Original subtitles

Narrator: A region littered with ruins,

Home to An extraordinary deception.

Spies behind enemy lines, Danger, espionage, warfare.

Could almost be the pitch For a hollywood blockbuster.

Narrator: the grand remnants Of a mystical city of stone.

Woman: it was kind of like An amazon warehouse,

Where it's collecting, Distributing, producing,

Where it's collecting, Distributing, producing,

And then exporting All over the globe.

*

Narrator: and a secret complex Built to serve a brutal regime.

The guesthouse was actually A smokescreen

For its real purpose.

Narrator: decaying relics.

Ruins of lost worlds.

Ruins of lost worlds.

Sites haunted by the past.

Their secrets Waiting to be revealed.

-- captions by vitac -- Www.Vitac.Com

Captions paid for by Discovery communications

The golan heights, A politically explosive region

Strewn with the remains Of warfare.

Strewn with the remains Of warfare.

Janulis: there's military Vehicles littering the area.

There's minefield Warning signs everywhere.

This is a military zone.

Nusbacher: This is the flashpoint,

The center of conflict,

Which over and over again

Has resulted in tremendous Violence on a vast scale.

Has resulted in tremendous Violence on a vast scale.

Narrator: at its heart, A battle-scarred ruin.

Meigs: it looks a little bit Perhaps like a parking garage

Or some kind of office building,

But all the windows Are blown out

Janulis: and it was clearly hit By something pretty powerful.

There's a hole that goes From the roof

All the way to the basement.

Narrator: But before destruction

Rained down On these defaced walls,

It was the site Of an astonishing deception.

Meigs: through these halls Walked a man

Whose ability to pretend To be what he wasn't.

Whose ability to pretend To be what he wasn't.

His ability To be trusted and get sensitive

Secret information Was unparalleled,

And he just might have changed The course of history.

Narrator: damascus, syria. May 18, 1965.

10,000 onlookers crowd The martyrs' square,

Where a lone man Hangs from a noose.

Where a lone man Hangs from a noose.

Nusbacher: they trusted him,

They promoted him In the government,

They almost made him Defense minister of syria.

And in order to expunge That shame,

They don't just decide To kill him.

They sentence him to death, And they hang him publicly.

Narrator: this man's journey To the gallows

Is inextricably linked To this collection of ruins

Less than 40 miles From damascus.

Less than 40 miles From damascus.

Today, the golan heights Are occupied by israel,

But this structure's Distinctive style

Suggests an outside influence.

Janulis: you can tell By the brutalist architecture

That there was a heavy soviet Influence on its design.

This site was built in the 1950s

With the help of russian Engineers and russian materials.

Narrator: but the soviet union Was no ally of israel.

In the 1950s, this terrain was Controlled by syria

In the 1950s, this terrain was Controlled by syria

And it was heavily fortified.

Narrator: access in and out Of the golan heights

Was strictly controlled by The syrian military and police.

Nusbacher: it was a frontline Province in a frontline state,

And syria confronted israel Actively.

Narrator: this is the former Syrian military headquarters.

*

*

Ilan schulman is A retired israeli paratrooper

And an expert on the history Of this troubled region.

Shulman: so first of all, We're standing,

And it's quite unbelievable,

But this was the main office Of the commander

That was in charge on the syrian Forces in the golan front,

The southern front.

Meigs: the headquarters Was the center

Of military operations In the golan heights

Of military operations In the golan heights

And the center of intelligence.

Narrator: but this structure Would soon be drawn into war.

Shulman: so, in the entrance Of the headquarters,

And we see here An entrance of a bomb

That managed To penetrate the roof,

The floor, And got all the way down here

To the lobby Of the headquarters.

Narrator: The root cause of this damage

Can be found A short distance away

In the shattered remains of A syrian border fortification.

In the shattered remains of A syrian border fortification.

Shulman: So we're here in tel faher

In the biggest syrian bunker In the golan heights.

It's a net of bunkers and Trenches and firing positions

And barbed wires and minefields.

The irony is that every soldier That was stationed here,

For him, this was The syrian defense line.

But from The israeli perspective,

Things looked very different.

Narrator: attacks on The israeli settlements

Below tel faher were common.

And although the israeli defense Forces responded in kind,

The syrians had One key advantage.

Janulis: It's an elevated position.

It looks out Over the sea of galilee

And, importantly, israel.

The tactical advantages of This location are very obvious.

Shulman: so this was The firing positions,

One of many that were around The main bunker.

One of many that were around The main bunker.

And the machine gun Was right over here.

And you can see that those guys, Doesn't matter what you do,

You eventually being A sitting duck.

Narrator: with tensions At an all-time high,

In october 1962 A visitor arrived

At the military headquarters.

Meigs: in the early '60s,

A man shows up in damascus by The name of kamal amin thabet.

He was a syrian who had been Living in argentina.

He was a syrian who had been Living in argentina.

Now he had moved to damascus To try to set up businesses

In his home country.

Narrator: With an extraordinary rise

Through the syrian Political establishment,

He was soon in a position Of great power.

He becomes The transport minister of syria,

He becomes deputy Defense minister of syria,

And he is implicitly trusted By the syrian regime.

And he is implicitly trusted By the syrian regime.

Janulis: His initial story was he wanted

To visit the fresh Mountain springs in the golan,

But because he was friends

With so many high-level Military officials,

The officials on the ground

Thought they could maybe earn A few brownie points

By showing him around and Treating him like a big shot.

Narrator: but this man was not Who he appeared to be.

Janulis: well, kamal amin Was really eli cohen,

A mossad intelligence agent.

Narrator: sent by mossad,

Israel's foreign Intelligence service,

He was a spy Deep behind enemy lines.

Meigs: before being given The grand tour

Of the military installations,

Cohen had to sign in At the headquarters.

Shulman: the amazing part was That eli cohen was here.

He managed to get to the Headquarters of the syrian army.

He managed to get to the Headquarters of the syrian army.

He was in this structure When each of those rooms

There was a commander, There was an officer,

There was An intelligence officer

Gathering information About israel.

Narrator: cohen had almost Unimaginable access

To the golan heights And its military secrets.

Meigs: cohen was able to observe Various installations,

Different listening posts, Where the trenches were,

Where the artillery guns Were located.

Where the artillery guns Were located.

Nusbacher: eli cohen is going Out to places like tel faher

On the golan heights,

And he's saying, "Hey, All the soldiers, come here.

Pose with The deputy defense minister."

And he comes away with pictures Of all the fortifications

On the golan heights.

And, of course, he sends Them all back to israel.

Narrator: but as more And more intelligence

Leaked out of syria,

Leaked out of syria,

The net was closing around Mossad's inside man.

Cohen is an immensely valuable Asset to israeli intelligence

Right up until the moment That he's caught.

Meigs: syrian agents burst Into his apartment

And found him literally At his radio set.

They captured him, Tortured him, interrogated him,

And finally Sentenced him to death.

Narrator: but eli cohen's Incredible work

Narrator: but eli cohen's Incredible work

Would soon prove invaluable.

*

Narrator: eli cohen, An israeli spy,

Had been collecting Vital intelligence

On the syrian defenses here

Before he was captured And killed.

But in 1967, tensions between Israel and syria

Had reached a fever pitch.

War was coming To the golan heights.

In 1967, The arab countries around israel

In 1967, The arab countries around israel

Were preparing For a massive attack.

Israel knew this was coming and Decided to counterattack first.

And this was the beginning Of the famous six-day war.

Nusbacher: they'd already done The surveillance.

They'd already done The intelligence analysis.

They'd already done The contingency planning.

All they had to do Was take a plan off the shelf

And put it into motion.

Narrator: With war already underway

With their neighbors To the south,

With their neighbors To the south,

The israeli defense force -- The idf --

Decided to take The high ground.

And after taking the bunker at Tel faher in just a few hours,

The idf advanced towards The military headquarters,

Where the syrians Had fallen into disarray.

They had not had time To destroy the papers,

The secret papers That were there.

So the full contents of the Secret vaults of this facility

So the full contents of the Secret vaults of this facility

Fell into the hands of the idf.

So for the israelis, this place Was a little bit of a gold mine.

Narrator: when a cease-fire was Called on june 10, 1967,

Israeli military leaders Met in the headquarters

To discuss israel's control Of the captured golan heights.

But only a few years later,

War would erupt around This structure again.

War would erupt around This structure again.

On the jewish holiday Of yom kippur, 1973,

The syrian army Thundered past the headquarters,

Briefly taking The strategic high ground.

This is the site Of the largest tank battle

Since the second world war.

This is the epicenter Of a war between

The united states ally, Israel,

And the soviet ally, syria.

And the soviet ally, syria.

This could easily have been the Beginning of world war iii.

Narrator: despite the strength Of the syrian advance,

The idf eventually retake The golan heights.

After a cease-fire was declared,

United nations troops Were stationed in this area

To maintain the fragile peace That now exists.

But this imposing structure was Soon abandoned to the elements.

Meigs: the military h.Q. Was seriously damaged

Meigs: the military h.Q. Was seriously damaged

In the '73 war,

Left it more or less In the state you see it today,

Impact of bombs and shells.

Narrator: today, control of The golan heights

Is still being fought over.

Nusbacher: Most countries in the world

Consider the golan heights To be occupied by israel.

Most countries in the world Consider that occupation to be,

Most countries in the world Consider that occupation to be,

At best, Dubious under international law.

Meigs: Israeli leaders have made clear

How reluctant they would be

To give up This strategic terrain.

It was used to threaten them For decades.

Now they are in a position Able to use this high ground

As a first line of defense For their country.

Narrator: and the extraordinary Legacy of eli cohen,

Israel's spy Inside the golan heights,

Israel's spy Inside the golan heights,

Continues to be felt to this day On both sides of the conflict.

Nusbacher: when eli cohen is Unmasked as an israeli spy

The resulting national shame

And the embarrassment For the syrian government

Directly results in the syrian Air force commander,

Hafez al-assad, taking power.

And that ushers in decades Of assad family rule,

Which is ruthless, brutal, And continues to this day.

Which is ruthless, brutal, And continues to this day.

*

Narrator: In the american heartland,

The city of buffalo, One building stands alone.

Auerbach: here, There's a lot of poverty,

There's a lot Of empty storefronts,

There's a lot of rundown areas.

There's a lot of rundown areas.

Meigs: here's this Very impressive building.

But you can tell It's not a high school

Or an office building.

It's got a large smokestack,

And there's a rail line Running right next to it.

Narrator: inside is a danger Zone of abandoned machinery,

Dark basements, And open elevator shafts,

The inside Is really quite grotty.

It's derelict, it's rundown.

There's still rubbish strewn Around the floor.

There's paper, There's bits of detritus,

There's paper, There's bits of detritus,

But there's also elements Of grandeur left in here.

Narrator: this building Once displayed its name,

But now that display Is in pieces

Man: on the roof of this Very impressive building

As a sign that once proudly Displayed its purpose

But doesn't make A lot of sense now.

*

Clearly, we're missing Some letters here.

*

*

*

Narrator: In buffalo, east side,

Is a battered And bruised building,

A hollowed-out shell That hints at former glories.

Buildings like this are chapters In our own city's story.

Narrator: chris hawley first Came to this site 10 years ago.

Narrator: chris hawley first Came to this site 10 years ago.

Hawley: I felt a sense of wonder

When I first walked Into this space.

It clearly symbolized to me What buffalo was

At its apex Of industrial greatness.

Inside, this building has been Mostly stripped

Of whatever equipment was here.

But you can see the graffiti Artists have gotten in

And left their mark.

Narrator: Ascending the building

Evidence can be found of The last people who were here.

You can imagine the day This place closed down,

That everyone had to just Pack up and leave,

That everyone had to just Pack up and leave,

And the remnants were just left.

Hawley: "2004. Interstate brands companies."

On someone's desk Before the factory closed.

It's a nice desk.

Narrator: few clues remain of What happened in this place,

But the largest piece of the Puzzle can be found on the roof.

Selwood: on the roof, you see The back of the broken sign

Selwood: on the roof, you see The back of the broken sign

Looming from the edge Of the building

Precariously down Over the street

And on the floor Is one of the missing letters.

Meigs: anyone who grew up In the united states

In the latter part Of the 20th century,

You put that in place And you immediately recognized

The logo for wonder bread.

Hawley: wonder bread And hostess cakes

Were iconic american products.

We all remember even growing up In the 1980s,

Like me, going to a gas station Or convenience store

Like me, going to a gas station Or convenience store

And grabbing off the shelves, Some twinkies,

Some ho hos, or sno balls.

And those are some Of the products

That were made here At this site.

Narrator: but the most important Product made in this factory

Was their classic loaf of bread,

Soft as sponge and pure white.

Wonder bread was a staple Of the modern american kitchen,

Especially in the second Half of the 20th century.

Especially in the second Half of the 20th century.

The texture of it just feels... It's hard to describe.

It's like you're touching Kind of cotton,

Like very, very soft cotton.

And its whiter than White color.

Like the color of virtue, The color of purity.

Narrator: wonder bread was An american icon,

But now this factory is in ruin.

The story begins in 1921

When the company faced A major challenge.

When the company faced A major challenge.

In the 1920s, The problem was a bread factory

Is exactly the word "Factory,"

Because in most people's mind At that time,

A factory was a big, dirty, Grimy place.

But if you're producing bread, You want people to feel

That it's clean, It's hygienic, it's wholesome.

Auerbach: so how do you convince People that something that comes

Out of this dirtiest of locales Is the cleanest thing possible?

They are going to launch this Massive advertising campaign

They are going to launch this Massive advertising campaign

To try to reassure people That the world might be

A dangerous place And full of germs,

But this bread, This bread is safe.

Hawley: When this factory opened,

They invited every housewife In buffalo

To come tour the plant,

With these so-called scientific And sanitary practices in place.

As you can see, Also, on the walls,

Much like the rest Of the factory,

The walls are lined with tile.

Concrete and tile were used Throughout the building

Concrete and tile were used Throughout the building

As a sanitary measure.

Meigs: if you look at the way The building's built,

With that white exterior,

It's designed to look like Sort of a temple to cleanliness,

Not a dirty, grimy factory.

Now, these days, we would be Suspicious about that,

A company that keeps kind Of pounding that message home,

Like, "It's clean, it's clean."

We start to think, "Well, what are they hiding?"

Narrator: they hope to entice Customers by removing all dirt

From the process.

From the process.

But to seal the deal, They went one step further,

Removing people From the process.

Hawley: they advertise An industrial process

Free from human touch.

So not a single human hand

Was to touch any part Of the food product itself.

So any person employed

In this plant Was only handling machinery.

Narrator: the advertising Campaign helped establish

Wonder bread as one Of america's favorite brands.

Wonder bread as one Of america's favorite brands.

*

But the revolution In white bread

Came with a hidden side effect.

*

Narrator: In the 20th century,

America fell in love With white bread.

It was made possible by A revolution in processed food.

Meigs: wonder bread was A pioneer in the movement

Towards national brands For products

That used to be Locally produced.

And to do that, It had to be completely uniform.

The loaf you buy In bangor, maine,

The loaf you buy In bangor, maine,

Has to be identical to the loaf

You would buy In san diego, california.

Hawley: so we're here On the fifth floor.

And the fifth floor Played a critical role

In the plant In the early 20th century

Because air-conditioning Was revolutionary,

It meant, for the plant, That every single loaf of bread,

Every single pie, Every single cake

That came out of this plant

Was more or less the same To the customer.

Narrator: by the 1960s, Americans were consuming

A pound and a half of White bread every week.

A pound and a half of White bread every week.

But the public was about To realize

That the manufacturers' Baking process had a flaw.

Meigs: they milled the flour In a more aggressive way

Than previous bakers had.

A grain of wheat Has three parts.

You have an outer layer Of kind of fibrous bran,

Then you have the wheat germ, And inside the wheat germ

You have the interior endosperm,

Which is the white heart Of the wheat.

Which is the white heart Of the wheat.

This is where the mechanical Factory process comes in.

They said, "Well, forget The bran, forget the germ.

We're just going to use that White center, the endosperm."

And when you only produce bread With that endosperm,

You get this incredibly White, spongy bread.

That's completely uniform In consistency.

Narrator: but white bread came With a hidden cost.

Auerbach: the problem With super-processed white bread

Is that You're also throwing away

All the nutritional content, All the fiber,

All the good stuff in it.

Narrator: by the 1980s,

The public came to realize That white bread

Might not be as healthy As they once thought.

Meigs: people were starting to Learn more about nutrition,

Learn more about the importance Of fiber in the diet,

And realizing that this browner Wheat bread

That they had been Staying away from

That they had been Staying away from

Was actually healthier for you.

Narrator: Sales of white bread tumbled,

And baking companies Moved to other recipes.

But wonder bread Was slow to change.

Auerbach: and wonder bread's Dominance of the market

Gets smaller and smaller And smaller.

And finally, in 2010 america,

You have brown bread Outselling white bread.

Narrator: in 2004, With demand decreasing,

Narrator: in 2004, With demand decreasing,

The buffalo factory Closed its doors.

Hawley: 150 people were laid off.

The building was cleared.

For the past 16 years,

The building Has very slowly deteriorated.

When I was first in this Building one decade ago,

It was perfectly fine.

Narrator: white bread never Recovered its market dominance,

But now wonder bread is back, With a whole wheat alternative.

*

*

For nearly two decades, Buffalo's wonder bread factory

Has remained derelict,

A monument to an old way Of doing things.

Auerbach: so there's a lesson There for how economics work.

Advertising and the message That you send

Has an incredibly powerful Effect on the people hearing it.

And producers, Whether of slogans or bread,

Should think about not Just "Will we sell it?"

Should think about not Just "Will we sell it?"

But "Should we be selling it?"

*

Narrator: On the outskirts of a city

In the southwestern corner Of taiwan

Lies a curiously shaped complex That sparks intrigue.

*

You've got this bustling city Of two million,

And then you come to This kind of this opening,

And then you come to This kind of this opening,

This clear space On the edge of this city

Where none of this urban Sprawl infringes.

It's almost like The surrounding buildings

Don't dare encroach Into this zone.

Nusbacher: when you look at A satellite picture

Or a drone shot Of this piece of ground,

It looks like somebody Has dropped a bagel.

There is no apparent evidence Of the requirement

There is no apparent evidence Of the requirement

For these giant circles.

Man: and in the center, There's this green building

Broken up into rooms With padded walls.

Narrator: the variety of Infrastructure suggests

The site has been subject To multiple uses.

[ man speaking chinese ]

Interpreter: There are two major phases,

The bright side And the dark side.

They are two Very contrasting sides.

Narrator: what darkness Descended on this place,

And how is it connected to Taiwan's fight for independence?

Parts of the site Were undoubtedly built

With defense And fortification in mind,

Bell: one of the doors Has a circular plate,

Almost like a watertight hatch

That you'd find on a submarine Or a battleship.

Nusbacher: bombproof casements With thick earth roofs over top

To absorb bombs And artillery shells

If they come under attack.

Narrator: What was inside these buildings

That warranted such protection?

One large structure In the center of the complex

Contains a vital clue.

Bell: there are quite a few Circular holes

In the brickwork, suggesting That at one time something

In the brickwork, suggesting That at one time something

Was attached to it Or protruding from it.

Narrator: these unassuming holes Are the key to understanding

What this entire place Was originally about.

Professor kuang, A local university lecturer,

Has spent years

Piecing together the scant Evidence that remains here.

[ kuang speaking chinese ]

Interpreter: There were cables here

For wireless Radio communications.

They went from the roof, Connecting to a main tower

Which was 200 meters tall.

The signals Were then transmitted

To 18 additional towers, Each of them 60 meters tall.

Nusbacher: so what we're looking At here is an array of antennas.

And because you've got This full array,

You're able to be directional,

And that enables you to transmit With great efficiency.

And that enables you to transmit With great efficiency.

And also it enables you To receive, optimally,

Signals that are coming from All over the pacific.

Bell: all these cables coming From different areas

Joined up in the middle.

It must have looked Seriously impressive,

Like some kind of work of art.

Narrator: this is the fongshan Wireless communication center,

A state-of-the-art facility Central to japan's plan

A state-of-the-art facility Central to japan's plan

To take over The western pacific.

Construction began in 1917.

Once japan annexed taiwan From china in 1895,

They saw the value of taiwan As kind of an outpost

Off the coast of china

And a great sort of accelerant For their naval expansion.

Nusbacher: Japan wants to turn the pacific

Into a japanese lake,

And that requires

And that requires

Technologically advanced Communications

So that the japanese High command

Can exercise Command and control

Over its, hopefully, vast fleet.

Wawro: a radio communication Center like fongshan

Is absolutely vital To the spread of japanese power.

Narrator: all this crucial Technology needed protection.

If japan's wireless Communication went down,

If japan's wireless Communication went down,

Its battleship fleet Would be hung out to dry.

As japan geared up to enter World war ii,

Radio technology had evolved,

And a new station Was needed here.

During world war ii, You see a gradual transition

To shortwave Radio transmissions.

It becomes possible to use Shortwave technology

Over long distances.

Surface ships are able To communicate

With much more economical And efficient antenna arrays.

With much more economical And efficient antenna arrays.

Narrator: yet this particular Building's role

As a japanese Communications facility

Would only emerge With a recent discovery.

For taiwanese people,

It has long been associated With another enemy

Who were about to move in

And put the complex To a very different use.

*

Narrator: this former japanese Shortwave radio station

Might still remain A military secret today

But for a recent discovery.

It was only when A hidden naval emblem

Emerged from beneath Cleared rubble

That its japanese origins Became clear.

[ kuang speaking chinese ]

Interpreter: a lot of evidence Of the japanese being here

Interpreter: a lot of evidence Of the japanese being here

During world war ii Has vanished.

That's because after The japanese were defeated

In world war ii, They destroyed most of it

When they were being Interrogated for war crimes.

Narrator: how exactly japan Employed this high-tech station

During world war ii May never truly be known.

Yet what transpired here later Is remembered all too painfully

By many taiwanese.

At the end Of the second world war,

At the end Of the second world war,

And as the allies are occupying The japanese empire,

One of those allies Is nationalist china.

And this station on taiwan Becomes part of the new china.

Narrator: but while the second World war is over,

The new nationalist china, Also known as the republic,

Is now fighting a civil war Against communist forces,

Is now fighting a civil war Against communist forces,

And they had a very different Plan for this place.

Nusbacher: It is newly dedicated

To the requirements Of nationalist china.

Bell: The chinese navy moved in

And added The fongshan guest house.

Sounds nice, doesn't it?

Think again.

The guest house Was actually a smoke screen

For its real purpose -- Imprisonment and interrogation.

Taiwan, it becomes The last bastion

Taiwan, it becomes The last bastion

Of the republic of china,

And the republic of china Government

Is really worried About communist subversion.

And as a result,

They are prepared To act ruthlessly against anyone

They consider a communist, Anyone they consider a traitor.

Narrator: as well as communists, Many of those suspected

Narrator: as well as communists, Many of those suspected

Of supporting Taiwan's independence

From a united china Also ended up here.

Interpreter: they confiscated Your belongings.

If you were lucky, You would get them back.

But stuff like belts Were taken away

Because they were scared You'd kill yourself.

Narrator: the interrogations Were torturous affairs

That sent screams Echoing for miles.

Interpreter: there would be Wailings at around midnight.

Some villagers From the neighborhood

Couldn't stand it And moved to the city.

Couldn't stand it And moved to the city.

Bell: There are some cells

Where the walls Are padded and electrified

To stop the prisoners Using them for suicide.

Narrator: this brutal treatment Of innocent people

Went on for far too long.

Bell: to think people may have Been locked up

And treated this badly here As recently as 2001,

And treated this badly here As recently as 2001,

It's shocking.

But we've got to remember That democratization in taiwan

Is a recent phenomenon.

Taiwan was a scary dictatorship Until recently.

Narrator: a cultural shift

Towards protecting Basic human rights

Finally forced this place to be Shut down for good in 2002.

Finally forced this place to be Shut down for good in 2002.

These horrors were just No longer acceptable

In the 21st century.

Its doors were closed And the site abandoned.

Narrator: these varied Structures are now preserved

As monuments to the past And centers of learning.

And while the impressive Technological achievements

Of the japanese navy Should not be forgotten,

It is the human hardship Endured here later

That deserves Greater reflection.

That deserves Greater reflection.

[ kuang speaking chinese ]

Interpreter: They were martyrs and innocent.

There were some who were Released after a while,

But some died tragically.

That's the relatively dark side.

But it is a lesson to be learned From history.

Narrator: this is especially Important today,

In the face of increasing Tensions in the region,

With communist china Flexing its muscles

With communist china Flexing its muscles

In both taiwan and hong kong.

Just off the coast of tanzania In east africa

Is the island Of kilwa kisiwani.

Its abandoned remains signify A once-thriving community.

Bell: the island is littered With ruins,

And they have An ancient feel to them.

It looks almost like it could be Some kind of mythical city

Made out of coral stone.

Narrator: the two Best-preserved structures

Offer up contrasting styles Of architecture --

A powerful fortified building On the water's edge,

But set behind This defensive beast,

Something entirely different.

Bell: the masonry Really is beautiful.

It's precise and delicate.

So this is ancient engineering With a lot of class

And thought and effort Put into it.

Bell: these pointed arches and Domed roofs are so evocative.

Bell: these pointed arches and Domed roofs are so evocative.

You can almost imagine Walking around

A buzzing, thriving community That clearly once lived here.

Narrator: When a real-life indiana jones

Encountered this settlement In the 1300s,

He was astonished By what he saw.

Auerbach: ibn battuta, He's a kind of arab marco polo,

And he called kilwa

One of the most beautiful cities He had ever seen.

Narrator: What was this place

That amazed All who encountered it,

And what do these Mysterious ruins

Tell us about a clash of empires

That would bring About kilwa's downfall?

Abdallah ahmad Is a kilwa native.

Born and raised here,

He is caretaker Of this remarkable site.

[ ahmad speaking Native language ]

Interpreter: Here we are at gereza fort.

It's a fortress in kilwa

It's a fortress in kilwa

And the former prison Of kilwa kisiwani.

Narrator: the structure visible Today is the ruin of a fort

Built on the site Of an earlier stronghold

Originally constructed By the portuguese in 1505.

The european invaders had Launched a devastating attack

Before seizing the island.

Before seizing the island.

This was a place with something Worth fighting for

And then striving to protect.

[ ahmad speaking Native language ]

Interpreter: Even if I stretch my arms,

I can't span the breadth Of this wall

Which surrounds The whole building.

Narrator: the portuguese And subsequent conquerors

Were desperate To secure this island

Because they had stumbled Upon a gold mine,

Because they had stumbled Upon a gold mine,

A kingdom famed Across the region

That by the 11th century

Had developed Into a booming seaport.

[ ahmad speaking Native language ]

Interpreter: And why, specifically,

Did people like this area

To live here and build Architecture like this?

They liked this area Because it was easy to travel

For trade with Seafaring vessels like barges.

Narrator: trade was the key, And the island

Narrator: trade was the key, And the island

Had geography Very much on its side.

Ha: it's perfect for trade

Because it's connected To the african continent

And the indian ocean, And the indian ocean

Is like A commercial superhighway.

The currents Literally propel ships

Across the indian ocean From all over the world.

We're talking about the arabian Coast, the persian gulf,

The indian subcontinent, And all the way up from china.

And then two months later, The currents reverse

And then two months later, The currents reverse

And push the ships back across In the other direction.

Auerbach: directly north Is the middle east,

A trading center And a hub of cultural exchange.

You're also right at the mouth Of a bunch of river estuaries.

Now, that might not mean A lot to us now,

But back in the day,

Rivers were really the highways Of the ancient world.

It's what brought people, And people brought trade.

It was importing goods From all over the world --

It was importing goods From all over the world --

Arabian ceramics And chinese porcelain.

But there was a lot more Going on in kilwa

Than simply importing And exporting goods.

Narrator: The ornate domed structure

Stands out in stark contrast To the functional fortress.

It suggests outsiders Took charge

And put their stamp On the island.

[ ahmad speaking Native language ]

Interpreter: even as we examine Its architecture

And construction,

And construction,

It is different from most Other buildings in kilwa.

Narrator: Its domes clearly speak

To a strong islamic influence.

[ ahmad speaking Native language ]

Interpreter: Where I am here

Is the area of the great mosque,

Which was added In the 13th century.

And there's the stairs

That the muezzin went up To call for prayer

So people would come to worship.

The best relic of islamic Influence on kilwa kisiwani

Has to be the great mosque,

Narrator: the shiraz people from A region in modern-day iran

Established firm roots here

And by the 1300s Were displaying

Their cultural influence with Glorious coral stone buildings.

The city was about To reach its zenith.

But as the age Of exploration approached,

But as the age Of exploration approached,

A clash of empires would Threaten its very existence.

*

Narrator: by the 14th century,

Kilwa kisiwani Had established itself

As a great trading hub

And center of a powerful East african kingdom.

In charge was an arab sultan Who further enlarged

The iconic great mosque

Just in time for the arrival, In around 1331,

One of the great travel writer Of the day,

One of the great travel writer Of the day,

The moroccan explorer Ibn battuta.

Auerbach: he's a kind of arab Marco polo

Who traveled all across This part of the world

And left this incredibly Rich record of the cities

That he visited And the people he met.

Narrator: traveling as far as Spain, iraq, india, and china,

He was still struck by the Buildings on display here.

Welcomed by the shiraz sultan,

Welcomed by the shiraz sultan,

He was brought into an elaborate And exotic world.

At its heart, the great mosque.

Constructed in At least two distinct stages,

The small northern prayer hall

Built in the 11th And 12th centuries

With 16 domed and vaulted bays Divided by nine pillars

Holding a flat roof Of coral plaster.

The subsequent 14th-century enlargement

Comprised a further 30 bays

Comprised a further 30 bays

Adorned with dressed Coral panels,

And taking center stage What was at the time

The largest dome in east africa.

Bell: it was Up until the 16th century,

The largest mosque In sub-saharan africa.

[ ahmad speaking Native language ]

Interpreter: this mosque Spread islam far and wide

Because in The southern sahara desert,

This was the best-known mosque.

Narrator: kilwa was now a mecca Of islamic culture

And at the center of rich gold And ivory trades,

The fabulous wealth on show

Was vividly portrayed in Battuta's account of his visit.

The nearby ruins of a palace Completed around the same time

As the great mosque Reveal a fusion of arab,

Islamic, and traditional Native customs

Islamic, and traditional Native customs

That over time Became known as swahili.

Auerbach: The ruins included

Some traditional Swahili elements,

Like a stepped greeting court Bordered by guestrooms

For visiting merchants.

But it also borrowed elements

From traditional Islamic palaces,

Such as an octagonal Swimming pool,

Rooms for hundreds of guests.

And together you have In this palace

This really interesting mélange Of these swahili elements

This really interesting mélange Of these swahili elements

And these more traditional Islamic palace elements.

Narrator: after leaving kilwa,

Battuta continued To explore the medieval world.

Believed to have traveled more Than any other explorer.

He may have covered 10 times The distance of marco polo.

Robberies, kidnappings, And shipwrecks

Couldn't prevent him Reaching china.

So ibn battuta, who saw just So many remarkable things,

So ibn battuta, who saw just So many remarkable things,

He still described kilwa as one Of the most beautiful cities

He had ever seen.

Narrator: described by some As a real-life indiana jones,

He eventually died back In his homeland of morocco

In around 1369.

And kilwa's days Were also numbered.

The 16th century marks The beginning

Of europe's great Merchant empires.

Narrator: portuguese explorer Vasco da gama was the first

Narrator: portuguese explorer Vasco da gama was the first

To launch an attack

As he ruthlessly attempted To wrest control of trade.

The portuguese had This grand strategy

For how they were going to take Control of the indian ocean,

Which is essentially to seize All the major ports.

So it's no surprise That they took kilwa in 1505.

Bell: They built the gereza fort

To cement their dominance here In kilwa kisiwani.

Ha: spain and portugal Had reclaimed land

And independence from islamic Control during the crusades,

And independence from islamic Control during the crusades,

And now they were going to move From reclaiming land

To expanding overseas.

Therefore, it was a symbol

Of the christian advance Against islam.

Narrator: Rather than a center of trade,

The island itself Became a prized commodity,

Fought over and traded between Numerous competing empires.

Never again achieving The same success,

The city was abandoned In the 1840s.

The city was abandoned In the 1840s.

*

The site is now protected By unesco,

Who face a constant battle

To prevent the ruins From further collapse.

Auerbach: Now, there's been extensive digs And excavations here,

So we've learned a lot About this site,

But there's a lot that We still could discover here.

The place is thick with mystery.

*

*