All language subtitles for Mysteries.of.the.Abandoned.S07E09.Fortress.of.the.Spy.1080p.DISC.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-DoGSO_track3_[eng]

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.

*

*