All language subtitles for Mysteries.of.the.Abandoned.S09E02.1080p.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-BTN_track3_[und]

[dramatic music playing]

[narrator]
A revolutionary craft

that sent shockwaves
across America.

It absolutely terrified

the Defense Department,
the CIA,

all of which
could not believe this.

[narrator]
An Argentinian experiment

built on a great promise.

Maybe trusting the old Nazi

was not such a good idea.

[narrator]
And an institutional ruin

that offered hope
to its occupants.

that offered hope
to its occupants.

[Dr. Alicia]
It was regarded as a success.

The true story is much darker.

[narrator] Decaying relics.

Ruins of lost worlds.

Sites haunted by the past.

Their secrets
waiting to be revealed.

[suspenseful music playing]

[narrator] In the Russian
republic of Dagestan,

at the edge
of the Caspian Sea,

lie the remains
of a secret Soviet project.

Washed up on the beach

is this amazing,
strange structure.

It's not a ship,
but it's not a plane,

It's not a ship,
but it's not a plane,

it's someplace in between.

And if you ramble
around inside,

it's got seats for the pilot,
the copilot,

and separate compartments
for radar operators,

and for probably
weapons operators.

[narrator] A mile and a half
from the beach Leviathan

is another structure,

its connection and purpose
not immediately clear.

It seems to be
in the middle of nowhere,

and how better
to keep a secret

than to have it far away
from prying eyes.

than to have it far away
from prying eyes.

At first glance,
it almost looks like

a vintage airport terminal.

It even has its power,
but it's out in the water

with no obvious or easy way
to reach it.

And when we penetrate
into the interior,

it looks like
a tumbledown factory

or some kind
of industrial installation.

[narrator] What links
these two hulking beasts,

and why did this strange
machine strike fear

and why did this strange
machine strike fear

into the hearts
of Western governments?

Even the CIA
was a little freaked out

by this Soviet invention.

[suspenseful music playing]

[narrator]
This decaying structure

was once at the forefront

of Soviet Cold War
military research.

Former pilot
Aligadzhi Abdulgalimov

spent many years
at the controls

spent many years
at the controls

of the extraordinary machine.

[Aligadzhi] I think I made
about 70 or 80 flights

on this one.

I was never frightened.

I was curious.

I was fascinated to conduct

all the tests
and experiments.

What results we would get.

All of us did
our best to succeed.

[narrator] But this
is no normal aircraft.

The revolutionary design

was intended to give
the Soviet military

superiority
over their American rivals.

The key to it all
is a scientific principle

called ground effect.

When a plane flies
very close to the ground,

or say to a flat surface,
like the ocean,

a cushion of air builds up
between that surface

a cushion of air builds up
between that surface

and the wing.

And that gives the plane

a little bit of extra lift.

Which means you can float
very close to the ground,

and at very high speeds,
and never touch it.

And that's going to make it
much easier

to go faster and further
and more efficiently

than ever before.

All the militaries of the
world were looking at this,

but it was the Soviets
that really, you know,

worked on it intensively
from the 1950s on. Why?

Because the US Navy
ruled the world

Because the US Navy
ruled the world

and none
of the Communist navies

had the resources
to go toe to toe

with American carriers.

[narrator] The clandestine
project was the brainchild

of distinguished
Russian engineer,

Rostislav Alexeyev.

Testing of the part plane,
part ship prototype,

called an Ekranoplan

began in 1966

on the Caspian Sea.

[Aligadzhi] The KM,
was the first Ekranoplan

[Aligadzhi] The KM,
was the first Ekranoplan

that was designed and built.

It was like
a flying laboratory,

an embodiment
of multiple ideas.

Many experiments
were performed on it.

And lots of data collected.

[narrator] What the Soviets
didn't know

was that American
spy satellites

were closely monitoring
the secret tests.

When the Americans got a look
at this amazing craft

zooming across
the Caspian Sea,

they were really
pretty blown away.

It absolutely terrified

the Defense Department,
the CIA,

all of which
could not believe this.

[narrator] The colossal craft

soon earned
an ominous nickname.

The Western military forces
called it

the Caspian Sea monster.

Because they thought
it was a beast.

Because they thought
it was a beast.

A monster they had
never seen before.

But it was beautiful.

During the flight,
it was really beautiful.

[Jim] But the Soviets
wanted something

that could go faster
than the Caspian Sea monster.

And they replaced it
with a craft

they called The Lun,
which was this behemoth

we see on the beach
of the Caspian Sea.

[narrator] In 1987,

The Lun was first put
through its paces.

The Lun was first put
through its paces.

At 240 ft long,

it was almost as big
as a jumbo jet,

and could travel at speeds
of over 310 mph.

The Lun is the most potent
of the ekranoplans.

And of course, it's...
It was impossible

for radar at the time

to detect The Lun
because, again,

it's flying so close
to the surface,

and you've got the use
of advanced missiles.

When NATO commanders got wind

of this craft's development,

they all knew exactly
what it was designed for.

To put it bluntly,
the idea was to destroy

aircraft carriers.
That was it.

[narrator]
To conduct lightning-fast,

seaborne attacks,

the crew of the ekranoplan
needed somewhere

to test its deadly weapons.

Aligadzhi first came here

Aligadzhi first came here

back in the early '80s.

The workshop was in
a relatively good condition.

It had an oak parquet
on the floor,

and machinery was intact.

The roof was still in place,

and the building
still had windows.

[narrator] It was called
the Dagdizel Plant.

When operational, it also
had a military purpose.

In the 1930s,
the Soviets needed a place

to test torpedoes
and the Caspian Sea

was the perfect place
to do this.

But this test facility
had actually been abandoned

by the time the ekranoplan
bomb was being tested.

So it becomes a target
for your ekranoplans

to practice
their missile skills

against potential adversaries.

[narrator] The Lun
was declared a huge success.

And the Soviet military
had big plans

And the Soviet military
had big plans

for their devastating
new weapon of war.

In the West,
the USSR's Cold War enemies

lived in fear.

It was an aircraft carrier
killer.

That's what they saw it as
and they were right.

This was a real threat.

[suspenseful music playing]

[narrator]
Off the coast of Dagestan

is a revolutionary
war machine.

Part boat, part plane,

it had Western powers
running scared

during the Cold War.

This thing
was absolutely enormous

and a single missile or two
could take out

a modern aircraft carrier.

It was a formidable weapon.

It was a formidable weapon.

[narrator] But the ekranoplan

would never be called
into action.

The winds of change
were beginning to blow

and soon the Iron Curtain
would come crashing down.

By the 1980s, the Soviet Union
was on its last legs.

It was spending
every dime it had

trying to keep up with the US

in an arms race,

its economy was falling
farther and farther behind.

[Prof. Wawro]
When the Soviet Union fell

in 1989-90,

Gorbachev basically
cut funding

for the ekranoplans.

And the few
that had been assembled,

were just sort of left behind
his white elephants,

one of them here
in the Caspian Sea.

So it's sort of a heartbreak
in a way

that this experimental,

ambitious, beautiful...

Strangely beautiful craft
was just left

to kind of rot
and fall apart.

[suspenseful music playing]

[narrator]
The abandoned Cold War relic

is soon set to have
a new home

at a military theme park.

Until construction
of the site is finished,

the craft remains stranded

in its coastal grave.

The Ministry of Defense
decided that The Lun

shouldn't be destroyed,

shouldn't be destroyed,

but kept
for future generations

to see what talented
designers and workers

Soviet Union had at the time.

[suspenseful music playing]

[narrator]
In Western Argentina,

on the chilly waters
of Lake Nahuel Huapi,

is an island
of secrets and lies.

[Dr. Nusbacher]
As you approach this island,

[Dr. Nusbacher]
As you approach this island,

it's big.

It's got a lot of tree cover.

And it's right in the middle
of the lake,

so it is comparatively
isolated.

But as you get
onto the island,

you can see that there's a
number of different buildings.

[narrator] There are collapsed
structures,

warehouse-like ruins,
and industrial remains.

Any hint
of their original purpose

long since vanished.

You've got
fairly bare constructs,

You've got
fairly bare constructs,

but things like bolts
in the ground,

there was something
in place there,

but is no longer there now.

[narrator]
This was once the site

of a bold experiment,

one led by a man
that claimed his work

could transform the fortunes
of an entire country.

And there is every indication

that this might be
one of the big brains,

who is going to make
Argentina

even more powerful
in the future.

even more powerful
in the future.

[suspenseful music playing]

[narrator] Fabian Kandel
is a local guide.

He's been bringing visitors
to this mysterious island

for the last 10 years.

When construction
first started in 1949,

outsiders were strictly
forbidden.

As it is an island.

Obviously,
we can only reach it by boats.

Obviously,
we can only reach it by boats.

Because of this,
it was the perfect place

to construct buildings
away from people

who are not welcome.

[narrator] In the late 1940s,

Argentina was a largely
agricultural nation.

President Juan Peron

wanted the country
to industrialize.

At the end
of the Second World War,

he sensed an opportunity

to exploit
the fallen Third Reich.

to exploit
the fallen Third Reich.

Juan Peron tries to get

as many Nazi scientists,

Nazi engineers,
Nazi builders,

to come to Argentina

and help make Argentina
more technologically advanced.

[narrator] In 1948,

Nazi physicist
Dr. Ronald Richter

arrived in the country,

allegedly using
a fake passport

supplied by
the Argentine government.

The President invited
Dr. Richter to Argentina

to potentially talk about
powering planes

with nuclear power

but Dr. Richter
wanted to talk

about something else.

[narrator]
What Richter had in mind

would transform Argentina
into a major superpower.

Everything about it

was really a closely
guarded secret.

[suspenseful music playing]

[narrator]
On an island in Argentina

is a ruin that promised
great power.

The man behind it
was ex-Nazi Scientist,

Dr. Ronald Richter.

Argentinian dictator
Juan Peron

originally invited him
to the country

to build nuclear powered
aircraft.

What Richter was pitching
is far bigger

than a nuclear powered
aircraft.

than a nuclear powered
aircraft.

What Richter was pitching

is the power of the sun
and stars

at the service
of the Argentine government,

hydrogen fusion.

Now nuclear fusion's
the Holy Grail, if you will,

because in principle,

it can generate huge,
vast amounts of power,

and also,
the byproducts of it

are not very radioactive.

[narrator] Nuclear fusion
is the opposite

of nuclear fission,

of nuclear fission,

the destructive power

that fuels the atomic bomb.

Instead of splitting an atom
to create energy,

atoms are smashed together.

The reaction produces
a self-sustaining

limitless source of power

no other country had yet
come close to achieving.

The problem
with nuclear fusion,

in a nutshell,

it's really,
really hard to do.

Richter was trying
essentially

Richter was trying
essentially

to bottle the sun.

[narrator] For Peron,
the risk is worth the reward.

If Richter can produce
hydrogen fusion for Argentina,

then Argentina becomes

the energy capital
of the world

and the industrial
capital of the world.

[narrator]
This is Huemul Island,

the sight of a top
secret nuclear fusion lab

with the potential to alter
the course of history.

with the potential to alter
the course of history.

[Dr. Nusbacher]
Peron offers Richter

a billion Argentine pesos.

And that was a lot of money.

He's effectively
allowing Richter

to spend anything,

unlimited budget virtually.

And it's an interesting fact

that in order to get
nuclear fusion,

you actually need a lot
of energy and a lot of power.

So Richter himself would need
to have a big power station,

So Richter himself would need
to have a big power station,

he would need
to be able to generate

large amounts of power

in order to try and get
the reaction to happen.

[Fabian]
We are now in the place

where energy was produced

for the whole island.

We can still see on the ground

the remains of where engines,
power units,

and reactors once were.

[narrator] Estimates suggest
Richter used

up to 40,000
freight car loads of bricks,

up to 40,000
freight car loads of bricks,

stones, and concrete.

In fact, in Buenos Aires,

they were saying
that the shortage of bricks

had to do with everything
being built here.

[narrator] In two years,

Richter's project
racks up a bill

of almost $300 million.

Peron needs to keep
the news of his investment

in hydrogen fusion
under his hat

in hydrogen fusion
under his hat

because the last thing
Peron wants

is Uncle Sam coming down
into South America

and stopping him.

This is the building

where the nuclear reactor
was installed,

where a success
of the proposal made to Peron

was allegedly
going to happen.

So Richter had built
this reactor,

but for him,
he said the key part of it

but for him,
he said the key part of it

was this thing called
the Thermotron,

which was the thing
that generated

the vast amounts of energy
to cause nuclear fusion.

But Dr. Richter kept
the design of his thermotron

a closely guarded secret.

[narrator] In February 1951,

Richter told Peron
his revolutionary machine

had successfully
demonstrated fusion.

On the 24th of March, 1951,

just two years
after the project started,

just two years
after the project started,

President Peron announced
to the world's media

that Argentina had managed
to achieve nuclear fusion.

[narrator] But not everyone
was convinced

by Peron's bold declaration.

The international
scientific community

is skeptical.

One guy can't do this.

A little economy
can't do this.

A little economy
can't do this.

[narrator] On a remote island
in Argentina,

Austrian Scientist,
Ronald Richter,

claimed to be
the first person

to achieve nuclear fusion.

President Peron
proudly announced

the great feat
to the world's press.

So after the announcement,

clearly reporters
and scientists

really wanted to get
on the island to find out.

But even after a year,

they weren't allowed access.

And Richter had not provided
any evidence

And Richter had not provided
any evidence

for what he'd claimed
he'd done.

And Peron has got to find out
what's going on.

Peron has trusted Richter
implicitly,

and maybe
trusting the old Nazi

was not such a good idea.

A commission formed
the five scientists

and some Argentinian lawmakers

started to investigate
the Huemul Project,

and they realized
that there was nothing,

that everything was a fraud.

[narrator] The failed project
was immediately cancelled,

and the island abandoned.

Richter goes from being
the leading man

in Argentine science
to nobody.

And he was forced to retire
and live the rest of his life

out in Buenos Aires
in disgrace.

Really, his name
was in tatters.

[narrator] Richter's fraud
was a national embarrassment,

and one of the most costly

and one of the most costly

scientific deceptions
in history.

Despite the failure
and the fraud

of the Huemul Project,

it wasn't completely
worthless.

Straight after
the project ended,

all the machinery,

all the cutting edge
equipment,

was moved to what is now

the Bariloche Atomic Centre,

which is a 66-hectare site

with 225 laboratories,

which is today a center
of excellence in Argentina.

[narrator] In the 1970s,

Huemul Island was used
by the Argentinian military

for bombing
and target practice.

That is why we see bullets.

We also see
collapsed buildings

because explosives were used
for their training.

[narrator] Today,
it faces a brighter future.

The island started
to be visited by tourists

and became an attraction.

and became an attraction.

In fact, in 1998,

it was declared
a heritage site

of the city
of San Carlos de Bariloche

under protected area.

[suspenseful music playing]

[narrator]
In Atlanta, Georgia,

hidden from view

are a series
of rundown structures.

You're in a pretty
built up area.

But then there's
this one spot

But then there's
this one spot

that is wooded, overgrown,

kudzu is covering everything.

And in the middle of it,
there's this compound,

ruins really.

[Dr. Alicia]
You can no longer tell

what this was.

But you can clearly see
that it's been empty

for a long period of time.

[narrator] Other structures
have better survived

the ravages of time.

Inside, they offer a glimpse

of what this place once was.

of what this place once was.

The buildings
that are intact are creepy.

You've got
these long corridors.

They're very, very dark.

There's a lot of metal.

You see some doors with bars,

you see something
that suggests

an institutional nature.

[narrator] In the beginning,
this site stood

as a beacon of hope

for the people
that came here.

The authorities
were more than happy

to push this narrative

but the reality
was far different.

but the reality
was far different.

[suspenseful music playing]

[narrator]
Scott Petersen lives nearby

and has been coming
to this location for years.

He became interested
in its history

from a very young age.

This place
is surprisingly well-known

because of its nefarious past.

So many of us
have colorful uncles

So many of us
have colorful uncles

and colorful grandfathers,

and colorful
great, great grandfathers

who shared stories
of what happened here.

[narrator]
Its story begins in 1918,

when Atlanta's
Bureau of Prisons

bought the land.

At one end, they built
a conventional penitentiary.

At this site, they created
a different kind

of correctional facility.

Over many, many years,

Over many, many years,

this overgrown path
was the final walk

many men
walked into this prison.

And they would come slowly
in chains up this walkway.

[narrator]
The convicts soon discovered

this was no ordinary prison.

Noticed
in this great distance,

there's no fences,

there's no walls,

there's no guard towers.

[narrator]
A prison without walls

sounds like a recipe
for disaster.

But this was a unique
experiment

based on liberal ideals.

This prison
was also a working farm.

Prisoners were expected
to tends pigs

and the chickens,
and the dairy cattle,

and to work
in the fields raising crops.

[narrator] The people
in charge of the prisoners

were not normal
prison guards.

They were agricultural
experts

They were agricultural
experts

armed with farm tools,
not guns.

So there's not only the hope
to rehabilitate prisoners

to help them learn to trade,

there's also the sense
of having them not holed up

in dark cells,

that might lessen
the possibility

of becoming institutionalized.

[narrator] This is the old
Atlanta Prison Farm.

When it first opened,

it also went
by a different name,

it also went
by a different name,

one that reflected
the principles

on which it was founded.

[Jim] This prison was known
as an Honor Farm.

It was intended for convicts

who were convicted
of relatively minor crimes.

And the idea was

that this was an honor
for them

to be able to serve
their time

in a place where they had
relative freedom

and not be under the thumb
of guards

and very, very heavy security.

[narrator] Even
the dormitories were clean

and far from overcrowded.

The idea was they could
reward positive behavior

on the part of the inmates

through these good conditions.

And the inmates knew
that if they screwed up,

they might get sent
somewhere else

and endure much harsher
treatment.

By the 1930s,
this farm was producing

enough milk and vegetables
to be self-sustaining.

It was able to provide
for itself

and the penitentiary nearby.

[narrator]
Escape attempts were rare,

and the innovative program
appeared to be working.

[Dr. Alicia] This prison
was regarded as a success.

It was seen as a modern

kind of humane way
to rehabilitate,

and it was seen as something
that was really progressive.

[narrator] But the prison
farms days of reform

didn't last.

A change was coming

that would usher
in an era of brutality.

that would usher
in an era of brutality.

The true story
of this prison farm

is much darker.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Narrator]
The old Atlanta Prison Farm

was built on the ideals
of reform and rehabilitation.

In the mid-1960s,

ownership of the site
changed hands.

The federal government
sold the Honor Farm,

the city of Atlanta

and other
governmental entities

and a different era came in,

an era of chain gang,

an era of chain gang,

an era of brutal retaliation,

corporal punishment,
even death by working.

The reality was that
most of the inmates here

were black Americans,

and many of them
were housed in cell blocks

that were segregated
across racial lines.

[narrator] Segregation
was officially ended

by the Civil Rights Act
of 1964.

Inside these walls,

Inside these walls,

the inhumane practice
continued.

The Honorable experiment
was over.

Much of what had been unique
about the prison had gone

and people started
being treated

more like regular prisoners.

The prisoners come in
and they are signed up

and they're brought over
to this area here

through this sliding door.

This is one of the first
gates of hell

This is one of the first
gates of hell

that they would experience.

[foreboding music playing]

They spent hours
and hours and hours

in these holding cells.

It's kind of a sad
feeling here.

Even though it's been abused
and neglected

for many years
and lots of graffiti,

you can still feel

the angst of the men
that were here.

Not only
were a disproportionate

Not only
were a disproportionate

number of prisoners
by the 1960s black,

not only
was their segregation,

but you have such crowding
for black inmates

where they might not
even be sleeping in bunks,

they might be sleeping
on floors.

Some reported sleeping
on bits of cloth

that were soaked in urine.

[narrator]
In the 1970s and '80s,

there were attempts
to address

the shameful conditions,

but its days as a prison farm
were numbered.

but its days as a prison farm
were numbered.

It seems like this place
went through

several different
superintendents

who all had
positive intentions,

but for one reason
or another,

this never really came
to fruition.

And ultimately, by 1995,

this place was abandoned

and it's been falling apart
ever since.

In some areas you could say
they had success,

it was seen as a model
at times

for a more enlightened way
to run a prison.

for a more enlightened way
to run a prison.

Sadly, it also reflected
the commonplace treatment

of black prisoners
in the south

that was especially
oppressive,

especially difficult.

[dramatic music playing]

[narrator]
Today, the once fertile land

has become an illegal
dumping ground,

brimming with toxic waste.

Scott Petersen is fighting
to save it.

Scott Petersen is fighting
to save it.

The future
of the Atlanta Prison Farm

is still up for debate.

The history points us
in the direction

of recycling
this beautiful old farm

for maximum benefit
to the neighbors

and to the people of Atlanta.

[intense music playing]

[narrator] Concealed
in the Cambodian jungle,

light traces of a lost world.

As you move through
the thick trees of the jungle,

you suddenly realize that
there is something else here.

It's not hidden.
It's not camouflage.

It's actually
being taken back

over by the jungle.

over by the jungle.

[narrator] Exploring deeper,

there is a distinct feeling

you are being watched.

All you see is these eyes

peering out
from behind the leaves.

We know that this place
held stores of gold

and silk and precious gems.

And you really feel like
you're in an Indiana Jones

or a Tomb Raider movie.

[narrator] The snaking routes
and passage of time

[narrator] The snaking routes
and passage of time

have brought decay,

but there are indications

that someone else
has scoured this site.

Who or what
were they searching for?

[intense music playing]

[narrator] Mr. Sokrithy Im
is an archaeologist

who has spent decades

uncovering the secrets
of this place.

[narrator] This is Ta Prohm.

It was part of
the ancient city of Angkor,

the capital of the vast
Khmer civilization.

The Khmer Empire
was at its height

in Southeast Asia

between the 11th
and 13th centuries.

And their kings
ruled over much

of what is today
Laos, Cambodia,

Thailand, and Vietnam.

[narrator]
Ta Prohm was a focal point

for many of this ancient
cities people.

It was in effect
at the heart of a city block

of the Khmer capital.

We know that over
12,500 people

were living here,

but it also took
some 80,000 people

but it also took
some 80,000 people

in the neighboring
villages and towns

to ensure
that the people here

have adequate supplies.

[narrator] And it held a share
of the Khmer Empire's

enormous wealth.

It once held over 1,000 lbs
of gold plate,

35 diamonds,
tens of thousands of pearls,

and a host
of other luxurious goods.

[narrator]
Ta Prohm was commissioned

[narrator]
Ta Prohm was commissioned

by a great king
called Jayavarman VII.

Before a single stone
could be laid here,

he had to come out of exile

and rid the empire
of occupiers

who had deposed his father.

Jayavarman was probably
in his 50s

when he assembled an army

and overthrew the invaders.

He found the city
in complete disrepair,

but through skill
and diligence,

but through skill
and diligence,

he became one of the most
powerful of the Khmer kings.

[narrator]
Completed in 1186 A.D.,

Ta Prohm was part
of Jayavarman's new vision

for his subjects,

yet the very thing
that drove him

would soon bring
great destruction.

[suspenseful music playing]

[narrator] Ta Prohm, Cambodia,

once a key part of Angkor,

the ancient capital
of the Khmer Empire.

Though, there is something
that marks out Ta Prohm

as different.

When you take a look
at the carvings

that you can find
around this structure,

they represent iconic moments
from the Buddhist tradition.

But the vast majority
of the buildings

But the vast majority
of the buildings

at the Angkor Wat complex

are dedicated
to Hindu principles.

So what can account
for that discrepancy?

[narrator]
Warrior King, Jayavarman VII,

built Ta Prohm
after he reclaimed

his father's throne.

During his time in exile,

he not only built an army,

but also strengthened
his faith

in Mahayana Buddhism.

in Mahayana Buddhism.

Ta Prohm was the ultimate
expression of his faith.

Mahayana Buddhism is one
of the two great traditions

in Buddhist thought.

At the core
of Mahayana Buddhism

is an ideal

that we should all try
to reach

to live a life free of desire,

free of attachment
to material things.

Throughout this site,
there are over

Throughout this site,
there are over

260 statues to gods

where people can leave
offerings

of flowers and gifts.

Even the layout of this site
is an embodiment

of the beliefs
of the Mahayanan Buddhists.

The different enclosures

represent different levels
of enlightenment.

[narrator] Yet Ta Prohm
was more than just a temple.

[narrator] The King's faith
drove him to affect

real change in the lives
of his subjects.

His beliefs
in Mahayana Buddhism meant

that he was deeply invested

in reducing
the suffering of his people.

He felt the pain of his people
more deeply.

He felt it
on a spiritual level.

[narrator] One structure here
shows the lengths he would go

to put his beliefs
into practice.

There were places where
the travelers could cook,

There were places where
the travelers could cook,

shelter, feed their animals,

sleep, pray,

and they were open
to everybody.

[narrator] Although
many of these structures

have since been lost to time,

Ta Prohm was at the center

of another kind of network.

[Sokrithy Im speaking]

[Sascha] He built
over a hundred hospitals

across the breadth
of his empire,

and these were fairly
complex institutions.

They would have included
managers, drug combiners,

drug distributors,
water boilers.

It was almost like
an early form

of universal health care.

[narrator] But the scarred
walls at Ta Prohm

[narrator] But the scarred
walls at Ta Prohm

suggest there was a more
immediate threat

to his benevolent vision.

You would expect there
to be more Buddhists relics

and engravings,

but there are
surprisingly few.

It's almost as if

they've been disappeared
on purpose.

[Sokrithy Im speaking]

[narrator] Soon after
Jayavarman VII's death,

a namesake seized his throne.

Jayavarman VIII was a Hindu

and a fervent anti-Buddhist

so he's going to destroy
or alter

so he's going to destroy
or alter

a lot of the older carvings.

[narrator] After the death
of its Buddhist king,

the Khmer Empire entered
a terminal decline.

But the exact reasons

why Angkor and Ta Prohm
were abandoned

still remain a mystery.

Some had suggested
that it was climate.

Others have thought
that it might have been famine

or even pandemic,

but whatever happened,
people left

but whatever happened,
people left

and the site gradually
was reclaimed by the jungle.

[suspenseful music playing]

[narrator] Today,
Ta Prohm is a popular stop

for millions of tourists

who visit the remains
of Angkor each year.

Its fame is thanks
to a surprising

turn of events.

This place made be headlines
when it was used as a setting

for the Angelina Jolie
Tomb Raider film,

for the Angelina Jolie
Tomb Raider film,

but that fame comes at a cost

and as the years go on
and more tourists arrive,

it becomes harder and harder
to preserve

the delicate beauty
of this place.

[suspenseful music playing]