Original subtitles

.

ANNOUNCER: WHEN YOU SEE THIS SYMBOL YOU KNOW YOU'RE

WATCHING TELEVISION THAT'S EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATIONAL.THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

DYLAN: I'M DYLAN DREYER; TODAY WE'RE ON A JOURNEY

ACROSS THE SANDS OF TIME THROUGH THE MYSTERIOUS AND

ANCIENT LAND OF ARABIA.

WE'LL EXPLORE THE RICH CULTURE AND PROUD

TRADITIONS OF THE ARAB PEOPLE.

AND UNCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE FIRST GREAT ARABIAN

SOCIETIES.

WE'LL LEARN ABOUT THE HISTORIC GOLDEN AGE OF

SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY.

AND SEE HOW MODERN LIFE IS TRANSFORMING THE ANCIENT

DESERT.

AND WE'LL VISIT SOME OF OUR WORLD'S MOST PRECIOUS

PLACES WHERE MILLIONS COME TO MEET THE DIVINE.

♪ INTRO MUSIC ♪

DYLAN: SURROUNDED BY THE ARABIAN SEA,

THE RED SEA AND THE PERSIAN GULF,

THE ARABIAN PENINSULA IS THE LARGEST PENINSULA IN

THE WORLD.

PEOPLE HAVE LIVED ON THIS DRY,

BARREN LAND FOR MORE THAN 100,000

YEARS, CREATING RICH CULTURE,

POWERFUL RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS AND EVEN

DEVELOPING ALGEBRA.

ONLY 100 YEARS AGO MOST PEOPLE IN ARABIA LIVED IN

TENTS OR HOUSES MADE OF MUD AND STONE.

TODAY THE REGION IS HOME TO MEGA CITIES,

BOOMING ECONOMIES AND VAST OIL RESERVES THAT HELP

POWER THE GLOBE.

OVER THE LAST 2,000 YEARS THIS DESERT REALM HAS

SPARKED TWO ERAS OF ENLIGHTENMENT.

WHO WOULD EVER THINK THAT THE SEEDS OF KNOWLEDGE

COULD SPROUT HERE AND GROW.

ONLY 100 YEARS AGO MOST PEOPLE IN ARABIA LIVED IN

TENTS OR IN HOUSES OF CORAL ROCK OR MUD.

BUT IN A MATTER OF DECADES ALL THAT CHANGED.

SAUDI ARABIA IS NOW A NATION OF SOME 30 MILLION

PEOPLE.

THE CAPITAL CITY OF RIYADH AND THE HOLY CITY OF MECCA

HAVE BEEN TRANSFORMED.

A MODERN DISTRICT HAS GROWN UP AROUND THE GRAND

MOSQUE.

FIVE TIMES EACH DAY MUSLIMS AROUND THE WORLD

TURN TOWARD MECCA TO PRAY.

AND IN THE BUSY COASTAL CITY OF JEDDAH EDUCATIONAL

HORIZONS ARE WIDENING.

HAMZAH IS ONE OF 80,000 SAUDI ARABIANS STUDYING

ABROAD.

HE'S A FILM STUDENT AT DEPAUL UNIVERSITY IN

CHICAGO.

TODAY HE'S VISITING HIS FAMILY BACK HOME.

HAMZAH IS INTERESTED IN EXPLORING THE TRADITIONS,

CULTURE AND GLORIOUS PAST OF HIS PEOPLE AND HE'S

DECIDED THE BEST WAY TO DO THAT IS TO MAKE A MOVIE.

HAMZAH: AS MY MOM SAYS, WE'RE NOT PERFECT.

BUT WE HAVE HAD A GLORIOUS PAST AND I CAN'T WAIT TO

TRAVEL AROUND THE COUNTRY AND MAKE A FILM ABOUT WHO

WE ARE AND HOW WE GOT HERE.

DYLAN: HIS FIRST STOP WAS THE OLD SECTION OF HIS

HOMETOWN, JEDDAH.

THE HOUSES HERE HAVEN'T CHANGED MUCH SINCE HAMZAH

WAS A KID, BUT THE CULTURE HAS.

HAMZAH: IT'S AMAZING; ALL MY COUNTRY IS PROGRESSING

SO QUICKLY.

LIKE MANY OTHER RELIGIONS AND CULTURES,

WE'RE TRYING TO BALANCE THE OLD AND THE NEW;

TRADITION AND PROGRESS.

IT'S IMPORTANT TO MAINTAIN THE OLD VALUES AND I'D

LIKE TO CAPTURE SOME OF THAT BALANCE ON VIDEO.

THE FREEDOM TO CHANGE IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO MY

GENERATION.

DYLAN: THE ARABIAN PENINSULA IS HOME TO MANY

DIVERSE ECOLOGICAL REGIONS.

THERE ARE MOUNTAINS, VALLEYS,

VOLCANOES AND OF COURSE THE DESERT WHERE HAMZAH

WANTS TO DOCUMENT A VANISHING WAY OF LIFE.

HAMZAH: JUST LIKE THE AMERICAN COWBOY,

THE BEDOUIN IS A CULTURAL HERO.

[MEN SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE]

DYLAN: TO SURVIVE OUT HERE THE BEDOUIN HAD TO

LIVE BY A STRICT CODE OF HONOR BASED ON FIERCE

FAMILY LOYALTY, BRAVERY AND TRUST.

A TRUE BEDOUIN KEPT HIS WORD AND PASSED THE VALUE

OF HIS CULTURE DOWN TO HIS CHILDREN.

BEDOUINS SAY CAMELS ARE SWEET-NATURED UNLESS THEY

DON'T WANT TO BE.

CAMELS ARE PERFECTLY EVOLVED FOR THE DESERT.

THEY HAVE AN EXTRA ROW OF LASHES FOR PROTECTION JUST

LIKE SUNGLASSES AND A THIRD EYELID THAT WORKS

LIKE A WINDSHIELD WIPER.

25 MILLION YEARS AGO WHEN THE RED SEA FORMED IT

TRAPPED ANIMALS THAT WERE ORIGINALLY AFRICAN.

AS LUSH VEGETATION VANISHED AND ARABIA TURNED

TO DESERT, ANIMALS ADAPTED.

HAMZAH WENT LOOKING FOR MORE CLUES TO HIS CULTURAL

PAST UNDERWATER.

LONG AGO WOODEN SHIPS CARRIED ALL KINDS OF GOODS

ACROSS THE SACRED WATERWAYS OF ARABIA.

THE SHALLOW REEF CLAIMED MANY VESSELS.

ARCHEOLOGISTS ARE CONTINUING TO FIND

UNDAMAGED ARTIFACTS LIKE THIS ANCIENT AMPHORA;

A TALL GREEK JAR WITH TWO HANDLES AND A NARROW NECK.

THE OLD POTTERY FRAGMENTS LED HAMZAH TO A

CIVILIZATION THAT WAS COMPLETELY NEW TO HIM.

AFTER A LITTLE RESEARCH HAMZAH CONTACTED ONE OF

THE LEADING ARCHEOLOGISTS IN ARABIA,

DR. DAIFALLAH AL-TALHI.

DR. AL-TALHI COULDN'T DATE HAMZAH'S POTTERY FRAGMENT,

BUT HE DID SOMETHING BETTER;

HE TOOK HAMZAH TO HIS RESEARCH SITE IN THE

DESERT.

ARCHEOLOGISTS HAVE DISCOVERED MANY EXAMPLES

OF GRAFFITI AND INSCRIPTIONS WRITTEN ON

THE ROCKS AND WALLS OF ANCIENT ARABIAN RUINS THAT

SUGGEST WIDESPREAD LITERACY AND EDUCATION.

BUT THERE ARE OTHER MUCH MORE IMPRESSIVE EXAMPLES

OF EARLY ARABIAN CULTURE THAT HAVE BEEN CARVED INTO

SOLID ROCK AS WELL.

COMING UP NEXT, WE'LL VISIT THE BREATHTAKING

CITIES OF PETRA AND MADA'IN SALEH,

AND LEARN HOW THESE SOCIETIES BECAME THE ENVY

OF THE WORLD.

AND LATER, WE'LL MEET THE PEOPLE WHO ARE WORKING TO

CHANGE ARABIAN CULTURE AND HELP BRING ANCIENT

TRADITIONS INTO THE MODERN WORLD.

DON'T GO AWAY, JOURNEY WILL BE RIGHT BACK.

ANNOUNCER: WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

.

ANNOUNCER: WE NOW RETURN TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

♪ BREAK MUSIC ♪

DYLAN: WELCOME BACK TO JOURNEY,

I'M DYLAN DREYER.

THIS IS THE TREASURY BUILDING IN THE ANCIENT

CITY OF PETRA.

CARVED INTO THE FACE OF SOLID SANDSTONE,

THIS MAGNIFICENT TEMPLE WAS CONSTRUCTED 2,000

YEARS AGO BY THE ANCIENT NABATEANS.

THE CITY OF PETRA IS ENCLOSED BY TOWERING ROCK

CLIFFS CREATING A NATURAL FORTRESS IN THE DESERT AND

PROTECTING THE CITY THROUGH COUNTLESS WARS

OVER THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

ARCHEOLOGISTS AND HISTORIANS ARE BEGINNING

TO UNRAVEL SECRETS OF THE FORGOTTEN PEOPLE WHO BUILT

ONE OF THE ANCIENT WONDERS OF THE WORLD.

THE NABATEANS CREATED THE FIRST ARABIAN GOLDEN AGE

2,000 YEARS AGO.

AL-TALHI: THE SOURCE OF THE NABATEANS' FABULOUS

WEALTH SEEMS UNLIKELY; THEIR HUGE FORTUNES

LITERALLY GREW ON TREES, BOSWELLIA TREES.

THE BARK OOZES THE SAP NEEDED TO MAKE PRECIOUS

FRANKINCENSE, THE SAME FRANKINCENSE MENTIONED IN

THE BIBLE.

THE NABATEAN TRADERS STARTED AT THE SOUTHERN

TIP OF THE ARABIAN PENINSULA AND CARRIED

FRANKINCENSE NORTH.

FROM THERE THE FRANKINCENSE WAS SHIPPED

TO CITIES THROUGHOUT THE VAST ROMAN EMPIRE.

AT THAT TIME THE ROMANS WORSHIPPED OVER A DOZEN

GODS IN THOUSANDS OF TEMPLES,

EACH PERFUMED WITH PRECIOUS FRANKINCENSE,

UP TO 3,000 TONS A YEAR; AND THE NABATEANS

CONTROLLED EVERY OUNCE.

FRANKINCENSE MADE THIS ONE OF THE RICHEST KINGDOMS ON

EARTH.

BUT WHEN THE ROMANS ADOPTED CHRISTIANITY AND

WORSHIPPED ONLY ONE GOD THEY NO LONGER NEEDED

TEMPLES FOR 12 GODS.

THE DEMAND FOR FRANKINCENSE COLLAPSED AND

SO DID THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE NABATEANS.

DYLAN: THE NABATEANS' GOLDEN AGE COULD NOT HAVE

HAPPENED WITHOUT THE FREE FLOW OF IDEAS.

BUT AFTER CENTURIES OF DECLINE ARABIA WAS ABOUT

TO BE REAWAKENED BY SOMETHING POWERFUL;

THE DIVINE REVELATIONS OF PROFIT MOHAMMED WHO

INSPIRED THE WHOLE REGION WITH A THIRST FOR

KNOWLEDGE.

MOHAMMED WAS BORN IN MECCA AROUND THE YEAR 570,

BUT HE LIVED MUCH OF HIS LIFE HERE IN THE CITY OF

MEDINA.

THE MAIN MOSQUE IN MEDINA IS HUGE,

384,000 SQUARE METERS.

THE QURAN IS THE HOLIEST BOOK IF ISLAM.

THE QURAN URGES FOLLOWERS TO READ AND GATHER

KNOWLEDGE.

THIS SIMPLE INSTRUCTION TO UNDERSTAND THE WORLD HAD A

HUGE IMPACT AND LED TO A SECOND GOLDEN AGE.

THE TRIBES WERE UNIFIED BY THEIR BELIEF IN ONE GOD.

THEY CONQUERED MORE TERRITORY THAN THE ROMANS

IN ABOUT HALF THE TIME.

WHILE MUCH OF EUROPE LAPSED INTO ITS DARK AGE,

ISLAMIC SCHOLARS TRANSLATED THE WORKS OF

THE ANCIENT GREEKS AND HINDUS.

THE FIRST SEED OF THE GOLDEN AGE WAS SEWN ON

ARABIAN SOIL.

BY WEAVING TOGETHER MANY IDEAS,

ISLAMIC SCHOLARS CAME UP WITH ALGEBRA.

THE FOUNDATION OF SCIENCE WAS STRENGTHENED WHEN IBN

AL-HAYTHAM CAME ALONG.

HIS THEORIES OF GRAVITY AND MOMENTUM PRECEDED

ISAAC NEWTON'S WORK BY 700 YEARS.

IN OVER 200 BOOKS HE REVOLUTIONIZED PHYSICS AND

OPTICS.

IBN AL-HAYTHAM BUILT ONE OF THE FIRST CAMERA

OBSCURAS.

HE WAS THE FIRST TO EXPLAIN HOW THE EYE SEES,

AND HIS PIONEERING WORK IN OPTICS LED TO TELESCOPES

AND CAMERAS.

THESE SCHOLARS HELPED UNDERSTAND CHEMISTRY,

CALCULATED THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE EARTH

WITH GREAT PRECISION, AND IGNITED THE EUROPEAN

RENAISSANCE CENTURIES LATER.

THERE HAS NEVER BEEN ANYTHING QUITE LIKE THIS

GOLDEN AGE OF ISLAM WHICH LIT UP THREE CONTINENTS

FOR 800 YEARS AND CHANGED OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE

WORLD.

DON'T GO AWAY, JOURNEY WILL BE RIGHT BACK.

NOUNCER: WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

.

ANNOUNCER: WE NOW RETURN TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

♪ BREAK MUSIC ♪

DYLAN: THE MODERN DAY KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1932 BY KING ABDULAZIZ.

SOON AFTER IN 1938 AMERICAN GEOLOGISTS

DISCOVERED LARGE OIL RESERVES UNDER THE GROUND,

ABOUT ONE-FIFTH OF ALL OIL RESERVES ON EARTH.

PRESIDENT FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT MADE A FAMOUS

VISIT TO MEET THE KING IN 1945,

LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR AN ALLIANCE BETWEEN THE

TWO COUNTRIES THAT HAS SURVIVED TO THIS DAY.

AFTER THE ISLAMIC GOLDEN AGE OF SCIENCE AND

DISCOVERY BETWEEN THE 8TH AND 13TH CENTURIES,

INVADING ARMIES AND DWINDLING TRADE CHIPPED

AWAY AT THE NEW EMPIRE.

BY THE 1900'S ARABIA WAS A PATCHWORK OF QUARRELING

TRIBES.

BUT ONE MAN CHANGED ALL THAT;

HIS NAME WAS ABDULAZIZ IBN SAUD.

WITH A SKILLFUL BLEND OF FORCE AND DIPLOMACY,

ABDULAZIZ UNITED ALL THE TOWNS AND TRIBAL LANDS AND

CREATED THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA,

NAMED FOR HIS OWN FAMILY.

NEAR RIYADH YOU CAN VISIT THE KING'S ANCESTRAL

VILLAGE AS IT IS BEING RESTORED.

IN RIYADH THE OLD WAYS ARE GETTING INCREASINGLY

COMFORTABLE WITH THE NEW.

EDUCATION IS A SOURCE OF HOPE FOR MANY SAUDI WOMEN

LIKE THE CELEBRATED POET NIMAH NAWWAB.

NIMAH: POETRY HERE HARKENS BACK TO OUR DEEP-ROOTED

ORAL TRADITIONS.

BECAUSE BEDOUINS MOVED FROM GRAZING AREA TO

GRAZING AREA THEY COULDN'T CARRY BOOKS WITH THEM.

SO OUR STORIES AND HISTORY WERE MEMORIZED AND OFTEN

TOLD THROUGH POETRY.

DYLAN: NIMAH LOVES HORSES, THEY INSPIRE HER TO WRITE,

AND THE ARABIAN HORSE IS ONE OF THE OLDEST BREEDS

ON EARTH.

♪ ARABIAN MUSIC ♪

NIMAH: WITH THEIR SMALL NOSES AND ARCHING TAILS,

THEY'RE MAGNIFICENT CREATURES.

♪ MUSIC CONTINUES ♪

DYLAN: LATELY THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF PROGRESS

TOWARD A MORE EGALITARIAN SOCIETY;

YET WOMEN STILL DON'T HAVE THE SAME OPPORTUNITIES.

NIMAH: WE FOLLOW STRICT CODE OF CONDUCT,

ESPECIALLY IN PUBLIC WHEN WE ARE EXPECTED TO CONVEY

OUR MODESTY BY WEARING AN OUTER CLOAK KNOWN AS

THE ABAYAS.

BUT WE HAVE MORE SERIOUS AND VITAL ISSUES TO

ADDRESS.

DYLAN: UNTIL ONLY RECENTLY WOMEN WERE NOT ALLOWED TO

STUDY AND TRAVEL WITHOUT GAINING MALE CONSENT.

THIS IS A STRUGGLE FOR THE SOUL OF THE SAUDI ARABIAN

COUNTRY AND FOR THE SOUL OF THE ISLAMIC RELIGION.

HOPEFULLY WITH CIVIC ACTION AND EDUCATION MEN

AND WOMEN WILL ONE DAY ENJOY FULL AND EQUAL

RIGHTS.

FOR SOME WOMEN LIKE NIMAH THAT CHANGE CANNOT COME

SOON ENOUGH.

STAY TUNED, JOURNEY WILL BE RIGHT BACK.

ANNOUNCER: WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

.

ANNOUNCER: WE NOW RETURN TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

♪ BREAK MUSIC ♪

DYLAN: THE ARAB CITY OF MECCA IS THE BIRTHPLACE OF

THE PROPHET MOHAMMED AND IT'S CONSIDERED THE MOST

HOLY SITE IN THE RELIGION OF ISLAM.

THE HOLY BOOK OF ISLAM, THE QURAN,

REQUIRES ALL ABLE-BODIED MUSLIMS TO VISIT MECCA AT

LEAST ONCE IN THEIR LIVES.

THIS CITY OF 2 MILLION PEOPLE TRIPLES IN SIZE

EVERY YEAR DURING THE HOLY MONTH OF PILGRIMAGE.

NEAR THE CITY OF MECCA THIS HUGE TENT CITY OFFERS

HOSPITALITY TO PILGRIMS FROM 160 NATIONS.

FOR 3 DAYS MILLIONS OF PEOPLE CONVERGE HERE TO

REAFFIRM THEIR FAITH AND PARTICIPATE IN THE HOLY

RITE KNOWN AS THE HAJJ.

THE QURAN STATES THAT AT LEAST ONE TIME IN THEIR

LIVES ALL MUSLIMS SHOULD TRY TO PERFORM THE HAJJ.

IT'S THE LARGEST ANNUAL GATHERING OF PEOPLE IN THE

WORLD.

OVER A BILLION PEOPLE ALL ACROSS THE WORLD TURN TO

FACE THIS SPOT 5 TIMES A DAY WHEN THEY PRAY.

HERE WHERE THE TEMPERATURES SOMETIMES

SOAR ABOVE 120 DEGREES, SHADE CAN FEEL DIVINE.

FOR MUSLIMS THE KA'BAH, OR THE CUBE,

IS THE HOLY MAGNET; THE VERY FIRST HOUSE OF GOD.

MUSLIMS BELIEVE WHEN THEY WALK AROUND THE KA'BAH 7

TIMES THEY BECOME ONE WITH ALL OTHER HUMAN BEINGS

AROUND THEM.

IT IS A TIME TO CAST AWAY ALL WORLDLY THOUGHTS,

BE AT PEACE AND PRAY.

[ARAB SINGING AND SOUNDS OF PEOPLE]

[ARAB SINGING AND SOUNDS OF PEOPLE]

DYLAN: SURROUNDED BY DESERT,

THE CORALS OF THE RED SEA HAVE HAD TO ADAPT TO

SURVIVE; JUST LIKE THE PEOPLE OF ARABIA.

IT'S MUCH TOO SOON TO SAY IF A THIRD GOLDEN AGE

COULD BE HAPPENING HERE.

THE RECENT OPENING OF THE NEW UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE

AND TECHNOLOGY IS JUST A FIRST STEP,

BUT MORE MAJOR RESEARCH CENTERS ARE COMING ONLINE.

WHOLE COMMUNITIES DEVOTED ENTIRELY TO LEARNING AND

THE EXPLORATION OF IDEAS.

LIKE THE ENDLESS DESERT SAND DUNES,

THE WINDS OF TIME ARE RESHAPING THIS ANCIENT

LAND.

14 CENTURIES AGO THE PROPHET MOHAMMED SAID

"WHOEVER GOES OUT IN SEARCH OF KNOWLEDGE IS ON

THE PATH OF GOD." HOPEFULLY THOSE WORDS WILL

INSPIRE PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD TO KEEP LEARNING,

GROWING AND EDUCATING THEMSELVES ABOUT THE

AMAZING WORLD WE ALL SHARE.

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED OUR JOURNEY THROUGH ARABIA.

UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN, SAFE TRAVELS.

♪ MUSIC CREDITS ♪

♪ MUSIC CREDITS ♪