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Tom ward (narrates): A
region littered with ruins.
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00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:09,800
Home to an
extraordinary deception.
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00:00:11,920 --> 00:00:15,960
Spies behind enemy lines,
danger, espionage, warfare,
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00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:18,360
could almost be the pitch
for a Hollywood blockbuster.
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00:00:22,240 --> 00:00:23,520
The grand remnants
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00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:27,240
of a mystical city
of stone in Tanzania.
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00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:29,080
It's kind of like an
Amazon warehouse
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00:00:29,120 --> 00:00:31,400
where it's collecting,
distributing,
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00:00:31,440 --> 00:00:34,320
producing and then
exporting all over the globe.
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00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:40,680
A derelict facility in buffalo that
would produce an American icon.
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00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:42,040
It's hard to describe,
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00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:44,040
it's like you're
touching kind of cotton
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00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:46,280
like, very, very soft cotton
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00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:49,360
and it's whiter
than white colour
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00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:52,000
like the colour of virtue,
the colour of purity.
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00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:58,400
And a secret complex in Taiwan
built to serve a brutal regime.
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00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:01,440
A guest house was
actually a smoke screen
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00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:02,840
for its real purpose.
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00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:08,440
Decaying relics.
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00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:13,280
Ruins of lost worlds.
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00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:18,440
Sites haunted by the past.
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00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:25,080
Their secrets waiting
to be revealed.
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00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:39,880
The golan heights, a
politically explosive region,
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00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:42,480
strewn with the
remains of warfare.
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00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:51,800
There's military
vehicles littering the area,
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00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:54,840
there's mine field
warning signs everywhere.
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00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:56,600
This is a military zone.
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00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:02,080
This is the flash point,
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00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:07,400
the centre of conflict
which over and over again
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00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:12,360
has resulted in tremendous
violence on a vast scale.
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00:02:14,160 --> 00:02:17,040
At its heart a
battle scarred ruin.
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00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:21,080
It looks a little bit perhaps
like a parking garage
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00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:24,080
or some kind of office building
but all windows are blown out.
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And it was clearly hit by
something pretty powerful,
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00:02:27,640 --> 00:02:29,056
there's a hole that
goes from the roof
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00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:30,240
all the way to the basement.
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00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:35,400
But before destruction rained
down on these defaced walls,
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00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:37,920
it was the site of an
astonishing deception.
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00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:42,960
Through these halls
walked a man whose ability
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00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:44,480
to pretend to be what he wasn't,
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00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:50,040
his ability to be trusted and
get sensitive secret information
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00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:52,520
was unparalleled and he
just might have changed
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00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:53,680
the course of history.
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00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:07,240
Damascus Syria,
the 18th of may 1965.
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00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:10,840
10,000 onlookers
packed the martyr square
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00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:13,760
where a lone man
hung from a noose.
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00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:18,560
The trusted him,
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00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:20,040
they promoted him
in the government,
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00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:24,640
they almost made him
defence minister of Syria
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00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:28,800
and in order to
expunge that shame,
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00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:31,040
they don't just
decide to kill him,
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00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:33,920
they sentence him to death
and they hang him publicly.
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00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:39,560
This man's journey to the
gallows is inextricably linked
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00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:43,480
to this collection of ruins less
than 40 miles from Damascus.
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00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:48,800
Today, the golan heights
are occupied by Israel
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00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:51,640
but this structure's
distinctive style suggests
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00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:53,160
an outside influence.
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00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:57,920
You can tell by the
brutalist architecture
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00:03:57,960 --> 00:03:59,600
that there was a
heavy Soviet influence
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00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:00,960
on its design.
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00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:04,560
This site was built in the 1950s
with the help of Russian engineers
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00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:05,680
and Russian materials.
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00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:10,320
The Soviet union however
was no ally of Israel.
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00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:13,760
In the 1950s this terrain
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00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:18,520
was controlled by Syria
and it was heavily fortified.
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00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:21,320
Access in and out
of the golan heights
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00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:25,720
was strictly controlled by
the Syrian military and police.
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00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:30,880
It was a front line
province in a front line state.
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00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:36,360
And Syria confronted
Israel actively.
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00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:41,520
This is the former Syrian
military headquarters.
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00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:50,600
Ilan shulman is a
retired Israeli paratrooper
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00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:53,440
and an expert on the
history of this troubled region.
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00:04:54,480 --> 00:04:57,200
So, first of all we're standing
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00:04:57,240 --> 00:04:59,400
and it's you know,
quite unbelievable
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00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:04,240
but this was the main
office of the commander
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00:05:04,280 --> 00:05:06,760
that was in charge
on the Syrian forces
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00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:08,520
on the golan front,
the southern front.
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00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:13,200
The headquarters was the
centre of military operations
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00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:15,360
in the golan heights and
the centre of intelligence.
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00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:19,960
But this structure was
soon drawn in to war.
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00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:24,360
So, in the entrance
of the headquarters
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00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:26,440
and we see here an entrance
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00:05:26,480 --> 00:05:28,960
of a bomb that managed
to penetrate the roof,
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00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:32,040
the floor and got all
the way down here
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00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:34,360
to the lobby of
the headquarters.
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00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:41,280
The root cause of this damage
can be found just 10 miles away
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00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:44,600
in the shattered remains of
a Syrian border fortification.
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00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:49,480
So, we're here in tel faher
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00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:53,400
in the biggest Syrian
bunker in the golan heights.
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00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:55,760
It's a net of bunkers
and trenches and,
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00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:59,560
and firing positions and
barbed wires and mine fields.
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00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:04,040
The irony is that, er, every
soldier that was station here
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00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:07,240
er, for him this was
the Syrian defence line.
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00:06:07,280 --> 00:06:10,560
But from the Israeli
perspective things looked
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00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:11,960
very different.
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00:06:14,840 --> 00:06:19,680
Attacks on the Israeli settlements
below tel faher were common
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00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:22,520
and although the Israeli
defence forces responded
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00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:26,560
in kind the Syrians
had one key advantage.
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00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:29,320
It's an elevated position.
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00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:34,960
It looks out over the sea of
galilee and importantly Israel.
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00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:38,440
The tactical advantages of
this location are very obvious.
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00:06:40,320 --> 00:06:43,680
So, this was the firing
positions, one of many
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00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:46,120
that were around the main bunker
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00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:50,040
and the machine gun
was right over here
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00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:53,400
and you can see that those
guys, doesn't matter what you do
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00:06:53,440 --> 00:06:55,040
you're eventually
being a sitting duck.
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00:06:57,080 --> 00:07:01,880
With tensions at an all
time high in October 1962
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00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:04,560
a visitor arrived at the
military headquarters.
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00:07:06,280 --> 00:07:09,680
In the early 60s a man
shows up in Damascus
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00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:12,680
by the name of
Kamil amin thaabet,
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00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:17,080
he was a Syrian who'd
been living in Argentina.
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00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:21,000
Now, he had moved to Damascus
to try to set up businesses
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00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:22,360
in his home country.
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00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:28,400
With an extraordinary rise through
the Syrian political establishment,
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00:07:28,440 --> 00:07:30,760
he was soon in a
position of great power.
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00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:36,720
He becomes the
transport minister of Syria,
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00:07:36,760 --> 00:07:40,240
he becomes deputy
defence minister of Syria
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00:07:40,280 --> 00:07:44,320
and he is implicitly trusted
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00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:46,400
by the Syrian regime.
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00:07:49,640 --> 00:07:51,880
His initial story was
he wanted to visit
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00:07:51,920 --> 00:07:55,080
the fresh mountain
Springs in the golan
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00:07:55,120 --> 00:07:56,520
but because he was friends
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00:07:56,560 --> 00:07:59,480
with so many high
level military officials,
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00:07:59,520 --> 00:08:02,480
the officials on the ground
thought they could maybe earn
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00:08:02,520 --> 00:08:04,240
a few brownie points
by showing him around
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00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:06,680
and treating him
like a big shot.
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00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:11,720
But this man was not
who he appeared to be.
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00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:16,400
Well, Kamil amin
was really Eli Cohen,
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00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:18,240
a Mossad intelligence agent.
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00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:21,760
Sent by Mossad,
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00:08:21,800 --> 00:08:24,360
Israel's foreign
intelligence service
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00:08:24,400 --> 00:08:28,040
he was a spy deep
behind enemy lines.
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00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:34,000
Before being given the grand
tour of the military installations,
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00:08:34,040 --> 00:08:36,200
Cohen had to sign
in at the headquarters.
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00:08:38,680 --> 00:08:43,000
The amazing part was
that Eli Cohen was here.
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00:08:43,040 --> 00:08:44,920
He managed to get
to the headquarters
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00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:47,440
of the Syrian army, it
was in this structure,
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00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:51,000
in each of those rooms
there was a commander,
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00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:52,520
there was an officer,
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00:08:52,560 --> 00:08:57,720
there was an intelligence officer
gathering information about Israel.
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00:08:58,760 --> 00:09:02,600
Cohen had almost unimaginable
access to the golan heights
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00:09:02,640 --> 00:09:04,560
and it's military secrets.
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00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:11,000
Cohen was able to
observe various installations,
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00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:13,160
different listening posts
where the trenches were,
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00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:15,280
where the artillery
guns were located.
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00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:19,920
Eli Cohen is going out
to places like tel faher
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00:09:19,960 --> 00:09:21,800
on the golan heights
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00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:24,560
and he's saying hey all
the soldiers come here,
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00:09:24,600 --> 00:09:26,680
pose with the deputy
defence minister.
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00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:32,560
And he comes away with
pictures of all the fortifications
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00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:34,080
on the golan heights.
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00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:38,400
And of course he sends
them all back to Israel.
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00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:43,600
But as more and more
intelligence leaked out of Syria
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00:09:43,640 --> 00:09:47,080
the net was closing around
Mossad's inside man.
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00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:53,800
Cohen is an immensely
valuable asset to Israel intelligence
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00:09:53,840 --> 00:09:56,240
right up until the
moment that he's caught.
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00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:00,640
Syrian agents burst
in to his apartment
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00:10:00,680 --> 00:10:02,960
and found him
literally at his radio set.
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00:10:04,080 --> 00:10:06,840
They captured him,
tortured him, interrogated him
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00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:09,000
and finally sentenced
him to death.
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00:10:10,200 --> 00:10:14,520
But Eli Cohen's incredible work
would soon prove invaluable.
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00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:20,560
In 1967, tensions
between Israel and Syria
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00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:22,560
had reached a fever pitch.
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00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:25,000
War was coming
to the golan heights.
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00:10:26,200 --> 00:10:29,080
In 1967, the arab
countries around Israel
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00:10:29,120 --> 00:10:31,480
were preparing for
a massive attack,
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00:10:31,520 --> 00:10:35,040
Israel knew this was coming
and decided to counter attack first
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00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:38,360
and this was the beginning
of the famous six-day war.
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00:10:39,560 --> 00:10:42,240
They'd already
done the surveillance,
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00:10:42,280 --> 00:10:45,080
they'd already done
the intelligence analysis,
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00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:47,200
they'd already done
the contingency planning,
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00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:49,960
all they had to do is
take a plan off the shelf
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00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:51,360
and put it into motion.
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With war already under-way
with their neighbours to the south,
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00:10:57,200 --> 00:10:58,720
the Israeli defence force,
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00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:01,680
the idf decided to
take the high ground.
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00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:07,840
After neutralising
the bunker at tel faher
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00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:13,760
in just a few hours the idf advanced
towards the military headquarters
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00:11:13,800 --> 00:11:16,240
where the Syrians
had fallen in to disarray.
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00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:21,880
They had not had time
to destroy the papers,
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00:11:21,920 --> 00:11:24,200
the secret papers
that were there
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00:11:24,240 --> 00:11:28,320
so, the full contents
of the secret vaults
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00:11:28,360 --> 00:11:31,880
of this facility fell in
to the hands of the idf.
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00:11:33,160 --> 00:11:37,760
So, for the Israeli's this place
was a little bit of a gold mine.
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00:11:40,360 --> 00:11:45,640
When a seize fire was called
on the 10th of June 1967
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00:11:45,680 --> 00:11:48,680
Israeli military leaders
met in the headquarters
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00:11:48,720 --> 00:11:52,280
to discuss Israel's control
of the captured golan heights.
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00:11:53,560 --> 00:11:55,440
But only a few years later
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00:11:55,480 --> 00:11:58,120
war would erupt around
this structure again.
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00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:03,440
On the Jewish holiday
of yom kippur 1973
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00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:06,800
the Syrian army thundered
past the headquarters
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00:12:06,840 --> 00:12:10,000
briefing taking the
strategic high ground.
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00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:16,880
This is the site of
the largest tank battle
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00:12:16,920 --> 00:12:19,360
since the second world war.
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00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:24,160
This is the epicentre
of a war between
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00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:29,960
the United States ally Israel
and the Soviet ally Syria.
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00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:34,680
This could easily have been
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00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:37,160
the beginning of world war 3.
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00:12:38,480 --> 00:12:43,360
Seemingly against the odds,
the idf retook the golan heights.
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00:12:44,520 --> 00:12:46,560
After a seize fire
line was drawn
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00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:49,160
less than 300 feet
from the headquarters,
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00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:50,760
it served briefly as a base
203
00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:53,200
for the United Nations
peace keepers.
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00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:57,000
But this imposing structure was
soon abandoned to the elements.
205
00:12:58,280 --> 00:13:02,760
The military hq was serious
damaged in the 73 war,
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00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:05,680
left it more or less in
the state you see it today,
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00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:07,760
the impact of bombs and shells.
208
00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:19,760
Today, control of the golan
heights is still being fought over.
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00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:23,000
Most countries in
the world consider
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00:13:23,040 --> 00:13:27,040
the golan heights to
be occupied by Israel,
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00:13:27,080 --> 00:13:31,120
most countries in the world
consider that occupation to be
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00:13:31,160 --> 00:13:35,240
at best dubious
under international law.
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00:13:36,440 --> 00:13:40,680
Israeli leaders have made
clear how reluctant they would be
214
00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:43,480
to give up this
strategic terrain
215
00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:46,240
it was used to threaten
them for decades.
216
00:13:46,280 --> 00:13:48,696
Now, they're in a position to
be able to use this high ground
217
00:13:48,720 --> 00:13:50,920
as a first line of
defence for their country.
218
00:13:53,280 --> 00:13:56,400
And the extraordinary
legacy of Eli Cohen,
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00:13:56,440 --> 00:13:59,720
israels spy inside
the golan heights
220
00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:05,160
continues to be felt to this
day on both sides of the conflict.
221
00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:08,920
When Eli Cohen is
unmasked as an Israeli spy
222
00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:12,120
the resulting national shame
and the embarrassment
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00:14:12,160 --> 00:14:16,080
for the Syrian
government directly results
224
00:14:16,120 --> 00:14:18,160
in the Syrian air
force commander
225
00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:20,640
hafez al-Assad taking power.
226
00:14:20,680 --> 00:14:24,360
And that ushers in
decades of Assad family rule
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00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:29,840
which is ruthless, brutal
and continues to this day.
228
00:14:39,640 --> 00:14:42,600
In the city of buffalo usa,
229
00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:46,360
an industrial relic stands
apart from those surrounding it.
230
00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:54,400
Here there's a lot of poverty,
there's a lot of empty store fronts,
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00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:57,160
there's a lot of run down areas.
232
00:14:58,200 --> 00:15:01,120
Here's this very
impressive building
233
00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:02,920
but you can tell it's
not a high school
234
00:15:02,960 --> 00:15:05,920
or an office building, it's
got a large smoke stack
235
00:15:05,960 --> 00:15:08,240
and there's a rail line
running right next to it.
236
00:15:09,960 --> 00:15:13,840
The inside is littered with
abandoned machinery,
237
00:15:13,880 --> 00:15:18,280
dark basements and
open elevator shafts.
238
00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:20,680
It's derelict, it's run-down.
239
00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:23,920
There's still rubbish strewn
around the floor there's paper,
240
00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:26,040
there's bits of detritus
but there's also elements
241
00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:27,560
of grandeur left in here.
242
00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:32,640
This building once
proudly displayed it's name
243
00:15:32,680 --> 00:15:34,960
but now that
display is in pieces.
244
00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:39,480
On the roof of this
very impressive building
245
00:15:39,520 --> 00:15:41,800
is a sign that once
proudly displayed
246
00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:44,800
its purpose but doesn't
make a lot of sense now.
247
00:15:46,800 --> 00:15:48,640
Clearly we're missing
some letters here.
248
00:15:57,120 --> 00:16:00,400
Chris hawley first came
to this site 10 years ago.
249
00:16:02,160 --> 00:16:03,480
I felt a sense of wonder
250
00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:05,480
when I first walked
in to this space.
251
00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:08,680
It clearly symbolised
to me er, what er,
252
00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:12,640
buffalo was at its apex
of industrial greatness.
253
00:16:12,680 --> 00:16:14,160
Inside this building
254
00:16:14,200 --> 00:16:17,560
has been mostly stripped of
whatever equipment was here
255
00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:20,600
but you can see the graffiti artists
have gotten in and left their Mark.
256
00:16:22,560 --> 00:16:26,160
Evidence of the last people
who were here can still be found.
257
00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:31,120
You can imagine the day
this place closed down,
258
00:16:31,160 --> 00:16:33,720
that everyone
had to just pack up
259
00:16:33,760 --> 00:16:37,880
and leave and the
remnants were just left.
260
00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:41,920
2004, (indistinct)
Brands, companies.
261
00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:46,840
On someone's desk er,
before the factory closed.
262
00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:51,040
It's a nice desk.
263
00:16:52,560 --> 00:16:56,560
Few clues remain of what
happened in this place.
264
00:16:56,600 --> 00:17:00,120
But the largest piece of the
puzzle can be found on the roof.
265
00:17:01,960 --> 00:17:04,560
You see the back
of the broken sign
266
00:17:04,600 --> 00:17:05,880
looming from the edge
267
00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:08,920
of the building precariously
down over the street.
268
00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:11,520
And on the floor is one
of the missing letters.
269
00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:16,160
Anyone who grew
up in the United States
270
00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:18,080
in the latter part
of the 20th century
271
00:17:18,120 --> 00:17:20,240
you put that in place and
you immediately recognise
272
00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:22,560
the logo for wonder bread.
273
00:17:24,040 --> 00:17:27,800
Wonder bread and hostess cakes
were iconic American products,
274
00:17:27,840 --> 00:17:30,880
we all remember it even
growing up in the 1980s like me
275
00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:33,560
er, going to a gas station
or coin, or convenience store
276
00:17:33,600 --> 00:17:36,400
and grabbing off the shelf
some twinkies, some hohos
277
00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:38,920
or snowballs and those
were some of the products
278
00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:40,280
that were made
here at this site.
279
00:17:42,120 --> 00:17:44,800
But the most important
American product made
280
00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:48,360
in this factory was their
classic loaf of bread.
281
00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:51,400
Soft as sponge and pure white.
282
00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:57,440
Wonder bread was a staple
283
00:17:57,480 --> 00:17:59,240
of the modern American kitchen
284
00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:03,360
especially in the second
half of the 20th century.
285
00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:07,000
The texture of it just
feels, it's hard to describe,
286
00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:09,240
it's like you're
touching kind of cotton
287
00:18:09,280 --> 00:18:14,560
like very very soft cotton and
it's whiter than white colour,
288
00:18:14,600 --> 00:18:17,240
like the colour of virtue,
the colour of purity.
289
00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:24,600
Long before wonder bread
became an American icon
290
00:18:24,640 --> 00:18:27,040
the company faced
a major challenge.
291
00:18:28,400 --> 00:18:31,920
In the 1920s the problem
with a bread factory
292
00:18:31,960 --> 00:18:33,800
is exactly the word factory
293
00:18:33,840 --> 00:18:37,440
because in most people's
mind at that time a factory
294
00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:41,520
was a big dirty grimy place
but if you're producing bread
295
00:18:41,560 --> 00:18:42,680
you want people to feel that
296
00:18:42,720 --> 00:18:45,040
it's clean, it's hygienic,
it's wholesome.
297
00:18:46,360 --> 00:18:49,360
So, how do you convince people
that something that comes out
298
00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:54,400
of this dirtiest of locales is
the cleanest thing possible?
299
00:18:54,440 --> 00:18:58,400
They are going to launch this
massive advertising campaign
300
00:18:58,440 --> 00:19:01,560
er, to try to reassure people
that the world might be
301
00:19:01,600 --> 00:19:06,560
a dangerous place and full of germs
but this bread, this bread is safe.
302
00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:09,640
When this factory opened
303
00:19:09,680 --> 00:19:12,360
they invited every
housewife in buffalo
304
00:19:12,400 --> 00:19:14,760
to come tour the
plant with the so called
305
00:19:14,800 --> 00:19:17,040
scientific and sanitary
practices in place.
306
00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:21,560
As you can see also on the
walls er, much like the rest
307
00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:25,760
of the other factory, the
walls are aligned with tile,
308
00:19:25,800 --> 00:19:28,080
concrete and tile were
used throughout the building
309
00:19:28,120 --> 00:19:29,720
as a sanitary measure.
310
00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:32,856
If you look at the
way the building's built
311
00:19:32,880 --> 00:19:34,600
with that white exterior
312
00:19:34,640 --> 00:19:39,080
it's designed to look like
sort of a temple to cleanliness,
313
00:19:39,120 --> 00:19:40,960
not a dirty grimy factory.
314
00:19:42,920 --> 00:19:45,520
Now, these days we would
be suspicious about that,
315
00:19:45,560 --> 00:19:47,720
a company that
keeps kind of pound
316
00:19:47,760 --> 00:19:49,216
that message home
like it's clean it's clean
317
00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:50,496
we start to think
well what are they,
318
00:19:50,520 --> 00:19:51,560
what are they hiding.
319
00:19:53,120 --> 00:19:55,640
The company hoped
to entice customers
320
00:19:55,680 --> 00:19:58,000
by removing as many
contamination risks
321
00:19:58,040 --> 00:20:01,600
as possible but they
went one step further.
322
00:20:01,640 --> 00:20:03,800
Removing people
from the process.
323
00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:09,160
They advertise an industrial
process free from human touch
324
00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:11,440
so, not a single human
hand was to touch
325
00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:16,680
any part of the food product
itself so, any person employed
326
00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:19,080
in this plant was only
handling machinery.
327
00:20:22,120 --> 00:20:26,240
The advertising campaign
helped establish wonder bread
328
00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:28,880
as one of American's
favourite brands.
329
00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:32,840
Wonder bread was a
pioneer in the movement
330
00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:34,520
towards national brands
331
00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:37,280
for products that used
to be locally produced.
332
00:20:37,320 --> 00:20:39,760
And to do that it had to
be completely uniform,
333
00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:42,160
the loaf you buy in bangor Maine
334
00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:44,640
has to be identical to
the loaf you would buy
335
00:20:44,680 --> 00:20:46,480
in San Diego California.
336
00:20:48,640 --> 00:20:51,680
So, we're here on the 5th
floor and the 5th floor played
337
00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:54,000
a critical role in the plants
in the early 20th century
338
00:20:54,040 --> 00:20:56,360
because of air conditioning
was revolutionary.
339
00:20:56,400 --> 00:21:00,320
It meant for the plant that
every single loaf of bread,
340
00:21:00,360 --> 00:21:01,520
every single pie,
341
00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:03,560
every single cake that
came out of this plant
342
00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:06,040
was more or less the
same to the customer.
343
00:21:08,080 --> 00:21:11,480
By the 1960s Americans
were consuming
344
00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:14,720
over half a kilogram of
white bread every week.
345
00:21:15,840 --> 00:21:18,160
But the public was
about to realise
346
00:21:18,200 --> 00:21:20,440
that the manufacturers
baking process
347
00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:21,560
had a flaw.
348
00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:26,560
They milled the flour in
a more aggressive way
349
00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:28,320
than previous bakers had.
350
00:21:28,360 --> 00:21:29,800
A grain of wheat has 3 parts,
351
00:21:29,840 --> 00:21:32,960
you have an outer layer
of kind of fibrous bran,
352
00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:35,720
then you have the wheat
germ and inside the wheat germ
353
00:21:35,760 --> 00:21:41,160
you have the interior endosperm
which is the white heart
354
00:21:41,200 --> 00:21:42,240
of the wheat.
355
00:21:43,280 --> 00:21:47,240
And when you only produce
bread with that endosperm
356
00:21:47,280 --> 00:21:51,920
you get this incredibly
white spongy bread
357
00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:55,360
that's completely
uniform in consistency.
358
00:21:55,400 --> 00:21:59,080
The problem with super
processed white bread
359
00:21:59,120 --> 00:22:01,376
is that you're also throwing
away all the nutritional content,
360
00:22:01,400 --> 00:22:03,040
all the fibre, all
the good stuff in it.
361
00:22:04,960 --> 00:22:09,040
In the 1980s the public came
to realise that white bread
362
00:22:09,080 --> 00:22:11,440
might not be as healthy
as they once thought.
363
00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:15,560
People were starting to
learn more about nutrition,
364
00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:18,720
learn more about the
importance of fibre in the diet.
365
00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:22,400
And realising that this
browner wheat bread
366
00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:26,160
that they had been staying away
from was actually healthier for you.
367
00:22:27,840 --> 00:22:29,880
Sales of white bread tumbled
368
00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:33,680
and baking companies
moved to other recipes.
369
00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:36,960
But wonder bread
was slow to change.
370
00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:40,680
And wonder bread's dominance
of the market gets smaller
371
00:22:40,720 --> 00:22:45,480
and smaller and smaller
and finally in 2010 america
372
00:22:45,520 --> 00:22:49,440
you have brown bread
outselling white bread.
373
00:22:51,040 --> 00:22:54,480
In 2004, with demand decreasing
374
00:22:54,520 --> 00:22:57,000
the buffalo factory
closed its doors.
375
00:22:58,240 --> 00:23:01,520
150 people were laid off,
the building was cleared,
376
00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:03,840
for the past 16
years, er, the building
377
00:23:03,880 --> 00:23:05,600
has very slowly deteriorated.
378
00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:07,360
When I was first
in this building
379
00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:09,680
one decade ago it
was perfectly fine.
380
00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:16,840
White bread never recovered
it's market dominance in the us
381
00:23:16,880 --> 00:23:20,760
but now wonder bread is back
with a whole wheat alternative.
382
00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:31,840
For nearly two decades
buffalo's wonder bread factory
383
00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:33,520
has remained derelict,
384
00:23:33,560 --> 00:23:36,640
a monument to an
old way of doing things.
385
00:23:37,680 --> 00:23:41,120
So, there's a lesson there
for how economics works,
386
00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:43,960
advertising and the
message that you send
387
00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:48,120
has an incredibly powerful
effect on the people hearing it.
388
00:23:48,160 --> 00:23:53,280
And producers whether of
slogans or bread should think
389
00:23:53,320 --> 00:23:58,200
about not just will we sell it
but should we be selling it.
390
00:24:04,960 --> 00:24:10,520
On the outskirts of a city in Taiwan
lies a curiously shaped complex.
391
00:24:17,040 --> 00:24:20,280
You've got this bustling
city of two million
392
00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:23,320
and then you come to
this kind of this opening
393
00:24:23,360 --> 00:24:26,280
this clear space on
the edge of the city
394
00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:29,880
where none of this
urban sprawl infringes.
395
00:24:31,720 --> 00:24:34,160
It's almost like the
surrounding buildings
396
00:24:34,200 --> 00:24:36,800
don't dare encroach
in to this zone.
397
00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:40,880
When you look at
a satellite picture
398
00:24:40,920 --> 00:24:44,440
or a drone shot of
this piece of ground
399
00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:47,960
it looks like somebody
has dropped a bagel.
400
00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:53,440
There is no apparent
evidence of the requirement
401
00:24:53,480 --> 00:24:55,320
for these giant circles.
402
00:24:56,760 --> 00:25:00,520
It's a maze like complex,
every corner you turn
403
00:25:00,560 --> 00:25:03,080
there's another
strange shaped building.
404
00:25:04,120 --> 00:25:08,200
In the centre there's this
green building broken up
405
00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:10,760
in to rooms with padded walls.
406
00:25:13,920 --> 00:25:16,960
The variety of infrastructure
suggests the site
407
00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:19,320
has been subject
to multiple uses.
408
00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:24,040
"There are two major phases,
409
00:25:24,080 --> 00:25:25,920
"the bright side
and the dark side.
410
00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:27,960
"They are two very
contrasting sides."
411
00:25:31,840 --> 00:25:35,040
What darkness
descended on this place
412
00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:38,880
and how is it connected to
Taiwan's fight for independence?
413
00:25:42,360 --> 00:25:45,160
Some of these structures
were undoubtedly built
414
00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:47,560
with defence and
fortification in mind.
415
00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:54,240
One of the doors
has a circular plate,
416
00:25:54,280 --> 00:25:56,240
almost like a water tight hatch
417
00:25:56,280 --> 00:25:58,760
that you'd find on a
submarine or a battleship.
418
00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:02,960
Bomb proof case-mates
419
00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:07,000
with thick earth roofs over top,
420
00:26:07,040 --> 00:26:11,800
to absorb bombs and artillery
shells if they come under attack.
421
00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:18,360
What was inside these buildings
that warranted such protection?
422
00:26:19,680 --> 00:26:23,080
One large structure in the
centre of the complex contains
423
00:26:23,120 --> 00:26:24,200
a vital clue.
424
00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:29,280
There are quite a few
circular holes in the brickwork
425
00:26:29,320 --> 00:26:33,320
suggesting that at one time
something was attached to it
426
00:26:33,360 --> 00:26:34,960
or protruding from it.
427
00:26:37,600 --> 00:26:40,560
These holes are the
key to understanding
428
00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:42,640
the original
purpose of this place.
429
00:26:44,320 --> 00:26:47,520
Professor kuang a
local university lecturer
430
00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:50,600
has spent years piecing
together the scant evidence
431
00:26:50,640 --> 00:26:51,720
that remains here.
432
00:26:55,280 --> 00:26:56,320
"There were cables here
433
00:26:56,360 --> 00:26:58,120
"for wireless radio
communications.
434
00:27:01,800 --> 00:27:04,320
"They went from the roof
connecting to a main tower
435
00:27:04,360 --> 00:27:07,080
"which was 200 metres tall,
436
00:27:07,120 --> 00:27:10,120
"the signals were then
transmitted to 18 additional towers.
437
00:27:11,280 --> 00:27:13,040
"Each of them 60 metres tall."
438
00:27:18,240 --> 00:27:22,960
So, what we're looking at
here is an array of antennas
439
00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:28,800
and because you've got this
full array, you're able to be,
440
00:27:28,840 --> 00:27:33,440
er, directional and that enables
you to transmit with great efficiency
441
00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:38,480
and also it enables you
to receive optimally signals
442
00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:42,600
that are coming from
all over the pacific.
443
00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:47,120
All these cables coming
from different areas joined up
444
00:27:47,160 --> 00:27:51,080
in the middle, it must have
looked seriously impressive.
445
00:27:51,120 --> 00:27:52,880
Like some kind of work of art.
446
00:27:54,720 --> 00:27:56,720
Built in 1917
447
00:27:56,760 --> 00:28:01,200
this is the fongshan wireless
communications centre,
448
00:28:01,240 --> 00:28:04,960
a state of the art facility
central to Japan's plan
449
00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:07,000
to take over the
western pacific.
450
00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:12,520
Once Japan and next
Taiwan from China in 1895
451
00:28:12,560 --> 00:28:14,600
they saw the value of Taiwan
452
00:28:14,640 --> 00:28:17,880
as kind of an outpost
off the coast of China
453
00:28:17,920 --> 00:28:21,480
and, er, great sort of accelerant
for their naval expansion.
454
00:28:24,520 --> 00:28:28,920
Radio communications centre
like fongshan is absolutely vital
455
00:28:28,960 --> 00:28:30,640
to the spread of Japanese power.
456
00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:36,000
Yes, this buildings role
457
00:28:36,040 --> 00:28:38,320
as a Japanese
communications facility
458
00:28:38,360 --> 00:28:41,560
would only be revealed
with a recent discovery,
459
00:28:41,600 --> 00:28:45,720
when a hidden naval emblem
emerged from beneath cleared rubble.
460
00:28:49,400 --> 00:28:51,640
"A lot of evidence of
the Japanese being here
461
00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:54,080
"during world war
two has vanished
462
00:28:54,120 --> 00:28:56,200
"that's because after the
Japanese were defeated
463
00:28:56,240 --> 00:28:59,080
"in world war two they
destroyed most of it
464
00:28:59,120 --> 00:29:01,200
"when they were being
interrogated for war crimes."
465
00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:08,920
How exactly Japan
employed this high tech station
466
00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:12,080
during world war two
may never truly be known...
467
00:29:14,400 --> 00:29:16,880
Yet what transpired here later
468
00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:20,480
is remembered all too
painfully by many Taiwanese.
469
00:29:22,680 --> 00:29:24,840
At the end of the
second world war
470
00:29:24,880 --> 00:29:29,360
and as the allies are occupying
471
00:29:29,400 --> 00:29:31,440
the Japanese empire,
472
00:29:31,480 --> 00:29:35,640
one of those allies
is nationalist China.
473
00:29:36,720 --> 00:29:39,000
And this station on Taiwan
474
00:29:39,040 --> 00:29:43,440
becomes part of the new China.
475
00:29:43,480 --> 00:29:48,240
The new nationalist China also
known as the republic of China
476
00:29:48,280 --> 00:29:52,640
was fighting a bitter civil
war against communist forces
477
00:29:52,680 --> 00:29:56,240
and they had a very
different plan for this place.
478
00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:01,520
It is newly dedicated
to the requirements
479
00:30:01,560 --> 00:30:03,640
of nationalist China.
480
00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:08,520
The Chinese Navy moved in and
added the fongshan guest house.
481
00:30:08,560 --> 00:30:12,120
Sounds nice doesn't
it? Think again.
482
00:30:12,160 --> 00:30:15,080
The guest house was
actually a smoke screen
483
00:30:15,120 --> 00:30:16,920
for its real purpose.
484
00:30:16,960 --> 00:30:19,680
Imprisonment and interrogation.
485
00:30:22,120 --> 00:30:26,360
Taiwan it becomes
the last bastion
486
00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:28,440
of the republic of China
487
00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:31,240
and the republic of
China government
488
00:30:31,280 --> 00:30:35,040
is really worried about
communist subversion
489
00:30:35,080 --> 00:30:37,320
and as a result
490
00:30:37,360 --> 00:30:41,720
they are prepared
to act ruthlessly
491
00:30:41,760 --> 00:30:45,400
against anyone they
consider a communist,
492
00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:48,240
anyone they consider a traitor.
493
00:30:50,440 --> 00:30:53,840
As well as communists
many of those suspected
494
00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:56,160
of supporting
Taiwan's independence
495
00:30:56,200 --> 00:30:59,080
from a united China
also ended up here.
496
00:31:00,960 --> 00:31:03,080
"They confiscated
your belongings,
497
00:31:03,120 --> 00:31:05,720
"if you were lucky
you will get them back
498
00:31:05,760 --> 00:31:07,920
"but stuff like belts
were taken away
499
00:31:07,960 --> 00:31:09,880
"because they were
scared you'd kill yourself."
500
00:31:11,480 --> 00:31:16,360
The torture and interrogations
here sent screams echoing for miles.
501
00:31:20,200 --> 00:31:21,240
"There would be whaling's
502
00:31:21,280 --> 00:31:22,840
"at around midnight,
503
00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:24,336
"some villagers from
the neighbourhood
504
00:31:24,360 --> 00:31:26,560
"couldn't stand it and
moved to the city."
505
00:31:30,320 --> 00:31:33,200
There are some cells
where the walls are padded
506
00:31:33,240 --> 00:31:36,440
and electrified to stop
the prisoners using them
507
00:31:36,480 --> 00:31:37,560
for suicide.
508
00:31:39,840 --> 00:31:42,440
To think people may
have been locked up
509
00:31:42,480 --> 00:31:47,400
and treated this badly
here as recently as 2001
510
00:31:47,440 --> 00:31:48,640
it's shocking.
511
00:31:51,680 --> 00:31:55,840
What we've got to remember
that democratisation
512
00:31:55,880 --> 00:32:00,040
in Taiwan is a
recent phenomenon.
513
00:32:00,080 --> 00:32:06,000
Taiwan was a scary dictatorship
514
00:32:06,040 --> 00:32:07,960
until recently.
515
00:32:08,000 --> 00:32:12,160
A cultural shift towards
protecting basic human rights
516
00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:16,240
finally forced this place to
be shut down for good in 2002.
517
00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:20,520
These horrors were
just no longer acceptable
518
00:32:20,560 --> 00:32:22,480
in the 21st century.
519
00:32:22,520 --> 00:32:26,480
It's doors were closed
and the site abandoned.
520
00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:35,120
These structures are now
preserved as monuments to the past
521
00:32:35,160 --> 00:32:37,760
and centres of learning
522
00:32:37,800 --> 00:32:40,520
and while the impressive
technological achievements
523
00:32:40,560 --> 00:32:43,320
of the Japanese Navy
should not be forgotten,
524
00:32:43,360 --> 00:32:46,360
it is the human hardship
endured here later
525
00:32:46,400 --> 00:32:48,200
that deserves
greater reflection.
526
00:32:52,920 --> 00:32:55,400
There were martyrs
and innocents,
527
00:32:55,440 --> 00:32:57,720
"there were some who
were released after a while
528
00:32:57,760 --> 00:32:59,280
"but some died tragically.
529
00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:03,840
"That's the relatively dark side
530
00:33:03,880 --> 00:33:06,160
"but it is a lesson to
be learned from history."
531
00:33:09,520 --> 00:33:12,200
And with Taiwan's
long time adversary
532
00:33:12,240 --> 00:33:16,800
the people's republic of China
increasingly flexing its muscles,
533
00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:19,240
the lesson is more
important than ever.
534
00:33:23,760 --> 00:33:27,040
Just off the coast of
Tanzania in east Africa
535
00:33:27,080 --> 00:33:29,760
is the island of kilwa kisiwani.
536
00:33:29,800 --> 00:33:32,200
Once home to a
thriving community.
537
00:33:34,760 --> 00:33:37,280
The island is
littered with ruins
538
00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:39,600
and they have an
ancient feel to them.
539
00:33:40,720 --> 00:33:43,600
It looks almost like it could be
some kind of mythical city made
540
00:33:43,640 --> 00:33:45,520
out of coral stone.
541
00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:48,160
The two best
preserved structures
542
00:33:48,200 --> 00:33:50,760
offer up contrasting
styles of architecture.
543
00:33:51,880 --> 00:33:56,400
One is a powerful fortified
building on the waters edge
544
00:33:56,440 --> 00:33:59,040
but the other is
something entirely different.
545
00:34:00,760 --> 00:34:03,600
The masonry really is beautiful,
546
00:34:03,640 --> 00:34:06,320
it's precise and delicate.
547
00:34:06,360 --> 00:34:11,160
So, this is ancient engineering
with a lot of class and thought
548
00:34:11,200 --> 00:34:12,960
and effort put in to it.
549
00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:17,680
These pointed arches and
domed roofs are so evocative,
550
00:34:17,720 --> 00:34:19,640
you can almost
imagine walking around
551
00:34:19,680 --> 00:34:24,080
a buzzing thriving community
that clearly once lived here.
552
00:34:25,600 --> 00:34:28,400
When a real life Indiana
Jones encountered
553
00:34:28,440 --> 00:34:32,840
this settlement in the 1300s he
was astonished with what he saw.
554
00:34:32,880 --> 00:34:37,560
Ibn battuta, he's a
kind of arab Marco Polo
555
00:34:37,600 --> 00:34:39,560
and he called kilwa
556
00:34:39,600 --> 00:34:42,760
one of the most beautiful
cities he had ever seen.
557
00:34:44,960 --> 00:34:48,360
What was this place that
amazed all who encountered it?
558
00:34:49,760 --> 00:34:53,320
And what did these mysterious
ruins tell us about a clash of empires
559
00:34:53,360 --> 00:34:55,880
that would bring
about kilwa's downfall?
560
00:35:00,800 --> 00:35:04,080
Abdallah Ahmad
is a kilwa native.
561
00:35:04,120 --> 00:35:05,280
Born and raised here
562
00:35:05,320 --> 00:35:08,080
he is caretaker of
this remarkable site.
563
00:35:12,000 --> 00:35:14,600
"Here we are at gereza fort,
564
00:35:14,640 --> 00:35:17,600
"it's a fortress in kilwa
and the former prison
565
00:35:17,640 --> 00:35:19,040
"of kilwa kisiwani."
566
00:35:26,240 --> 00:35:30,000
The fort sits on the same
site as an earlier fortification
567
00:35:30,040 --> 00:35:32,640
built by the Portuguese in 1505.
568
00:35:35,760 --> 00:35:39,360
These Portuguese explorers
had launched a devastating attack
569
00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:40,840
before seizing the island.
570
00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:45,960
This was a place with
something worth fighting for
571
00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:47,760
and then striving to protect.
572
00:35:54,440 --> 00:35:56,480
"Even if I stretch my arms
573
00:35:56,520 --> 00:35:59,080
"I can't span the
breadth of this wall
574
00:35:59,120 --> 00:36:00,640
"which surrounds
the whole building."
575
00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:06,720
The Portuguese and
subsequent conquerors
576
00:36:06,760 --> 00:36:09,120
were desperate to
secure this island
577
00:36:09,160 --> 00:36:11,680
because they had
stumbled upon a gold mine.
578
00:36:13,120 --> 00:36:17,440
A kingdom famed across the
region that by the 11th century
579
00:36:17,480 --> 00:36:19,800
had developed in to
a booming seaport.
580
00:36:22,480 --> 00:36:24,400
"And why specifically
581
00:36:24,440 --> 00:36:27,720
"did people like
this area, to live here
582
00:36:27,760 --> 00:36:32,120
"and build architecture
like this, they liked this area
583
00:36:32,160 --> 00:36:34,040
"because it was easy for trade
584
00:36:34,080 --> 00:36:36,680
"with sea faring
vessels like barges."
585
00:36:39,400 --> 00:36:43,520
Trade was the key and the
island had geography on its side.
586
00:36:45,800 --> 00:36:48,520
It's perfect for trade
because it's connected
587
00:36:48,560 --> 00:36:51,480
to the African continent
and the Indian ocean.
588
00:36:51,520 --> 00:36:55,600
And the Indian ocean is like
commercial super highway.
589
00:36:56,640 --> 00:37:01,360
The currents literally propel
ships across the Indian ocean
590
00:37:01,400 --> 00:37:02,800
from all over the world,
591
00:37:02,840 --> 00:37:04,400
we're talking about
the arabian coast,
592
00:37:04,440 --> 00:37:06,720
the persian Gulf, the
Indian subcontinent
593
00:37:06,760 --> 00:37:08,720
and all the way up from China.
594
00:37:08,760 --> 00:37:12,280
And then 2 months
later the currents reverse
595
00:37:12,320 --> 00:37:15,320
and push the ships back
across in the other direction.
596
00:37:16,640 --> 00:37:19,360
Directly north is
the middle east
597
00:37:19,400 --> 00:37:23,440
er, a trading centre and a
hub of cultural exchange.
598
00:37:23,480 --> 00:37:27,600
You're also right at the mouth
of a bunch of river estuaries,
599
00:37:27,640 --> 00:37:31,000
now that might not
mean a lot to us now
600
00:37:31,040 --> 00:37:34,880
but back in the day rivers
were really the highways
601
00:37:34,920 --> 00:37:36,080
of the ancient world.
602
00:37:36,120 --> 00:37:39,240
It's what people and
people bought trade.
603
00:37:40,400 --> 00:37:42,840
It was importing goods
from all over the world,
604
00:37:42,880 --> 00:37:46,960
arabian ceramics
and Chinese porcelain
605
00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:49,000
but there was a lot
more going on in kilwa
606
00:37:49,040 --> 00:37:51,680
than simply importing
and exporting goods.
607
00:37:52,800 --> 00:37:55,880
The ornate dome
structure stands out
608
00:37:55,920 --> 00:37:59,640
in stark contrast to
the utilitarian fortress.
609
00:37:59,680 --> 00:38:04,360
It suggests outsiders took charge
and put their stamp on the island.
610
00:38:08,480 --> 00:38:09,520
"Even as we examine
611
00:38:09,560 --> 00:38:11,680
"it's architecture
and construction
612
00:38:11,720 --> 00:38:14,120
"it is different from most
other buildings in kilwa."
613
00:38:17,560 --> 00:38:21,720
It's domes clearly speak
to a strong islamic influence.
614
00:38:24,880 --> 00:38:26,040
"Where I am here
615
00:38:26,080 --> 00:38:30,120
"is the area of the great mosque
which was added in the 13th century.
616
00:38:33,880 --> 00:38:36,680
"And there's the stairs
that the museum went up
617
00:38:36,720 --> 00:38:38,360
"to call for prayer.
618
00:38:38,400 --> 00:38:39,960
"So, people would
come to worship."
619
00:38:46,120 --> 00:38:49,680
The best relic of
islamic on kilwa kisiwani
620
00:38:49,720 --> 00:38:52,640
has to be the great mosque.
621
00:38:52,680 --> 00:38:56,680
The shiraz people from a
region in modern day Iran
622
00:38:56,720 --> 00:38:58,880
established firm roots here
623
00:38:58,920 --> 00:39:02,440
and by the 1300s were
displaying their cultural influence
624
00:39:02,480 --> 00:39:04,960
with glorious coral
stone buildings.
625
00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:09,560
In charge was an arab
sultan who further enlarged
626
00:39:09,600 --> 00:39:11,600
the iconic great mosque
627
00:39:11,640 --> 00:39:15,760
just in time for the
arrival in around 1331
628
00:39:15,800 --> 00:39:18,000
of the most famous
travel writer of the day.
629
00:39:18,040 --> 00:39:20,760
The Moroccan
explorer ibn battuta.
630
00:39:22,560 --> 00:39:27,480
He's a kind of arab Marco Polo
who travelled all across this part
631
00:39:27,520 --> 00:39:30,280
of the world and left
this incredibly rich record
632
00:39:30,320 --> 00:39:33,480
of the cities that he visited
and the people he met.
633
00:39:37,800 --> 00:39:42,040
Travelling as far as
Spain, Iraq, India and China
634
00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:46,000
he was still struck by the
buildings on display here
635
00:39:46,040 --> 00:39:48,400
and welcomed by
the shiraz sultan
636
00:39:48,440 --> 00:39:51,680
he was bought in to an
elaborate and exotic world.
637
00:39:52,960 --> 00:39:55,760
At its heart the great mosque
638
00:39:55,800 --> 00:39:59,440
built in at least
2 distinct stages,
639
00:39:59,480 --> 00:40:02,240
first the small
northern prayer hall
640
00:40:02,280 --> 00:40:05,120
built in the 11th
and 12th centuries
641
00:40:05,160 --> 00:40:08,240
with 16 domed and vaulted bays
642
00:40:08,280 --> 00:40:13,240
divided by 9 pillars holding
a flat coral plaster roof.
643
00:40:13,280 --> 00:40:16,200
And then the 14th
century enlargement
644
00:40:16,240 --> 00:40:20,360
with a further 30 bays adorned
with dressed coral panels,
645
00:40:20,400 --> 00:40:23,480
taking centre stage though
was the biggest dome
646
00:40:23,520 --> 00:40:26,080
in east Africa at the time.
647
00:40:26,120 --> 00:40:30,760
It was up until the 16th
century the largest mosque
648
00:40:30,800 --> 00:40:32,520
in Sub-Saharan Africa.
649
00:40:34,520 --> 00:40:37,960
"This mosque spread
islam far and wide
650
00:40:38,000 --> 00:40:40,240
because in the
southern saharan desert,
651
00:40:40,280 --> 00:40:42,240
this was the best known mosque.
652
00:40:45,400 --> 00:40:49,320
The nearby ruins of a palace
completed around the same time
653
00:40:49,360 --> 00:40:51,320
as the great mosque
654
00:40:51,360 --> 00:40:55,280
reveal a fusion of
islamic and local customs
655
00:40:55,320 --> 00:40:58,200
that over time became
known as Swahili.
656
00:40:59,480 --> 00:41:02,720
The ruins included some
traditional Swahili elements
657
00:41:02,760 --> 00:41:05,320
like a stepped
greeting court bordered
658
00:41:05,360 --> 00:41:08,200
by guest rooms for
visiting merchants
659
00:41:08,240 --> 00:41:12,920
but it also borrowed elements
from traditional islamic palaces
660
00:41:12,960 --> 00:41:15,840
such as an octagonal
swimming pool
661
00:41:15,880 --> 00:41:19,360
er, rooms for
hundreds of guests.
662
00:41:21,520 --> 00:41:23,400
After leaving kilwa,
663
00:41:23,440 --> 00:41:27,840
battuta continued to
explore the medieval world,
664
00:41:27,880 --> 00:41:30,920
he's believed to have travelled
more than any other explorer,
665
00:41:30,960 --> 00:41:35,000
covering 10 times the
distance of Marco Polo.
666
00:41:35,040 --> 00:41:38,440
Robberies, kidnappings
and ship wrecks
667
00:41:38,480 --> 00:41:40,560
couldn't prevent
him reaching China.
668
00:41:41,840 --> 00:41:45,560
So, even battuta who saw
just so many remarkable things
669
00:41:45,600 --> 00:41:49,880
he still described kilwa as
one of the most beautiful cities
670
00:41:49,920 --> 00:41:50,960
he had ever seen.
671
00:41:51,960 --> 00:41:55,880
Described by some as
a real life Indiana Jones
672
00:41:55,920 --> 00:41:58,840
he eventually died back in
his home land of Morocco
673
00:41:58,880 --> 00:42:00,560
in around 1369.
674
00:42:01,720 --> 00:42:04,400
And kilwa's days
were also numbered.
675
00:42:05,720 --> 00:42:09,960
The 16th century marks the beginning
of Europe's great merchant empires.
676
00:42:12,000 --> 00:42:14,400
Portuguese explorer
vasco da gama,
677
00:42:14,440 --> 00:42:17,280
launched an attack as
he ruthlessly attempted
678
00:42:17,320 --> 00:42:19,000
to arrest control of trade.
679
00:42:20,240 --> 00:42:22,320
The Portuguese had
this grand strategy
680
00:42:22,360 --> 00:42:23,776
for how they were
going to take control
681
00:42:23,800 --> 00:42:25,840
of the Indian ocean
which was essentially
682
00:42:25,880 --> 00:42:28,160
to seize all the major ports.
683
00:42:28,200 --> 00:42:32,440
So, it's no surprise that
they took kilwa in 1505.
684
00:42:32,480 --> 00:42:36,200
They built the gereza fort to
cement their dominance here
685
00:42:36,240 --> 00:42:37,440
in kilwa kisiwani.
686
00:42:38,640 --> 00:42:41,640
Spain and Portugal had
reclaimed land and independence
687
00:42:41,680 --> 00:42:44,240
from islamic control
during the crusades
688
00:42:44,280 --> 00:42:45,336
and now they were going to move
689
00:42:45,360 --> 00:42:49,320
from reclaiming land
to expanding overseas.
690
00:42:49,360 --> 00:42:50,600
Therefore it was a symbol
691
00:42:50,640 --> 00:42:52,920
of the Christian
advance against islam.
692
00:42:56,200 --> 00:42:58,640
Rather than a centre of trade,
693
00:42:58,680 --> 00:43:01,800
the island itself became
a prized possession
694
00:43:01,840 --> 00:43:07,040
fought over and traded between
numerous competing empires.
695
00:43:07,080 --> 00:43:10,040
Never again achieving
the same success
696
00:43:10,080 --> 00:43:12,880
the city was
abandoned in the 1840s.
697
00:43:18,480 --> 00:43:21,160
The site is now
protected by unesco
698
00:43:21,200 --> 00:43:23,200
who face a constant battle
699
00:43:23,240 --> 00:43:26,840
to prevent the ruins
from further collapse.
700
00:43:26,880 --> 00:43:31,600
Now, there's been extensive
digs and excavations here
701
00:43:31,640 --> 00:43:34,320
so, we've learned
a lot about this site
702
00:43:34,360 --> 00:43:37,680
but there's a lot that we
still could discover here,
703
00:43:37,720 --> 00:43:39,600
the place is thick with mystery.
704
00:43:45,240 --> 00:43:48,240
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