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00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:09,000
Frankincense. One of the gifts
given by the three wise men
to the newborn Christ.

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00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:15,560
As rare and as precious as gold,
its smoke was thought to have

3
00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:19,720
divine powers that directly
connected man to his god.

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00:00:22,240 --> 00:00:26,680
From its source in Oman,
an epic trade route was forged

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00:00:26,680 --> 00:00:31,760
across Arabia to the Holy Lands,
where it was shipped throughout
the ancient world.

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00:00:35,160 --> 00:00:40,320
And along the way,
entire civilisations emerged
from the desert and prospered.

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00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:50,080
Now, 5,000 years after the
frankincense trade began,
I'm following in the footsteps

8
00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:55,360
of one of the great
epic trade routes of ancient times.

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00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:12,320
My journey started at the
source of the world's finest
frankincense, in Oman.

10
00:01:12,320 --> 00:01:13,920
Oh, look, look.

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With my own supply, I set off on
the trail of the original traders and
crossed the wild frontiers of Yemen.

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00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:25,840
We're going to be number one target
for the tribes to kidnap.

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One hour! One hour, yes, I know,
that's why we have to start.

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Then I entered the mysterious
world of Saudi Arabia...

15
00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:36,040
You're going to have to give me
intensive lessons on how to do this.

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00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:42,600
..where some of my preconceptions
of life in the hidden kingdom were
overturned, and some were not.

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That makes no sense.

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From Saudi Arabia's coast, I crossed
the Red Sea to join an even more

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ancient frankincense trade route
in Egypt...

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00:01:54,520 --> 00:01:58,960
where frankincense was used by the
Pharaohs to reach the afterlife,

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and where it's still used today
as part of Egypt's
wildest Christian festival.

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It's actually getting a
little bit nerve-wracking now.

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Now I'm leaving Egypt
to begin the final stage
of my frankincense trail.

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From the Port of Aqaba, I'm going to
follow the trail to the ancient city

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00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:25,200
of Petra, and continue on the
trade route towards Gaza before
ending my journey in Bethlehem.

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00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:37,960
Although the modern, independent
country of Jordan is less than 70
years old, this area was once home

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to one of the ancient world's
richest and most powerful
civilisations,

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thanks to the incense trade.

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My plan is to head
to the middle of the desert
to see their magnificent capital.

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The route the frankincense traders
would have taken towards Petra
is miles from any road.

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But a railway line runs close to
the original path, so I've come here

32
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to cadge a lift on one of the
longest freight trains in Arabia.

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Salaam Alaikum. Do I come up here?

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This train heads directly into some
of Arabia's most spectacular
landscape -

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a mountainous desert
known as the Wadi Rum.

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I don't know why, but there's
something quite exciting
about going on a train

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that doesn't take passengers,

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and kind of
sneaking in with the drivers
and taking off into the desert.

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TRAIN WHISTLES

40
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Is it very difficult to drive?
Or does it drive itself?

41
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Not difficult. It's not difficult.

42
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You can sit, you can smoke,
you can have a cup of tea...

43
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Life is good.

44
00:04:03,480 --> 00:04:07,520
You want some coffee? I would
love some coffee, yes, please.

45
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Jordanian coffee.

46
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The train has brought me through the
highest mountain range in Jordan.

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The camel caravans once had to
negotiate their way through here,

48
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and I want to try and work out
the most likely route they took.

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00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:36,160
To do that,
I need to leave the train.

50
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Drive safely!

51
00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:42,400
'To get a better idea
of what the frankincense traders

52
00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:45,680
'were up against, I want to see
these mountains from above.'

53
00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:57,440
'So I'm meeting a pilot who I hope
can help me find the route
they would have taken.'

54
00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:04,640
Great bus service
here in the Wadi Rum.

55
00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:11,600
'By camel, this section of the route
would have taken about four days.

56
00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:14,360
'It'll be a lot quicker
and easier by plane.'

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Hello! You are a girl who
knows how to make an entrance.

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'Besma Al-Maghri is an instructor
from a flying club near here,

59
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'so she knows every rock
and valley of the Wadi Rum.'

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And this area is the Wadi Rum.

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00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:33,200
It is. We're actually going to be
heading north from here, so more
to the north-west.

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We're going to go up close and
get an aerial view of how it
looks like from up above.

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A beautiful day. 
It is a beautiful day.

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00:05:56,760 --> 00:06:03,120
And what we're flying down
now is almost like
a massive, sand motorway.

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00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:07,320
I mean, it's a very
clear highway through the mountains.

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It would have been these
sorts of areas that the camel
caravans would have used,

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00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:17,680
these big, flat, easily navigable
sand areas between the mountains.

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00:06:17,680 --> 00:06:20,600
Then Besma decides we should
take a closer look.

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00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:28,240
It is just such a pleasure
to see Wadi Rum from the air,

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00:06:28,240 --> 00:06:31,200
although it feels like
we're barely in the air.

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00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:35,400
How high up are we?
We're at approximately about
200 feet off the ground.

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Is that legal?

73
00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:40,840
Um, barely legal, barely legal.

74
00:06:43,240 --> 00:06:45,440
What a landscape to travel through.

75
00:06:45,440 --> 00:06:49,040
It must have been incredible,
walking through here

76
00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:54,680
with these great caravans and
just being amongst this landscape.

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Absolutely.

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00:06:57,200 --> 00:07:00,920
The formation of
the rocks are really incredible.

79
00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:04,120
They just go in
every single direction.

80
00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:06,440
Yeah. It's like nature gone mad.

81
00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:14,640
These mountain ranges once
channelled the frankincense traders
along a single route north west.

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00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:20,680
At that time, this region was
under the control of a local tribe
known as the Nabateans.

83
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They guaranteed the safe passage
of all the trade caravans that
passed through their territory...

84
00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:28,520
but for a price.

85
00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:31,600
As a result, they
became extremely wealthy.

86
00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:36,360
Their control of the
frankincense trade route

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00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:40,880
made the Nabateans the most powerful
civilisation in ancient Arabia.

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And at the centre of their empire
was their extraordinary
capital city, Petra.

89
00:07:50,440 --> 00:07:53,600
On the outskirts of Petra
is evidence of how the Nabateans

90
00:07:53,600 --> 00:08:02,240
administered the trade route - the
remains of a 3,000-year-old building
that acted as a checkpoint.

91
00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:08,400
This is really important as far as
the incense trail goes because what
we are looking at is a watchtower.

92
00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:11,880
What happened was the camels
would come from Wadi Rum,

93
00:08:11,880 --> 00:08:13,800
where we were flying this morning,

94
00:08:13,800 --> 00:08:17,760
and they would come
to this big, wide area here
which was known as the station.

95
00:08:17,760 --> 00:08:20,760
Now behind this area is Petra.

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00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:24,000
You can see the little white
point on top of the mountain there.

97
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Now the caravans didn't go to Petra,
cos why on earth would you take

98
00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:30,680
camels that have done a huge journey
already up over those mountains?

99
00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:36,600
So the guys stationed here at this
watchtower would light fires, send
smoke signals over to Petra to say,

100
00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:40,360
"The caravans are here,
there's cash to be made."

101
00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:46,040
And it was that steady stream of
cash from the frankincense trade
that built this.

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Petra.

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00:08:48,560 --> 00:08:53,800
For close to 1,000 years, this was
the capital city of the Nabateans,

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00:08:53,800 --> 00:08:57,960
and at its peak,
it was home to 30,000 people.

105
00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:02,600
It was once the most
opulent city in all of Arabia.

106
00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:09,120
Built deep into the middle
of a mountain range,

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00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:13,240
the entrance to the city must be
the most spectacular in the world.

108
00:09:15,560 --> 00:09:21,240
Known as the Siq,
it's a twisting gorge that
follows an ancient water course.

109
00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:23,640
Once you enter the Siq,
you're trapped.

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There's only one way in
and one way out.

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00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:32,160
In Nabatean times, it was heavily
guarded from the cliffs above,

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00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:35,400
and no one would have
reached the city unnoticed.

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At the end of the gorge,
a spectacular glimpse
of what lies ahead.

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00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:51,240
It's Petra's most recognised
landmark, known as the Treasury.

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00:09:53,600 --> 00:09:59,160
Historian Jane Taylor joins me
as it first comes into view.

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What's wonderful is being able to see
the Treasury just little
by little, just little glimpses.

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I think it was intended, really,
to gobsmack people as they came here.

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They were cowering after this long,
narrow gorge and then, "Ahhhhh!"

119
00:10:19,760 --> 00:10:24,720
Legend has it that the Treasury got
its name when bandits hid their loot
in the stone urn at its centre.

120
00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:28,720
Local Bedouin were said
to have fired at the urn

121
00:10:28,720 --> 00:10:33,080
in the hope of breaking it open
so it would spill its treasure.

122
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Their hopeful bullet holes
pepper the ancient stone,

123
00:10:36,160 --> 00:10:43,040
but they didn't realise
that the whole structure, including
the urn, was carved from solid rock.

124
00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:47,080
All of these buildings - not
buildings but carved monuments -

125
00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:51,480
were started from the top,
so they would have probably lowered
themselves by ropes or something.

126
00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:54,640
Right from the top of there
and effectively abseil down?

127
00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:57,520
Yes. And then start chipping.

128
00:10:57,520 --> 00:11:01,800
The Nabateans' extensive trading
empire linked them to the money

129
00:11:01,800 --> 00:11:04,840
and cultural influence of
the Mediterranean world.

130
00:11:04,840 --> 00:11:13,120
So the very fact that they were
key to all these trade routes
crossing all over the peninsula

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00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:17,120
then meant they could have really
spectacular architecture as well.

132
00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:19,680
And they could afford to
bring in the best artisans.

133
00:11:19,680 --> 00:11:26,480
So they probably had someone, one of
the best masons from Alexandria, who
came and showed them how to do it.

134
00:11:26,480 --> 00:11:31,840
Inside is a chamber which may
have been used as a type of tomb.

135
00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:40,520
If this was some sort of mausoleum,
would there have been rituals here?

136
00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:42,920
Would there have
incense burned here?

137
00:11:42,920 --> 00:11:45,920
Its possible. We don't really know
what happened.

138
00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:51,120
There seemed to be some sort
of rituals because there's
that little ablution basin there.

139
00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:53,440
But what went on
inside, we don't know.

140
00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:57,680
But of course,
I'm sure they were very careful about
using the frankincense themselves

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00:11:57,680 --> 00:12:03,840
because they wanted to sell it on
to the Romans, who used it
as though there was no tomorrow.

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00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:10,920
This city may be one of the great
treasures of the ancient world,

143
00:12:10,920 --> 00:12:13,800
and it's certainly Jordan's
top tourist attraction.

144
00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:19,600
But it was also
home to the local Bedouin community
as recently as the 1980s.

145
00:12:21,680 --> 00:12:24,680
Rami was born in one
of Petra's many caves.

146
00:12:24,680 --> 00:12:28,040
His mother, a New Zealander,
married a local Bedouin.

147
00:12:28,040 --> 00:12:33,400
It is an astonishing place to grow
up, isn't it? I mean, look at this.

148
00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:34,960
What a view you had.

149
00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:38,800
This was my playground, I think.

150
00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:40,720
And this is the cave
we used to live in.

151
00:12:40,720 --> 00:12:42,880
Wow. Can we go in still?

152
00:12:42,880 --> 00:12:45,440
I think so. It's open.

153
00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:46,960
I was born here.

154
00:12:48,680 --> 00:12:51,400
This used to be our home.

155
00:12:51,400 --> 00:12:54,760
This used to be
the cooking area here.

156
00:12:54,760 --> 00:12:57,800
My dad bought a small stove
that they used here.

157
00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:03,040
In the daytime, all the bedding
would be put over there
so this area would all be free,

158
00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:08,280
and at night time when it was time
to sleep they would just take
the bedding off and use it here.

159
00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:11,480
And you shared this with your mum,
your dad and your older sister?

160
00:13:11,480 --> 00:13:13,560
All of us. I can't remember much.

161
00:13:13,560 --> 00:13:15,560
Apparently I set fire to the cave.

162
00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:21,280
I truly believe it. It looks like
it hasn't been completely abandoned.

163
00:13:21,280 --> 00:13:25,120
Why? They're using it now
for the Petra night guard.

164
00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:29,920
So he sits here, he's got the best
view of Petra, so the night guard
can see the whole area from here.

165
00:13:29,920 --> 00:13:34,520
When Rami's father died,
his mother took her children
to live in Australia.

166
00:13:34,520 --> 00:13:38,840
But after ten years,
Rami's returned to his roots.

167
00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:44,320
And do you think, though,
what was really pulling you
back was that Bedouin blood?

168
00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:46,440
Do you think the spirit
of your dad said,

169
00:13:46,440 --> 00:13:49,280
"You've got to come back to Petra
whether you like it or not, son!"

170
00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:50,800
I think it was the freedom.

171
00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:52,840
The Bedouins, we love our freedom.

172
00:13:57,400 --> 00:14:01,360
But freedom to choose a route
was not an option
for the frankincense traders.

173
00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:04,840
They needed the Nabateans'
protection from bandits and so

174
00:14:04,840 --> 00:14:11,680
they had to stick to one fixed path
all the way to the Mediterranean.

175
00:14:11,680 --> 00:14:15,200
Their journey from Petra to Gaza
took them around one week.

176
00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:19,240
So I can follow their trail
into what is now Israel,

177
00:14:19,240 --> 00:14:24,560
I have to cross the border at
Eilat before I can rejoin
the traders' path.

178
00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:30,760
These days, very little trade
passes between Jordan and Israel.

179
00:14:30,760 --> 00:14:34,480
This border crossing
is mostly used by tourists.

180
00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:41,080
Goodbye,
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

181
00:14:41,080 --> 00:14:42,840
Hello, no man's land.

182
00:14:46,240 --> 00:14:47,480
Salaam Alaikum.

183
00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:51,080
OK? Bye bye.

184
00:14:56,040 --> 00:15:01,360
Of all the border crossings that
I've done on this journey, and
there have been many, this one is

185
00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:08,280
kind of the most significant
because I've been through five
Arab Islamic countries so far,

186
00:15:08,280 --> 00:15:11,960
but this isn't just a crossing
from one country to another -

187
00:15:11,960 --> 00:15:17,160
it's a whole transition
from one culture and one
religion and one way of life

188
00:15:17,160 --> 00:15:19,480
to another that is so different.

189
00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:28,520
Israeli border guards are renowned
for conducting thorough interviews
and searches of all foreigners,

190
00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:32,480
particularly those who've travelled
across other Middle Eastern nations.

191
00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:39,920
Well, I have to say,

192
00:15:41,440 --> 00:15:43,440
I'm quite surprised

193
00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:47,400
at how laid back this...

194
00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:48,920
crossing is so far.

195
00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:52,960
I was slightly expecting
a barrage of Israeli soldiers.

196
00:15:55,400 --> 00:15:57,920
It's gone pretty smoothly so far.

197
00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:06,080
"Please follow the arrows."

198
00:16:06,080 --> 00:16:11,400
How can you follow the arrows when
there's one in that direction
and one in that direction?

199
00:16:11,400 --> 00:16:13,360
We are...

200
00:16:13,360 --> 00:16:16,160
nearing the security check,

201
00:16:16,160 --> 00:16:20,560
and I am suspecting that our cameras

202
00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:24,760
may be forcibly turned off
at this point. But we'll see

203
00:16:24,760 --> 00:16:27,080
how far we can go.

204
00:16:27,080 --> 00:16:30,280
Now I have to say the right thing.
Shalom? Yeah? Phew.

205
00:16:32,080 --> 00:16:33,600
In here?

206
00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:44,080
And that was all easy so far.

207
00:16:44,080 --> 00:16:46,040
Passport control.

208
00:16:47,720 --> 00:16:49,960
Hi, shalom.

209
00:16:53,120 --> 00:16:56,960
Do you have information
about me on your computer?

210
00:16:56,960 --> 00:16:59,360
Do you? What does it say?
Nice things?

211
00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:01,560
Bye bye.

212
00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:05,200
Right, I seem to be in Israel.

213
00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:10,520
Less from a mile from the border
is Eilat, Israel's
only city on the Red Sea.

214
00:17:10,520 --> 00:17:14,000
A lot of the buildings
are very modern.

215
00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:34,240
Really? It was like kind of
Israel's Siberia!

216
00:17:41,040 --> 00:17:42,840
Thank you again.

217
00:17:42,840 --> 00:17:45,120
Have a nice day. I will.

218
00:17:45,120 --> 00:17:49,480
It was incredible.
Thank you very much.
Thanks a lot. See you. Bye bye.

219
00:17:49,480 --> 00:17:52,480
'Today, the people of Israel
come to Eilat to relax.

220
00:17:52,480 --> 00:17:58,120
'I'm just staying for a night
before I head back to the desert
and my frankincense trail tomorrow.'

221
00:17:59,960 --> 00:18:03,920
Hi. Shalom. I've got a room booked.

222
00:18:03,920 --> 00:18:05,960
Your name, please? Humble.

223
00:18:05,960 --> 00:18:07,560
H U M B L E.

224
00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:13,480
You do realise you are checking in
on Shabbat this weekend?

225
00:18:13,480 --> 00:18:15,680
No. What's Shabbat?

226
00:18:15,680 --> 00:18:20,880
It's the holy weekend.
I can call a rabbi
to explain it to you if you like?

227
00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:25,200
That would be good,
because I've no idea what to do.

228
00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:30,280
(Shabbat?)

229
00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:36,840
OK, one moment. Here he is.

230
00:18:36,840 --> 00:18:39,280
Brilliant, should I grab my key?

231
00:18:39,280 --> 00:18:44,200
Yes, of course.
Now, before he comes, this is your
key, room 937 on the ninth floor.

232
00:18:44,200 --> 00:18:48,000
Thank you. Shalom Aleichem.
Hi, shalom. How are you?

233
00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:51,000
I'm fine. Sorry. Don't shake hands.
Oh, sorry. I'm quite clean.

234
00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:52,840
Do you not shake hands?
No, I do not.

235
00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:54,480
OK, I'm sorry. It's OK.

236
00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:58,280
I don't want
to clutter up reception, 

237
00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:01,840
but would it be possible for
you to explain to me about Shabbat?

238
00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:04,080
It's not something
I'm familiar with at all.

239
00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:05,720
Oh, yeah, with pleasure.

240
00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:09,200
'Rabbi Yuval is the
hotel's in-house rabbi.

241
00:19:09,200 --> 00:19:13,160
'One of his main tasks is to ensure
that the many rules of Shabbat,

242
00:19:13,160 --> 00:19:17,680
'the Jewish holy day that begins at
sunset each Friday, are observed.'

243
00:19:17,680 --> 00:19:20,000
What am I going to
notice with Shabbat?

244
00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:22,880
What can I not do and can do?

245
00:19:22,880 --> 00:19:26,080
First of all, you're not
allowed to use any electric
machines on Shabbat.

246
00:19:26,080 --> 00:19:28,600
You're not allowed to drive,
not to light a fire.

247
00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:30,560
Can I dry my hair? Nothing.

248
00:19:30,560 --> 00:19:32,520
Really? Nothing, nothing, nothing.

249
00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:34,200
Can I not use the lift?

250
00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:36,920
You can use, but there's
a special one for Shabbat.

251
00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:39,200
It takes you by itself,
all the way to...

252
00:19:39,200 --> 00:19:41,400
How does it know?
Do I say, "Ninth floor"?

253
00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:43,720
No, it goes all the way up.

254
00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:45,680
Can we go in it? Yes, please.

255
00:19:45,680 --> 00:19:48,640
This one? Is this the Shabbat one?

256
00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:50,640
Everything is just automatic, is it?

257
00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:54,640
Yes, it is but now
it is not Shabbat, so...

258
00:19:54,640 --> 00:19:57,240
So you can press the button.

259
00:19:57,240 --> 00:19:59,800
After sunset...?
You're not allowed to do this.

260
00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:02,120
You don't need to? By itself.

261
00:20:02,120 --> 00:20:05,720
By itself, there is a special clap
at the reception.

262
00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:10,560
What happens if the elevator breaks?

263
00:20:10,560 --> 00:20:14,200
If the elevator breaks
then we have a slight problem.

264
00:20:14,200 --> 00:20:19,800
'My Shabbat tour extends to
the kitchen, where there seem
to be rules for everything.'

265
00:20:19,800 --> 00:20:21,720
Over here,

266
00:20:21,720 --> 00:20:25,840
that's a coffee machine. On Shabbat
you are not allowed to use this.

267
00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:29,960
But, but, you see the
button over here?

268
00:20:29,960 --> 00:20:31,720
When it's like this,
then it's for weekdays.

269
00:20:31,720 --> 00:20:35,640
When the security
fix to the right side,

270
00:20:35,640 --> 00:20:39,520
it's for Shabbat.
And it will just work automatically?
Yeah.

271
00:20:39,520 --> 00:20:42,000
For Shabbat, no, nothing to use.

272
00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:44,600
Everything mechanic.
No electric, nothing.

273
00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:48,000
A lever is fine,
because it's mechanical?

274
00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:54,360
But you can't press a button.
In that case, then, you can open
a fridge because that's a lever,

275
00:20:54,360 --> 00:20:57,800
it doesn't matter that that's an
electrical piece of equipment?

276
00:20:57,800 --> 00:21:00,240
You can open it but at the fridge
there's a problem.

277
00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:02,240
In the fridge you have a light.

278
00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:04,440
For Shabbat you put
something on the light

279
00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:07,160
to take it off, then you can use it
for whatever you want.

280
00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:10,600
You're not physically
switching on the light.
You're opening a door.

281
00:21:10,600 --> 00:21:15,440
But you do something, it was off
before. You did something, it's on.
So something you did.

282
00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:17,440
So complicated.

283
00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:20,080
If you get used to it,
then you don't have a problem.

284
00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:31,240
'And down in the basement,
Rabbi Yuval has something else
to show me.'

285
00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:32,680
Am I allowed in here?

286
00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:35,080
Yes, you are allowed, but
your place is on the left side.

287
00:21:35,080 --> 00:21:37,760
Women have to stay there?
Women stay on the left side.

288
00:21:37,760 --> 00:21:39,440
But where do you go, then?

289
00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:42,720
My place is right here. But they're
not going to be able to see you.

290
00:21:42,720 --> 00:21:44,640
Oh, they are, yes. How?

291
00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:47,560
You go and stand there,
I'm going to test this out.

292
00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:51,640
I can't see you, you're
surrounded by net curtains.

293
00:21:51,640 --> 00:21:53,520
I'm right here,
you can open the, the...

294
00:21:53,520 --> 00:21:55,160
What, look through the curtain?

295
00:21:55,160 --> 00:21:57,920
It seems a little unfair. Why
aren't we allowed to look at you?

296
00:21:57,920 --> 00:21:59,720
It might, er, er...

297
00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:01,560
We need to have separation between.

298
00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:07,120
Are you saying that if the women
are too pretty you might get
distracted, and that's a problem?

299
00:22:07,120 --> 00:22:10,960
First of all I'm not allowed to see
if the women is pretty or prettier.

300
00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:13,960
OK? It might be a problem.

301
00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:19,680
Can you give me some sort of idea
of what a Shabbat service is like?
Do people sing hymns?

302
00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:21,760
There is, there is. There's singing?

303
00:22:21,760 --> 00:22:23,800
You want to hear something? Yeah.

304
00:22:23,800 --> 00:22:27,520
HE SINGS IN HEBREW

305
00:22:31,880 --> 00:22:36,240
Although I've only been here
for a couple of hours,
I'm struck by the way

306
00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:41,760
ancient Jewish traditions seems
so integrated into modern-day life.

307
00:23:01,720 --> 00:23:08,160
The next morning, I'm back in
territory once controlled by
the ancient Nabatean empire.

308
00:23:09,800 --> 00:23:13,480
The modern road follows the
exact path of the ancient trail

309
00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:19,160
across a six-mile-wide crater in the
desert known as the Makhtesh Ramon.

310
00:23:19,160 --> 00:23:25,240
But it suddenly ends at what appears
to be an almost vertical cliff face.

311
00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:43,560
The most direct route out
from the bottom of the crater

312
00:23:43,560 --> 00:23:48,880
up to the top was obviously far too
steep for camels, so the Nabateans
were forced to bring all their

313
00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:56,640
engineering skills to task and build
a camel-friendly road that zigzagged
all the way up this cliff face.

314
00:23:56,640 --> 00:24:00,720
The Nabateans directed the
frankincense traders this way

315
00:24:00,720 --> 00:24:03,960
because it was the
easiest route for them to guard.

316
00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:11,280
Look at that. 'The path here
travels through wide, open desert

317
00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:14,760
'and allowed little chance for
marauders to stage an ambush.

318
00:24:14,760 --> 00:24:20,560
'And the view from the top meant
soldiers could keep a close eye
on the camel caravans' progress.'

319
00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:27,000
This building would have been
a checkpoint and a watch tower,

320
00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:32,600
and it was probably manned by
soldiers who had done something
absolutely awful, because

321
00:24:32,600 --> 00:24:39,600
although it's spectacular now,
it must have been a really desolate
and incredibly lonely posting.

322
00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:51,080
'From the top of this mountain pass,
the frankincense traders only had
two days of walking ahead of them

323
00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:54,840
'before the end of their
2,000-mile journey to Gaza.

324
00:24:54,840 --> 00:24:56,840
'And it was all downhill.

325
00:24:59,480 --> 00:25:04,480
'And after covering most of the
journey myself, I can just imagine
their sense of relief.'

326
00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:06,040
Brilliant.

327
00:25:06,040 --> 00:25:07,560
Thank you very much indeed.

328
00:25:07,560 --> 00:25:09,360
I'm going to go and explore.

329
00:25:15,840 --> 00:25:19,680
'30 miles outside Gaza
are the ruins of Shivta.

330
00:25:19,680 --> 00:25:23,360
'This was the final stop
before the end of the trail.

331
00:25:25,640 --> 00:25:28,440
'From here most of the
frankincense went to Gaza,

332
00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:32,000
'where it was distributed
across the Mediterranean Sea.'

333
00:25:36,200 --> 00:25:42,080
Gaza is just over that hill over
there, and frustratingly,

334
00:25:42,080 --> 00:25:46,400
I can't go there
because politically it's
simply too dangerous at the moment.

335
00:25:46,400 --> 00:25:48,520
But my situation isn't unique.

336
00:25:48,520 --> 00:25:53,360
Gaza is such a strategic port
that it's been under attack
for millennia.

337
00:25:53,360 --> 00:25:56,320
So when caravans reached
this point, they had a choice.

338
00:25:56,320 --> 00:26:00,360
If they couldn't go to Gaza,
they could head to the south west

339
00:26:00,360 --> 00:26:05,160
towards Alexandria, or they
could take a route to the north.

340
00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:06,720
And that's where I'm heading.

341
00:26:06,720 --> 00:26:10,960
70 miles from here is one of the
world's most important religious

342
00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:15,600
centres, where frankincense has
always been in demand - Jerusalem.

343
00:26:26,080 --> 00:26:30,040
Jerusalem is a fascinating
and complicated place.

344
00:26:30,040 --> 00:26:36,120
It's a city that's inspired passions
so great that people have
given up their lives for it.

345
00:26:36,120 --> 00:26:39,080
Both the Israelis
and the Palestinians

346
00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:44,600
view this as their capital,
and it has enormous significance
for three separate religions.

347
00:26:44,600 --> 00:26:50,880
'The Muslim, Jewish and Christian
communities each consider
Jerusalem a sacred city.

348
00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:54,800
'It was here the Muslims believe
Mohammed ascended into heaven.

349
00:26:54,800 --> 00:26:58,480
'For the Jews, it's from
where God created the world.

350
00:26:58,480 --> 00:27:04,480
'And for the Christians,
it was in Jerusalem
where Jesus rose from the dead.

351
00:27:09,280 --> 00:27:13,480
'I've come to where more
frankincense is burned
in worship 

352
00:27:13,480 --> 00:27:17,960
'than any other place in Jerusalem -
the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

353
00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:28,040
'This is one of the holiest
sites in the Christian world
because it's believed

354
00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:32,200
'it's where Jesus was crucified
and from where he was resurrected.

355
00:27:37,520 --> 00:27:42,240
'The entire church has
been built around what's
thought to be his tomb.

356
00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:48,040
'It's enclosed by a 16th-century
wooden shrine
called the Holy Sepulchre.

357
00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:03,360
'Five different branches
of the Christian faith
claim ownership to the church.

358
00:28:03,360 --> 00:28:08,840
'Each one celebrates according
to their own tradition,
and there has been conflict.

359
00:28:08,840 --> 00:28:12,040
'Although their prayers are
spoken in different languages,

360
00:28:12,040 --> 00:28:16,480
'they're all sanctified with
frankincense every day of the year.'

361
00:28:26,960 --> 00:28:31,600
'Less than five minutes' walk
away from the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre

362
00:28:31,600 --> 00:28:36,760
'is another sacred site where a
different prophet is believed
to have ascended into heaven.

363
00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:47,600
'Today it's Jerusalem's best known
and most controversial landmark.'

364
00:28:50,240 --> 00:28:54,000
For Muslims, Jerusalem,
or Al-Quds as they call it,

365
00:28:54,000 --> 00:29:01,320
has huge holy significance because
it has the most important site
for them after Mecca and Medina.

366
00:29:01,320 --> 00:29:05,240
Under that beautiful golden dome
is the rock where Mohammed is said

367
00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:11,640
to have stepped up into heaven,
so for Muslims this is the closest
place on earth to paradise.

368
00:29:14,040 --> 00:29:19,640
'And I can't go there
because it's been temporarily
closed to non-Muslims

369
00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:25,480
'following another in a long line of
disagreements between Muslim leaders
and the Jewish government.

370
00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:31,360
'It's one of the most contested
territories on the planet.

371
00:29:31,360 --> 00:29:36,360
'Both the Muslims and the Jews
claim ownership of the land
directly beneath the Golden Dome.

372
00:29:36,360 --> 00:29:39,800
'Although crowned with a symbol
of Islam, the Jews believe this is

373
00:29:39,800 --> 00:29:45,080
'where God created the world
and made it the site
of their first temple.

374
00:29:45,080 --> 00:29:49,280
'That temple was destroyed by the
Babylonians and another
built in its place,

375
00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:52,600
'which was then destroyed
by the Romans.

376
00:29:54,560 --> 00:29:58,680
'I'm going to all that remains
of the temple's foundation wall,

377
00:29:58,680 --> 00:30:03,920
'which has become one of the
most important pilgrimage sites
for Jews the world over.

378
00:30:11,360 --> 00:30:14,640
'According to Jewish law,
the devoted are obligated to

379
00:30:14,640 --> 00:30:21,000
'feel grief for the lost temple
when they first approach what is
today known as the western wall.'

380
00:30:29,120 --> 00:30:33,000
The western wall is the
holiest place for Jews today.

381
00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:36,000
They believe that somehow
the divine presence

382
00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:39,400
is trapped within the stones,
so to come here to pray

383
00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:44,280
and to physically touch the wall
is as close to God
as they can get on earth.

384
00:30:49,800 --> 00:30:53,240
'Many pilgrims leave prayers
tucked in the cracks in the wall,

385
00:30:53,240 --> 00:30:56,800
'a tradition believed to have
started in the 18th century.

386
00:30:56,800 --> 00:31:00,880
'When Barack Obama was here during
his campaign trail, he too left a

387
00:31:00,880 --> 00:31:05,400
'prayer which was later removed and
published, to wide condemnation.

388
00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:13,000
'The wall is segregated, so the
camera crew have to stay outside
as I go into the women's section.'

389
00:31:14,520 --> 00:31:18,760
It's a real crush.
Some people are pressed

390
00:31:18,760 --> 00:31:24,600
right up against the wall,
and standing here
I can see stuffed in the cracks...

391
00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:29,480
all the prayers

392
00:31:29,480 --> 00:31:31,280
that people have put in.

393
00:31:32,800 --> 00:31:38,640
Apparently, even if you can't
get here yourself, you can send
a prayer either in the post,

394
00:31:38,640 --> 00:31:42,400
or there's even a
dedicated fax line,

395
00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:47,280
and one of the officials here will
come and put it in the wall for you.

396
00:31:50,720 --> 00:31:54,160
'I'm amazed by people's reactions
here at the wall.

397
00:31:54,160 --> 00:32:01,680
'It literally is a touchstone to an
era when the temple that stood here
was the centre of Jewish life.

398
00:32:01,680 --> 00:32:08,880
'When the temple was destroyed
by the Romans in 70BC, many
sacred Jewish rituals were lost,

399
00:32:08,880 --> 00:32:11,000
'including
the burning of frankincense.

400
00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:15,800
'But now one Jewish group has
elaborate and seemingly
impossible plans

401
00:32:15,800 --> 00:32:20,680
'to rebuild the temple for
the third time on the original site.

402
00:32:20,680 --> 00:32:27,440
'Only then do they believe that
frankincense can be offered again
during a Jewish religious ceremony.

403
00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:32,720
'I'm meeting a rabbi who's dedicated
his whole life to this dream.'

404
00:32:32,720 --> 00:32:36,840
Welcome. Hello, thank you.
You're Yehuda.
Can I shake your hand?

405
00:32:36,840 --> 00:32:38,560
You can try.

406
00:32:38,560 --> 00:32:41,760
Thank you very much. I'm never
quite sure if I'm allowed to or not.

407
00:32:41,760 --> 00:32:47,720
'Yehuda Glick's organisation
has meticulously researched
the exact building requirements

408
00:32:47,720 --> 00:32:51,840
'outlined in scripture
to rebuild the holy temple.

409
00:32:51,840 --> 00:32:57,320
'They have tens of millions
of dollars pledged to start
construction at short notice.

410
00:32:57,320 --> 00:33:02,360
'Yehuda has even prepared a
sacred mix of frankincense.'

411
00:33:02,360 --> 00:33:05,640
Oh, it is a lovely smell.

412
00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:10,440
People would come to the temple and
want to meet God with each one
of their five senses.

413
00:33:10,440 --> 00:33:12,240
They want to be
as close as possible.

414
00:33:12,240 --> 00:33:14,800
The most spiritual of our
five senses is smell,

415
00:33:14,800 --> 00:33:21,040
so when a person enters Jerusalem,
he breathes the holiness
into his lungs.

416
00:33:21,040 --> 00:33:23,760
He smells it and feels close.

417
00:33:23,760 --> 00:33:26,000
Here I am, getting close to God.

418
00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:30,200
They would sneeze from the smell
of incense coming from Jerusalem.

419
00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:33,480
Now, you're confusing me
a little, because

420
00:33:33,480 --> 00:33:38,920
you're talking about this ritual
as if it still happens and then
you're going into the past again.

421
00:33:38,920 --> 00:33:43,320
Is this a ritual that still goes on
within Jewish ceremonies?

422
00:33:43,320 --> 00:33:48,040
This took place every single day
in the temple, until 2,000 years ago

423
00:33:48,040 --> 00:33:51,840
when the Romans destructed
the temple, the holy temple.

424
00:33:51,840 --> 00:33:56,920
It will be renewed, speedily,
hopefully as soon as possible,

425
00:33:56,920 --> 00:33:59,720
upon the rebuilding
of the third temple,

426
00:33:59,720 --> 00:34:04,240
and then we will once again
bring the incense daily to the altar.

427
00:34:04,240 --> 00:34:12,080
Here we have the incense altar,
actual size, made
of acacia wood coated with gold.

428
00:34:12,080 --> 00:34:13,600
That's solid gold? Real gold, yes.

429
00:34:13,600 --> 00:34:19,480
This is acacia wood coated with gold,
ready to be used,
as soon as I get that phone call.

430
00:34:19,480 --> 00:34:21,360
Which phone call? From God?

431
00:34:21,360 --> 00:34:26,520
From who? Phone call
from the government of Israel,
from the United Nations,

432
00:34:26,520 --> 00:34:29,680
that we got permission to build,
then I'll give you a call.

433
00:34:29,680 --> 00:34:34,920
You'll have to help me carry the
vessels because the vessels here are
ready to be used at the third temple.

434
00:34:34,920 --> 00:34:37,000
Can we go and see the proposed site?
Let's go!

435
00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:38,960
This way? Yep.

436
00:34:45,600 --> 00:34:47,600
Wow, climbing up into the sky.

437
00:34:47,600 --> 00:34:49,640
Now we are into the sun.

438
00:34:49,640 --> 00:34:55,280
But actually, you can see
the foundation stone of where
God began the creation of the world.

439
00:34:55,280 --> 00:34:57,400
Don't take a picture
of the mess here.

440
00:34:57,400 --> 00:35:01,880
Take a picture of the mess there.
What are you referring to as a mess?

441
00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:09,280
I would say the fact that Jewish
people cannot freely go to the
holiest place for Jewish people

442
00:35:09,280 --> 00:35:16,200
in the world and the fact that the
Muslims took over the entire site.

443
00:35:16,200 --> 00:35:20,280
What we're trying to do is promote a
totally different message, a message

444
00:35:20,280 --> 00:35:27,080
that the entire world, including
Muslims, including Christians,
unite around one house of prayer.

445
00:35:27,080 --> 00:35:30,000
And that one house of prayer
is going to be where, then?

446
00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:32,080
Located exactly
where the Dome of the Rock is.

447
00:35:32,080 --> 00:35:36,280
The dome there
is protecting the rock,
and that rock is the holy of holies.

448
00:35:36,280 --> 00:35:41,880
What you want to do is destroy
the Dome of the Rock and build
the second... the third temple.

449
00:35:41,880 --> 00:35:44,120
What we would like to do
is build the third temple.

450
00:35:44,120 --> 00:35:51,880
I wish I could believe that it
could happen but what I think is
if you try and build what is,

451
00:35:51,880 --> 00:35:56,960
to the outside world, a Jewish
temple on a Muslim site,
all that's going to happen is,

452
00:35:56,960 --> 00:35:59,240
it's going to cause a war.
Is it worth it?

453
00:35:59,240 --> 00:36:04,400
You know what this will
do to employment, to
poor Arabs, to poor Jews,

454
00:36:04,400 --> 00:36:09,320
to bringing and raising the entire
economy of the state of Israel?

455
00:36:09,320 --> 00:36:17,440
And of course, making much
more delicate the spiritual
relationship between mankind and God.

456
00:36:19,240 --> 00:36:25,800
I don't know if Yehuda will ever
have the chance to burn frankincense
on the Temple Mount, but in a city

457
00:36:25,800 --> 00:36:32,760
that's been captured and recaptured
44 times by conquerors of
different faiths, you never know.

458
00:36:42,640 --> 00:36:46,400
Since I started my journey,
frankincense has been used

459
00:36:46,400 --> 00:36:49,640
in ceremonies and blessings
across six nations.

460
00:36:49,640 --> 00:36:53,360
Now I want to offer some of
my Omani frankincense that I've

461
00:36:53,360 --> 00:37:00,600
carried for nearly 2,000 miles to
be used in perhaps the most famous
religious celebration in the world.

462
00:37:03,960 --> 00:37:07,720
Incense is still key to many
Christian services, not least

463
00:37:07,720 --> 00:37:11,240
the mass that's celebrated
at midnight on December 24th.

464
00:37:11,240 --> 00:37:16,880
It was also, of course, one of the
gifts brought by the three wise men
to a newborn baby in Bethlehem.

465
00:37:16,880 --> 00:37:20,400
So, what more fitting end
to my journey

466
00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:25,520
than to see my incense burnt
at the Church of the Nativity
on Christmas Eve?

467
00:37:25,520 --> 00:37:28,920
'This is the office of the
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem,

468
00:37:28,920 --> 00:37:32,040
'a Catholic priest who is
second in line to the Pope.

469
00:37:32,040 --> 00:37:37,760
'Tomorrow, he leaves for Bethlehem
to take the midnight mass, but
before he goes, his assistants have

470
00:37:37,760 --> 00:37:40,880
'arranged for me to have
a five-minute audience.'

471
00:37:40,880 --> 00:37:43,400
Nice to meet you.

472
00:37:45,240 --> 00:37:48,720
So, how do I address...?

473
00:37:48,720 --> 00:37:50,520
Your Beatitude. OK.

474
00:37:50,520 --> 00:37:52,560
'I've never met a patriarch before.

475
00:37:52,560 --> 00:37:55,480
'It's a little overwhelming.'

476
00:37:55,480 --> 00:37:57,000
Good morning.

477
00:38:14,200 --> 00:38:16,880
Welcome, welcome, welcome. Thank you.

478
00:38:16,880 --> 00:38:19,840
Good morning, Your Beatitude.
Good morning.

479
00:38:19,840 --> 00:38:24,320
Great, great. We welcome you,
we welcome your initiatives.

480
00:38:24,320 --> 00:38:26,680
We bless you and your activity.

481
00:38:26,680 --> 00:38:28,280
May the Lord bless you.

482
00:38:28,280 --> 00:38:31,360
You are very, very kind
to see us, thank you.

483
00:38:31,360 --> 00:38:38,920
I've brought you frankincense
that I bought in Oman, so it's
travelled with me many, many miles.

484
00:38:38,920 --> 00:38:45,080
And I wondered if you might be able
to mix it with the incense that
you'll use in the mass

485
00:38:45,080 --> 00:38:47,600
in the Church of the Nativity
on Christmas Eve?

486
00:38:47,600 --> 00:38:50,000
Thank you, we will mix it.

487
00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:56,320
We are grateful for this initiative.
It's precious for us,
it means a lot to us.

488
00:38:56,320 --> 00:38:58,880
The wise men used to come
from the Orient.

489
00:38:58,880 --> 00:39:03,920
This year we make an exception -
the wise people come from England
and from America.

490
00:39:05,440 --> 00:39:09,840
And the significance of burning it
during the mass, what is that?

491
00:39:09,840 --> 00:39:17,120
The significance that we obey, we
adore the lord. It was done for
kings, we will do it and we hope

492
00:39:17,120 --> 00:39:20,880
that the kingdom of God will reign
everywhere with his peace,

493
00:39:20,880 --> 00:39:23,840
with his benediction,
for all the religions.

494
00:39:23,840 --> 00:39:25,480
I think it will be now.

495
00:39:25,480 --> 00:39:28,080
God bless. Thank you.
Happy Christmas.

496
00:39:28,080 --> 00:39:31,800
'Tomorrow, on Christmas Eve, the
Patriarch will be celebrating the

497
00:39:31,800 --> 00:39:35,960
'Nativity Mass, one of the biggest
events in the Christian world.

498
00:39:35,960 --> 00:39:39,840
'I'm going to the small village
outside Jerusalem where it's being

499
00:39:39,840 --> 00:39:45,160
'held - Bethlehem, in the West
Bank, formally known as Palestine.

500
00:39:45,160 --> 00:39:47,120
'But to get there isn't easy.

501
00:39:47,120 --> 00:39:54,960
'The Palestinians are separated from
Israel by one of the most tightly
controlled crossings in the world.

502
00:39:54,960 --> 00:39:59,280
'Luckily for me it's a quiet day,
and I'm able to walk straight across

503
00:39:59,280 --> 00:40:04,080
'and meet a local journalist who's
going to escort me into Bethlehem.'

504
00:40:04,080 --> 00:40:06,400
Are you Ali? Yes. Hi. How are you?

505
00:40:06,400 --> 00:40:08,680
Very well, really nice to see you.
Welcome to Bethlehem.

506
00:40:08,680 --> 00:40:10,480
Thank you very much.

507
00:40:10,480 --> 00:40:12,080
Welcome to Palestine again.

508
00:40:12,080 --> 00:40:17,240
Oh, thank you.
Shokran. This is my frankincense.

509
00:40:17,240 --> 00:40:18,680
Oh, my God.

510
00:40:20,000 --> 00:40:23,160
I hope maybe your family
will like some, or something.

511
00:40:23,160 --> 00:40:26,960
Hopefully. 'This is the final leg
of my journey, but for the

512
00:40:26,960 --> 00:40:32,040
'first time I'm not in a place
that's officially recognised
as a country.

513
00:40:32,040 --> 00:40:38,880
'The West Bank is occupied
territory, captured by Israel
more than 40 years ago.

514
00:40:38,880 --> 00:40:43,920
'The Palestinians see it as
part of their historic and
future state of Palestine.

515
00:40:43,920 --> 00:40:51,240
'Today, it's separated from Israel
by a vast barrier, built,
they say, on Palestinian land.'

516
00:40:52,760 --> 00:40:56,560
It separates Bethlehem and
it is in the lands of Bethlehem.

517
00:40:56,560 --> 00:40:59,320
You see there?
It's in the lands of Bethlehem.

518
00:40:59,320 --> 00:41:00,920
It's actually in Palestine?

519
00:41:00,920 --> 00:41:02,600
In Palestine.

520
00:41:02,600 --> 00:41:06,400
It was planned to be,
according to the Israelis,

521
00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:11,680
to ensure security for the
Israeli people from the Palestinian

522
00:41:11,680 --> 00:41:14,440
suicide attackers.

523
00:41:14,440 --> 00:41:16,280
And they have a point, don't they?

524
00:41:16,280 --> 00:41:20,160
Because there have been many
Palestinian attackers...

525
00:41:20,160 --> 00:41:22,480
If they have a point,

526
00:41:22,480 --> 00:41:27,360
there's no problem.
But build your wall on your borders.

527
00:41:27,360 --> 00:41:30,880
OK, the problem is they've built it
on Palestinian land?

528
00:41:30,880 --> 00:41:36,360
On Palestine. Only 19%
was built on the borders line.

529
00:41:38,200 --> 00:41:42,240
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city

530
00:41:42,240 --> 00:41:47,520
within the Palestinian territory,
but it's still enclosed in a wall?

531
00:41:47,520 --> 00:41:52,080
Yes, and all the Palestinian
cities are enclosed by a wall.

532
00:41:52,080 --> 00:41:55,880
Every city in the West Bank
is enclosed by a wall? Yes.

533
00:41:55,880 --> 00:41:58,640
You have no freedom
of movement whatsoever?

534
00:41:58,640 --> 00:42:00,360
Ever. No way.

535
00:42:00,360 --> 00:42:04,000
From one city to another,
you need to pass check points...

536
00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:06,520
Run by who? The Israelis, of course.

537
00:42:09,040 --> 00:42:12,480
'Ali tells me that this was
once a thriving neighbourhood.

538
00:42:12,480 --> 00:42:15,320
'Now the only signs of life
come from graffiti artists.

539
00:42:17,360 --> 00:42:20,560
'Although their sentiment
is appreciated by the locals,

540
00:42:20,560 --> 00:42:23,320
'their artworks
can't disguise the fact

541
00:42:23,320 --> 00:42:27,800
'that Palestinians are effectively
prisoners in their own land.'

542
00:42:27,800 --> 00:42:29,720
Wow.

543
00:42:29,720 --> 00:42:32,720
Go ahead and have a look.

544
00:42:32,720 --> 00:42:35,240
You will see...

545
00:42:35,240 --> 00:42:37,680
a perfect view from here.

546
00:42:37,680 --> 00:42:43,600
'The barrier
is currently over 250 miles long
and is still under construction.

547
00:42:43,600 --> 00:42:49,920
'It's patrolled 24 hours of the day,
every day of the year,
by the Israeli defence force.'

548
00:42:51,720 --> 00:42:57,200
The piece of land right in front
of us, with all the trees on,
is that Palestinian?

549
00:42:57,200 --> 00:43:00,400
It's Palestinian land,
it's a Palestinian land.

550
00:43:00,400 --> 00:43:03,120
All the olive lands here
are Palestinian.

551
00:43:03,120 --> 00:43:05,160
This is the Aida refugee camp.

552
00:43:05,160 --> 00:43:07,280
It's one...

553
00:43:07,280 --> 00:43:11,080
of the three refugee camps in
Bethlehem area. Refugees from what?

554
00:43:11,080 --> 00:43:14,080
From what is now called Israel.

555
00:43:14,080 --> 00:43:15,880
And I'm one of them.

556
00:43:15,880 --> 00:43:21,280
How can you still describe the area
that you live in as a refugee camp?

557
00:43:21,280 --> 00:43:24,760
The refugees left their villages

558
00:43:24,760 --> 00:43:30,200
having nothing with them.
They left the lands,
so people became very poor.

559
00:43:30,200 --> 00:43:34,480
And the opportunities in this
country are very, very, very few.

560
00:43:34,480 --> 00:43:40,360
So, it isn't easy for you to, let's
say, to have a good life. No way.

561
00:43:40,360 --> 00:43:48,160
If life is so impossible,
living in here, why don't you
leave, why don't you go to...

562
00:43:48,160 --> 00:43:50,520
I don't know... to Europe or to
other parts of the Middle East?

563
00:43:50,520 --> 00:43:52,880
Surely you would be welcome there.

564
00:43:52,880 --> 00:43:54,800
Why to go? It's our land.

565
00:43:54,800 --> 00:43:59,240
If we have few opportunities
nowadays, I'm sure
we are going to create

566
00:43:59,240 --> 00:44:02,000
opportunities in the future,
because we have the future.

567
00:44:10,880 --> 00:44:14,240
'So much that we hear about the West
Bank is associated with bad news

568
00:44:14,240 --> 00:44:18,320
'and it hadn't occurred to me
that Bethlehem could be so vibrant.

569
00:44:18,320 --> 00:44:24,040
' But since the barrier was
constructed, the people here have
become more and more isolated from

570
00:44:24,040 --> 00:44:30,720
'the outside world, and so Christmas
has become really important to
this mostly Muslim community.

571
00:44:30,720 --> 00:44:34,360
'Tomorrow they're holding a parade
to celebrate the arrival of the

572
00:44:34,360 --> 00:44:38,320
'Patriarch and Christians
from around the world.'

573
00:44:38,320 --> 00:44:44,320
It's so strange, being in the
Middle East and seeing things like
Father Christmases up in the window.

574
00:44:44,320 --> 00:44:51,080
It's wonderful.
You will see a lot, you will see a
lot people wearing such clothes.

575
00:44:51,080 --> 00:44:54,160
What, wearing Santa Claus outfits?
And distributing sweets for the kids.

576
00:44:54,160 --> 00:44:56,080
Oh, really? How lovely.

577
00:44:56,080 --> 00:44:59,040
And there are more here.

578
00:44:59,040 --> 00:45:02,360
The Christianity was born here.
What is strange?

579
00:45:02,360 --> 00:45:09,200
I know. I suppose all my experiences
of the Middle East so far, apart
from Jerusalem, have been entirely

580
00:45:09,200 --> 00:45:17,440
Islamic so it is suddenly odd to see
little shops - Hello! - with their
Christmas decorations in the window.

581
00:45:17,440 --> 00:45:22,680
Look, the Christmas, of course the
Christmas is a Christian occasion,

582
00:45:22,680 --> 00:45:29,400
but for us, the Palestinian,
the Christmas is a national occasion.

583
00:45:29,400 --> 00:45:31,240
We celebrate it
as a national occasion.

584
00:45:31,240 --> 00:45:33,440
It will be a national holiday
for everybody?

585
00:45:33,440 --> 00:45:36,560
We are very proud that Jesus
is a Palestinian.

586
00:45:36,560 --> 00:45:38,760
We are very proud. Wowser!

587
00:45:38,760 --> 00:45:41,440
You could cause all sorts
of trouble with that.

588
00:45:41,440 --> 00:45:44,680
It's not a trouble.
Isn't he a Palestinian? I don't know.

589
00:45:44,680 --> 00:45:46,400
He is a Palestinian, was born here.

590
00:45:46,400 --> 00:45:49,680
OK! He is a Palestinian.
We are very proud of our prophet.

591
00:45:49,680 --> 00:45:53,080
BAGPIPES AND DRUMS PLAY
"JINGLE BELLS"

592
00:45:58,440 --> 00:46:00,480
'And from the sound of it,
Palestinians and the

593
00:46:00,480 --> 00:46:05,320
'people of Bethlehem really have
taken the Christmas story to heart.

594
00:46:07,600 --> 00:46:11,800
'Ali has left me to
follow the strained tune of
Jingle Bells to a school yard.

595
00:46:14,360 --> 00:46:19,400
'These students belong to one-fifth
of the population here
in Bethlehem who are Christian.

596
00:46:19,400 --> 00:46:24,440
'Their bagpipes are a hangover
from the days when the British Army

597
00:46:24,440 --> 00:46:30,200
'occupied Palestine
between 1920 and 1948.'

598
00:46:30,200 --> 00:46:33,080
My name's Kate, hello.

599
00:46:33,080 --> 00:46:36,320
I'm so sorry for just to walk in
here but I heard it on the street.

600
00:46:36,320 --> 00:46:37,320
This is amazing.

601
00:46:41,680 --> 00:46:44,120
You are going to take part
in the parade tomorrow?

602
00:46:44,120 --> 00:46:45,640
Yeah.

603
00:46:47,360 --> 00:46:49,680
Very nice to meet you.

604
00:46:51,760 --> 00:46:53,080
Of the band? Yes.

605
00:46:56,640 --> 00:46:59,680
Why did you choose bagpipes,
of all things?

606
00:46:59,680 --> 00:47:01,960
They're impossible things to play.

607
00:47:06,640 --> 00:47:10,360
You're Palestinian, so you never
make anything easy. Is that right?

608
00:47:23,200 --> 00:47:24,680
I'm going to walk with you.

609
00:47:40,600 --> 00:47:43,800
'In the centre of Bethlehem
is the Church of the Nativity,

610
00:47:43,800 --> 00:47:47,960
'the oldest continuously
operating church in the world.

611
00:47:47,960 --> 00:47:53,520
'According to Christian tradition,
it's built above the place
where Jesus was born.

612
00:47:56,920 --> 00:48:01,360
'The small entrance to the church
is known as the Door of Humility.

613
00:48:01,360 --> 00:48:06,200
'It leads directly to the
oldest part of the building,
the Basilica of the Nativity.

614
00:48:06,200 --> 00:48:13,120
'It was first constructed 500 years
after Christ's death, by the Romans.

615
00:48:13,120 --> 00:48:17,720
'Since then, the church has
been endlessly rebuilt
and today it's administered

616
00:48:17,720 --> 00:48:24,200
'jointly by three churches - the
Greek Orthodox, the Roman Catholic
and the Armenian Apostolic.

617
00:48:32,160 --> 00:48:36,000
'At the far end of the Basilica,
beneath the altar, is said to be

618
00:48:36,000 --> 00:48:41,400
'the actual birthplace of Jesus,
known as the Grotto
of the Nativity.

619
00:48:50,800 --> 00:48:54,320
'Now that I'm here,
it's not hard to imagine three kings

620
00:48:54,320 --> 00:49:01,320
'kneeling down in front of an infant
offering their gifts from afar,
and the aroma of frankincense

621
00:49:01,320 --> 00:49:02,320
'filling the air.'

622
00:49:06,760 --> 00:49:10,320
THEY SING "SILENT NIGHT"

623
00:49:25,320 --> 00:49:30,760
'This is one of the most holy
sites of pilgrimage for
Christians from around the world.'

624
00:49:45,720 --> 00:49:48,240
BELLS JINGLE

625
00:50:02,200 --> 00:50:07,360
'It's the day before Christmas
and it's the last day of my journey
on the Frankincense Trail.'

626
00:50:11,600 --> 00:50:15,080
Wow! What a contrast to yesterday.

627
00:50:15,080 --> 00:50:17,720
The square was completely empty
and there was hardly

628
00:50:17,720 --> 00:50:22,280
any signs of Christmas at all
apart from a couple of plastic
Father Christmases,

629
00:50:22,280 --> 00:50:26,480
and now it really has started.

630
00:50:26,480 --> 00:50:32,240
Christmas has come to Bethlehem,
along with bagpipes and drums.

631
00:50:32,240 --> 00:50:37,520
'The parade is being held to
celebrate the Patriarch's
imminent arrival from Jerusalem.

632
00:50:37,520 --> 00:50:41,760
'Hopefully he won't have forgotten
to bring my frankincense with him.'

633
00:50:41,760 --> 00:50:48,960
That's just too weird, to have
Jingle Bells and Christmas songs

634
00:50:48,960 --> 00:50:53,360
on one side and the Muslim call
to prayer on the other.

635
00:50:53,360 --> 00:51:00,080
CALL TO PRAYER ECHOES

636
00:51:00,080 --> 00:51:02,000
I think that sums up Palestine.

637
00:51:09,920 --> 00:51:12,080
How are you?
Fine, how are you? It's wonderful.

638
00:51:16,240 --> 00:51:18,360
How is everyone feeling? Good?

639
00:51:24,600 --> 00:51:26,080
But they look wonderful.

640
00:51:26,080 --> 00:51:27,960
The uniform is very smart.

641
00:51:27,960 --> 00:51:30,800
Thank you. Great.
I can't wait to see them perform.

642
00:51:33,640 --> 00:51:38,440
'And perform they do,
along with other teenagers
from the Christian community.

643
00:51:38,440 --> 00:51:40,920
'This is the biggest event
of their year.'

644
00:51:44,480 --> 00:51:47,440
You'd never believe that
this was a country that's seen

645
00:51:47,440 --> 00:51:51,880
so much strife and so much
war in very, very recent times.

646
00:51:51,880 --> 00:51:57,760
All you can feel at the moment
is this kind of sense of joy and
excitement. It's just fantastic.

647
00:52:02,400 --> 00:52:08,360
'And then the mood suddenly changes
as waves of security men signal
the arrival of the Patriarch.'

648
00:52:10,840 --> 00:52:19,200
As you can see, the Patriarch is
coming and so is every security
man in Palestine, it feels like.

649
00:52:19,200 --> 00:52:21,160
We're absolutely...

650
00:52:21,160 --> 00:52:23,440
crushed in here,

651
00:52:23,440 --> 00:52:25,320
trying to get a view of him.

652
00:52:27,120 --> 00:52:32,000
'Accompanied by high-ranking priests
from around the globe, pilgrims and

653
00:52:32,000 --> 00:52:38,480
'the world's media, the Patriarch
leads a tidal wave of people
inside the Church of the Nativity.

654
00:52:38,480 --> 00:52:43,600
'There's only limited space and it's
every person for themselves.'

655
00:52:43,600 --> 00:52:48,160
We've escaped the
crush from the outside.

656
00:52:48,160 --> 00:52:50,080
There's still a huge crush here.

657
00:52:50,080 --> 00:52:52,040
We've gone into the church.

658
00:52:52,040 --> 00:52:53,640
What I'm hoping...

659
00:52:53,640 --> 00:52:55,640
I think we might
need to go that way.

660
00:52:55,640 --> 00:52:58,920
What I'm hoping is that
we might be able to see him

661
00:52:58,920 --> 00:53:03,680
actually using my incense to
prepare for the mass tonight.

662
00:53:05,960 --> 00:53:08,320
But as you can see,

663
00:53:08,320 --> 00:53:11,920
the entire world's press are here.

664
00:53:11,920 --> 00:53:18,400
There are cameras
and slightly stroppy cameramen
all trying to get the shot.

665
00:53:21,840 --> 00:53:24,880
It's amazing we've got this far,
actually.

666
00:53:24,880 --> 00:53:27,440
'Somehow, I'm amongst
the first to make it

667
00:53:27,440 --> 00:53:31,960
'into the church where the Mass of
the Nativity is going to be held.

668
00:53:33,480 --> 00:53:36,360
'And there's no going back.
Hundreds more people crowd in

669
00:53:36,360 --> 00:53:41,200
'behind me, eagerly awaiting
the arrival of the Patriarch.

670
00:53:43,040 --> 00:53:49,560
'While he's getting dressed in
his vestments, my frankincense
is added to the sacred censer.

671
00:53:52,600 --> 00:53:55,480
'Like the Pharaohs and
emperors of ancient times,

672
00:53:55,480 --> 00:54:01,320
'Catholic priests use frankincense
smoke to send prayers to their god.

673
00:54:05,160 --> 00:54:07,920
'Then the Patriarch
begins the service.'

674
00:54:14,920 --> 00:54:21,080
My frankincense
has just made the final leg
of its journey with the Patriarch.

675
00:54:24,960 --> 00:54:27,920
'As cameras begin to transmit
the mass across the globe,

676
00:54:27,920 --> 00:54:31,400
'political leaders from
the region are rushed in.

677
00:54:31,400 --> 00:54:36,360
'Tonight, Christians, Muslims
and Jews each sit side by side.

678
00:54:36,360 --> 00:54:39,320
'2,000 tickets have been sold to
attend this service, but there are

679
00:54:39,320 --> 00:54:43,880
'even more people outside,
desperate to get in.

680
00:54:43,880 --> 00:54:48,040
'Drawn from around the world by
faith, by history, and even by

681
00:54:48,040 --> 00:54:53,160
'curiosity, the sweet-smelling smoke
of frankincense envelops us all.

682
00:55:03,040 --> 00:55:07,000
'It's hard to believe that I've
reached the end of my journey.

683
00:55:10,000 --> 00:55:15,120
'When I began 2,000 miles away
with Mussalem, the frankincense
harvester, I started on the

684
00:55:15,120 --> 00:55:22,720
'path that first linked Arabia with
the Western world, and I wondered
how I was ever going to make it.'

685
00:55:22,720 --> 00:55:24,760
How you doing with the gun?

686
00:55:24,760 --> 00:55:27,480
The gun is pretty heavy.

687
00:55:27,480 --> 00:55:32,080
'For 3,000 years, the traders
carried frankincense northwards,

688
00:55:32,080 --> 00:55:37,200
'first across Arabia's vast
deserts and then the Red Sea.

689
00:55:37,200 --> 00:55:42,960
'In Egypt it was delivered along the
Nile and used in every one of the
Pharaohs' temples for millennia.

690
00:55:42,960 --> 00:55:49,400
'But with the fall of the Roman
Empire, the great frankincense
trade route faded from the map.

691
00:55:49,400 --> 00:55:54,320
'Along every step of my journey,
I found frankincense still entwined

692
00:55:54,320 --> 00:55:57,520
'in the lives of the people
along the trail.

693
00:55:57,520 --> 00:56:01,000
'Afrar blessed her baby
with its smoke,

694
00:56:01,000 --> 00:56:05,920
'its fragrance welcomed Saudi
Arabian chiefs,
and in its flames Sheikh Fouad

695
00:56:05,920 --> 00:56:09,560
'searched for evil spirits.

696
00:56:09,560 --> 00:56:14,880
'Some of the traditions I saw
on my journey were thrilling...'

697
00:56:14,880 --> 00:56:18,720
That had to have hurt.
'..some celebrated life,

698
00:56:18,720 --> 00:56:22,200
'while others worshipped death.

699
00:56:22,200 --> 00:56:26,960
'But despite the danger of kidnap,
the searing desert heat and the

700
00:56:26,960 --> 00:56:30,480
'24- hour days of travel,
the toughest challenge I faced

701
00:56:30,480 --> 00:56:33,680
'was overcoming
my own preconceptions.'

702
00:56:33,680 --> 00:56:35,560
Thank you.

703
00:56:37,120 --> 00:56:39,480
'From one end of Arabia to the
other,

704
00:56:39,480 --> 00:56:43,960
'and along the length of the Nile,
the 5,000-year-old history

705
00:56:43,960 --> 00:56:48,560
'of the Frankincense Trail
has revealed the true spirit
of the modern Middle East.'

706
00:56:59,760 --> 00:57:03,560
Frankincense has brought great
hardship and great reward.

707
00:57:03,560 --> 00:57:08,920
Men have fought for it, died for it,
and mighty civilizations have
been built on the back of it.

708
00:57:08,920 --> 00:57:14,840
It was revered by emperors, Pharaohs
and kings, and for 2,000 years

709
00:57:14,840 --> 00:57:19,440
it's perfumed homes, warded off
evil spirits and connected
people with their gods.

710
00:57:19,440 --> 00:57:25,400
And today, in this small
Palestinian town, it's united people
in their celebration of Christmas.

711
00:57:25,400 --> 00:57:30,520
Isn't it incredible what the sap
of a little gnarled tree can do?

712
00:57:37,640 --> 00:57:39,600
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd 

713
00:57:39,600 --> 00:57:41,560
E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk