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[Music] Egypt, birthplace of one of the oldest, most powerful, and longest-lasting civilizations on Earth. This spectacular aerial journey, with privileged access to incredible sites, will show how the magnificent achievements of the ancients [Music] helped shape the Egypt of today. Flying over this country's vast and varied landscapes, our bird's-eye view reveals how generations of Egyptians battled harsh terrain and scorching temperatures to build a nation like no other. [Music] Egypt, covering nearly 400,000 square miles and home to almost 100 million people, it's the biggest and most populous country in the Arab world. [Music] Life here has always been a challenge. 97% of the terrain is harsh, arid desert. So how did the ancient Egyptians build such a powerful civilization? A bird's-eye view of the country reveals the answer: the mighty River Nile. At over 4,000 miles, it's the longest river in the world. Without it, the ancient Egyptians may never have founded an empire or built magnificent monuments.
The most iconic of the Ancient Wonders lies 8 miles from the center of Egypt's capital, Cairo. From the air, the scale of the engineering is incredible. Made of an estimated 10 million tons of stone, these are some of the largest pyramids ever built. The oldest and biggest is the Great Pyramid of Giza. [Music] Completed over 4 and a half thousand years ago, it's formed from more than 2 million sandstone [Music] blocks, each block weighs more than a car. Created as a tomb for the Pharaoh Khufu, it's the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World to survive to the present day. At 480 ft high, it remained the tallest structure on Earth for 3 and a half thousand years.
The Pyramids of Giza fascinate American archaeologist Mark Lehner so much, he's dedicated four decades of his career to unlocking their secrets. "Well, from that very first sight of the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the Giza Pyramids have basically been my life. I spent 46 years actually studying the pyramids. Who are the people who built them? What do we know about them? What do we know about how they did [Music] it?"
People from all over the world come to marvel at the pyramids' majesty. Yet, it's the remains of more modest structures nearby that unlock how the ancients built these mighty tombs. "In order to create pyramids on such a gigantic scale, they had to create a whole infrastructure. We have found the footprint of that infrastructure." An aerial view reveals a huge labor force was once brought here for construction. "So, what we have found in the so-called lost city, the pyramid sometimes called the workers' village, it's about 13 hectares. We have found their bakeries and their workshops, their houses, their grain silos for feeding the people. But it's only part of a much vaster city that existed at the foot of the pyramid's plateau." Mark thinks 20,000 workers once lived here. They quarried the 5.7 million tons of sandstone needed to build the Great Pyramid alone.
From the air, the view of the neighboring Pyramid of Khafre reveals there is another enigma to solve. Its summit is capped with smooth stones that once encased the entire structure. It's evidence that the Great Pyramid once looked very different. The Great Pyramid of Khufu stood complete, covered with polished white limestone that must have been blinding when it reflected the [Music] sun. The nearest source for the brilliant limestone was in Tura, 8 miles away, on the other side of the [Music] Nile.
So, how did the ancients transport tons of this stone across miles of desert and a mighty river? Mark believes the sloping ground in front of this temple unlocks the [Music] mystery. "It's a basin, the remains of a huge harbor and canal complex, filled by flood water that the ancients used to ferry stone to the construction site. We have evidence that the pyramid builders use the 7-meter rise annually of the Nile flood as a huge hydraulic lift to bring blocks as high as they could and as close as they could to the pyramid plateau. It's almost what you don't see here that is even more impressive than the pyramids [Music] themselves."
The Nile made ancient Egyptian civilization possible. It wasn't just essential for transport, but for food too, and many Egyptians still depend on it today to [Music] survive.
It's early morning on the island of Elephantine in southern Egypt. [Music] Father and son, Yousef and Karim Muhammad, are preparing to go fishing, as they do every day. "My family has lived on the Nile for more than 100 years. My father was a fisherman, and my father's father was a fisherman. He taught him, and then my father taught me. Now I'm teaching my son, Karim, like my father taught me."
Yousef and Karim are part of the Nubian community. They're descendants of some of the first people to settle in this area of the Nile Valley over 7,000 years ago. For Nubians, the Nile is their life. They've always lived around the Nile. Flooding caused by the building of a dam further south at Aswan displaced many Nubians from their land. So, for Yousef, it's important to pass the old traditions onto his son, like how to catch fish the Nubian way. "You know, the big fish are in deep water on the other side of the river."
To get there, father and son must cross a mile of choppy and congested waters in their tiny rowboat, all the while dodging ferries and fast-sailed feluccas. A collision here would spell disaster. Nubian fisherman Yousef and his six-year-old son Kareem must cross one of the most congested points on the Nile. Their livelihood depends on catching the bigger fish in the deeper water. With perfect timing, Yousef drives the boat through the gaps in the traffic. [Music] Safely on the other side, 6-year-old Kareem must keep the rowboat steady against the strong [Music] current. His father uses an ancient technique to maximize his catch. "When you hit the water once or twice, the fish swim deeper and flee into the net. Fish don't like [Applause] sound."
These fish are tilapia, a staple of the Egyptian diet since the time of the [Music] Pharaohs. After an hour, Yousef and Kareem have caught all the fish they need for tonight's supper. They rowed the mile back to their village on Elephantine [Music] Island. Cooks dust the fish with flour and fry them as part of a traditional Nubian recipe. "The Nile means everything because it's where I fish. It makes life possible. The Nile is my whole [Music] life."
For thousands of years, Egyptian civilizations have relied on the River Nile for survival. As well as providing food, the rich silt from its waters allowed farmers to grow crops in the desert. German archaeologist Joanna Siegel is also heading to Elephantine Island. Her work as excavation field director here is revealing the Nile's importance to the ancient [Music] Egyptians.
A bird's-eye view of the island's southern tip shows the layout of a 5,000-year-old town. [Music] "This was one of the first settlements on this part of the Nile. The Nile represented a life source for ancient Egyptians. It was one of the most important things in their life. They got food and water, fertile soil, trade connections. They got everything from the Nile." Before dams controlled the river's height, monsoon rains over Ethiopia to the south of Egypt caused annual floods. As the rising waters burst their banks, fertile silt was deposited across the floodplains. The further the waters spread, the more farmland could be cultivated. The ancient Egyptians developed a system to forecast the perfect [Music] flood. The instrument they invented became known as a nilometer. The chiseled markings on this passageway gauged the height of the flood and foretold if crops would flourish or fail. "Here at Elephantine, the flood arrived first, so to measure here would be a prediction for measuring the height all along the Nile, at least, the ancient Egyptians hoped so."
When the nilometer recorded the optimal water level, the fields would be covered with enough silt to produce a bountiful harvest. Thousands of years later, and the Nile remains the lifeblood of Egypt. "The Nile provides still drinking water, it provides energy, it still provides fertile soil and so supports agriculture. Without the Nile, there would be no living here today." 96% of the population lives on the 3% of cultivated land irrigated by the Nile. Away from these areas, the landscape is very different. Almost 375,000 square miles of Egypt is inhospitable desert.
Some of the harshest terrain lies in the Sinai Peninsula in the east of the country. Rainfall in this part of Egypt can be as little as 1 inch a year. From the air, it's clear the region's dry, rocky soil makes intensive agriculture almost impossible. Yet, there's a group of people who have made the Sinai their home for millennia. Kudra Eid Morid has lived in this remote village her entire life. "It is very difficult to find food. There is little rain and little vegetation for the animals to eat." Kudra is Bedouin, the majority of this ancient people migrated here from the Arabian Peninsula almost 2,000 years ago. In recent decades, government policies aimed to increase security and promote tourism in Sinai have denied some Bedouin access to services and eroded their nomadic traditions. Many have left to find work in Egypt's cities. Kudra embraces life here in the desert as her ancestors did before her. "This desert teaches you to exercise, coming, going, collecting wood, fetching water, keeping moving. If you stay inside, your body ages. You must walk, be active, and stay healthy."
Kudra is a widow. To keep herself and her goats alive, she must find vegetation in one of the most arid places on Earth. [Music] High up on Egypt's arid Sinai Peninsula, Bedouin shepherdess Kudra Eid Morid is taking her goats deep into the desert on a quest for grass. Kudra relies on wisdom passed down through generations of Bedouin nomads to read the landscape. A bird's-eye view reveals gullies snaking across the mountainous terrain. Kudra knows scarce rainwater channeled just beneath the surface is enough to sustain plant life. "There's a lot of grazing here. If they are happy, I'm happy." While the goats eat, Kudra exploits another of the desert's scant resources. "This desert plant is called 'agram'. You pick it, crush it, and add water. You can wash your hands and clothes with it. It's soap. A nice-smelling soap." "It's enough grazing for today. Tomorrow, Kudra will have to find other plants. I do this work every day. I've been here since the day I got married. I've never lived anywhere else. The desert is my life."
The Bedouin have made the desert their home. Yet, the ancients used these wastelands for a very different purpose. The Western Desert was where the Pharaohs were buried in preparation for the afterlife. Royal tombs, like the Step Pyramid of Djoser, built up to 4,700 years ago, would be filled with priceless treasures. Despite the Pharaohs believing their pyramids were impregnable, these structures became a magnet for ancient grave robbers. So, 3 and a half thousand years ago, the Pharaohs created a giant secret tomb within a remote desert valley. From the 16th century BCE, at least 63 royal tombs were built here over a period of 500 years. The Valley of the Kings is located beneath a symbolic pyramid-shaped mountain. The Pharaohs hoped this inconspicuous site would be safe from grave robbers. Originally, the entrances to the tombs were sealed and hidden under sand and rocks. Now, a network of paths leads the way.
Conservator Lori Wong is responsible for the preservation of the site's most famous attraction: the tomb of Tutankhamun. "Tutankhamun, its fame is due to the fact that it was a tomb that was discovered with its grave goods almost completely intact. And that's rare because almost every other tomb had been looted." Tutankhamun was just 9 years old when he became ruler of Egypt. The boy king's tomb was discovered in 1922 by British Egyptologist Howard Carter. Inside, he found treasures including Tutankhamun's gold death mask, [Music] his gold and silver throne encrusted with precious stones, and more than 5,000 other priceless artifacts.
1 and a half million people a year come to the Valley of the Kings. Now, the huge volume of visitors is taking its toll. "Visitors have dust on their clothing, on their shoes, and they come into the tomb, and that dust can actually cement itself onto the painting, making it very difficult to remove in a safe manner." Lori's team has installed a ventilation system to help reduce dust levels inside the tomb. The cleaner air will ensure the preservation of the boy king's resting place for generations to come. [Music] "We want other people to be able to appreciate the tomb as much as we have. To have worked in a tomb like Tutankhamun has been just a wonderful [Music] experience."
Egypt's mighty pharaohs left their mark throughout the country. Yet, not all monuments visible from the air are shrines to past rulers. These are towers for domesticated pigeons. The birds have been farmed in Egypt for thousands of years. Ancient sources suggest they were consumed on important feast days. Today, pigeons are not only bred to eat, they're bred to compete. In Cairo's neighborhood of Gia, dozens of passionate pigeon breeders are in constant competition with one [Music] another. Visible from the air, precarious wooden structures like this rise high above the rooftops. These are called 'reer' and they're the inner-city answer to pigeon towers. Some are large enough to house over 300 birds. Hassan Muhammad Hussein calls himself the pigeon ruler of Gia. "I built my first reer 23 years ago. I built a small one, 9ft by 9ft, out of straw on the roof. It was a long process. I made it higher and bigger until I built the one I have now." Hassan is one of 2 million pigeon fanciers in Egypt.
In competitions, breeders take their best birds to a central location and release them together. The goal is to both guide their own birds home and lure as many of their rivals' pigeons as they can. The breeder with the most birds at the end of the event is the [Music] winner. "Every competition is different, like a football match. Catching pigeons is the equivalent of scoring goals." Hassan meets his opponent here in the middle of Old Cairo. He must win today if he wants to retain his title, Pigeon Ruler of Galia.
In the historic heart of Cairo, Hassan Muhammad Hussein is taking on rival Kouto Adam in a pigeon race across the capital. Both competitors are ready to release their birds. 40 pigeons climb high above Cairo. In just a few minutes, they'll be within range of their coops. Both competitors must try and guide home all their pigeons and as many of their rivals' as possible. Whoever captures the most birds wins. Soon after arriving back at his tower, Hassan spots the pigeons. "I'm going to call them in and raise a flag to see which are the competitors' pigeons." Hassan waves and whistles to entice them to his coop. As the pigeons land, he reads their tags to check who they belong to. [Music] All Hassan's pigeons have returned home. His competitor, Kouto Adam, hasn't lured any away. "I think that black one is one of Kouto's birds." But Hassan has, with another victory to his name. Hassan retains his title until the next contest. "I'm so happy. I'm so pleased that I [Music] won."
The Egyptians' relationship with pigeons is just one legacy from the time of the Pharaohs. The ancient rulers' vast monuments stand testament to their immense power. These were no ordinary kings. They proclaimed themselves gods and they expected their subjects to worship them, even after they died. Nowhere is this more visible than on the West Bank of the Nile, across the river from Luxor. Over 2,000 years, pharaohs built mortuary temples here to commemorate their reigns and as centers for their eternal veneration. Their true scale only becomes evident from the air.
It's dawn, and setting a course for the mortuary temples is Baha Ahmed, an experienced hot air balloon pilot. Baha flies at first light when the air is cool and wind currents are most predictable. Knowing wind patterns here is critical because the temples are located directly beneath jagged mountains. "The biggest challenge flying balloons is the wind shear and turbulence close to the mountains, so we take that into consideration and try to keep far away so there is no danger to the balloon or the passengers."
As Baha tracks a course away from the mountains, he guides his balloon towards Egypt's most famous mortuary structure. The Temple of Hatshepsut is carved into the side of a mountain. It was built by one of Egypt's very few female pharaohs. To gain acceptance as ruler, she ordered her temple to be bigger and grander than those of all the male pharaohs before her. "This temple is one of the most beautiful things to see from the balloon. Looking at the design of this temple, it is more than I can describe. From the balloon, it looks very beautiful."
As the air warms up, Baha must now negotiate the potentially treacherous winds to visit a shrine to the greatest pharaoh ever to rule Egypt. [Music] Above the West Bank of Luxor, Baha Ahmed's balloon approaches a 50,000 sq ft temple complex dedicated to Egypt's greatest [Music] pharaoh. This is the Ramesseum, the mortuary temple of Egypt's most prolific monument builder, Ramesses II. Constructed in the 13th century BCE and covering the area of 47 tennis courts, in its day, it was one of the largest mortuary temples in Egypt. It took 20 years to complete. "Beautiful. This is amazing. Look at this." Ramesses II. Within the Ramesseum lie the fallen remains of a giant statue of Ramesses [Music] himself. Originally, it would have risen to the height of a six-story building and weighed around 1,000 tons. It reminded everyone he was more than a man; he was a god.
As the desert monuments give way to lush farmland below, it's time for Baha to find a field to touch down. "When the balloon goes up, you don't know where you are going to land, and it's a challenge to land somewhere safe for the passengers. Flying balloons, every day is a new day."
The pharaohs may have declared themselves gods, but their powers were not eternal. After ruling Egypt for 3,000 years, they were conquered by the Romans. In time, belief in their many pagan gods gave way to one Christian [Music] God. Almost 10 million Christians live in Egypt today. One of their most important sites is Mount Sinai. According to the Bible, this mountain was where God appeared as a burning bush and where Moses received the Ten Commandments. In the 6th century CE, Roman Emperor Justinian ordered a place of worship to be built, marking this most sacred of sites. The result was St. Catherine's Monastery, the oldest continuously inhabited monastery in the world. Resident monk Father Macarius left his home in Denver, Colorado, to live and work here. "Historically, uh, there are very few places in the world today that reflect the life of the empire which created this monastery. Nowhere else in the world can anybody find or see an institution like this."
The centerpiece of St. Catherine's Monastery is the Great Basilica. This is where daily prayers have been held for 1,500 years. Today, Father Macarius must make sure that everything is ready for the morning service. "There has been an uninterrupted succession of prayers here since the mid-6th century. No one in the world can claim that anywhere except here." Life here means following strict rules and turning your back on modern company. Efforts to live in the wilderness. With the chapel now ready, the monks can commence 8 hours of daily prayers in a monastery that is uniquely connected to their faith. "Moses came here. God himself came to be able to be here. And, and looking at one face of this mountain from here, say to yourself, this is really important. I should, I, I need to be here for this."
Preserving thousands of years of history has made Egypt the country it is [Music] today. Beside the Giza Pyramids, it's a race against time to fill a new $1 billion museum with the country's greatest treasures. That means transporting fragile and priceless artifacts across one of the world's most congested cities. In Egypt's capital, Cairo, plans are underway to bring thousands of years of history under one roof. For more than a century, the world's largest collection of ancient Egyptian treasures has been housed in Cairo, here at the Egyptian Museum. It's the home of the world-famous relics from the tomb of Tutankhamun. Today, the neoclassical building is outdated and too small to display many of its items. So, engineers are building a brand-new museum to accommodate 5 million tourists who visit each year. Its scale is epic. When it's finished, the Grand Egyptian Museum will cover an area of over 5.2 million square feet. This will be the largest museum devoted to one civilization on the planet. Before it opens, thousands of artifacts must be transported by road on an 11-mile journey to their new home on the outskirts of Cairo. And that's a problem. Cairo is one of the world's most congested cities. Tens of thousands of road traffic accidents are reported every year, and congestion costs the country an estimated $50 billion.
Hitting the road today is this 3,000-year-old statue of Ramesses II and the goddess Anat. Ramesses is known as the Great, partly due to his huge building projects. Director of restoration and transporting antiquities, Asa Zidan, must ensure safe passage. "It's impossible to put a value on this statue. For Egyptians, it means civilization, culture, heritage, and honor. Ancient Egyptian civilization is priceless." Asa's team painstakingly wraps the monument in a protective material before its journey. Ramesses will be transported across Cairo to his new home by driver Zacharia Muhammad. "I feel proud to be transporting such important pieces. I also feel afraid, because if anything were to happen to any of these artifacts, I would be devastated."
To ensure Ramesses' safe delivery, Zacharia has called in help. Four police cars and a special forces unit will escort the mighty pharaoh to prevent the statue toppling off his truck. Zacharia must try and maintain a constant speed of 12 mph towards the Grand Egyptian Museum. After a 10-hour, 60-minute journey, Zacharia and Ramesses arrive unscathed. "I always feel nervous while driving. I feel especially stressed carrying something of such value to Egyptians. When I arrive at the Grand Egyptian Museum, I feel relieved that it has got here safely." The statue will soon be unpacked and installed on the new museum's grand staircase. "I will feel extremely proud to see the Grand Egyptian Museum finally open and visitors coming to see all the antiquities that we have transported so carefully. I hope we have done something that will be remembered."
Flying over Egypt, our bird's-eye view reveals how this proud nation continues to embrace its unique past. From the air, it's clear how the ancients stamped their mark across this harsh and inhospitable landscape, and how some lifestyles here have barely changed for thousands of years. In this land of the Pharaohs, the ancient and modern continue to live side by side. [Music]