42:36And to drink hibiscus tea.
42:39Delicious.
42:41I've discovered something today.
42:43The best food in the world.
42:45Nubian.
42:46Good.
42:46Good.
42:47But it's time for me to leave this incredible place.
42:51Here.
42:54Here.
42:55Here.
42:56Nice.
42:56Nice.
42:57Here.
42:57And that has got me a very special ride.
43:00Oh.
43:01Give some space for my belly.
43:08So I've been to a lot of places around the world where they tell me, they insist that it's the
43:11best place in the world.
43:13I've got to say.
43:14Community.
43:15Sunshine.
43:16Setting.
43:17Food.
43:19Hard to beat.
43:24It's been a real adventure so far.
43:26I've been time-travelling across centuries, gaining a new appreciation for this amazing country.
43:35And people think that I keep coming back to Egypt, because I'm an history geek,
43:41and it has got the world's best historic site, so no question.
43:45But actually, what keeps me coming here, what keeps me loving this place,
43:48is the present as much as the past.
43:51It's this weather, it's the welcome, it's the energy, it's the food.
43:57It's the opportunities for adventures like this one.
44:03But my journey isn't over yet.
44:05In the final episode, I'll be discovering the crazy chaos of the capital city of Cairo,
44:12one of the biggest and busiest cities in the whole of Africa.
44:16To me, this is overwhelming.
44:18For the people of Cairo, this is just a Tuesday afternoon.
44:21Before calming it down, exploring the surprising side of this mega city.
44:275,000 years of history in one view here.
44:30Crazy. Unbelievable.
44:33And I get a very special tour, inside one of Cairo's most famous residents.
44:39The pyramids.
44:41They're like nothing else.
44:42They're like nothing else.
45:12You
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