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These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:01,480 --> 00:00:05,760 Narrator: In Cyprus, vestiges of opulence in an active no man's land. 2 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:13,640 This ill-fated coup sealed the fate of this summer paradise. 3 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:21,440 Two mouldering bastions on america's Gulf coast with a hopeful tale... 4 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:24,640 These structures saw slavery at its worst. 5 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:28,040 But ended up becoming constructions of freedom. 6 00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:36,240 ..An ancient refuge in Georgia made to fend off a mighty enemy... 7 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:40,600 It's no surprise that the Georgians wanted to hide, 8 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:43,680 the mongols were ruthless and incredibly violent. 9 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:50,800 ..And a frozen shell in the Balkans built on a burning passion. 10 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:55,000 The whole story had began with one man's pursuit of love. 11 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:00,000 Decaying relics, ruins of lost worlds. 12 00:01:00,001 --> 00:01:04,440 Decaying relics, ruins of lost worlds. 13 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:08,360 Sites haunted by the past, 14 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:13,280 their secrets waiting to be revealed. 15 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:26,320 In eastern Cyprus is an entire neighbourhood 16 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:29,080 closed to the world for decades. 17 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:39,120 Famagusta is a lovely city 18 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:44,880 but as you move along the coast, suddenly, you get wire, 19 00:01:44,920 --> 00:01:48,800 you get signs telling you not to go any further, 20 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:51,320 you feel like you're in a warzone. 21 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:57,480 Inside this forbidden zone is a mass of crumbling concrete. 22 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:00,000 Several high-rise buildings face the sea 23 00:02:00,001 --> 00:02:02,480 several high-rise buildings face the sea 24 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:07,400 with these spectacular seafront views, they must have been hotels. 25 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:11,136 Behind them, you have these extensive neighbourhoods 26 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:14,280 of beautiful middle-class homes, all empty. 27 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:18,760 Weeds now overrun the deserted streets, 28 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:21,200 nature is starting to reclaim this town. 29 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:26,560 There are no obvious signs of war damage, 30 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:30,000 so what happened to this former Jewel of the mediterranean? 31 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:36,120 One time, its streets were packed with tourists 32 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:40,040 but one summer they were gone and they never came back again. 33 00:02:48,920 --> 00:02:51,080 Two checkpoints are still existing 34 00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:54,400 and the surrounding is closed by barbed wire, 35 00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:57,880 without accessing from these check-points you cannot enter. 36 00:02:58,680 --> 00:02:59,999 Beyond the barricades lies a Warren of deserted streets 37 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:03,200 beyond the barricades lies a Warren of deserted streets 38 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:05,000 and derelict buildings. 39 00:03:06,640 --> 00:03:10,720 Professor ata atun imagined a very different future 40 00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:14,760 when he was a young civil engineer in the early 1970s. 41 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:20,720 I had to work in this town so there are lots of buildings 42 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:24,560 which I designed with my brother who was an architect. 43 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:28,720 We had an office, drawing and calculating the irons 44 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:30,520 and concrete and everything. 45 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:35,320 When I come here I always look at it with pleasure, 46 00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:37,480 with the memories of the past. 47 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:42,720 These are the petrified relics of varosha, 48 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:47,840 the closed-off southern quarter of famagusta city. 49 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:53,840 Varosha was this kind of a sleepy backwater, 50 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:58,320 a fishing village and because of the tourist potential 51 00:03:58,360 --> 00:03:59,560 of that stretch of coastline, 52 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:00,000 in the 1960s it starts getting developed as a beach resort. 53 00:04:00,001 --> 00:04:02,762 In the 1960s it starts getting developed as a beach resort. 54 00:04:04,360 --> 00:04:11,080 With its modern investment with its massive first great hotels 55 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:14,680 it started to look a lot like Miami beach. 56 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:19,440 This is where all the a-listers went, people like brigette bardot, 57 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:21,680 Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor. 58 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:25,160 A shopping district 59 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:29,480 lined with designer boutiques catered to the rich and famous. 60 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:35,280 The luxury goods were all sold in these shops of this town. 61 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:37,840 There are lots of shops, very nice places 62 00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:41,760 which were selling products of the well-known companies. 63 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:48,480 So, varosha became not just a resort, 64 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:51,720 varosha became the resort. 65 00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:55,400 Yet, beneath the glamour, here, 66 00:04:55,440 --> 00:04:59,800 mistrust had been festering across the island for centuries. 67 00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:04,296 Cyprus is in a key strategic location, 68 00:05:04,320 --> 00:05:06,856 straddling the eastern and western mediterranean 69 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:10,680 so it's seen a series of conquerors and occupiers 70 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:13,600 including the romans, the persians, 71 00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:16,480 the Egyptians and the Muslim kingdoms. 72 00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:22,880 In the middle ages, Cyprus was a Greek island 73 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:28,280 but a sizeable ethnically Turkish population 74 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:30,400 comes to Cyprus, as well, 75 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:33,160 and there is off again on again 76 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:38,600 tension between the Turkish and Greek communities in Cyprus. 77 00:05:41,160 --> 00:05:43,520 Then came a moment that threatened 78 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:47,040 to bring these tensions to a brutal climax. 79 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:54,080 For a long time, Cyprus was effectively a British colony 80 00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:59,920 and in 1960 Cyprus gets its independence 81 00:05:59,960 --> 00:06:00,000 and there is hope and there is promise and there is joy 82 00:06:00,001 --> 00:06:04,560 and there is hope and there is promise and there is joy 83 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:09,480 and then it all goes a little bit dark. 84 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:14,600 A political partnership between 85 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:18,200 the ethnic Greek and Turkish communities was established. 86 00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:23,800 But the island's first president, 87 00:06:23,840 --> 00:06:29,200 Greek Cypriot archbishop makarios wanted Cyprus unified with Greece. 88 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:37,800 In 1963 he proposed controversial changes in the constitution 89 00:06:37,840 --> 00:06:41,240 that would bring an end to the power-sharing arrangements. 90 00:06:44,160 --> 00:06:48,000 The Turkish Cypriots naturally opposed unification with Greece. 91 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:53,720 A fuse had been lit and both sides exploded. 92 00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:58,440 This ignited a killing spree in the capital of Nicosia. 93 00:07:06,280 --> 00:07:09,080 Armed factions roamed the streets 94 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:12,640 and homes and businesses were looted and set ablaze. 95 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:19,960 In 1964 the United Nations stepped in 96 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:23,600 and separated the capitals, Greek and Turkish communities. 97 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:26,520 In the aftermath of this bloody clash, 98 00:07:26,560 --> 00:07:29,320 a buffer zone was created known as the green line 99 00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:31,520 and this was patrolled by UN troops. 100 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:39,560 Like Berlin just a few years earlier, Nicosia became a divided city. 101 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:45,120 Varosha survived the conflict 102 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:47,960 but the stage had been set for its downfall. 103 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:53,040 The buffer zone created the illusion of peace on the surface 104 00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:57,880 but in July, 1974 when varosha would have been packed with tourists, 105 00:07:57,920 --> 00:07:59,640 tensions came to a head. 106 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:05,440 Frustrated that Cyprus was still divided, 107 00:08:05,480 --> 00:08:08,160 the government in Athens decided to act. 108 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:14,440 Greek officers led troops to the presidential palace 109 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:16,520 and burned it to the ground. 110 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:22,160 Their target, president makarios, narrowly escaped with his life. 111 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:29,720 The people who are taking over the Greek-dominated government 112 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:34,520 are openly saying that they're going to seek unification 113 00:08:34,560 --> 00:08:38,440 with the military government in Greece. 114 00:08:40,440 --> 00:08:42,256 Five days later the Turkish government 115 00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:45,200 responded by initiating operation atilla, 116 00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:47,440 sending in thousands of troops 117 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:49,761 to protect Turkish Cypriot citizens. 118 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:52,840 The Turkish armed forces airdrop 119 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:58,280 1,000 airborne light infantry in to northern Cyprus 120 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:00,000 and there is an amphibious invasion of about 3,000 121 00:09:00,001 --> 00:09:03,920 and there is an amphibious invasion of about 3,000 122 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:08,680 and they move into northern Cyprus and eastern Cyprus in force. 123 00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:15,160 This intervention changed the face of Cyprus, 124 00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:16,840 in the course of operation atilla, 125 00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:19,280 you see major population transfers, 126 00:09:19,320 --> 00:09:22,640 about 40,000 Turkish Cypriots living south, 127 00:09:22,680 --> 00:09:24,961 they go north into the Turkish zone. 128 00:09:25,680 --> 00:09:31,120 160,000 Greeks living north, in the Turkish zone, they go south. 129 00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:36,720 Varosha with it's majority Greek Cypriot population 130 00:09:36,760 --> 00:09:39,400 was in the path of the advancing forces. 131 00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:44,800 The tourists, they had no idea what was coming. 132 00:09:46,360 --> 00:09:47,960 People who are vacationing, 133 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:52,200 who had gone to varosha for a quiet holiday 134 00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:58,360 are suddenly at the epicentre of what might become a hot war. 135 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:05,360 Tourists and residents fearing a massacre fled. 136 00:10:06,440 --> 00:10:08,856 Professor ata atun was with the Turkish army 137 00:10:08,880 --> 00:10:10,480 when they entered varosha. 138 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:15,080 My commander ordered me to guide the Turkish army 139 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:18,480 to the town so I was the first who entered. 140 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:20,936 It was the ghost town, nobody was living there, 141 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:23,560 we saw nobody on the town, 142 00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:26,480 it was already evacuated or abandoned. 143 00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:30,280 Residents hoped they might soon 144 00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:33,280 be able to return to their homes and businesses. 145 00:10:34,960 --> 00:10:39,800 But it quickly became clear, this was not going to happen. 146 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:41,680 To prevent the looting, 147 00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:45,600 the Turkish army just fenced the town, 148 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:50,880 it was surrounded by barbed wires and entry check-points were erected. 149 00:10:53,240 --> 00:10:55,720 Eventually, an agreement was reached 150 00:10:55,760 --> 00:10:58,240 that would bring an end to the war in Cyprus. 151 00:10:59,240 --> 00:11:00,000 It was a short war, lasting less than a month 152 00:11:00,001 --> 00:11:01,856 it was a short war, lasting less than a month 153 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:04,920 but its affects are still felt to this day. 154 00:11:06,720 --> 00:11:11,080 Varosha was left cut off within the city of famagusta. 155 00:11:12,240 --> 00:11:14,200 The buffer zone was reinforced 156 00:11:14,240 --> 00:11:17,240 and expanded across the whole length of the island. 157 00:11:18,160 --> 00:11:19,856 And you know how the Turkish Cypriots 158 00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:22,256 stayed with its capital of famagusta to the north of it 159 00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:24,376 and south of the line, you have Nicosia 160 00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:26,296 which, essentially, straddles the green line 161 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:27,640 but is the Greek capital. 162 00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:30,776 Since the fall of the Berlin wall, 163 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:35,560 Nicosia, now, stands as the last divided capital in the world. 164 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:48,280 Today, varosha is slowly starting to open up again 165 00:11:48,320 --> 00:11:51,640 under the supervision of the Turkish Cypriot government. 166 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:56,120 They've started to clean up some varosha 167 00:11:56,160 --> 00:11:58,336 but many of the buildings are still roped off 168 00:11:58,360 --> 00:11:59,999 and kept out of public view. 169 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:00,360 And kept out of public view. 170 00:12:00,400 --> 00:12:02,440 However, visionary plans 171 00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:06,200 could help bring this ghost town back to life 172 00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:08,080 and into the 21st century. 173 00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:13,480 It was an interesting attempt by Turkish and Greek Cypriots, now, 174 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:15,576 working together between communities 175 00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:17,656 to bring it back as an eco-city, 176 00:12:17,680 --> 00:12:20,296 a kind of a blueprint for how to build cities in the future. 177 00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:21,400 So there's some hope that, 178 00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:25,160 that might result in a renaissance in varosha but only time will tell. 179 00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:35,320 On the bayeux west of New Orleans, 180 00:12:35,360 --> 00:12:38,680 two rotting structures cling to the water's edge. 181 00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:48,200 They're laying down low almost like an alligator waiting for its prey. 182 00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:54,240 These thick powerful walls are now starting to shed some bricks. 183 00:12:54,960 --> 00:12:59,360 Inside, it seems they have been left to decay for centuries. 184 00:13:01,560 --> 00:13:04,360 There are dark tunnels, graffiti on the walls, 185 00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:07,280 stalactites hanging down from the ceiling, 186 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:09,376 you really don't want to be here. 187 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:12,360 They show the effects of being in a very damp humid environment 188 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:14,920 and being battered by the elements. 189 00:13:14,960 --> 00:13:19,160 Their architecture leaves no doubt as to their original purpose. 190 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:23,440 Clearly, these are brick fortifications 191 00:13:23,480 --> 00:13:27,040 which dates them in the early 19th century. 192 00:13:28,680 --> 00:13:31,680 Built to defend against a foreign foe, 193 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:34,240 these mouldering forts bore witness 194 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:37,360 to america's most turbulent domestic moments. 195 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:43,440 It tells us the history of slavery at its worst 196 00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:45,760 and freedom at its hopeful best. 197 00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:56,640 Raymond berthelot is a local historian 198 00:13:56,680 --> 00:13:59,680 who has been coming to these forts for much of his life. 199 00:14:01,520 --> 00:14:03,560 Whenever I was a kid growing up 200 00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:08,720 highway 90, which runs right outside the fort, was the major route 201 00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:12,080 to go towards the beaches in Biloxi, in gulfport 202 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:13,880 and the Mississippi Gulf coast. 203 00:14:13,920 --> 00:14:16,480 So often times we would take a Sunday drive, 204 00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:19,240 stop at the forts, have a picnic 205 00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:21,880 before carrying on to spend the day at the beaches. 206 00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:25,760 Rarely a destination in themselves, today, 207 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:29,520 forts, pike and macomb once worked in tandem 208 00:14:29,560 --> 00:14:31,680 to control a very different highway. 209 00:14:33,480 --> 00:14:36,840 These two coastal forts were meant to protect New Orleans 210 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:41,920 from naval forces entering lake pontchartrain from lake borgne. 211 00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:47,320 Two mid-waterways that connected New Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico. 212 00:14:50,520 --> 00:14:53,640 New Orleans' position at the end of the Mississippi river 213 00:14:53,680 --> 00:14:57,120 had been lucrative but it also made it a target. 214 00:15:00,720 --> 00:15:03,136 The Mississippi river was the principal highway 215 00:15:03,160 --> 00:15:05,840 of the United States for travel and trade. 216 00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:09,880 You had to protect New Orleans as the likely place 217 00:15:09,920 --> 00:15:12,840 where a lot of American exports would go out of the country 218 00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:15,400 and where imports would come into the country. 219 00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:20,520 Whoever controls that port controls the future of the United States. 220 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:24,560 The importance of New Orleans 221 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:28,240 was made devastatingly clear in the war of 1812. 222 00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:35,320 The United States was a new nation wanting to assert their power 223 00:15:35,360 --> 00:15:37,400 and this was a real attack, 224 00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:40,000 this was a real threat from the British. 225 00:15:41,360 --> 00:15:44,320 The British were beaten back in 1815, 226 00:15:44,360 --> 00:15:46,920 just five miles from the vital city. 227 00:15:50,160 --> 00:15:52,080 But the fledgling United States 228 00:15:52,120 --> 00:15:54,960 wouldn't let anyone get that close again. 229 00:15:57,560 --> 00:15:59,800 When completed in 1827 230 00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:00,000 the forts used the latest military architecture 231 00:16:00,001 --> 00:16:03,080 the forts used the latest military architecture 232 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:05,280 to protect the vital waterways. 233 00:16:07,440 --> 00:16:10,640 Red bricks were used rather than wood and dirt 234 00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:14,160 and the design was inspired by napoleonic military structures. 235 00:16:15,680 --> 00:16:17,840 They've got this curved front 236 00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:20,480 which was really quite groundbreaking for the time. 237 00:16:22,120 --> 00:16:26,280 It allows for more cannons to protect the area along the water. 238 00:16:29,680 --> 00:16:31,360 So, here what we're looking at 239 00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:35,520 is the carriage for a 32-pounder Cannon 240 00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:38,760 so the Cannon would sit on this carriage 241 00:16:38,800 --> 00:16:43,520 with a train track going around the stonework here, 242 00:16:43,560 --> 00:16:47,040 so that way that the Cannon could swivel and turn 243 00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:49,680 and fire out at ships passing by. 244 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:51,840 During war time 245 00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:55,520 this fort would have held a group of soldiers 246 00:16:55,560 --> 00:16:58,640 in the number of 400 to 450. 247 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:02,800 The forts even housed a secret weapon 248 00:17:02,840 --> 00:17:06,040 to deter against any waterborne attack. 249 00:17:08,520 --> 00:17:11,760 These two brick structures that you see, here, 250 00:17:11,800 --> 00:17:16,240 which somewhat look like oversized barbecue pits, 251 00:17:16,280 --> 00:17:19,560 these are what are known as hot shot furnaces. 252 00:17:19,599 --> 00:17:23,280 And the way this would work is that fires of coal 253 00:17:23,319 --> 00:17:25,160 would be built underneath 254 00:17:25,200 --> 00:17:29,440 and the solid shot would be heated up to red hot 255 00:17:29,480 --> 00:17:32,400 and then placed in the Cannon and fired 256 00:17:32,440 --> 00:17:35,600 and of course, this fort would have been designed 257 00:17:35,640 --> 00:17:37,960 to fire at wooden vessels 258 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:42,960 and so that very hot shot would act as a burning agent 259 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:45,800 to the wooden vessels once fired out of the Cannon. 260 00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:50,320 Heavily armed to defend against foreign invaders 261 00:17:50,360 --> 00:17:53,320 these forts would instead become embroiled 262 00:17:53,360 --> 00:17:55,960 in america's internal conflicts. 263 00:17:57,800 --> 00:17:58,920 During the seminal war 264 00:17:58,960 --> 00:17:59,999 the us government attempted to push indigenous people 265 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:01,176 the us government attempted to push indigenous people 266 00:18:01,200 --> 00:18:03,360 from their land in Florida. 267 00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:05,416 The idea of the United States government 268 00:18:05,440 --> 00:18:08,000 was to move these people 269 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:11,120 out to the western states onto reservations. 270 00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:16,640 From 1837 these thick walls 271 00:18:16,680 --> 00:18:21,160 were repurposed to keep people, not out but in. 272 00:18:24,200 --> 00:18:28,440 They also needed somewhere to hold the imprisoned seminal people 273 00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:30,960 who were waiting for their forced relocation. 274 00:18:31,760 --> 00:18:35,400 And fort pike had just the right position and accessibility. 275 00:18:36,920 --> 00:18:38,760 So at any given time, 276 00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:41,160 there might have been some 70, 80 277 00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:44,000 seminal men women and children, here. 278 00:18:44,720 --> 00:18:48,000 At the height, this area that you see, here, 279 00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:53,160 would have housed some 237 prisoners. 280 00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:56,640 We do have records of a couple of births, here, 281 00:18:56,680 --> 00:18:58,560 as well as a couple of deaths, 282 00:18:58,600 --> 00:18:59,999 now, unfortunately, we do not know 283 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:00,360 now, unfortunately, we do not know 284 00:19:00,400 --> 00:19:03,800 where those cemeteries are on the grounds. 285 00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:10,560 It's not known how many seminal people in total 286 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:13,200 were killed at the hands of the federal government, 287 00:19:14,040 --> 00:19:17,840 around 3,000 were forcibly moved to reservations. 288 00:19:20,440 --> 00:19:24,160 But a rupture in the constitutional fabric of the United States 289 00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:28,840 would soon make forts, pike and macomb a staging post 290 00:19:28,880 --> 00:19:31,800 for a different kind of fight back. 291 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:38,480 In January, 1861, 292 00:19:38,520 --> 00:19:41,720 days before Louisiana succeeded from the union, 293 00:19:41,760 --> 00:19:43,800 a new force arrived. 294 00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:50,760 The fort was manned by several us soldiers 295 00:19:50,800 --> 00:19:55,640 and Louisiana militia came and took the site over 296 00:19:55,680 --> 00:19:59,600 and declared it as the property of Louisiana. 297 00:19:59,640 --> 00:20:00,000 Now, this happened throughout the south 298 00:20:00,001 --> 00:20:01,536 now, this happened throughout the south 299 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:03,280 and it was these types of actions 300 00:20:03,320 --> 00:20:05,800 that actually sparked Abraham Lincoln 301 00:20:05,840 --> 00:20:10,240 to send troops to the south that started the civil war. 302 00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:15,360 Louisiana militia takes over this federal fort 303 00:20:15,400 --> 00:20:19,120 but then they, in turn, are attacked from the sea by us forces 304 00:20:19,160 --> 00:20:21,016 which actually don't have to bombard the fort, 305 00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:22,776 they just show up with a powerful fleet, 306 00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:25,136 and they say, "hey look we're going to like unleash hell 307 00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:26,800 "unless you surrender." 308 00:20:28,280 --> 00:20:31,960 New Orleans soon fell and these forts 309 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:35,400 became a base for a new kind of union soldier. 310 00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:39,960 When the civil war started, black men who wanted to fight 311 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:43,480 were told that it was a white man's war and they were turned away. 312 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:49,560 But a brutal first year of fighting forced a re-think. 313 00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:53,496 The civil war seemed nowhere near an end 314 00:20:53,520 --> 00:20:56,480 and the union army desperately needed soldiers. 315 00:20:56,520 --> 00:20:59,160 It was no longer a white man's fight. 316 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:01,520 Formed from a combination 317 00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:05,640 of free and formerly enslaved African American men, 318 00:21:05,680 --> 00:21:09,480 many of these new recruits had to learn everything from scratch. 319 00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:13,576 Former slaves were not allowed near weapons 320 00:21:13,600 --> 00:21:16,720 when they first enlisted in the union army, 321 00:21:16,760 --> 00:21:19,480 they, therefore, needed to be trained to use guns 322 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:22,320 so that they would meet the standard of other union soldiers. 323 00:21:24,720 --> 00:21:28,520 These forts, once occupied by the confederate troops 324 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:32,840 aiming to subjugate them, now, became their drill yards. 325 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:36,136 Once black Americans joined the fight, 326 00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:38,280 fort pike and fort macomb 327 00:21:38,320 --> 00:21:41,240 became training grounds for the us coloured troops. 328 00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:46,040 And so, here, they worked on gunnery using the guns in the fort, itself, 329 00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:48,800 and also just basic drill in order to become, you know, 330 00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:51,096 federal troops that could then be deployed 331 00:21:51,120 --> 00:21:53,520 against the confederate states of america. 332 00:21:55,080 --> 00:21:57,600 The record of the African American soldiers 333 00:21:57,640 --> 00:22:00,000 trained in these forts was exemplary. 334 00:22:01,120 --> 00:22:04,040 The native guard units from Louisiana 335 00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:07,360 actually participated in the siege at port Hudson 336 00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:10,840 which was the first time that African American troops 337 00:22:10,880 --> 00:22:13,920 were used in battle by the United States 338 00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:15,880 as a unified force. 339 00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:23,760 With the development of new military technologies during the civil war, 340 00:22:23,800 --> 00:22:26,360 the forts were rendered obsolete. 341 00:22:27,480 --> 00:22:30,000 They were soon abandoned to the elements 342 00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:35,600 but their legacy lives on through the people who served, here. 343 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:39,840 After the fort was abandoned 344 00:22:39,880 --> 00:22:42,680 these African American troops go out west 345 00:22:42,720 --> 00:22:44,960 and become the buffalo soldiers 346 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:49,280 so fort pike is a very significant aspect 347 00:22:49,320 --> 00:22:52,160 of African American military history 348 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:54,960 during and after the civil war. 349 00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:10,520 These structures saw slavery at it's worst 350 00:23:10,560 --> 00:23:13,960 but ended up becoming constructions of freedom. 351 00:23:14,600 --> 00:23:17,880 Today, they are facing a new kind of attack. 352 00:23:19,120 --> 00:23:21,600 These forts are a constant reminder 353 00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:25,680 that as the coast of Louisiana slowly erodes 354 00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:28,760 we are losing, not only our land mass, 355 00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:32,960 but we are losing our history, we are losing our culture. 356 00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:40,360 On Croatia's mount medvednica 357 00:23:40,400 --> 00:23:45,680 high above the city of Zagreb are the ruins of a ghastly facility. 358 00:23:49,920 --> 00:23:53,520 The snow-coated roads wind through the rugged mountain 359 00:23:53,560 --> 00:23:55,920 which is home to wild boars and wolves. 360 00:23:56,800 --> 00:23:59,999 You get this ominous feeling, you feel isolated and alone. 361 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:03,040 You get this ominous feeling, you feel isolated and alone. 362 00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:07,200 An extensive complex emerges out of the pine trees. 363 00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:12,680 It has clearly been exposed to the elements for some time. 364 00:24:15,280 --> 00:24:20,200 The buildings and the forest have almost blended together, 365 00:24:20,240 --> 00:24:23,760 the trees are coming out of the rooftops of this structure. 366 00:24:24,840 --> 00:24:27,000 It's totally bare and neglected 367 00:24:27,040 --> 00:24:29,400 with rubble scattered everywhere inside. 368 00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:32,760 If Stephen King were here, 369 00:24:32,800 --> 00:24:36,680 he would write a scary book about this place. 370 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:39,840 There are very few clues 371 00:24:39,880 --> 00:24:42,480 that reveal the original purpose of this facility. 372 00:24:45,120 --> 00:24:47,680 Built to alleviate suffering, 373 00:24:47,720 --> 00:24:52,720 these walls, instead, became home to personal and political tragedy. 374 00:24:55,440 --> 00:24:59,999 It's the story of love and murder in a monumental national crisis. 375 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:02,880 It's the story of love and murder in a monumental national crisis. 376 00:25:09,880 --> 00:25:12,920 Marinko tot is an investigative journalist 377 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:16,840 who spent four years uncovering the truth of what went on, here. 378 00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:21,680 Everybody in Zagreb 379 00:25:21,720 --> 00:25:26,400 knows there is a big abandoned building up on the mountain 380 00:25:26,440 --> 00:25:29,560 but only a few know the real story, 381 00:25:29,600 --> 00:25:33,120 how it was built and what was its true meaning. 382 00:25:33,880 --> 00:25:36,016 If it wasn't for a truly great love story 383 00:25:36,040 --> 00:25:38,160 it may never have been built. 384 00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:42,200 This romantic tale 385 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:45,120 began with the man who helped establish the facility. 386 00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:51,520 The area in which we are right now 387 00:25:51,560 --> 00:25:56,040 was an office of the first principal, milivoj dezman. 388 00:25:57,320 --> 00:25:59,999 Dezman had a bit of a crush on his childhood sweetheart. 389 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:02,720 Dezman had a bit of a crush on his childhood sweetheart. 390 00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:07,200 Lady sram was a star in Croatian theatre. 391 00:26:09,120 --> 00:26:13,760 She was one of the most beautiful actresses of her age 392 00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:16,600 and doctor dezman fell in love with her. 393 00:26:16,640 --> 00:26:18,600 He wrote her love letters. 394 00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:21,400 Unfortunately for dezman, 395 00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:23,456 lady sram had gone on to marry another man 396 00:26:23,480 --> 00:26:24,880 and have children with him. 397 00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:28,120 He didn't give up hope that one day 398 00:26:28,160 --> 00:26:30,560 he would be with the woman of his dreams. 399 00:26:31,640 --> 00:26:36,960 Then, lady sram husband leaves her and this single mother 400 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:39,640 and her child need to be looked after. 401 00:26:41,720 --> 00:26:45,480 Dezman stepped in and invited her into his home 402 00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:50,160 but soon they would be together even more, permanently, 403 00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:53,120 here at the brestovac sanatorium. 404 00:26:54,400 --> 00:26:55,760 In the early 20th century 405 00:26:55,800 --> 00:26:57,896 a cure for tuberculosis hadn't been found 406 00:26:57,920 --> 00:26:59,880 and the world was still reliant 407 00:26:59,920 --> 00:26:59,998 on sanitoriums to treat patients of tuberculosis. 408 00:26:59,999 --> 00:27:02,559 On sanitoriums to treat patients of tuberculosis. 409 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:07,240 Down in the city there was a lot of industry, a lot of smoke, 410 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:09,480 a lot of coal facilities around 411 00:27:09,520 --> 00:27:12,920 so the place was erected on the mountain 412 00:27:12,960 --> 00:27:17,880 because of the easy access to nature and the fresh air for the patients. 413 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:25,240 This institution is the leading edge of medical science 414 00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:27,440 right here in brestovac. 415 00:27:29,280 --> 00:27:32,880 But the pioneering sanitorium may never have been built 416 00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:35,480 were it not for a tragic turn of events. 417 00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:39,520 Before construction began in 1909, 418 00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:43,440 lady sram had been diagnosed with tuberculosis. 419 00:27:47,280 --> 00:27:50,720 And doctor dezman is there for her. 420 00:27:52,840 --> 00:27:57,160 In desperation, he did everything possible to treat his beloved. 421 00:27:58,520 --> 00:27:59,999 He really started to lobby and initiate the public discussion, 422 00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:03,440 he really started to lobby and initiate the public discussion, 423 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:05,696 he was involved in the fundraising 424 00:28:05,720 --> 00:28:09,520 and all the permits needed to erect this facility 425 00:28:09,560 --> 00:28:11,440 as soon as possible. 426 00:28:11,480 --> 00:28:15,920 It is said that the main reason brestovac exists at this location 427 00:28:15,960 --> 00:28:19,160 is because of his love towards lady sram. 428 00:28:19,960 --> 00:28:23,720 She was one of the first patients at brestovac. 429 00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:28,880 This room where lady sram spent her time 430 00:28:28,920 --> 00:28:32,800 is directly above the room of doctor dezman 431 00:28:32,840 --> 00:28:36,000 the room was beautiful and she spent a lot of time, here, 432 00:28:36,040 --> 00:28:38,880 windows were large, she could see the forest, 433 00:28:38,920 --> 00:28:41,520 she could see the city in the valley, 434 00:28:41,560 --> 00:28:43,480 she could feel the fresh air, 435 00:28:43,520 --> 00:28:46,080 the nature and everything surrounding her. 436 00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:50,280 Despite dezman's love and determination, 437 00:28:50,320 --> 00:28:54,400 in 1913 her condition took a turn for the worse. 438 00:28:56,760 --> 00:28:58,400 In her final days 439 00:28:58,440 --> 00:28:59,999 doctor dezman brought lady sram to his private office 440 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:02,536 doctor dezman brought lady sram to his private office 441 00:29:02,560 --> 00:29:04,920 where she died in his arms. 442 00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:19,040 After her death, brestovac entered an era of expansion. 443 00:29:21,920 --> 00:29:25,040 There's a multi-storey building and then some ruins 444 00:29:25,080 --> 00:29:27,960 and they're connected by this sort of epic corridor. 445 00:29:29,200 --> 00:29:33,440 We believe that the vips were housed in the main building 446 00:29:33,480 --> 00:29:37,520 and there was a degree of separation between classes 447 00:29:37,560 --> 00:29:40,520 and that walkway basically was the bridge 448 00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:43,280 between different classes of people 449 00:29:43,320 --> 00:29:45,680 accommodated at any given time 450 00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:49,920 because these rooms and services along in this complex 451 00:29:49,960 --> 00:29:54,240 are not so spacious, they are really cramped up 452 00:29:54,280 --> 00:29:55,960 and something just built 453 00:29:56,000 --> 00:29:58,960 to accommodate as many people as possible. 454 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:06,600 Tuberculosis struck the high and the low and as a result, 455 00:30:06,640 --> 00:30:13,440 a public facility like this bought all elements of society together. 456 00:30:16,720 --> 00:30:19,840 These new buildings included large wards 457 00:30:19,880 --> 00:30:24,120 where poorer patients could be cared for by fewer nursing staff. 458 00:30:25,240 --> 00:30:26,720 The sanatorium was beginning 459 00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:31,040 to reflect the increasingly fractured world outside its walls. 460 00:30:33,920 --> 00:30:36,256 Because there was a lot of division in society, 461 00:30:36,280 --> 00:30:40,160 this facility becomes 462 00:30:40,200 --> 00:30:44,600 its own intense little version of the Balkans. 463 00:30:47,120 --> 00:30:50,520 These rifts would see the once quiet hospital 464 00:30:50,560 --> 00:30:53,120 ensnared in deadly conspiracy. 465 00:30:54,640 --> 00:30:56,936 It's hard to believe that such a brutal plot 466 00:30:56,960 --> 00:30:59,280 would have been conceived right here. 467 00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:04,400 By 1921, the plot was already underway. 468 00:31:08,320 --> 00:31:09,920 This was the brestovac library, 469 00:31:09,960 --> 00:31:11,520 there would have been bookshelves, 470 00:31:11,560 --> 00:31:14,560 wooden tables, furniture, it was very popular. 471 00:31:14,600 --> 00:31:16,600 One of the patients, here, 472 00:31:16,640 --> 00:31:19,680 who was sitting at the tables and reading 473 00:31:19,720 --> 00:31:22,840 was Alia aliagicc, he was a member of the communist party. 474 00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:29,600 Bomb-throwing anarchists, communists, partisans, 475 00:31:29,640 --> 00:31:35,320 this part of the world was focused on wild politics. 476 00:31:36,080 --> 00:31:41,040 For aliagicc only the wildest political statement would suffice. 477 00:31:42,080 --> 00:31:45,760 Later on in maximum discretion under the table 478 00:31:45,800 --> 00:31:47,856 in privacy the library offered, 479 00:31:47,880 --> 00:31:49,760 along with his companions 480 00:31:49,800 --> 00:31:53,440 he planned an assassination on the minister of interior. 481 00:31:55,520 --> 00:31:57,760 He followed the minister to a park, 482 00:31:59,560 --> 00:32:00,000 there he shot and killed him in cold blood. 483 00:32:00,001 --> 00:32:03,320 There he shot and killed him in cold blood. 484 00:32:07,160 --> 00:32:10,480 Aliagicc and his comrades were quickly rounded up 485 00:32:10,520 --> 00:32:12,480 and he was sentenced to death. 486 00:32:14,320 --> 00:32:17,840 After that assassination, communist party was banned 487 00:32:17,880 --> 00:32:21,640 and went underground where it stayed for the next 20 years. 488 00:32:24,040 --> 00:32:25,840 During the world war ii, 489 00:32:25,880 --> 00:32:29,320 these underground forces would return to brestovac. 490 00:32:30,960 --> 00:32:34,920 Facing off against invaders and collaborators. 491 00:32:35,640 --> 00:32:39,360 The Nazis control Croatia 492 00:32:39,400 --> 00:32:41,520 in part through the ustase, 493 00:32:41,560 --> 00:32:46,360 the Croatian nationalist fascist militia. 494 00:32:48,200 --> 00:32:49,760 Brestovac was changed 495 00:32:49,800 --> 00:32:54,440 to become a hospital for the wounded Nazi and ustase soldiers. 496 00:32:57,680 --> 00:32:59,999 By 1945 the communist forces 497 00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:01,096 by 1945 the communist forces 498 00:33:01,120 --> 00:33:03,560 had fought their way back to the sanatorium. 499 00:33:05,120 --> 00:33:07,440 They had vengeance on their minds. 500 00:33:08,480 --> 00:33:14,000 When the communist partisans come to these people, 501 00:33:14,720 --> 00:33:19,040 who have been abusing them horribly for years, 502 00:33:19,080 --> 00:33:23,120 the result is an orgy of violence. 503 00:33:25,120 --> 00:33:27,616 They took these wounded soldiers out of the hospital 504 00:33:27,640 --> 00:33:30,000 and into the forest and executed them. 505 00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:35,040 Their remains are somewhere in the forests 506 00:33:35,080 --> 00:33:38,160 around the facility, still undiscovered, today. 507 00:33:40,440 --> 00:33:43,120 Rumours that the ghosts of these executed soldiers 508 00:33:43,160 --> 00:33:47,680 still walk the corridors endow it with a still very eerie legacy. 509 00:33:57,160 --> 00:33:59,999 Since its abandonment in 1968, 510 00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:00,480 since its abandonment in 1968, 511 00:34:00,520 --> 00:34:04,000 the sanatorium was forgotten and left to decay 512 00:34:05,080 --> 00:34:10,600 but its story is still etched into the city below. 513 00:34:10,639 --> 00:34:13,159 The whole legacy of brestovac 514 00:34:13,199 --> 00:34:17,600 and the love story of doctor dezman towards lady sram 515 00:34:17,639 --> 00:34:21,400 is so deeply embedded into urban folk law 516 00:34:21,440 --> 00:34:26,400 that even one street bears the name of doctor dezman 517 00:34:26,440 --> 00:34:30,320 and a rather nice restaurant bears the name of lady sram. 518 00:34:31,280 --> 00:34:33,720 And marinko hopes that this facility 519 00:34:33,760 --> 00:34:37,440 might one day help the people of Zagreb again. 520 00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:43,760 It was inspired by emotion and by really community work 521 00:34:43,800 --> 00:34:47,720 in order to erect it and it was the pride of the city. 522 00:34:47,760 --> 00:34:51,280 I'm hoping it will, once more, be the pride of the city. 523 00:34:59,880 --> 00:35:00,000 In the country of Georgia is an ancient refuge inside a mountain. 524 00:35:00,001 --> 00:35:05,680 In the country of Georgia is an ancient refuge inside a mountain. 525 00:35:13,400 --> 00:35:14,840 Georgia's physical geography 526 00:35:14,880 --> 00:35:17,520 is breathtaking and this part is no exception. 527 00:35:19,200 --> 00:35:21,840 The one thing that catches your eye immediately 528 00:35:21,880 --> 00:35:25,040 is this almost vertical rock formation 529 00:35:25,080 --> 00:35:28,640 that rises dramatically from the flat flood plain. 530 00:35:30,440 --> 00:35:33,840 It appears to have suffered a cataclysmic event. 531 00:35:35,400 --> 00:35:38,960 Dr Alicia: The landscape, here, used to look quite different. 532 00:35:40,560 --> 00:35:43,440 It's as if the mountain had been blown up 533 00:35:43,480 --> 00:35:46,040 and we're getting to see right inside of it. 534 00:35:47,640 --> 00:35:50,560 Where once there was solid rock face, 535 00:35:50,600 --> 00:35:53,000 now the hillside is honeycombed 536 00:35:53,040 --> 00:35:55,720 with a Warren of passageways and cells. 537 00:35:58,640 --> 00:35:59,999 There are long tunnels in many areas hidden from view, 538 00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:02,616 there are long tunnels in many areas hidden from view, 539 00:36:02,640 --> 00:36:06,240 it feels like it was a very secretive and defensive place. 540 00:36:07,880 --> 00:36:10,640 But who built this subterranean sanctuary? 541 00:36:11,200 --> 00:36:13,560 And why did they hide it from the world? 542 00:36:30,120 --> 00:36:33,000 Guram kipiani has spent many years 543 00:36:33,040 --> 00:36:37,120 exploring the ancient city of vardzia. 544 00:36:37,880 --> 00:36:39,640 (Speaks foreign language) 545 00:37:09,280 --> 00:37:14,040 The oldest settlements, here, date back thousands of years. 546 00:37:14,080 --> 00:37:17,640 Many generations going back to the bronze age 547 00:37:17,680 --> 00:37:21,520 have cut and honed the rock that is here, 548 00:37:21,560 --> 00:37:23,480 the geology is perfect for it. 549 00:37:24,560 --> 00:37:27,920 But the majority of the settlements visible, today, 550 00:37:27,960 --> 00:37:30,480 began life in the 12th century. 551 00:37:34,160 --> 00:37:37,280 They got their name when a young girl call tamar 552 00:37:37,320 --> 00:37:39,520 was playing here with her uncle. 553 00:37:41,240 --> 00:37:46,040 Young tamar got lost in the caves and when called for, replied, 554 00:37:46,080 --> 00:37:47,440 "I'm here uncle." 555 00:37:48,760 --> 00:37:50,616 Which in Georgian has the sounds, 556 00:37:50,640 --> 00:37:54,800 'vard' and 'zia', thus giving the place its name vardzia. 557 00:37:57,600 --> 00:37:59,800 Amongst the ruins of vardzia 558 00:37:59,840 --> 00:38:00,000 is evidence that tamar was no ordinary girl. 559 00:38:00,001 --> 00:38:03,160 Is evidence that tamar was no ordinary girl. 560 00:38:05,720 --> 00:38:07,640 (Speaks foreign language) 561 00:38:18,000 --> 00:38:22,280 Described as a king as a medieval Mark of respect 562 00:38:22,320 --> 00:38:27,200 when she inherited the throne and the half-built vardzia 563 00:38:27,240 --> 00:38:32,960 from her father in 1184 she was beset with enemies on all sides. 564 00:38:33,680 --> 00:38:36,520 And turned to the tunnels for protection. 565 00:38:44,320 --> 00:38:47,720 The mongols were trying to expand their territory westward, 566 00:38:47,760 --> 00:38:51,120 this part of Georgia was very much in their sights. 567 00:38:53,240 --> 00:38:56,200 It's no surprise the Georgians, here, wanted to hide, 568 00:38:56,240 --> 00:38:58,800 the mongols were famed for their ruthlessness. 569 00:39:02,280 --> 00:39:05,400 Faced with a seemingly imminent invasion 570 00:39:05,440 --> 00:39:09,120 the queen ordered a rapid expansion of the cave network. 571 00:39:16,320 --> 00:39:19,120 The only way to enter the city was through a secret tunnel 572 00:39:19,160 --> 00:39:21,441 which started at the nearby river. 573 00:39:22,480 --> 00:39:24,761 Vardzia was soon capable of housing 574 00:39:24,800 --> 00:39:27,160 tens of thousands of residents, 575 00:39:27,200 --> 00:39:29,840 along with it's thriving monastic community, 576 00:39:32,600 --> 00:39:35,320 all concealed within the mountain. 577 00:39:36,040 --> 00:39:39,760 The underground fortress originally had 6,000 rooms. 578 00:39:41,120 --> 00:39:43,800 This really was a full-on city, 579 00:39:43,840 --> 00:39:45,600 there were meeting rooms, 580 00:39:45,640 --> 00:39:48,040 reception chambers, a throne room, 581 00:39:48,080 --> 00:39:51,800 a bakery, a forge and a church, all housed in this complex. 582 00:39:55,240 --> 00:39:58,720 It took about 50 years to construct 583 00:39:58,760 --> 00:39:59,999 but when you consider that this was all done by hand, 584 00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:02,176 but when you consider that this was all done by hand, 585 00:40:02,200 --> 00:40:03,840 that doesn't seem that long. 586 00:40:05,960 --> 00:40:08,440 Its residents had everything they needed 587 00:40:08,480 --> 00:40:11,200 to remain self-sufficient for a long time. 588 00:40:13,960 --> 00:40:16,480 (Speaks foreign language) 589 00:40:34,560 --> 00:40:36,760 But before the mongol armies 590 00:40:36,800 --> 00:40:39,440 could put vardzia's defences to the test, 591 00:40:40,600 --> 00:40:44,200 queen tamar had to face-off against a different threat. 592 00:40:47,320 --> 00:40:50,560 The battle of basian is one of the most important battles 593 00:40:50,600 --> 00:40:52,200 in Georgian history. 594 00:40:54,040 --> 00:40:58,200 Confronted by an overwhelming force of seljuk Turks, 595 00:40:58,240 --> 00:40:59,999 it fell to the queen to inspire her nervous troops. 596 00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:02,600 It fell to the queen to inspire her nervous troops. 597 00:41:04,040 --> 00:41:07,760 Queen tamar is said to have addressed her army here at vardzia 598 00:41:07,800 --> 00:41:12,240 walking barefoot down to the valley floor where her troops were amassed. 599 00:41:14,840 --> 00:41:17,800 The Georgians successfully fought off the selguk Turks 600 00:41:17,840 --> 00:41:21,800 and confirmed their status as the absolute power in the caucuses. 601 00:41:24,800 --> 00:41:30,200 When tamar died in 1213 she left her nation stronger than ever 602 00:41:31,560 --> 00:41:35,560 and vardzia continued life as a cultural and religious centre. 603 00:41:37,520 --> 00:41:40,440 This was the zenith of the kingdom of Georgia. 604 00:41:42,000 --> 00:41:43,400 But military prowess 605 00:41:43,440 --> 00:41:47,280 could not protect the underground city from what was coming. 606 00:41:50,120 --> 00:41:52,720 1283 was a tragic year for vardzia, 607 00:41:52,760 --> 00:41:56,560 a huge earthquake struck destroying vast parts of the cave city. 608 00:41:58,760 --> 00:41:59,999 The thing about the earthquake 609 00:42:00,000 --> 00:42:00,120 the thing about the earthquake 610 00:42:00,160 --> 00:42:02,960 is that it totally ruined the city's disguise. 611 00:42:05,040 --> 00:42:08,400 The mountain face slid off with the extreme tremors 612 00:42:08,440 --> 00:42:10,680 exposing the caves within. 613 00:42:12,920 --> 00:42:15,080 No longer hidden from the world, 614 00:42:15,120 --> 00:42:17,840 vardzia's importance slowly diminished. 615 00:42:26,640 --> 00:42:33,400 Out of the rubble of the devastated city, one aspect of life returned. 616 00:42:35,840 --> 00:42:37,000 After the earthquake, 617 00:42:37,040 --> 00:42:39,360 a small religious community persisted. 618 00:42:40,560 --> 00:42:44,920 They faced attacks and persecution in the now exposed caves. 619 00:42:47,320 --> 00:42:49,416 But a small number of their descendants 620 00:42:49,440 --> 00:42:52,440 have managed to continue their legacy today. 621 00:42:54,080 --> 00:42:59,800 The remaining monks still live like their brethren from centuries past, 622 00:42:59,840 --> 00:43:00,000 they collect their drinking and bathing water 623 00:43:00,001 --> 00:43:02,216 they collect their drinking and bathing water 624 00:43:02,240 --> 00:43:05,640 from the nearby ancient underground spring. 625 00:43:07,520 --> 00:43:09,736 But mainly, it's tourists that you will see 626 00:43:09,760 --> 00:43:13,240 wandering these tunnels and carved passageways. 627 00:43:13,280 --> 00:43:16,279 Captioned by ai-media ai-media. TV 53294

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