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Narrator: In Cyprus, vestiges of
opulence in an active no man's land.
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00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:13,640
This ill-fated coup sealed the
fate of this summer paradise.
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00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:21,440
Two mouldering bastions on
america's Gulf coast with a hopeful tale...
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00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:24,640
These structures saw
slavery at its worst.
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00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:28,040
But ended up becoming
constructions of freedom.
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00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:36,240
..An ancient refuge in Georgia
made to fend off a mighty enemy...
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00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:40,600
It's no surprise that the
Georgians wanted to hide,
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the mongols were ruthless
and incredibly violent.
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00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:50,800
..And a frozen shell in the
Balkans built on a burning passion.
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00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:55,000
The whole story had began
with one man's pursuit of love.
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00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:00,000
Decaying relics,
ruins of lost worlds.
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00:01:00,001 --> 00:01:04,440
Decaying relics,
ruins of lost worlds.
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00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:08,360
Sites haunted by the past,
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00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:13,280
their secrets waiting
to be revealed.
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In eastern Cyprus is
an entire neighbourhood
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closed to the world for decades.
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Famagusta is a lovely city
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but as you move along the
coast, suddenly, you get wire,
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you get signs telling
you not to go any further,
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you feel like
you're in a warzone.
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00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:57,480
Inside this forbidden zone is
a mass of crumbling concrete.
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00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:00,000
Several high-rise
buildings face the sea
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00:02:00,001 --> 00:02:02,480
several high-rise
buildings face the sea
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00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:07,400
with these spectacular seafront
views, they must have been hotels.
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00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:11,136
Behind them, you have these
extensive neighbourhoods
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00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:14,280
of beautiful middle-class
homes, all empty.
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00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:18,760
Weeds now overrun
the deserted streets,
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00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:21,200
nature is starting
to reclaim this town.
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00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:26,560
There are no obvious
signs of war damage,
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00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:30,000
so what happened to this former
Jewel of the mediterranean?
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One time, its streets
were packed with tourists
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00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:40,040
but one summer they were gone
and they never came back again.
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00:02:48,920 --> 00:02:51,080
Two checkpoints
are still existing
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00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:54,400
and the surrounding is
closed by barbed wire,
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00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:57,880
without accessing from these
check-points you cannot enter.
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00:02:58,680 --> 00:02:59,999
Beyond the barricades lies
a Warren of deserted streets
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00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:03,200
beyond the barricades lies
a Warren of deserted streets
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00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:05,000
and derelict buildings.
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00:03:06,640 --> 00:03:10,720
Professor ata atun imagined
a very different future
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00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:14,760
when he was a young civil
engineer in the early 1970s.
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00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:20,720
I had to work in this town
so there are lots of buildings
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00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:24,560
which I designed with my
brother who was an architect.
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00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:28,720
We had an office, drawing
and calculating the irons
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00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:30,520
and concrete and everything.
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00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:35,320
When I come here I always
look at it with pleasure,
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00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:37,480
with the memories of the past.
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00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:42,720
These are the petrified
relics of varosha,
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00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:47,840
the closed-off southern
quarter of famagusta city.
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00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:53,840
Varosha was this kind
of a sleepy backwater,
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00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:58,320
a fishing village and
because of the tourist potential
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00:03:58,360 --> 00:03:59,560
of that stretch of coastline,
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00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:00,000
in the 1960s it starts getting
developed as a beach resort.
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00:04:00,001 --> 00:04:02,762
In the 1960s it starts getting
developed as a beach resort.
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00:04:04,360 --> 00:04:11,080
With its modern investment
with its massive first great hotels
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00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:14,680
it started to look a
lot like Miami beach.
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00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:19,440
This is where all the a-listers
went, people like brigette bardot,
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00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:21,680
Richard Burton,
Elizabeth Taylor.
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00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:25,160
A shopping district
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00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:29,480
lined with designer boutiques
catered to the rich and famous.
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00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:35,280
The luxury goods were all
sold in these shops of this town.
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00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:37,840
There are lots of
shops, very nice places
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00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:41,760
which were selling products
of the well-known companies.
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00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:48,480
So, varosha became
not just a resort,
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00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:51,720
varosha became the resort.
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00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:55,400
Yet, beneath the glamour, here,
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00:04:55,440 --> 00:04:59,800
mistrust had been festering
across the island for centuries.
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00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:04,296
Cyprus is in a key
strategic location,
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00:05:04,320 --> 00:05:06,856
straddling the eastern
and western mediterranean
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00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:10,680
so it's seen a series of
conquerors and occupiers
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00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:13,600
including the
romans, the persians,
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00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:16,480
the Egyptians and
the Muslim kingdoms.
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00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:22,880
In the middle ages,
Cyprus was a Greek island
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00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:28,280
but a sizeable ethnically
Turkish population
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00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:30,400
comes to Cyprus, as well,
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00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:33,160
and there is off again on again
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00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:38,600
tension between the Turkish
and Greek communities in Cyprus.
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00:05:41,160 --> 00:05:43,520
Then came a moment
that threatened
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00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:47,040
to bring these tensions
to a brutal climax.
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00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:54,080
For a long time, Cyprus
was effectively a British colony
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00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:59,920
and in 1960 Cyprus
gets its independence
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00:05:59,960 --> 00:06:00,000
and there is hope and there
is promise and there is joy
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00:06:00,001 --> 00:06:04,560
and there is hope and there
is promise and there is joy
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00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:09,480
and then it all
goes a little bit dark.
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00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:14,600
A political partnership between
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00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:18,200
the ethnic Greek and Turkish
communities was established.
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00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:23,800
But the island's
first president,
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00:06:23,840 --> 00:06:29,200
Greek Cypriot archbishop makarios
wanted Cyprus unified with Greece.
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00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:37,800
In 1963 he proposed controversial
changes in the constitution
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00:06:37,840 --> 00:06:41,240
that would bring an end to the
power-sharing arrangements.
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00:06:44,160 --> 00:06:48,000
The Turkish Cypriots naturally
opposed unification with Greece.
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00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:53,720
A fuse had been lit
and both sides exploded.
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00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:58,440
This ignited a killing spree
in the capital of Nicosia.
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00:07:06,280 --> 00:07:09,080
Armed factions
roamed the streets
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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
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00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:23,600
and separated the capitals,
Greek and Turkish communities.
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00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:26,520
In the aftermath
of this bloody clash,
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00:07:26,560 --> 00:07:29,320
a buffer zone was created
known as the green line
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00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:31,520
and this was
patrolled by UN troops.
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00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:39,560
Like Berlin just a few years earlier,
Nicosia became a divided city.
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00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:45,120
Varosha survived the conflict
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00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:47,960
but the stage had
been set for its downfall.
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00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:53,040
The buffer zone created the
illusion of peace on the surface
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00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:57,880
but in July, 1974 when varosha
would have been packed with tourists,
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00:07:57,920 --> 00:07:59,640
tensions came to a head.
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00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:05,440
Frustrated that
Cyprus was still divided,
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00:08:05,480 --> 00:08:08,160
the government in
Athens decided to act.
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00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:14,440
Greek officers led troops
to the presidential palace
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00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:16,520
and burned it to the ground.
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00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:22,160
Their target, president makarios,
narrowly escaped with his life.
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00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:29,720
The people who are taking over
the Greek-dominated government
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00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:34,520
are openly saying that
they're going to seek unification
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00:08:34,560 --> 00:08:38,440
with the military
government in Greece.
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00:08:40,440 --> 00:08:42,256
Five days later the
Turkish government
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00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:45,200
responded by
initiating operation atilla,
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00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:47,440
sending in thousands of troops
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00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:49,761
to protect Turkish
Cypriot citizens.
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00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:52,840
The Turkish armed forces airdrop
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00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:58,280
1,000 airborne light
infantry in to northern Cyprus
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00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:00,000
and there is an amphibious
invasion of about 3,000
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00:09:00,001 --> 00:09:03,920
and there is an amphibious
invasion of about 3,000
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00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:08,680
and they move into northern
Cyprus and eastern Cyprus in force.
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00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:15,160
This intervention changed
the face of Cyprus,
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00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:16,840
in the course of
operation atilla,
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00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:19,280
you see major
population transfers,
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00:09:19,320 --> 00:09:22,640
about 40,000 Turkish
Cypriots living south,
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00:09:22,680 --> 00:09:24,961
they go north into
the Turkish zone.
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00:09:25,680 --> 00:09:31,120
160,000 Greeks living north, in
the Turkish zone, they go south.
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00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:36,720
Varosha with it's majority
Greek Cypriot population
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00:09:36,760 --> 00:09:39,400
was in the path of
the advancing forces.
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00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:44,800
The tourists, they had
no idea what was coming.
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00:09:46,360 --> 00:09:47,960
People who are vacationing,
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00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:52,200
who had gone to
varosha for a quiet holiday
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00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:58,360
are suddenly at the epicentre
of what might become a hot war.
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00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:05,360
Tourists and residents
fearing a massacre fled.
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00:10:06,440 --> 00:10:08,856
Professor ata atun was
with the Turkish army
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00:10:08,880 --> 00:10:10,480
when they entered varosha.
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00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:15,080
My commander ordered
me to guide the Turkish army
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00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:18,480
to the town so I was
the first who entered.
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00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:20,936
It was the ghost town,
nobody was living there,
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00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:23,560
we saw nobody on the town,
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00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:26,480
it was already
evacuated or abandoned.
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00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:30,280
Residents hoped they might soon
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00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:33,280
be able to return to their
homes and businesses.
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00:10:34,960 --> 00:10:39,800
But it quickly became clear,
this was not going to happen.
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00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:41,680
To prevent the looting,
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00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:45,600
the Turkish army
just fenced the town,
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00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:50,880
it was surrounded by barbed wires
and entry check-points were erected.
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00:10:53,240 --> 00:10:55,720
Eventually, an
agreement was reached
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00:10:55,760 --> 00:10:58,240
that would bring an
end to the war in Cyprus.
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00:10:59,240 --> 00:11:00,000
It was a short war,
lasting less than a month
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00:11:00,001 --> 00:11:01,856
it was a short war,
lasting less than a month
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00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:04,920
but its affects are
still felt to this day.
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00:11:06,720 --> 00:11:11,080
Varosha was left cut off
within the city of famagusta.
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00:11:12,240 --> 00:11:14,200
The buffer zone was reinforced
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00:11:14,240 --> 00:11:17,240
and expanded across the
whole length of the island.
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00:11:18,160 --> 00:11:19,856
And you know how
the Turkish Cypriots
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00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:22,256
stayed with its capital of
famagusta to the north of it
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00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:24,376
and south of the
line, you have Nicosia
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00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:26,296
which, essentially,
straddles the green line
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00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:27,640
but is the Greek capital.
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00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:30,776
Since the fall of
the Berlin wall,
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00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:35,560
Nicosia, now, stands as the
last divided capital in the world.
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00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:48,280
Today, varosha is slowly
starting to open up again
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00:11:48,320 --> 00:11:51,640
under the supervision of the
Turkish Cypriot government.
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00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:56,120
They've started to
clean up some varosha
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00:11:56,160 --> 00:11:58,336
but many of the
buildings are still roped off
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00:11:58,360 --> 00:11:59,999
and kept out of public view.
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00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:00,360
And kept out of public view.
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00:12:00,400 --> 00:12:02,440
However, visionary plans
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00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:06,200
could help bring this
ghost town back to life
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00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:08,080
and into the 21st century.
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00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:13,480
It was an interesting attempt by
Turkish and Greek Cypriots, now,
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00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:15,576
working together
between communities
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00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:17,656
to bring it back as an eco-city,
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00:12:17,680 --> 00:12:20,296
a kind of a blueprint for how
to build cities in the future.
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00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:21,400
So there's some hope that,
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00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:25,160
that might result in a renaissance
in varosha but only time will tell.
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00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:35,320
On the bayeux
west of New Orleans,
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00:12:35,360 --> 00:12:38,680
two rotting structures
cling to the water's edge.
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00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:48,200
They're laying down low almost
like an alligator waiting for its prey.
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00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:54,240
These thick powerful walls are
now starting to shed some bricks.
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00:12:54,960 --> 00:12:59,360
Inside, it seems they have
been left to decay for centuries.
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00:13:01,560 --> 00:13:04,360
There are dark tunnels,
graffiti on the walls,
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00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:07,280
stalactites hanging
down from the ceiling,
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00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:09,376
you really don't
want to be here.
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00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:12,360
They show the effects of being
in a very damp humid environment
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00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:14,920
and being battered
by the elements.
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00:13:14,960 --> 00:13:19,160
Their architecture leaves no
doubt as to their original purpose.
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00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:23,440
Clearly, these are
brick fortifications
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00:13:23,480 --> 00:13:27,040
which dates them in
the early 19th century.
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00:13:28,680 --> 00:13:31,680
Built to defend
against a foreign foe,
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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.
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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,
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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.
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00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:25,760
Rarely a destination
in themselves, today,
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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
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