1
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'Frankincense,

2
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'one of the gifts given by the three wise men to the newborn Christ.

3
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'As rare and as precious as gold.

4
00:00:13,200 --> 00:00:16,720
'Its smoke was thought to have divine powers

5
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'that directly connected man to his god.

6
00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:24,880
'From its source in Oman,

7
00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:28,880
'an epic trade route was forged across Arabia to the Holy Lands,

8
00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:31,960
'where it was shipped throughout the ancient world.

9
00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:40,520
'And along the way, entire civilizations emerged from the desert and prospered.

10
00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:50,280
'Now, 5,000 years after the frankincense trade began,

11
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'I'm following in the footsteps of one of the great epic trade routes of ancient times.

12
00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:12,960
'My journey started in the mountains of southern Oman

13
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'at the very beginning of the ancient frankincense route.

14
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'Here, trees are still tapped

15
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'for the resin that brought immense wealth

16
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'to generations of Arab traders.'

17
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It's like diamonds.

18
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'With my own supply, I set off on the trail with the Al Mahri tribe,

19
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'the descendants of the original traders,

20
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'and crossed from Oman into Yemen, a country divided by tribal conflict.'

21
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We're going to be number one targets for the tribes to kidnap.

22
00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:47,600
'Despite this constant threat, I entered a world almost unchanged

23
00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:49,920
'since the days of the frankincense trail.

24
00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:56,600
'After walking nearly 700 miles across Oman and Yemen,

25
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'the ancient traders walked north with their camels

26
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'along the entire length of Saudi Arabia.

27
00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:08,520
'To follow in their footsteps, I had to prepare to enter one of the most secretive countries on Earth.'

28
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You're going to have to give me intensive lessons on how to do this.

29
00:02:11,920 --> 00:02:16,960
'The overland border between Yemen and Saudi Arabia was closed,

30
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'so I left the Frankincense trail and flew to the Saudi capital, Riyadh,

31
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'where the next part of my journey begins.

32
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'Only 100 years ago, Riyadh was little more than a village.

33
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'4-5,000 people, insulated from the world by a vast ocean of sand.

34
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'Now it's the world centre of the oil trade,

35
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'estimated to make as much as a billion US dollars a day in profit.

36
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'Up until now, Riyadh, like the rest of Saudi,

37
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'has been virtually closed off to the non-Muslim world

38
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'and I'm only allowed to travel accompanied by my official male chaperone, Dawi.'

39
00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:02,240
Why has Saudi Arabia decided to be more open now?

40
00:03:16,640 --> 00:03:19,640
'To introduce me to modern day Saudi Arabia,

41
00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:23,120
'Dawi is taking me to meet a member of the royal family,

42
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'a prince with a passion for business.

43
00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:30,560
'And this is his office. He owns the entire building,

44
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'and from here runs an empire that has made him the richest man in the kingdom.'

45
00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:44,120
So this is the entrance to the Kingdom Tower.

46
00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:48,760
I can't see much from the car but it's a staggering building, though.

47
00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:52,440
'When demand for frankincense was at its height,

48
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'those trading it became immensely wealthy.

49
00:03:54,960 --> 00:03:57,560
'Today, I'm meeting a modern day equivalent,

50
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'but instead of trading frankincense he's trading on the stock market.'

51
00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:07,880
One of the big problems about getting this invitation - which is great -

52
00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:11,960
to meet Saudi's richest, and one of the most influential men in the world,

53
00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:13,920
but what do you bring him as a gift?

54
00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:19,360
Do you think this is going to be all right as a gift, it's got frankincense inside it?

55
00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:23,400
My ear's popping.

56
00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:32,200
Hello.Hello, how are you? I'm fine, thank you very much.

57
00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:35,560
It's an amazing building but an even more amazing office.

58
00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:36,920
Yes, it is actually.

59
00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:42,440
My name's Kate, very nice to meet you.Please have a seat.

60
00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:44,240
OK, thank you.

61
00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:51,960
I suddenly feel quite overwhelmed and incredibly frumpy.

62
00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:56,000
How unfair is that, to be met by a woman not wearing a great big black sack,

63
00:04:56,040 --> 00:05:00,800
but a tiny, little pencil skirt, and perfect heels and enormous amounts of make up?

64
00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:06,440
This is the man.

65
00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:12,240
And he owns large chunks of all those companies.

66
00:05:12,280 --> 00:05:15,080
And even me, with my minimal business brain,

67
00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:16,920
have heard of most of those.

68
00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:24,240
Hello, I'm Intisar, from the corporate communications department. Very nice to meet you.How are you?

69
00:05:24,280 --> 00:05:28,760
Very well. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed, I have to say. Yes, yes.

70
00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:32,200
That is how I felt when I first came here. But every morning as well.

71
00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:39,440
The scale of everything, but also all of you are so glamorous and I'm feeling a little bit underdressed.

72
00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:42,040
Well, You can take you abaya off if you like.Can I?

73
00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:46,760
And is there a proper form of address, do I need to call him Your Royal Highness?

74
00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:52,280
Of course, of course, he is, his title is His Royal Highness Prince Al-Waleed.

75
00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:57,160
OK. OK. He sounds, from what I've read, he sounds absolutely fascinating but quite scary.

76
00:05:57,200 --> 00:05:59,320
There's no need to be scared.

77
00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:05,400
'And finally I meet His Royal Highness Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal.'

78
00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:08,720
Gosh, there's more cameras here than there are outside. Hello.

79
00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:12,560
I present to you His Royal Highness Prince Al-Waleed, this is Kate Humble.

80
00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:16,560
Your Royal Highness, very nice to meet you. Thank you, thank you very much.

81
00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:22,120
'My every action is being recorded by Prince Al-Waleed's personal TV crew,

82
00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:24,960
'which documents every minute of his public life.'

83
00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:29,280
Can I, can I before we start, can I give you this?Thank you.

84
00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:33,880
Inside there is some frankincense that we collected in Oman.

85
00:06:33,920 --> 00:06:35,520
Thank you.

86
00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:37,120
Oman, huh?

87
00:06:37,160 --> 00:06:41,920
I believe you are the grandson of the founder of Saudi Arabia, is that right?

88
00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:45,240
I'm amazed that you bother to work!

89
00:06:45,280 --> 00:06:48,040
I think...every person has to work,

90
00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:51,640
it's part of our religion, part of our ethics,

91
00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:55,600
part of our habits is to work, every person has to work and produce.

92
00:06:55,640 --> 00:07:00,840
You've amassed a huge fortune, are you the richest man in the world?

93
00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:03,440
No.Not quite. I am among those.

94
00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:05,520
You are among them.

95
00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:08,480
Is there such a thing as too much money?

96
00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:10,160
Well, you know, really, it's...

97
00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:16,000
Once you go beyond a stage, then it becomes academic

98
00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:19,120
because there is only so much you can do with the wealth.

99
00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:22,080
But more importantly, it's how you can apply your wealth

100
00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:27,880
to help society and plough back part of it into the system and advance certain causes that you believe in.

101
00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:33,760
'The meeting over, I am unexpectedly asked to join the prince for the evening.

102
00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:45,160
'He has a full-time staff of bodyguards and a convoy of vehicles that accompany him wherever he goes.

103
00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:49,960
'I've been told we're going to head to the desert to attend a tribal gathering,

104
00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:53,600
'but first we are going to pick up his wife, the princess,

105
00:07:53,640 --> 00:07:56,720
'from his personal resort at the edge of the city.'

106
00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:05,320
I feel like I'm in a Bond film.

107
00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:10,240
We're in a cavalcade of these very threatening looking cars,

108
00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:13,720
I don't know whether they're bullet-proof, but you suspect they are.

109
00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:20,440
I want to ask him, but at the moment he's clinching some multi-million pound deal, I think.

110
00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:23,520
There's lots of big numbers being bandied about.

111
00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:30,960
Are you constantly looking for new companies to invest in?

112
00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:34,600
Oh yes, always looking, especially in these days, good opportunities.

113
00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:40,160
Do you work very much on your own instinct?I have to involve the investment committee.

114
00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:42,200
I like second opinion, always.

115
00:08:42,240 --> 00:08:45,240
And I always tell my people working with me,

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00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:48,360
"You in your particular position, have to be better than me."

117
00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:51,080
But you seem to be able to make decisions instantly.

118
00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:52,440
Immediately, immediately.

119
00:08:52,480 --> 00:08:56,280
Don't you ever have times where you just think, "I don't know what to do"?

120
00:08:56,320 --> 00:09:00,280
No, no, no. If there's a decision that needs some time, meditation, I do it,

121
00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:02,240
I take my time in the desert, for sure.

122
00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:06,320
Some decisions have to be taken immediately.And you have absolute confidence?

123
00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:10,560
Yes, I just took a decision now. I'm going to make a conference call now based on that.

124
00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:17,640
'It turns out the prince was completing a deal to refinance America's biggest bank, Citibank.

125
00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:24,720
'15 minutes later, we arrive at Prince Al-Waleed's city resort.

126
00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:28,800
'Overlooking Riyadh, it's the size of 40 football pitches.

127
00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:33,760
'He doesn't live here - it's more like a private playground.

128
00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:36,680
'Reem, one of the prince's assistants, shows me around.'

129
00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:41,440
It's described as a resort, but is it just for him and his family?

130
00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:49,240
It's for him, his family and his guests coming from all over the companies, presidents,

131
00:09:49,280 --> 00:09:54,240
and many visitors from His Highness that he invites always.

132
00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:58,240
Does he sleep here, does he have a house here or is it just recreational?

133
00:09:58,280 --> 00:10:02,480
There are some indoor facilities for His Highness, but it depends on...

134
00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:05,480
Sometimes he spends the weekends around the resort,

135
00:10:05,520 --> 00:10:07,960
but the other days he spends at the desert.

136
00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:13,360
'These giant Bedouin-style tents shelter guests and the prince's games.

137
00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:17,960
'Some of the prince's prize camels and horses are tethered outside to be admired.

138
00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:24,000
'Every day the tents are taken down and put up elsewhere in the grounds for a different view.

139
00:10:24,040 --> 00:10:26,920
'Waiting in the tent is the prince's fourth wife,

140
00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:32,320
'27-year-old Princess Ameera and her friend, an Egyptian television star.'

141
00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:34,720
Is he a very difficult man to be married to?

142
00:10:34,760 --> 00:10:36,440
Does he drive you mad sometimes?

143
00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:43,240
No. He doesn't. With him, you have to be prepared for anything at any time.

144
00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:47,000
Even though he's very busy he knows how to share his time with his family.

145
00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:49,160
That's the most important thing for him.

146
00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:53,520
When you married, was there a lot of interest?

147
00:10:53,560 --> 00:10:58,560
Our equivalent would be when Princess Diana married Prince Charles.

148
00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:00,440
Was there a lot of interest when...?

149
00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:05,200
No, it was very cosy, it was a family wedding.

150
00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:07,000
I preferred it to be that way.

151
00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:10,840
Just a simple... Just a simple wedding, you know.

152
00:11:10,880 --> 00:11:13,040
Ah, this was the scent you brought?

153
00:11:13,080 --> 00:11:14,840
Yes.

154
00:11:14,880 --> 00:11:17,040
Oh, yeah, my mum loves it.Does she?

155
00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:18,080
Yes, yes.

156
00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:23,680
But don't you worry that your husband is surrounded by so many beautiful women?

157
00:11:23,720 --> 00:11:28,240
Not to say that you are not a beautiful woman, but don't you sometimes get a little bit...

158
00:11:28,280 --> 00:11:30,520
"Why does he need all these women round him?"

159
00:11:30,560 --> 00:11:33,160
No, no, because I know the cause behind it.

160
00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:37,320
And all of these beautiful women are all well-raised women, well brought up.

161
00:11:37,360 --> 00:11:38,760
They all have great ethics.

162
00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:41,440
And with him, I don't worry about it.

163
00:11:41,480 --> 00:11:44,560
I actually encourage it.Do you?Yes.

164
00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:53,280
'Then I travel along with the royal family for a further two hours through the night,

165
00:11:53,320 --> 00:11:56,720
'until we're deep into the Saudi Arabian desert.

166
00:12:05,160 --> 00:12:09,800
'Every month the prince meets with local tribal leaders and their subjects

167
00:12:09,840 --> 00:12:12,400
'in a traditional event called a majlis.

168
00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:17,920
'As a welcome, each of the high ranking guests is bathed in frankincense.

169
00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:20,680
'They trap its sweet perfume in their clothing.

170
00:12:20,720 --> 00:12:25,520
'Close to a thousand tribesmen wait patiently in the background.

171
00:12:25,560 --> 00:12:27,920
'There is no social security in Saudi Arabia,

172
00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:32,520
'so it is custom for Arab leaders to give money to their people.

173
00:12:32,560 --> 00:12:37,760
'Tonight the prince will give away many hundreds of thousands of dollars of his personal fortune.'

174
00:12:37,800 --> 00:12:43,000
This is very unique to the Gulf region, and even more unique to Saudi Arabia.

175
00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:48,400
This tradition has been going on, I would say, really for a long, long time.

176
00:12:48,440 --> 00:12:53,120
It's part of the interaction between members of the royal family and their subjects.

177
00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:56,720
It's not obligatory but I like to do it because it's part of my culture,

178
00:12:56,760 --> 00:13:01,160
it's part of me living in Saudi society.

179
00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:11,000
'These tribesmen come from the region directly surrounding the prince's desert retreat.

180
00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:15,440
'Some come just for themselves, some represent their entire family.

181
00:13:15,480 --> 00:13:18,920
'Each has written his plea down on paper.'

182
00:13:18,960 --> 00:13:22,720
You have had requests for helping to pay a lease on a house...

183
00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:24,760
This for example,

184
00:13:24,800 --> 00:13:27,840
this guy says, "I have a lot of people and I want some money."

185
00:13:27,880 --> 00:13:32,080
So a big family and he needs help to help support... Yes. He says he has five people.

186
00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:38,720
'The prince's personal assistant, Nahla, is vetting requests.'

187
00:13:38,760 --> 00:13:43,680
This is the first time to submit a request to His Highness,

188
00:13:43,720 --> 00:13:49,480
and his request, he doesn't have any job so his request is only asking for a car.

189
00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:53,200
Do you have any idea how much money you've given away?

190
00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:55,760
Tens of thousands of cars.

191
00:13:55,800 --> 00:13:58,600
Yes. And billions of dollars.

192
00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:02,120
THEY SPEAK IN THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGE

193
00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:12,560
Is he very happy?

194
00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:18,440
Yes. He says, "I need a car." So he was saying, re-iterating his request?

195
00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:22,040
Emphasising, actually over-emphasising.

196
00:14:22,080 --> 00:14:23,920
But he won't get penalised for that?

197
00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:25,600
Never, never.

198
00:14:27,160 --> 00:14:33,160
This has been going on for 25 years now. This is really Islam in practice.

199
00:14:33,200 --> 00:14:39,760
So is there a concept of heaven that you go to, a special place if you...?

200
00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:44,240
No. I mean, some people in extreme Islam, they talk about these things, you know.

201
00:14:44,280 --> 00:14:49,480
If a person does his duty and responsibility in the world, whether he's Muslim, Christian or Jewish,

202
00:14:49,520 --> 00:14:51,600
and then God decides where to put them.

203
00:14:56,320 --> 00:14:59,920
'With requests still coming thick and fast, I leave the prince to it.

204
00:14:59,960 --> 00:15:05,440
'Tomorrow I head south to rejoin the frankincense trail.

205
00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:19,720
'No roads connect Riyadh to the trail, so I've hitched a lift with Saudi's national parks authority.

206
00:15:19,760 --> 00:15:23,360
'We have to cross one of the largest deserts in the world to get there.

207
00:15:25,200 --> 00:15:27,840
'I'm heading south towards the Yemeni border

208
00:15:27,880 --> 00:15:30,320
'to where the ancient frankincense traders

209
00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:33,040
'entered what is now Saudi Arabian territory.'

210
00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:37,960
Well, we've left Riyadh and we're heading south

211
00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:40,840
to rejoin the incense trail.

212
00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:46,960
The cameleers, and indeed us, have to cross an area called the Empty Quarter.

213
00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:52,560
It's a huge expanse of sand, the biggest sand sea in the world.

214
00:15:53,760 --> 00:15:57,960
'This desert covers an area larger than France.

215
00:15:58,000 --> 00:16:01,880
'Some of its dunes are over 1,000 feet tall.'

216
00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:09,640
It makes you feel tiny and just totally insignificant being in a landscape this sort of vastness.

217
00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:19,000
'Crossing this huge desert takes four hours by plane.

218
00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:23,040
'At the border, we return to the frankincense trail.'

219
00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:26,240
Thank you again, Mohammed.

220
00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:27,720
Thank you.

221
00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:29,560
HE SPEAKS IN HIS OWN LANGUAGE

222
00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:32,360
Salaam Alaykum. Wa 'Alaykum As-Salaam!

223
00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:39,360
'Abu Ali is the head park ranger of this immense territory.'

224
00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:41,880
Wonderful! It was wonderful!

225
00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:49,360
'A Bedouin tribal leader, he and his 30 park rangers patrol Saudi Arabia's border with Yemen.'

226
00:16:56,240 --> 00:16:57,320
Salaam.

227
00:16:57,360 --> 00:17:01,600
'These Bedouin tribesmen have an intricate knowledge of the desert,

228
00:17:01,640 --> 00:17:07,280
'which has enabled them to live for generations in one of the harshest environments on Earth.'

229
00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:15,360
I'm really back...

230
00:17:15,400 --> 00:17:17,080
on the incense trail.

231
00:17:24,320 --> 00:17:28,440
'It took the original traders two weeks to cross this wilderness,

232
00:17:28,480 --> 00:17:30,840
'and it was one of their greatest challenges.

233
00:17:35,080 --> 00:17:43,040
'To survive, they learnt to read the desert like a complex code for signs of food and water.

234
00:17:43,080 --> 00:17:46,840
'Today Abu Ali and his men use the same knowledge

235
00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:52,160
'to track gun smugglers who work along the Yemeni border.'

236
00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:57,840
Abu Ali can identify someone's footprint,

237
00:17:57,880 --> 00:18:02,360
just one man's footprint, from a whole mass of prints in the sand.

238
00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:07,040
'Abu Ali is going to prove his tracking skills with a simple exercise.

239
00:18:07,080 --> 00:18:10,680
'With his back turned, the four men walk away.

240
00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:16,680
'By studying their tracks, Abu Ali will identify which man walked off first.'

241
00:18:37,360 --> 00:18:39,880
OK. Let's see.

242
00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:44,720
'Abu Ali starts to inspect the numerous tracks in the sand.'

243
00:18:49,800 --> 00:18:51,040
This is your feet, is it?

244
00:18:51,080 --> 00:18:56,560
'Amazingly, he identifies the footprint and he's able to follow the man's track.

245
00:19:00,960 --> 00:19:02,680
They doubled back?

246
00:19:03,920 --> 00:19:07,080
'Just like a fingerprint, every footprint is unique.

247
00:19:07,120 --> 00:19:11,000
To Abu Ali's trained eye, it's easy to distinguish between individuals.'

248
00:19:11,040 --> 00:19:15,640
I just think is absolutely miraculous.

249
00:19:19,040 --> 00:19:21,000
'And Abu Ali finds his man.'

250
00:19:21,040 --> 00:19:23,720
This is your bad man?

251
00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:31,400
'From this point, the traders and their camel caravans

252
00:19:31,440 --> 00:19:34,320
'faced a further five days of walking

253
00:19:34,360 --> 00:19:36,680
'to reach the edge of the desert.

254
00:19:41,040 --> 00:19:44,680
'Beyond the dunes was welcome respite from the barren wilderness -

255
00:19:44,720 --> 00:19:47,680
'a city, built on the profits of the frankincense trade.

256
00:19:47,720 --> 00:19:52,120
'Known today as Old Najran, these are its ruins.'

257
00:19:53,360 --> 00:19:55,800
I'll go and explore. I'll see you in a bit.

258
00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:02,440
This would have been the gates to the old city,

259
00:20:02,480 --> 00:20:06,400
and 1,500 years ago any of the cameleers who reached this point

260
00:20:06,440 --> 00:20:09,080
must have done so with a huge sense of relief

261
00:20:09,120 --> 00:20:11,960
because they'd just completed the toughest,

262
00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:14,440
most unforgiving section of the route.

263
00:20:14,480 --> 00:20:17,520
And to get here must have felt like arriving at nirvana.

264
00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:19,400
In front of us,

265
00:20:19,440 --> 00:20:23,160
all these buildings here would have been the homes of rich merchants.

266
00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:26,800
The streets would have been cool and shady, full of tradesmen and markets

267
00:20:26,840 --> 00:20:31,400
all cashing in on those giant camel caravans from the south.

268
00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:43,720
'The city was built before the advent of Christianity and Islam,

269
00:20:43,760 --> 00:20:48,960
'and ancient pagan symbols adorn many of the buildings.

270
00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:51,880
'Its strategic position on the frankincense trail

271
00:20:51,920 --> 00:20:56,440
'made it a target for religious missionaries and for raiders.

272
00:20:56,480 --> 00:21:00,280
'For hundreds of years, this was a peaceful Christian city.

273
00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:05,080
'But a Jewish Himyar tribe from Yemen changed its fortune forever.'

274
00:21:05,120 --> 00:21:09,920
There's a legendary city mentioned in the Koran called Al Ukhdud,

275
00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:12,960
and some Saudi experts believe this may have been it.

276
00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:18,360
And if it was, then it was the scene in 524 AD of the most horrific massacre.

277
00:21:18,400 --> 00:21:24,400
The city was besieged, and the Christian citizens given the most horrendous choice -

278
00:21:24,440 --> 00:21:26,320
convert to Judaism or die.

279
00:21:26,360 --> 00:21:30,960
They chose death, and over 20,000 of them perished in a pit of fire.

280
00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:34,520
Now, at that time, the overland trade routes were in decline

281
00:21:34,560 --> 00:21:37,880
and this city probably would have lost most of its significance.

282
00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:40,560
But if it was indeed the scene of that massacre,

283
00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:43,640
maybe it was that event that helped bring about the end

284
00:21:43,680 --> 00:21:46,720
of one of the great cities built on the back of incense.

285
00:21:51,560 --> 00:21:54,520
'Just outside the ancient city are farming villages

286
00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:58,440
'that are little changed since the time of the frankincense trade.'

287
00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:05,160
It's like we're in a whole different country down here, isn't it?Yes.

288
00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:08,440
When the camel caravans were travelling through this area,

289
00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:11,640
would they have seen this sort of architecture?Yes, yes.

290
00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:14,320
They're a great shape, aren't they?

291
00:22:14,360 --> 00:22:17,840
This sort of tall tower.

292
00:22:17,880 --> 00:22:20,600
Did you grow up in a house like this?Yes.

293
00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:38,440
'It wasn't long before the caravans faced another great natural barrier.

294
00:22:38,480 --> 00:22:40,920
'Not sand this time, but rock.

295
00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:46,680
'The Asir Mountains are Saudi Arabia's biggest mountain range,

296
00:22:46,720 --> 00:22:49,200
'and finding a safe route through them

297
00:22:49,240 --> 00:22:51,760
'presented a formidable challenge.

298
00:22:56,480 --> 00:23:00,280
'To get a bird's eye view of the sheer scale of the mountains,

299
00:23:00,320 --> 00:23:04,720
'I'm taking to the skies with the most qualified pilot in Saudi Arabia.

300
00:23:04,760 --> 00:23:07,800
'Prince Sultan Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz was the first Arab,

301
00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:12,120
'the first Muslim and the first member of royalty in space.

302
00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:19,080
'In 1985, he was part of a mission on board the US space shuttle Discovery,

303
00:23:19,120 --> 00:23:21,560
'so I should feel safe with him.'

304
00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:26,360
Good morning, Your Royal Highness. Am I late?No, not at all, you're perfectly on time.

305
00:23:26,400 --> 00:23:28,680
It is wonderful to see you. Thank you so much.

306
00:23:28,720 --> 00:23:31,920
Excellent weather. Is it good flying weather?We'll see!

307
00:23:37,280 --> 00:23:39,000
Where do you want to go?

308
00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:43,800
Well, ideally, as I say I believe that the caravans mainly came up this side of the mountains.

309
00:23:43,840 --> 00:23:47,000
They couldn't go on the ridge because the camels didn't like it.

310
00:23:47,040 --> 00:23:49,960
So if it's possible, after we've flown along this ridge,

311
00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:55,040
maybe to have a look down that side and see if there is any sign of what route they might have taken.

312
00:23:55,080 --> 00:23:58,240
So if we fly this way and basically fly the ridge.

313
00:23:58,280 --> 00:24:01,760
We follow the ridge down. Down to probably Al Shefa.

314
00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:05,120
These are two mountain areas, and they're absolutely stunning.

315
00:24:05,160 --> 00:24:07,360
Al Shefa to me is the nicer area.Really.

316
00:24:08,920 --> 00:24:14,080
'There I was, thinking we would be going in the prince's brand new private jet,

317
00:24:14,120 --> 00:24:15,760
'and we walk straight past.

318
00:24:15,800 --> 00:24:17,800
'To this.

319
00:24:17,840 --> 00:24:23,480
'I've flown in tiny planes, I've flown in helicopters, but I've never flown in a glider.

320
00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:28,720
'And although this one is state of the art with a built-in propeller, frankly, I'm terrified.

321
00:24:28,760 --> 00:24:33,200
'And I've never worn a parachute before, let alone used one.'

322
00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:43,000
I'm very excited but I have to confess I'm a little bit nervous.

323
00:24:43,040 --> 00:24:44,840
Me too!

324
00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:47,640
You're not supposed to say that.

325
00:24:53,960 --> 00:24:55,520
Wow, we're up.

326
00:24:55,560 --> 00:24:58,920
That's amazing. It's like magic.

327
00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:10,280
'2,000 feet up, the prince decides to switch off the engine.

328
00:25:10,320 --> 00:25:12,280
'But there's a technical problem.'

329
00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:16,280
Is everything OK?

330
00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:21,960
The propeller is stuck.

331
00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:23,520
No, it's OK.

332
00:25:23,560 --> 00:25:24,760
Now we got it.

333
00:25:26,120 --> 00:25:28,920
So that's the engine, the hood, opening there.

334
00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:31,280
So see now, it's good. It's quiet.

335
00:25:31,320 --> 00:25:34,080
It's beautiful, actually. I feel quite calm.

336
00:25:34,120 --> 00:25:38,800
It was just when you said the propeller was stuck that I started to get a little bit nervous.

337
00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:40,440
It's amazing. It's like magic.

338
00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:45,040
If you take these off for a second and see...No noise.

339
00:25:49,320 --> 00:25:52,480
'Many different routes were taken by the caravans

340
00:25:52,520 --> 00:25:55,480
'through these notoriously rugged foothills.

341
00:25:55,520 --> 00:25:59,480
'In fact, the Asir Mountains may well have been given their name

342
00:25:59,520 --> 00:26:01,280
'by the frankincense traders,

343
00:26:01,320 --> 00:26:04,840
'because "asir" is the Arabic word for "difficult".'

344
00:26:09,280 --> 00:26:13,360
It's so beautiful driving through here, but to see if from here, you just get...

345
00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:17,880
As you said, it's so difficult to get an idea of scale of this country.

346
00:26:17,920 --> 00:26:21,440
And for me, trying to follow this incense route,

347
00:26:21,480 --> 00:26:24,400
to see the journey those caravans took...That's right.

348
00:26:24,440 --> 00:26:27,960
..to be able to battle with a landscape like this.

349
00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:32,160
And with all their wealth on those camels,

350
00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:37,040
it's just an incredible feat... It is...of human endeavour.

351
00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:51,400
'Soaring peacefully over the peaks and valleys was actually wonderful -

352
00:26:51,440 --> 00:26:55,320
'until the prince decided to show me what a glider can really do.'

353
00:26:58,080 --> 00:27:01,120
Oh, we're heading straight for the runway, you're insane!

354
00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:04,760
Oh, my God!

355
00:27:04,800 --> 00:27:07,360
I'm terrified.

356
00:27:08,240 --> 00:27:11,760
I hardly dare look... Aaargh!

357
00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:18,440
You're mad! I know we've only just met and I know you're Your Royal Highness, but...

358
00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:32,480
'Back on the ground and very much relieved,

359
00:27:32,520 --> 00:27:35,800
'I'm travelling with Dawi to meet a remote tribe of people

360
00:27:35,840 --> 00:27:38,840
'who know every route through this vast maze of rock.

361
00:27:38,880 --> 00:27:43,960
'To find them, we have to drive deep into what was once forbidden territory.'

362
00:27:46,120 --> 00:27:50,440
The area that we're driving through now is well known for being

363
00:27:50,480 --> 00:27:53,160
quite far away from the influence of Riyadh.

364
00:27:53,200 --> 00:27:57,600
This is a big tribal area, and Dawi is taking me to meet

365
00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:00,440
one of the few tribes that has managed to hold on to

366
00:28:00,480 --> 00:28:03,520
its traditional dress and customs in Saudi Arabia.

367
00:28:07,400 --> 00:28:13,560
'Until recently, the government has kept this region off-limits to both foreign and Saudi travellers.

368
00:28:13,600 --> 00:28:16,000
'Unlike the majority of tribes here,

369
00:28:16,040 --> 00:28:19,160
'they have refused to integrate into Saudi society.

370
00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:25,600
'Instead of being welcomed with frankincense smoke like elsewhere in Saudi,

371
00:28:25,640 --> 00:28:27,920
'I'm met by a small boy with a big gun.'

372
00:28:27,960 --> 00:28:30,520
I'm going to watch myself around you.

373
00:28:30,560 --> 00:28:36,200
With his machine gun traditionally like this, and he's proud this machine gun.

374
00:28:36,240 --> 00:28:39,320
How old is this boy?

375
00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:43,600
11 years.11 years old and he has a machine gun. Is it very heavy?

376
00:28:45,160 --> 00:28:46,640
No?

377
00:28:48,440 --> 00:28:50,840
'And then the rest of the men arrive,

378
00:28:50,880 --> 00:28:53,320
'with a song and a dance and more guns.'

379
00:28:53,360 --> 00:28:55,280
THEY SING AND CHANT

380
00:28:57,400 --> 00:29:03,360
It's amazing they manage to look fierce and very elegant at the same time.

381
00:29:07,880 --> 00:29:09,960
'Despite being armed to the teeth,

382
00:29:10,000 --> 00:29:13,840
'they wear flowers in their hair and are known as the Flower Men.

383
00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:18,240
'In return for their welcome dance,

384
00:29:18,280 --> 00:29:20,560
'I offer them some of my frankincense.'

385
00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:23,240
So this is from Oman.

386
00:29:23,280 --> 00:29:25,440
Oh...Do you use this?

387
00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:27,280
'Which, instead of burning,

388
00:29:27,320 --> 00:29:30,200
'they decide to eat.'

389
00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:35,480
You eat with them, Kate.

390
00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:40,120
I don't like it, I think it tastes like soap.Taste it.

391
00:29:40,160 --> 00:29:42,840
Where does the tradition of the flowers come from?

392
00:30:02,600 --> 00:30:04,440
Ah, so it's all about the perfume?

393
00:30:04,480 --> 00:30:06,720
It's all about the smell.

394
00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:19,720
My head is a little bit smaller than yours. How does that look?

395
00:30:19,760 --> 00:30:22,880
Beautiful.It's good? Number one!

396
00:30:29,160 --> 00:30:32,920
'Once the frankincense traders made it through the foothills,

397
00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:34,840
'They followed flatter ground north

398
00:30:34,880 --> 00:30:40,640
'towards what is today the Muslim world's most important sacred site.

399
00:30:43,600 --> 00:30:45,520
'Ahead of us is the city of Mecca,

400
00:30:45,560 --> 00:30:48,560
'the birthplace of the holy prophet Mohammed.

401
00:30:50,840 --> 00:30:54,240
'But I can't go there, as the road signs make very clear.

402
00:30:56,520 --> 00:31:02,080
'It's out of bounds for non-Muslims and forbidden by Saudi law.

403
00:31:02,120 --> 00:31:05,280
'The traders walked directly from the Asir Mountains

404
00:31:05,320 --> 00:31:07,560
'through Mecca on their journey north.

405
00:31:07,600 --> 00:31:12,480
'We have to make a diversion, 100 miles west to the city of Jeddah.

406
00:31:18,480 --> 00:31:22,320
'This is where Muslims from all over the world arrive

407
00:31:22,360 --> 00:31:25,920
'to make the pilgrimage to Mecca, known as the hajj.

408
00:31:25,960 --> 00:31:29,560
'It's a spiritual journey which all able-bodied Muslims

409
00:31:29,600 --> 00:31:32,840
'are required to make at least once in their lifetime.

410
00:31:40,640 --> 00:31:45,960
'Today, around three million pilgrims come to Jeddah each year.

411
00:31:52,240 --> 00:31:54,280
'After frankincense and before oil,

412
00:31:54,320 --> 00:31:57,560
'the hajj was the economic backbone of the whole country.

413
00:31:57,600 --> 00:32:00,680
'A local historian, known as Engineer Sami,

414
00:32:00,720 --> 00:32:04,320
'tells me how pilgrims made Jeddah a trade centre.'

415
00:32:20,280 --> 00:32:24,200
'Pilgrims travelled here from every corner of the globe and, over time,

416
00:32:24,240 --> 00:32:30,520
'many of them stayed, making Jeddah today one the most ethnically diverse cities in the Middle East.

417
00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:36,560
'The pilgrims' exotic goods were their currency,

418
00:32:36,600 --> 00:32:39,400
'and frankincense has always been in demand.'

419
00:32:39,440 --> 00:32:42,800
Smell that frankincense everywhere!

420
00:32:42,840 --> 00:32:44,480
For sale everywhere.

421
00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:03,880
Can we just have a look? Look at all this stuff!

422
00:33:03,920 --> 00:33:05,880
Salaam Alaykum.

423
00:33:05,920 --> 00:33:11,480
I just wanted to ask you a little bit about the incense that you are selling.

424
00:33:11,520 --> 00:33:15,840
Engineer Sami was saying you have different incense for different rooms, even.

425
00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:19,480
What about this one, where would you burn this one?

426
00:33:19,520 --> 00:33:24,520
Mix.Mix? You could use it in the sitting room?Sitting room.

427
00:33:28,520 --> 00:33:32,080
Look at you both, you're being very naughty.

428
00:33:32,120 --> 00:33:36,280
Is it going to mean I'm going to run away with you, Engineer Sami?

429
00:33:37,480 --> 00:33:40,680
Oh, yes. It's quite potent.

430
00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:45,520
Is it very expensive? How much for that jar?

431
00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:48,280
25.25 riyals.

432
00:33:48,320 --> 00:33:50,440
But for your wife I'm sure she is worth it.

433
00:33:59,760 --> 00:34:06,840
'As sunset approaches, Sami wants me to experience Jeddah's unique call to prayer.'

434
00:34:09,840 --> 00:34:11,440
CHANTING

435
00:34:11,480 --> 00:34:12,960
Wow, what timing.

436
00:34:15,200 --> 00:34:17,080
From every direction.

437
00:34:26,080 --> 00:34:28,720
Oh, it's beautiful.

438
00:34:43,920 --> 00:34:47,040
It's just magical. Thank you.

439
00:34:50,880 --> 00:34:54,280
'It is such an incredible sight and sound,

440
00:34:54,320 --> 00:34:57,800
'that I find myself completely overcome.'

441
00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:22,920
I feel quite moved.

442
00:35:25,560 --> 00:35:26,600
Beautiful.

443
00:35:44,800 --> 00:35:47,040
'Despite being the gateway to Mecca,

444
00:35:47,080 --> 00:35:51,360
'Jeddah has a reputation of being the most liberal of Saudi's cities.

445
00:35:51,400 --> 00:35:54,000
'But still, with no bars or nightclubs,

446
00:35:54,040 --> 00:35:58,640
'no concerts or cinemas, and men and women banned from mingling,

447
00:35:58,680 --> 00:36:01,160
'what do young Saudis do to have fun?

448
00:36:07,640 --> 00:36:09,240
'Well, this is what the boys do.

449
00:36:09,280 --> 00:36:11,520
'They play with their cars.

450
00:36:14,800 --> 00:36:19,280
'The average cost of these modified cars is around £40,000.

451
00:36:19,320 --> 00:36:23,160
'It's a price that most of these guys - who are students - can afford.

452
00:36:23,200 --> 00:36:26,640
'The government pays them a salary to go to university.'

453
00:36:26,680 --> 00:36:33,840
Well, of all the things that I didn't expect to see in Saudi Arabia, it was this.

454
00:36:36,280 --> 00:36:41,280
Pimp my ride, Jeddah style, it's absolutely mad. There's probably a few hundred people here.

455
00:36:41,320 --> 00:36:45,360
And these just extraordinary cars everywhere.

456
00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:47,280
It's like a...

457
00:36:47,320 --> 00:36:50,400
fairground and a freak show, but for automobiles.

458
00:36:52,800 --> 00:36:55,640
Why do people do this?

459
00:36:55,680 --> 00:36:57,680
This is so mad.

460
00:36:57,720 --> 00:37:01,520
Can I go in and just rev it? Is it all right? Can I?

461
00:37:01,560 --> 00:37:03,520
Move out of the way, guys!

462
00:37:03,560 --> 00:37:05,480
This is a girl driving.

463
00:37:05,520 --> 00:37:07,520
CHEERS AND WHISTLES

464
00:37:07,560 --> 00:37:11,760
You've no idea how dangerous this is.

465
00:37:11,800 --> 00:37:14,040
Is the handbrake on?

466
00:37:14,080 --> 00:37:17,080
SHE REVS THE ENGINE

467
00:37:18,720 --> 00:37:23,360
Oh, my goodness. I probably burnt up half a Saudi oil field. That was amazing.

468
00:37:27,080 --> 00:37:29,880
Can I see this one cos it just looks mad?

469
00:37:36,280 --> 00:37:38,640
Really? Everything is all about hydraulics.

470
00:37:38,680 --> 00:37:41,560
'Although these cars are built to attract attention,

471
00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:45,800
'sadly, the boys don't have much chance to impress the girls.

472
00:37:45,840 --> 00:37:49,120
'The authorities don't let these cars out on public roads.

473
00:37:49,160 --> 00:37:52,120
'They're confined to car parks like this one.'

474
00:37:55,360 --> 00:37:56,840
I'm terrified.

475
00:38:00,960 --> 00:38:05,240
'Just a few blocks away, some of Jeddah's girls are having their own fun.

476
00:38:08,440 --> 00:38:11,480
'But what seems like an innocent game of basketball

477
00:38:11,520 --> 00:38:14,040
'is actually a risky political statement.

478
00:38:14,080 --> 00:38:15,880
'Powerful religious clerics

479
00:38:15,920 --> 00:38:20,080
'have banned girls playing sport in public, deeming it un-Islamic.

480
00:38:20,120 --> 00:38:23,000
'These students and housewives play their basketball

481
00:38:23,040 --> 00:38:27,280
'on private property, but despite that they still risk being arrested.

482
00:38:27,320 --> 00:38:31,520
'And Dawi isn't happy about them playing either.'

483
00:38:31,560 --> 00:38:32,720
Now, then.

484
00:38:34,080 --> 00:38:36,320
What does that look mean?

485
00:38:37,920 --> 00:38:39,080
What's the problem?

486
00:38:41,840 --> 00:38:44,200
First time you've seen women playing sport?

487
00:38:44,240 --> 00:38:46,440
Any sport at all?

488
00:38:48,360 --> 00:38:51,880
Does it say anything in the Koran about women not playing sport?

489
00:39:04,040 --> 00:39:07,200
'Maeena's started the club two years ago, with six members.

490
00:39:07,240 --> 00:39:09,960
'Today there a more than a hundred.

491
00:39:10,000 --> 00:39:14,480
'They are one of seven teams in a women's basketball league in Jeddah.'

492
00:39:14,520 --> 00:39:17,680
For a lot of women in Saudi Arabia, this is very unusual,

493
00:39:17,720 --> 00:39:22,160
and not unacceptable in some cultures within Saudi Arabia.

494
00:39:22,200 --> 00:39:24,280
It is a tribal belief.

495
00:39:24,320 --> 00:39:30,040
And hopefully that will start changing with globalisation,

496
00:39:30,080 --> 00:39:32,320
the world being a global village.

497
00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:50,240
What if a female member of your tribe was a really good athlete?

498
00:39:50,280 --> 00:39:53,720
Good enough to compete with the rest the world?

499
00:39:58,080 --> 00:40:00,480
Would you accept?No.

500
00:40:00,520 --> 00:40:02,960
Why? I can't understand.

501
00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:06,640
Why would you take someone's opportunity away?

502
00:40:08,200 --> 00:40:11,640
OK, in my tribe...! I don't accept what you are saying.

503
00:40:11,680 --> 00:40:16,000
I can't. I cannot understand,

504
00:40:16,040 --> 00:40:20,800
and I'm sorry because you've been an amazing host to me in this country,

505
00:40:20,840 --> 00:40:25,480
and it's your country, but that makes no sense. None.

506
00:40:34,360 --> 00:40:36,560
'The next morning, we leave Jeddah.

507
00:40:38,440 --> 00:40:42,920
'And I have more annoying questions for Dawi.'

508
00:40:42,960 --> 00:40:44,960
You know what I don't understand?

509
00:40:45,000 --> 00:40:50,560
What?I don't understand why women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia?

510
00:40:55,120 --> 00:40:57,400
It's a traditional thing?Yes.

511
00:40:57,440 --> 00:41:01,480
So, if you were married, you wouldn't let your wife drive?

512
00:41:01,520 --> 00:41:04,520
No.At all?At all.Ever.

513
00:41:04,560 --> 00:41:06,080
Ever.

514
00:41:06,120 --> 00:41:08,600
So what does she do in an emergency?

515
00:41:09,680 --> 00:41:12,640
Then you've got to wait, and your child's choking

516
00:41:12,680 --> 00:41:17,080
or something and you've got to wait for a flipping taxi. We all know how long that takes!

517
00:41:18,160 --> 00:41:19,280
They never turn up.

518
00:41:21,600 --> 00:41:23,440
'I shouldn't be surprised.

519
00:41:23,480 --> 00:41:26,200
'Since the time of the frankincense traders,

520
00:41:26,240 --> 00:41:29,640
'women haven't been allowed to drive camels here either.

521
00:41:31,600 --> 00:41:35,560
'Camels were once the most important assets of the desert tribes

522
00:41:35,600 --> 00:41:37,760
'because their lives depended on them,

523
00:41:37,800 --> 00:41:42,280
'and their welfare was traditionally the full-time occupation of men.

524
00:41:48,800 --> 00:41:53,560
'Prince Bandar is the head of the Wildlife And Conservation Department of Saudi Arabia.'

525
00:41:53,600 --> 00:41:58,520
At the time when we were poor and we were living in the desert,

526
00:41:58,560 --> 00:42:01,120
life itself was camels.Right.

527
00:42:01,160 --> 00:42:05,840
We made our clothes from their fur. Yeah.

528
00:42:05,880 --> 00:42:09,240
We made our tents from their fur.

529
00:42:09,280 --> 00:42:13,360
We ate their meat, we drank their milk, we rode them.

530
00:42:13,400 --> 00:42:19,560
We carried heavy stuff on them. we even used, excuse my language,

531
00:42:19,600 --> 00:42:21,840
their urine as a medicine.

532
00:42:23,800 --> 00:42:27,360
'Today, while the Saudis no longer depend on them,

533
00:42:27,400 --> 00:42:31,040
'they're still very much in love with their camels.'

534
00:42:31,080 --> 00:42:37,600
These are one of the best herds in the Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia.

535
00:42:37,640 --> 00:42:43,280
This is Nofar. My uncle, my uncle's favourite camel.

536
00:42:43,320 --> 00:42:45,600
How can you tell them all apart?

537
00:42:45,640 --> 00:42:47,360
There are hundreds of them.

538
00:42:47,400 --> 00:42:49,560
They are like our children in our family.

539
00:42:49,600 --> 00:42:53,560
You could have a hundred children and you would tell them apart. Really?Yes.

540
00:42:53,600 --> 00:42:58,480
And we depended on them in the past for everything in the desert.

541
00:42:58,520 --> 00:43:00,880
Now it is time for us to be...

542
00:43:02,840 --> 00:43:05,040
To pay back what they have given us.

543
00:43:05,080 --> 00:43:09,000
'Prince Bandar and his family are paying the camels back

544
00:43:09,040 --> 00:43:11,400
'by investing in a breeding programme

545
00:43:11,440 --> 00:43:15,480
'to ensure that the finest specimens survive for future generations.

546
00:43:15,520 --> 00:43:18,400
'They have three pedigree herds of different colours -

547
00:43:18,440 --> 00:43:23,320
'gold, white and black, and each has its own characteristics of beauty.'

548
00:43:23,360 --> 00:43:27,560
One of the signs of the beauties is to have big head.

549
00:43:27,600 --> 00:43:30,920
You want a long jaw... Yeah...and wide.

550
00:43:30,960 --> 00:43:37,880
And you want an ear to be, in the lighter colour camels, to be pointing back.

551
00:43:37,920 --> 00:43:39,720
The lips, they should be long.

552
00:43:39,760 --> 00:43:42,880
These are the black camels.

553
00:43:42,920 --> 00:43:47,160
The difference between the lighter colours and the darker colours

554
00:43:47,200 --> 00:43:50,120
in the signs of beauty, it comes in their ears.

555
00:43:50,160 --> 00:43:53,160
Look at this ear, this ear is longer and upright.

556
00:43:57,600 --> 00:44:01,520
This is another herd, the herd of my brother.

557
00:44:07,280 --> 00:44:14,680
This is one of the top camels in Saudi Arabia for this colour.

558
00:44:14,720 --> 00:44:17,640
This one is absolutely

559
00:44:17,680 --> 00:44:21,000
at least nine and a half out of ten.

560
00:44:21,040 --> 00:44:26,480
This camel could be worth... a couple of million.

561
00:44:26,520 --> 00:44:28,560
'That's about half a million pounds.'

562
00:44:28,600 --> 00:44:31,120
This is one of the best

563
00:44:31,160 --> 00:44:36,160
stud camels in this colour in Saudi Arabia.Wow.

564
00:44:36,200 --> 00:44:38,400
Fantastic looking camel.

565
00:44:38,440 --> 00:44:42,600
Is he dribbling because there are all these beautiful women around!? Exactly!

566
00:44:42,640 --> 00:44:45,800
Because he would have no heart and no feelings

567
00:44:45,840 --> 00:44:50,920
if he did not get excited with all these beautiful beauties around, no?

568
00:44:53,080 --> 00:44:58,800
'The other animal the desert tribes of Saudi Arabia have relied upon for survival is the falcon.

569
00:44:58,840 --> 00:45:03,240
'This is a saker falcon, sadly now an endangered species

570
00:45:03,280 --> 00:45:09,440
'due in part to the illegal trapping of wild birds for the global falconry trade.'

571
00:45:12,840 --> 00:45:16,840
They are part of the desert tradition.

572
00:45:16,880 --> 00:45:22,960
First of all, because of the necessity of catching food.

573
00:45:23,000 --> 00:45:26,240
A man with a good falcon can go on his camels or on his horse

574
00:45:26,280 --> 00:45:29,040
and catch four or five birds, a few rabbits,

575
00:45:29,080 --> 00:45:31,680
and feed the whole group and the whole clan.

576
00:45:31,720 --> 00:45:34,120
But also I want to say something,

577
00:45:34,160 --> 00:45:36,400
that when the game birds fly

578
00:45:36,440 --> 00:45:39,720
and you release that falcon after them,

579
00:45:39,760 --> 00:45:43,920
you feel that your heart has grown wings and flown.

580
00:45:43,960 --> 00:45:47,680
It gave the owner a feeling that he is flying.

581
00:46:05,160 --> 00:46:10,800
'Travelling north from Mecca, the traders entered the most tightly controlled territory of their route.

582
00:46:10,840 --> 00:46:17,680
'These deserts were ruled from an ancient city that was built into the rocks of the Hisma Mountains.'

583
00:46:17,720 --> 00:46:22,360
It's easy to think that a journey through the Arabian peninsula

584
00:46:22,400 --> 00:46:27,680
would be quite boring, really, as far as landscapes are concerned anyway,

585
00:46:27,720 --> 00:46:31,320
that it would just be lots of flat desert and sand.

586
00:46:31,360 --> 00:46:37,760
But it's been incredibly varied. And I think this landscape really takes the prize. It's so beautiful,

587
00:46:37,800 --> 00:46:41,000
it's like a giant natural sculpture park.

588
00:46:50,720 --> 00:46:54,520
'These are the ruins of Madein Saleh.

589
00:46:54,560 --> 00:46:56,120
'The people who lived here

590
00:46:56,160 --> 00:46:59,520
'ensured the safe passage of the trade caravans

591
00:46:59,560 --> 00:47:04,360
'in return for large taxes, which made them exceedingly wealthy.'

592
00:47:09,840 --> 00:47:14,320
I think, of all the places that I've visited so far along the incense trail,

593
00:47:14,360 --> 00:47:17,320
it's this one that offers the most tangible proof

594
00:47:17,360 --> 00:47:20,680
of just how influential those ancient trade routes were

595
00:47:20,720 --> 00:47:22,720
on the people living at the time.

596
00:47:22,760 --> 00:47:26,440
This plain here was once a vibrant city.

597
00:47:26,480 --> 00:47:32,160
It was established about 200 BC by a tribal group called the Nabateans.

598
00:47:32,200 --> 00:47:34,640
And their rise and fall almost exactly matches

599
00:47:34,680 --> 00:47:38,160
the height and decline of those overland trade routes.

600
00:47:38,200 --> 00:47:43,120
But, as ever, it's not the houses of the living that tell the tale, but the houses of the dead.

601
00:47:48,640 --> 00:47:53,520
'All that remains of the great city are 131 private tombs,

602
00:47:53,560 --> 00:47:56,640
'each of them hand carved out of solid rock.

603
00:48:00,920 --> 00:48:03,480
'Built for the families of the city's elite,

604
00:48:03,520 --> 00:48:05,840
'their elaborate facades stand testament

605
00:48:05,880 --> 00:48:09,520
'to the great wealth that frankincense brought to the region.'

606
00:48:13,320 --> 00:48:16,000
When archaeologists first started working here,

607
00:48:16,040 --> 00:48:18,040
this room was absolutely full of sand,

608
00:48:18,080 --> 00:48:20,480
and none of these stone benches were visible.

609
00:48:20,520 --> 00:48:24,480
But it's believed that this was some sort of meeting house,

610
00:48:24,520 --> 00:48:29,520
somewhere important members of the town would meet to discuss affairs of state

611
00:48:29,560 --> 00:48:32,360
or probably religious issues as well,

612
00:48:32,400 --> 00:48:34,160
because this entrance down here...

613
00:48:35,880 --> 00:48:43,840
which is staggering, this natural break in the rock led to the most holy area of the city.

614
00:48:43,880 --> 00:48:47,320
And along the walls you can see these little niches carved out,

615
00:48:47,360 --> 00:48:49,440
little places for the local deities.

616
00:48:49,480 --> 00:48:53,560
And there's centuries of inscriptions and graffiti,

617
00:48:53,600 --> 00:48:57,680
some in Aramaic and some in modern day Arabic,

618
00:48:57,720 --> 00:49:02,600
charting the journeys that thousands and thousands of people must have taken through here.

619
00:49:02,640 --> 00:49:07,960
Just imagine, you've come in your caravan all the way from Oman,

620
00:49:08,000 --> 00:49:13,040
and all you want to do is thank your gods for your safe passage thus far,

621
00:49:13,080 --> 00:49:16,960
and to pray that you'll be able to continue your journey unharmed,

622
00:49:17,000 --> 00:49:21,240
and get lots of money for those precious goods that you were carrying.

623
00:49:21,280 --> 00:49:25,760
And what I love in this place is, it may have been a religious centre

624
00:49:25,800 --> 00:49:28,920
for the Nabateans, but they were incredibly democratic.

625
00:49:28,960 --> 00:49:31,200
And they knew that the people who came here,

626
00:49:31,240 --> 00:49:35,080
that had brought them their wealth, would also want to worship their gods.

627
00:49:35,120 --> 00:49:40,960
So what they did here was, the niche in the rock there you can see is empty,

628
00:49:41,000 --> 00:49:44,160
and what they could do was bring their own little deities,

629
00:49:44,200 --> 00:49:46,400
put them in that niche and worship them.

630
00:49:46,440 --> 00:49:49,120
Which is just the most lovely idea,

631
00:49:49,160 --> 00:49:53,880
that anyone could come here and it would be meaningful to them.

632
00:49:53,920 --> 00:49:55,440
And what a place to worship.

633
00:50:01,360 --> 00:50:03,680
'This desert utopia came to an end

634
00:50:03,720 --> 00:50:07,760
'at around a hundred years after the birth of Christ

635
00:50:07,800 --> 00:50:11,760
'when the overland trade route finally stopped being profitable.

636
00:50:11,800 --> 00:50:15,480
'Frankincense that was once carried here by the ships of the desert

637
00:50:15,520 --> 00:50:20,520
'began instead to be transported by ships at sea.

638
00:50:20,560 --> 00:50:24,800
'The development of sea trade meant that merchant boats could sail along

639
00:50:24,840 --> 00:50:27,640
'the length of the Red Sea in around 60 days,

640
00:50:27,680 --> 00:50:31,600
'more than twice as fast as camels taking the overland route.

641
00:50:35,560 --> 00:50:38,440
'The Saudi Arabian coastguard are granting me

642
00:50:38,480 --> 00:50:43,240
'extraordinary access to see evidence of this sea trade route for myself.

643
00:50:46,640 --> 00:50:49,520
'I'm joining Eric Mason, a professional diver

644
00:50:49,560 --> 00:50:53,960
'who recently discovered an untouched and ancient shipwreck.

645
00:50:54,000 --> 00:50:58,800
'With 35 years' diving experience, he's one of the few with permission

646
00:50:58,840 --> 00:51:02,120
'to explore Saudi's highly guarded and pristine reefs.'

647
00:51:02,160 --> 00:51:05,320
So now they've stopped all shore diving.That's brilliant.

648
00:51:05,360 --> 00:51:06,880
Only escorted diving.

649
00:51:06,920 --> 00:51:12,320
So they said, if you can't respect the reef then stay off it.

650
00:51:12,360 --> 00:51:16,200
So that's good for us, that's good for conservation.Yeah, brilliant.

651
00:51:19,160 --> 00:51:22,000
'Reliable sea trade started along this coast

652
00:51:22,040 --> 00:51:25,800
'when a fleet of Roman warships was sent here by Julius Caesar

653
00:51:25,840 --> 00:51:28,600
'to protect merchants' boats from pirates.

654
00:51:30,360 --> 00:51:35,680
'Soon, even the smallest of privately owned boats were able to make safe passage

655
00:51:35,720 --> 00:51:38,280
'and everything from cinnamon to pepper,

656
00:51:38,320 --> 00:51:42,760
'and of course frankincense, sailed north towards the Roman Empire.

657
00:51:44,680 --> 00:51:48,120
'We're heading 30 nautical miles offshore

658
00:51:48,160 --> 00:51:53,400
'to explore what Eric thinks is one of many ancient merchant shipwrecks along the route.

659
00:51:53,440 --> 00:51:56,120
'He discovered it by chance.'

660
00:51:56,160 --> 00:51:57,960
So how did you find it?

661
00:51:58,000 --> 00:52:02,640
Purely accident. We sheltered, same as the captain of the shipwreck did.

662
00:52:02,680 --> 00:52:04,920
We came behind the reef in a storm.

663
00:52:04,960 --> 00:52:09,320
And we were messing around looking for something to eat.

664
00:52:14,960 --> 00:52:18,160
'Two hours offshore we see waves breaking on a reef.

665
00:52:18,200 --> 00:52:24,400
'Eric thinks the ancient merchant ship was sailing north when it hit this reef and sank.

666
00:52:24,440 --> 00:52:27,880
'The remains of it still lie on the sea bed.

667
00:52:27,920 --> 00:52:34,000
'The Saudi coastguard have given me permission to dive with Eric, but only according to their rules.

668
00:52:34,040 --> 00:52:38,320
'Unsurprisingly, I'm forbidden from bringing anything to the surface

669
00:52:38,360 --> 00:52:42,400
'and also from revealing the precise location of the wreck.'

670
00:52:47,040 --> 00:52:49,800
I have to say, diving in Saudi

671
00:52:49,840 --> 00:52:53,800
was not something I expected to be able to do on the incense route.

672
00:52:53,840 --> 00:52:58,720
It's actually not something that many people have done. I know, I'm so excited about this.

673
00:52:58,760 --> 00:53:02,240
You should be.Eric, to tie it up with our incense route,

674
00:53:02,280 --> 00:53:05,520
something that you think of as being purely overland,

675
00:53:05,560 --> 00:53:08,120
but of course, it was the sea that took over.

676
00:53:08,160 --> 00:53:09,720
It really did.

677
00:53:09,760 --> 00:53:12,280
It destroyed the land routes in fact.

678
00:53:12,320 --> 00:53:16,320
Yeah. And to see evidence of that is going to be amazing.

679
00:53:16,360 --> 00:53:22,560
No question. Simply because it hasn't been dived, people haven't been coming here.

680
00:53:22,600 --> 00:53:24,600
So we've been blessed by paranoia.

681
00:53:27,480 --> 00:53:30,960
OK. Tank open?Yep.

682
00:53:31,000 --> 00:53:32,480
Thank you.

683
00:53:46,000 --> 00:53:47,480
OK.

684
00:53:49,720 --> 00:53:53,000
Cor, it's nice not be wearing that blinking abaya just for once.

685
00:53:53,040 --> 00:53:56,040
I'm amazed you didn't make me wear it underwater, Eric!

686
00:53:56,080 --> 00:53:59,360
Why not? This is Saudi Arabia, please remember where you are(!)

687
00:53:59,400 --> 00:54:00,800
I know.Are you OK?

688
00:54:00,840 --> 00:54:02,320
I am.

689
00:54:14,120 --> 00:54:18,880
'And then we enter another world and another time.

690
00:54:18,920 --> 00:54:22,680
'15 metres below us, in crystal clear waters,

691
00:54:22,720 --> 00:54:25,680
'lies the skeleton of the shipwreck.

692
00:54:34,320 --> 00:54:37,240
'In front of us are the wooden beams of the ship

693
00:54:37,280 --> 00:54:38,960
'poking out of the sea bed.

694
00:54:41,400 --> 00:54:43,920
'This is the remains of the top deck.

695
00:54:43,960 --> 00:54:47,080
'The rest of the ship is buried deep in the sand.

696
00:54:52,440 --> 00:54:55,600
'Terracotta jugs are scattered everywhere,

697
00:54:55,640 --> 00:54:57,960
'many almost completely intact.

698
00:55:10,080 --> 00:55:13,320
'This is almost certainly only the second time

699
00:55:13,360 --> 00:55:15,120
'this wreck as been dived,

700
00:55:15,160 --> 00:55:18,880
'and none of these relics have been studied or dated.

701
00:55:28,160 --> 00:55:30,680
'It's extraordinary that it hasn't been plundered

702
00:55:30,720 --> 00:55:34,120
'and to see so much evidence of that ancient cargo.

703
00:55:51,560 --> 00:55:56,720
'Then, amazingly, Eric finds what appears to be an incense burner.

704
00:56:01,160 --> 00:56:06,880
'Its shape is exactly the same as the burners still in use today.'

705
00:56:25,600 --> 00:56:27,800
Was it what you expected?

706
00:56:27,840 --> 00:56:31,000
Oh, better! It was amazing.

707
00:56:31,040 --> 00:56:34,480
Good.I can't believe we saw an incense burner

708
00:56:34,520 --> 00:56:36,720
20 metres below the Red Sea.

709
00:56:38,560 --> 00:56:45,080
'To dive an untouched wreck is a unique experience and one I shall never forget.

710
00:56:45,120 --> 00:56:51,160
'Today I felt like an explorer finding something that has remained hidden for centuries.

711
00:56:53,640 --> 00:56:58,480
'But then my entire journey through Saudi Arabia has been one of discovery.

712
00:56:58,520 --> 00:57:04,720
'Some of my preconceptions were right, many more were wrong.

713
00:57:04,760 --> 00:57:08,440
'Now, on the other side of the Red Sea, awaits another journey,

714
00:57:08,480 --> 00:57:11,640
'through an even more ancient territory -

715
00:57:13,120 --> 00:57:15,120
'Egypt.

716
00:57:15,160 --> 00:57:19,160
'In the next programme, I follow the frankincense trail

717
00:57:19,200 --> 00:57:21,600
'through the land of the pharaohs,

718
00:57:21,640 --> 00:57:24,720
'where its smoke was used to connect kings with gods.'

719
00:57:24,760 --> 00:57:27,040
So that's someone offering incense.

720
00:57:27,080 --> 00:57:32,800
'And is still used today by the descendants of the ancient Nubian tribe.

721
00:57:32,840 --> 00:57:37,000
'I sail along the Nile and witness the blessing of an ecstatic Christian crowd.'

722
00:57:39,920 --> 00:57:42,840
It's actually getting a little bit nerve-wracking now.

723
00:57:44,200 --> 00:57:47,200
'And through the teeming metropolis of Cairo,

724
00:57:47,240 --> 00:57:52,240
'the trail leads me deep inside one of the great wonders of the world.

725
00:57:52,280 --> 00:57:58,960
'And then, in the Sinai Desert, I take part in an extraordinary ceremony with a Bedouin healer.'

726
00:58:06,720 --> 00:58:09,960
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