All language subtitles for M.I.2024.S01E05.1080p.WEB.h264-EDITH_track3_[eng]

has ties to a storied
and infamous mutiny.

- It's incredible that
they were able to navigate

these huge distances of open
water without any instruments.

But why Pitcairn of all places?

[narrator] A bizarre glowing
rainforest in Borneo

has drawn the
interest of experts.

- It's an eerie sight,
an ethereal neon green

emanating below the
dense black canopy.

- It's an incredible
thing to witness,

but why does it glow like that?

[narrator] In the Greek isles,
archeologists and historians

have been searching for a
long lost mythical site.

- Giving it an air of
mystery and magic.

It's no surprise that
researchers have been fascinated

by this place since
the late 1700s.

What was this building?

[narrator] Isolated, scarce on
resources, islands are worlds

unto themselves.

Bizarre creatures, ancient
gods and haunting ruins,

baffling murders
and deadly spirits.

What will be discovered on
Earth's mysterious islands?

♪ ♪

[narrator] In the deepest
reaches of the South Pacific

lies a collection of
four Polynesian islands

known as the Pitcairn Islands.

Their small rugged outcroppings
and their palm covered shores

offer shelter from a
temperamental ocean.

Only one of them is
actually inhabited

and that's Pitcairn
Island itself.

Pitcairn Island is the
Southern most of this group.

Only this three
square mile island

isn't ringed by beautiful
Polynesian beaches.

Instead, all it has is steep
cliffs and rocky spires.

The island group is actually
a British overseas territory,

meaning that the head of
state for the Pitcairns

is the British monarch.

It's a long and famous story.

In 1789, a British ship
called the HMS Bounty

was carrying a cargo
of breadfruit saplings

from Tahiti to the West Indies
when its crew mutinied.

Led by the master's mate, a
man named Fletcher Christian,

they set the captain
adrift on a little boat

and took command of the ship.

After two months at sea,
they spotted Pitcairn

and Fletcher Christian
decided to go ashore.

When he returned to the Bounty,
he told the rest of the crew,

as well as the
Tahitian men and women

who had been lured aboard,
that there were plenty

of breadfruit trees
already planted there,

but that there was no one
actually living on the island.

Breadfruit is a
staple in Polynesia.

It's a really starchy
fruit that can be eaten

tons of different ways.

You can boil it, you can
fry it, you can roast it.

It's basically just
like a potato.

So the question is,
who planted breadfruit

on Pitcairn Island?

[narrator] As the mutineers
explore the island,

they came across more
evidence of the people

who had preceded them.

Near the north coast
of the island,

they found a four-sided
enclosed platform.

Each corner of the
square featured

a roughly six-foot stone statue
with its back towards the sea.

[Anthea Nardi] This
square structure is
what's known as a marae.

In Polynesian culture,
it is both a place for

conducting ceremonies
and a place of worship.

It's where the world of
the ancestors and gods

intersects with
that of the living.

[Anthony Cantor] The mutineers
weren't particularly interested

in or curious about the
local culture and religion,

so they went about
destroying the temple.

While breaking
down the platform,

they found and
exhumed a skeleton

that was buried
underneath the temple.

[narrator] As they were
dismantling the marae

and removing the interred
body from the premises,

the mutineers noticed
that the head itself

was resting on a
large pearl shell.

[Anthea Nardi] This is
interesting because

black-lipped pearl shells
aren't found on Pitcairn.

They're actually
from quite far away,

around 400 miles on an
island called Mangareva.

This means that there was
likely movement of people

and goods from
Mangareva to Pitcairn.

But why Pitcairn
of all places?

There are over a thousand
islands in Polynesia,

quite a large number
to choose from.

But the Polynesian
people inhabit an area

that stretches from
New Zealand to Hawaii

and down to Easter Island.

That's a lot of territory, so
you have to wonder not only

why they settled in Pitcairn,
but how they got here.

[narrator] The Polynesian
people began expanding

across the Pacific Ocean
around 4,000 years ago.

For much of the next
three millennia,

they used ocean-going
canoes and incredible

navigational abilities to
settle thousands of islands

that lay several
thousands of miles apart.

In fact, Polynesian navigators
rank among the most

sophisticated wayfinders
that have ever existed.

They used everything available
to orient themselves

on the ocean.

For example, the
sun and the stars,

the presence of birds, the
shape and size of clouds.

And yet, when the
European explorers

meet the Polynesians,
the Europeans are

just too racist to
acknowledge any

ingenuity or skill in the
Polynesian people at all.

[narrator] Perhaps
most impressively,

the Polynesians navigated by
just the feel of the ocean.

They noted that islands reflect
and refract waves and swells,

and when they do,
they will eventually

meet oncoming swells,
creating a distinct pattern.

They could feel these changes
in the movement of their canoe

and thereby judge the
presence and location

of far away islands.

So this is how they
would have gotten

from Mangareva to Pitcairn,
and everywhere else

for that matter.

But what was so special
about Pitcairn?

It's actually not that
hospitable at all.

[narrator] In 1935, a
Franco-Belgian archeological

expedition to Rapa Nui,
also known as Easter Island,

decided to include Pitcairn
on their itinerary.

During their two-day
stopover, they discovered a

curious stone figure
used to keep the veranda

of a house from collapsing.

It was made from a
yellowish volcanic rock.

It was about two and
a half feet tall,

and its head had
been broken off,

but it had its hands
folded on its stomach

in a kind of traditional
Polynesian posture

we see in other such sculptures.

A villager explained how
they found those statues,

so that makes it very likely
that this is one of the statues

that the mutineers found when
they first got to the island.

What's also interesting
is that the stone

used to carve the statue
is of a yellowish color,

which you can also see in the
volcanic rock on Pitcairn.

Maybe something else
other than basic needs

is what brought the
Polynesians here.

Think about the fact that
they carved their idols

from Pitcairn's volcanic rock.

Maybe that played
a special role.

[narrator] Archeological
excavations that took place

near Adamstown revealed a
stunning array of artifacts.

In an old pit measuring
around 50 square feet,

they found awls, fish
hooks, and abraders.

[Anthea Nardi] These are flat,
usually sandstone tools

that were used for
sharpening blades,

in this case, stone blades.

There were also over
5,000 stone flakes,

all of them made from
the very same material.

The stone is of a
dark gray color,

and although it's very hard,
it is also fine-grained.

[Anthony Cantor] This type of
rock is actually found in

abundance on Pitcairn in an
area called Tautama.

At the southeast
end of the island,

between a steep cliff
and the seashore,

is an area littered with basalt.

So considering all the
artifacts found in the pit

and the fact that basalt
is a great material

to make tools with, it
might be safe to say

that the pit was the site of
an old stone tool workshop.

[narrator] The
archeological excavations
also revealed basalt tools

that would have been essential
for the Polynesian people,

adzes, an ancient cutting
tool similar to an ax.

Adzes have thin,
sharp blades at one end

that widen at the other.

The wide end is fastened to
a handle at a right angle,

making it perfect for
scraping and cutting wood.

[narrator] Several excavations
have been performed

on the west side of the
island, where evidence of

early Polynesian homes
have been found.

In this area, several
other structures

indicate the presence of fires,
as well as workshops for

the processing of basalt
and to fine tools.

Not far from these sites is
a little unassuming beach,

and it might not seem
like a big deal at first,

but when you consider the
fact that this island

only has two possible places
where you could land a canoe,

it's very important.

It seems that the
Polynesians would quarry the

basalt at Tautama, then
bring it here to the

west side of the
island for processing,

shaping it into adzes.

From here, the stone tools
could be more easily loaded

onto canoes, waiting
to take them away.

So it seems there was
rich trade occurring

between the islands of
Pitcairn and Mangreva,

the island a few hundred
miles to the west.

Pearl shells and fish hooks
would arrive to Pitcairn

in exchange for
basalt and adzes.

[narrator] The adze and rock,
both originating from Pitcairn,

found on the Austral and
Tuamotu archipelagos

indicate that Pitcairn played
a vital role in the region.

But it appears that
these high-quality adzes

may not have been
limited to local trade.

Some adzes found in places as
far away as Hawaii and Samoa

resemble those
found on Pitcairn,

meaning that Pitcairn
itself could have served

as one of Polynesia's major
sources of the stone.

The adzes would be used
to shape and repair canoes,

which are fundamental to
Polynesian life and culture.

So in a sense, you
can think of Pitcairn

as having this elemental
role in helping the whole

Polynesian world thrive.

But when did all this happen?

The 18th century
mutineers arrived on

an uninhabited island.

By that time, the Polynesians
had been long gone.

So why did they
abandon Pitcairn?

[narrator] Radiocarbon dating
indicates that settlement of

Pitcairn and the surrounding
islands likely occurred

in the early 10th century,
with abandonment taking

place almost 500 years later.

It's hard to say exactly
why, after hundreds of years,

they decided to leave Pitcairn.

But as we know, the
island didn't offer much

in terms of food.

So in order for the
settlement to feed itself,

it would have been
reliant on trade.

It's just that these
places are small islands,

and because of that,
they're way more vulnerable

to resource exhaustion.

Just like Pitcairn
was an essential part

of the regional economy, other
islands, like Mangareva,

would have been able
to provide food

for the people on Pitcairn
so they could survive.

So it's possible that
one of the other islands

Pitcairn relied on may have
suffered a crisis of sorts,

depleting their
resources, making life on

Pitcairn untenable,
and forcing the

inhabitants to abandon it.

And as for those mutineers
who settled on Pitcairn,

their fate was sealed when
they burnt the bounty

in an attempt to prevent
passing ships from stopping by.

After all, they were mutineers,
and if found, they would

have been tried and executed.

[Anthony Cantor] The
island eventually
descended into anarchy,

with the British sailors
killing each other one by one

until only one of
them was left alive,

along with 10 Tahitian
women and their children.

[narrator] As the small
population of Pitcairn

continued to grow, so did the
number of British colonies,

and the island was
formally incorporated

into the empire in 1838.

Today, descendants of the
mutineers of the HMS Bounty

still call Pitcairn Island home.

♪ ♪

[narrator] Spanning an area of
roughly 292,000 square miles

in the seas of Southeast
Asia, Borneo is the third

largest island on Earth.

The island is
politically divided

among the countries of Brunei,
Indonesia, and Malaysia.

- Borneo's population is
just over 23 million,

which may sound like a
lot, but when you consider

that the island
is roughly twice

the size of Germany, it's
actually sparsely populated.

Most of the inhabitants
live in cities and towns

along the coastline.

Stretching across a portion
of the island's central region

is what's known as
the heart of Borneo,

a huge swath of
tropical rainforest,

home to one of the most complex
ecosystems on the planet,

and an astounding
amount of biodiversity.

And there is no better place
to see that biodiversity

closeup than Mount Kinabalu.

That's Borneo's tallest peak.

It rises more than 13,000
feet above sea level.

Just that one mountain
is believed to contain

between 5,000 and 6,000
different kinds of plants,

including 1,000
kinds of orchids.

And it's also home to hundreds
of different bird species

and hundreds of different
mammal species,

including pangolins, bats,
and clouded leopards.

[narrator] Dutch scientists
conducting research

in Malaysia's Mount
Kinabalu are out

for a misty evening walk
in the lush rainforest,

when in the distance, they
see something strange.

Though far away,
the forest floor,

which should be dark at this
hour, is actually aglow.

It's an eerie sight, an
ethereal neon green emanating

below the dense black canopy,
where light is scarce,

even during the day.

It might have something to do

with a process called
bioluminescence.

Some organisms are able to emit
light because of a chemical

reaction within their cells.

[narrator] Bioluminescence is
most common among marine life.

From the darkest
depths of the seafloor

to the water's surface,
this strange phenomenon

can be observed in a wide
array of aquatic organisms.

At night, on certain
beaches all over the world,

you can see brightly colored
waves crashing into the shore

because of glowing
cyanobacteria.

Some of these
microscopic organisms,

found naturally in
all types of water,

light up when the
water gets agitated.

It's an incredible
thing to witness,

but why does it glow like that?

The prevailing theory is
that it's some sort of

defense mechanism.

The light may be used to
attract larger predators

that don't prey on
them, and these larger

predators scare away the
smaller predators that do.

Or the light may just
surprise potential predators

and scare them off.

But other species
use bioluminescence

for the opposite reason.

[narrator] In the deepest
reaches of the world's oceans,

you'll find the anglerfish, one
of the most bizarre looking

creatures on the planet.

[Sarah Klassen] These
things are grotesque.

They have huge mouths
with razor sharp teeth,

beady lifeless eyes,
and spiky scales.

Not the kind of fish you'd
like to come face to face with

when scuba diving.

[Dan Riskin] The really
strange thing about anglerfish

is that they have this
rod-like extension

of their dorsal spine
called an illicium

that protrudes from their heads.

The tip is called an esca,
and that thing lights up

like a lure to attract prey.

But the fish doesn't have the
ability to make light itself.

Instead, the lure has a pore
that hosts luminescent bacteria,

many of which can't
survive anywhere else.

Where this bacteria comes
from is a bit of a mystery.

So far, none has been found
freely living in the ocean.

Could this bacteria be similar
to what we're seeing in

the Borneo rainforest?

[Anthony Cantor] Not likely.

Bacterial bioluminescence
is typically

only found in the ocean,
and glowing species are

actually quite rare on land.

But that's not to say
they don't exist at all.

[narrator] Perhaps the most
famous and widely studied

bioluminescent land
creature is the firefly.

Firefly is a bit
of a misnomer.

They're not really
flies, they're beetles.

They're nocturnal members
of the family Lampyridae,

and there are about
2,000 different species.

These things prefer
moist environments.

They're mostly found in
the Americas and Asia.

And that, by the way,
does include Borneo.

- Fireflies have light
organs that are located

under their abdomens,
which are unique

to each species.

They use bioluminescence
as a means

to attract mates
for the most part,

but some fireflies employ
it for deceptive reasons.

- Some females use their
lights to lure males

from a different genus
and then feed on them,

because the females
don't have a defensive

steroidal compound
called lucibufagin,

which acts as a deterrent
against predators

such as spiders.

So they obtain it by
eating their male cousins.

[Sarah Klassen] Fireflies
are found in Borneo,

but they mostly favor
laying their eggs in

damp places with standing
water, like ponds,

mangroves, or swamps.

Environment's not found on
the side of this mountain.

However, it could be
one of the firefly's

distant relatives, though.

[narrator] Arachnocampa
luminosa, also known as

fungus gnats, are
bioluminescent glowworms

that are found in
dark, damp areas.

What's neat about
these creatures

is that they're
very territorial,

and that means that in
places where large numbers

of them congregate,
sometimes they

become cannibalistic.

[Sarah Klassen] The males
are capable of glowing,

but it's primarily the females
who light up to attract mates.

Once a few males have
arrived on the scene,

they battle it out for the
right to mate with the female.

So could the glowing
on Mount Kinabalu

be arachnocampa luminosa?

Probably not.

Even though the rainforest
environment is dark and damp,

which is their
preferred habitat,

these glowworms are only found
in caves in New Zealand.

They catch prey by
creating a sort of

sticky, glowing fishing
line that they dangle from

the roof of the cave.

Insects are attracted
to the light

and get stuck in the lines,
making for an easy meal.

[narrator] As the researchers
approach the strange phenomenon

on Mount Kinabalu
for a better look,

they notice the glow is not
only emanating from the ground,

but seems to be coming from
the trunks of fallen trees.

It could be Quantula striata.

That's a species of land
snail found in Southeast Asia

that produces light.

Their eggs actually
glow in the dark.

And in adults, that light
comes from something

called the organ of Haneda
which is a bunch of cells

that help produce mucus.

But the thing is,
these snails blink.

They don't emit a constant
light like what we're

seeing on Borneo.

And they don't produce any
light at all when they sleep.

So whatever's glowing in the
rainforest, it isn't snails.

It has to be something else.

[narrator] Finally, getting
a close-up view

of the source of the light, the
researchers are taken aback

when they discover what
is glowing in the forest

on Mount Kinabalu.

[Sarah Klassen] They're
glow-in-the-dark mushrooms.

This is a very rare discovery.

Out of around 120,000
known species of fungi,

only about 100 are known
to be bioluminescent.

This is amazing.

[Alison Leonard] Unlike
plants, fungi don't
have any chlorophyll,

which can be used in combination
with the sun to make food.

So they rely on dead organic
materials for their nutrients.

Fungi are vital to
the forest ecosystem,

feeding on decaying matter
like leaves and fallen trees

and helping the
decomposition process.

The glow is the result of a
chain of chemical reactions

between a compound
called luciferin

and the enzyme luciferase
in the presence of oxygen.

This reaction creates energy
in the form of light.

[narrator] While other organisms
use bioluminescence

to attract prey or mates,
or as a defense mechanism,

it's thought that
some fungi use it

for a reason unique to them.

[Dan Riskin] Fungi
normally rely on the wind
to spread their spores,

but there's not much
wind in the rainforest.

So these glowing fungi
have a different strategy.

They emit light that
attracts insects

that end up carrying
spores to other places.

It's a brilliant
evolutionary trick.

Scientists have developed ways
of harnessing bioluminescence

to our advantage.

And it has been used
in medical research

for everything from cancer
studies to genetic mapping.

Researchers are also
exploring its use

as a potential form
of green energy,

hoping that one day we can
rely less on electric lighting

and build a more sustainable
and energy efficient future.

[narrator] Bioluminescence has
long fascinated humans

who have witnessed its glow.

Aristotle even wrote
about it in 350 BCE.

After seeing the green
glow that illuminates the

Borneo rainforest, it
appears that no passage of

time will ever change that.

♪ ♪

[narrator] Nestled in the azure
waters of the Aegean Sea

is the island of Euboea, a
little known gem in the region.

It's the second largest
island in Greece

and the sixth largest
in the Mediterranean.

Although it's not as
well known internationally

as other Greek islands,
it's actually a very

busy holiday spot
and a favorite for

those in nearby Athens.

Part of the island's allure
is that the history of Euboea

is intertwined with
Greek mythology,

giving it an air of
mystery and magic.

Given this mix, it's no surprise
that researchers have been

fascinated by this place
since the late 1700s,

and that interest
has never faltered.

[narrator] In 2007, when
researchers are excavating a

plot at the foot of the
Paleochora Hill

in the southern
part of the island,

they make a startling discovery.

There are the remains of
large stone foundations.

Something of this
size is too big

to be part of the structure
of an individual residence.

It would likely be
part of a large,

formal building of some kind.

Ruins have been found
on this island before,

Macedonian, Greek, and Roman,
but nothing on this scale.

[Alison Leonard] The excavation
continues, and what's discovered

less than seven feet down
confirms that this is

something monumental.

It's a large stoa,
which is like a covered

portico or walkway,
the kind you might see

in a large complex.

What was this building?

[Anthea Nardi] Euboea is very
rich, archaeologically speaking,

but there's one
search on the island

that has constantly
come up empty-handed,

the search for the
sanctuary of Artemis.

Could this be it?

- In Greek mythology,
Artemis is the virgin

goddess of the hunt and
protector of the animals.

She was a pretty popular
deity in late antiquity,

and her following, then
known as a cult, was huge.

So her sanctuary would have
been a pretty big deal.

[narrator] In addition to being
a site of worship,

her sanctuary would
also have functioned

as a municipal center, a
place for meetings and

political administration,
where things like treaties

would have been kept.

It was also a destination
of the annual

procession for Artemis,
essentially a military

parade in her honor, a
massive event featuring

3,000 heavily-armed warriors,
600 cavalrymen, and

60 war chariots.

The possibility of finding
this site is pretty exciting.

It would likely offer a
wealth of information

about her cult, but also
about the religious

and political life of the time.

[narrator] Strabo, a Greek
historian, geographer,

and philosopher who lived
during the first century BCE,

wrote about the Temple
of Artemis in his work,

"Geography," stating it was near

the city of Eritrea, on
Euboea's southern coast.

He placed it just seven stadia
from Eritrea's city wall.

A stade is an ancient
Greek unit of length

that is roughly about 600 feet.

Multiply those two
numbers together,

and you get 4,200 feet, or
about three-quarters of a mile.

With that in mind, if
you set up a perimeter

that's three-quarters of a mile,
radiating out from the wall,

you have the
Sanctuary of Artemis

essentially on the edge of
Eritrea, or so you'd think.

Early archaeologists
were certain

they'd find the sanctuary
without too much trouble,

and they commenced excavations
in the immediate vicinity

of the old city walls.

And true enough,
they found ruins.

[narrator] A wealth of artifacts
from antiquity were unearthed,

but nothing that directly
connected to Artemis.

In truth, the experts
were chasing their tails

for decades upon decades, and
by the late 20th century,

they were kinda tapped out.

But then, a Swiss
researcher had the insight

to look in Strabo's 'Geography'
for answers to this mystery.

No one had found
the sanctuary,

so it's clear that Strabo's
numbers were wrong,

but was it because he
didn't actually know

where the sanctuary was,
or was there something

else at work?

[narrator] Strabo's 'Geography'
was written around 1,500 years

before the printing press.

In that time, a scribe would
need to rewrite a book

in its entirety to
produce a new copy.

Think of the old game
of broken telephone.

Every time you pass
on the message,

there's a high likelihood it
gets garbled up in the process.

Things were misread,
notes in the margins

got incorporated into the
text, numbers were scrambled,

all sorts of mix-ups.

With this method
of reproduction,

a simple error
could be propagated

with every copy of that copy,
essentially turning one mistake

into the gospel,
sometimes literally.

[narrator] One theory is that a
scribe made an error

when shifting Strabo's
written numbers

to numbers spelled in
alphabetical notation.

This is best described visually.

In this alphabetical
notation, the number seven is

represented by the letter zeta.

Zeta looks almost exactly
like the letter xi ,

which equals 60.

Given the similarities,
it's not hard to imagine

that a scribe may have
mistaken the 60 for seven.

- With this in mind,
it's quite possible

that the distance cited as
the sanctuary's distance

from Eritrea wasn't
seven stadia.

It was actually 60, or
just under seven miles,

which is both a
pretty big difference

and the actual distance
between Eritrea's east gate

and the western foot of
the Palaeochora Hill.

It wasn't just this new math
that made people think the

sanctuary was near the hill.

There were also some
ancient building materials

in a nearby Byzantine
church that lent credence

to the theory.

Unlike our contemporary
disposable culture,

in the past, people
reused materials.

If you knock down a building,
you build another one

with the same stuff.

Waste not, want not.

[narrator] After Roman
paganism declined with
the rise of Christianity,

temples to the Greek gods
eventually fell out of favor.

But that doesn't mean that
people wouldn't have used

stones from pagan temples
to build other structures.

In this Byzantine church
near the Palaeochora Hill,

earlier researchers
had found stones

that bore dedications
to Artemis.

Given that the site of the
church was in the same area

as Strabo's reoriented
location for the temple,

these stones are pretty
compelling puzzle pieces.

[narrator] So when the
monumental foundations in Stoa

are unearthed in 2007,
expectations run high.

All that said, the
fact that the remains

of a formidable building are
precisely where Strabo said

Artemis' sanctuary should
be, that makes a pretty

strong argument
that the digging

should continue, and
perhaps with tools more

advanced than a shovel.

[Amma Wakefield] Modern
archeologists have a whole

arsenal of new tech to help
them with their search.

And one of the greatest new
tools in the field is LIDAR,

which stands for light
detection and ranging.

[narrator] LIDAR sends laser
pulses from an aircraft

or ground-based equipment and
measures the time it takes

for the laser light
to bounce back.

This information is
then used to create

highly detailed 3D
maps of the area,

which could reveal hidden
archeological features

like buildings, roadways,
and even entire cities.

[Alison Leonard] Thanks to LIDAR
and other new technologies,

even more parts of the
structure were uncovered,

all of which
strengthened the theory

that this was a
monumental building,

hopefully the fabled
sanctuary of Artemis.

After years of
excavation, in 2017,

a series of terracotta
tiles are unearthed.

On closer examination,
these tiles bear a stamp

that says Artemidos, which
means belonging to Artemis.

[Anthea Nardi] So this is it.

It's the temple that
has eluded archeology

for well over a century.

The scale of this
is hard to express,

but it's a huge triumph
for everyone involved.

[narrator] As they continue to
excavate the site,

they uncover huge
amounts of artifacts

from the 6th to the
2nd century BCE.

There were hundreds
of artifacts discovered

in subsequent rounds
of excavation,

including an
underground fountain

and ceramic and bronze vessels.

[narrator] With the research
ongoing and many noteworthy

discoveries that can be
linked to the goddess herself,

experts hope to find
more of the site

and even fully excavate the road
from Eretria to the temple,

where the annual procession
for Artemis took place.

It's incredible how much is
being found in these sites.

Sometimes we think that
all the discoveries

of the ancient world
have already been made,

but when you combine
passionate researchers

with cutting edge
technology like LIDAR,

who knows what other mysteries
may be revealed on this island.

♪ ♪

[narrator] Sudan's Suakin Island
is a tiny oval landmass

on the Red Sea's West
Coast, around 36 miles

south of Port Sudan.

Suakin's about a
mile in diameter

and is situated in a
lagoon at the Western end

of a long channel.

And there's a short,
narrow causeway

connecting it to mainland Sudan.

The island is almost
completely devoid

of human habitation,
save for a few fishermen

and their families still
clinging to an old way

of life in a modern world.

But that wasn't always the case.

[narrator] A curious
tourist drawn to Suakin

by tall tales of a
legendary ancient city

makes their way
across the causeway

and is greeted by
a striking sight.

- Built into a stone wall,
there's a huge wooden gate

that serves as the
entryway to the island.

An arch spans the gate and
there are holes on either side

that kind of look like two
eyes assessing any visitor

that dares to approach.

[narrator] Drawn onward, the
tourist enters the island proper

and begins to explore.

They are immediately
taken aback by the scene.

This place is in ruins.

Most of the buildings
have all but collapsed

and there's stone and
wood debris everywhere.

It looks as though
at some point,

Suakin Island was abandoned.

So who lived here and
why did they leave?

[Sarah Klassen] Maybe there was
some kind of natural disaster.

It sort of looks like the
aftermath of an earthquake.

[Alison Leonard] Northeastern
Africa is known for some
seismic activity.

In fact, in South Sudan's Juba,
a 7.1 magnitude event in 1990

left 31 people dead.

[Amma Wakefield] But Juba's over
a thousand miles away.

So it's unlikely that Suakin
was damaged by that quake.

So maybe another kind
of natural disaster

caused the inhabitants
of Suakin to leave.

[narrator] Exploring the island
further, the tourist is

struck by the beauty
of what's left of

some buildings.

Elegant archways,
decorative stucco,

intricately carved woodwork,
and big block construction

characterize Suakin structures,

many of which sit
close to the Red Sea.

Maybe there was a flood.

Suakin's a very
low-lying island.

And due to climate change,
many African coastal sites

are vulnerable to rising
water levels and erosion.

Flood damage does occasionally
occur in this region.

Water could have
eroded the mud mortar

in the building's lower
walls and weakened exposed

wooden support beams,
causing the walls to fall in

and the floors to collapse.

[narrator] In 2016, torrential
rains coupled with high winds

battered southeastern Egypt and
caused widespread flooding,

just up the Red Sea coast
from Suakin Island.

[Amma Wakefield] It was
a devastating event.

26 people died and
over 30,000 were left

without food, shelter, or water.

Houses were swept away,
roads badly damaged,

and phone and power
lines were cut.

But there's no record
of any catastrophic flood

ever taking place on Suakin.

So if water infiltration
contributed

to the collapse of
these structures,

it likely occurred after
Suakin was abandoned.

[James Ellis] So it probably
wasn't a natural disaster

that caused the residents
on the island to leave.

Maybe the more pertinent
question is, who is living here?

From a distance,
the buildings appear

to be made of big stone blocks,
but up close, it's clear

that they're actually
made out of coral.

It's likely that
the coral was dredged

from the nearby reef and
then cut into blocks

to be used for constructing
the buildings.

Finer textured coral
was for ornamental

and focal features
like door hoods,

which are similar to awnings.

Coraline construction
is quite common

in the ancient coastal
towns of the Red Sea coast,

with examples found in Saudi
Arabia, Yemen, and Eritrea.

The use of coral is
part of what's known

as the Red Sea style
of architecture.

[narrator] The Red Sea style
emerged at the southern edge

of the Ottoman Empire
in the 16th century.

[James Ellis] The interesting
thing about this style

is that coastal
buildings on the Red Sea

have more in common
with each other

than they do with inland
buildings from their own region.

So a house on the coast
of northern Saudi Arabia

may look more similar to a
house on Suakin Island

than it does to a house
only a few miles inland.

[Sarah Klassen] One of the
prevalent features of

Red Sea style architecture

and a detail commonly
found on Suakin Island

is what's called a roshan,
a kind of small balcony

with hinged wooden
windows that were usually

ornately decorated.

They were the focal
point of the house

and the most prominent
external feature.

The use of roshans
and coral construction

emerged in the 16th
century at the peak of the

Ottoman Empire,
a time when they

controlled most of Arabia
and large parts of

Northeastern Africa.

So were the Ottomans the first
residents of Suakin Island?

[narrator] An archeology study
called the Suakin Project

has been tracing the
island's origins.

During one of the
project's excavations,

they come across building ruins
that may provide the answer

as to who were Suakin's
earliest residents.

This structure's layout
and that of those nearby

are recognizable as
Ottoman, with two or three

stories and stairwells
leading up to the rooftops,

courtyards and stores
on the main floors.

This design is similar to
what's found in buildings

from the 15th and 16th
centuries in Istanbul,

the Ottoman capital that was
then known as Constantinople.

Locals call the
building Beit el-Basha,

or the Pasha House,
because it is believed

that the Ottomans built it for
a Turkish governor or Pasha

sometime between 1518 and 1520.

It's reputed to be
Suakin's oldest structure.

[narrator] At Suakin's mainland
port, ferries run daily across

the Red Sea to
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Just 43 miles
inland from Jeddah,

is Mecca, the Prophet
Muhammad's birthplace

and Islam's holiest city.

Since Suakin is on
Africa's Red Sea coast,

it's thought to have
been a critical gateway

between Eastern Africa
and Mecca for centuries.

Based on the discoveries,
it's evident that

the Ottomans traded along
three major routes,

to Egypt and the rest of the
Northern Ottoman Empire,

to South Asia and to the
countries now known as China,

Thailand and Vietnam.

Suakin Island became
Sudan's busiest port.

It's merchants trading
everything from ceramic wares,

cotton and spices to
ivory, gold and cattle

from local tribes.

But as the volume of
commerce multiplied,

more buildings were
needed and fast.

[James Ellis] If you
look at Suakin's layout,

haphazardly orientated
narrow streets,

irregularly shaped buildings
and houses of many sizes,

it's clearly a town
that grew rapidly

and kind of out of control,
responding to an intense

period of growth.

But if Suakin
was so prosperous,

why did everyone leave?

[narrator] Exploring the island
further, the team of

archeologists come across
one of the more notable

buildings on the island.

It's called Muhafaza, a
spacious residential building

designed in Egyptian style.

It has much more
elaborate woodwork

than a traditional
Ottoman building.

With an intricately carved
door hood in the courtyard

and an internal wooden archway
built in the same style

that was common in Cairo.

[narrator] Historical records
show that the Muhafaza

was built in 1866
by Mumtaz Pasha,

a governor credited
with restoring

and enlarging a lot of the
houses on Suakin Island

and building many more new ones.

Mumtaz Pasha was Egyptian.

So obviously by 1866,
Suakin had fallen

under Egyptian control,
was no longer in the

hands of the Ottomans
after over 300 years.

The question is why?

There were several factors,
but mainly the overall

strength of the Ottoman
Empire started to wane by

the early 19th century and
their grip on North and

East African trade routes
began to loosen as

competition increased.

[narrator] As the Suakin project
investigates the island further,

they unearth stoneware
that is neither Ottoman

nor Egyptian in origin.

It's a bottle bearing a stamp,
identifying the maker as

Port Dundas Pottery
Coy, Glasgow.

Given the style
of the stoneware,

it looks to be from the late
19th or early 20th century.

[narrator] In 1882, British
forces overthrew

the Egyptian government and
occupied Egypt and Sudan,

which was under Egyptian
control at the time.

Rather than taking
over completely,

the British installed
themselves in Suakin Island

and assisted the existing
Egyptian administration

while looking after their
own interests in the region.

So there was a period when
the Egyptians and British

jointly controlled Suakin,
but it didn't last that long.

Eventually the British
took a more hands-on role

in governing Sudan and Suakin.

So now we know why the
Ottoman and Egyptian eras

of Suakin Island fizzled out,
but why did the British leave?

[Sarah Klassen] Steam ships had
begun taking over the shipping

industry after the opening of
the Suez Canal in 1869.

That changed everything.

The British evaluated
the coral-lined lagoon

surrounding Suakin and
deemed it too narrow

and dangerous for larger ships.

[narrator] In 1909,
British officials opened
a new and deeper port,

30 miles to the north, and
christened it the Port of Sudan.

And that marked the
end for Suakin.

The island's
merchants and traders

moved on to the Port of
Sudan, and by 1922, the last

of the British left too,
abandoning the magnificent

old coral buildings
to the elements.

[narrator] At its peak,
Suakin's island town

contained roughly 300 buildings,
housing around 3,000 people,

and was known the world over
as the Venice of Africa.

As of today, what the
island's future looks like

is unclear.

Since April of 2023,
Sudan has been locked

in a violent civil war
that has killed thousands

and displaced millions.

It's an untold
humanitarian crisis

that leaves many Sudanese in
and outside of the country

uncertain of their future.

[narrator] Though there are
dark times ahead,

the peoples of Sudan are hopeful
that they may restore the

island's once-stunning
buildings and maybe even return

the Venice of Africa to
its former grandeur.