0:00:04 > 0:00:07Egypt - timeless land of the Pharaohs.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10Born amidst the sands of the Sahara.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14A kingdom which derived its power from the River Nile.
0:00:16 > 0:00:22But legend has it that its first female Pharaoh, Queen Hatshepsut,
0:00:22 > 0:00:25had ambitions far beyond these shores.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28Her aim, to conquer the sea.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32At Luxor, in the temple where she's entombed,
0:00:32 > 0:00:36a bas-relief illustrates the voyage of five royal ships
0:00:36 > 0:00:38she sent to a land named Punt,
0:00:38 > 0:00:41returning laden with fabulous riches.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44To put a boat on the sea, if it's going to float,
0:00:44 > 0:00:47and it's going to make it, say, down to Punt and back
0:00:47 > 0:00:51is a greater achievement, in many ways,
0:00:51 > 0:00:53than building a pyramid which just sits there.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55Did it really happen?
0:00:55 > 0:00:57Or is it a myth?
0:00:57 > 0:01:01For the first time archaeologists will attempt to recreate the voyage
0:01:01 > 0:01:06in a full-size replica of one of those ancient ships.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09The team's first challenge, to figure out
0:01:09 > 0:01:13how the queen's ship designers could have built seaworthy vessels
0:01:13 > 0:01:15nearly 3,500 years ago.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18We have to find out in only one year
0:01:18 > 0:01:21what they have had thousands of years to learn.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24And it is a daunting task.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28Using only ancient techniques,
0:01:28 > 0:01:32can they build a boat to withstand the stormy seas?
0:01:33 > 0:01:34If they succeed,
0:01:34 > 0:01:38it may help prove the Ancient Egyptians navigated the Red Sea
0:01:38 > 0:01:40to lands far beyond.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54Hatshepsut's life is shrouded in mystery.
0:01:54 > 0:02:01She was the first woman to reign over Egypt 1,500 years before Christ
0:02:01 > 0:02:04and long before Queens Nefertiti and Cleopatra.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07She governed for more than 20 years
0:02:07 > 0:02:10during a period of relative peace and prosperity.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14But after her death,
0:02:14 > 0:02:18Hatshepsut's memory was deliberately and savagely destroyed.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Murals bearing her portrait were desecrated,
0:02:21 > 0:02:24temple statues were smashed.
0:02:24 > 0:02:25No-one knows why.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33The first Queen of Egypt disappeared from official history,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36taking with her the secrets of her nautical expedition to Punt.
0:02:45 > 0:02:50Exciting new discoveries by an international archaeological team
0:02:50 > 0:02:55have revived the debate over Queen Hatshepsut's seafaring adventures.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10We thought it would be broken, but it's complete.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13So it's very unique.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17We found it in an area where there was much domestic activity.
0:03:17 > 0:03:22It was associated with the fire pit, actually, with bones and...
0:03:22 > 0:03:27So definitely domestic or even, let's say, culinary activities.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33The pottery and ceramics excavated here
0:03:33 > 0:03:35suggest this place was used as a bivouac.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40Could it have been the base camp
0:03:40 > 0:03:43for voyages to the mythical land of Punt?
0:03:47 > 0:03:52Buried in the sand, a set of wooden boxes provides an important clue.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00The first time I saw these boxes I was... I was truly astonished.
0:04:00 > 0:04:05We had no idea that anything like this existed,
0:04:05 > 0:04:09would be here still, after 3,800 years.
0:04:14 > 0:04:19We found an inscription on one of the boxes that in translation said,
0:04:19 > 0:04:22"The wonderful things of Punt."
0:04:22 > 0:04:28So that could not be a better answer to what they were used for.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Did the ancient mariners cast off for Punt
0:04:36 > 0:04:38from the bay that once existed here?
0:04:40 > 0:04:43Could they have left other traces of their presence?
0:04:50 > 0:04:53At Mersa Gawasis in a cave hewn into a coral terrace,
0:04:53 > 0:04:58Cheryl Ward, an archaeologist who specialises in ancient boats,
0:04:58 > 0:05:01makes a spine-tingling discovery.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05Dozens of coiled ropes left in the caves
0:05:05 > 0:05:10by ancient seafarers nearly 4,000 years ago.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14I think there were several of us who had tears come to our eyes
0:05:14 > 0:05:15the first time we saw this.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17It was so incredible, so unbelievable.
0:05:21 > 0:05:26We are all as amazed, I think, as Howard Carter must have been
0:05:26 > 0:05:29when he saw the treasures of Tutankhamun.
0:05:29 > 0:05:34The sense of the ancient Egyptians was so present.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36They left it here.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40We were the first to see it in 4,000 years.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53But the most precious find is a wooden plank
0:05:53 > 0:05:56whose distinctive shape immediately reminds Cheryl
0:05:56 > 0:05:58of the boats depicted at Luxor.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01Which part of the boat is this one?
0:06:01 > 0:06:03This is from the Punt relief, of course.
0:06:03 > 0:06:10And what we see is this is the plank that can fit exactly here.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14And it touches here on the centre of strake.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19Several dozen marine timbers are unearthed
0:06:19 > 0:06:21over the course of the excavation
0:06:21 > 0:06:23and they are to be treated as delicately
0:06:23 > 0:06:25as if they were human mummies.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31So this way, yeah? To the other cave.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39The ancient mariners apparently set sail from these shores
0:06:39 > 0:06:41for the Land of Punt.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47But why would Queen Hatshepsut have ordered
0:06:47 > 0:06:49such an ambitious expedition?
0:07:13 > 0:07:17Before she became a Pharaoh, Hatshepsut was a princess.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23The eldest daughter of King Thutmose I and Queen Ahmose.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31To preserve the royal bloodline,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34her father decided she would marry her half-brother,
0:07:34 > 0:07:37who inherited the throne soon after their union.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53But soon after his coronation, he fell ill and died.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09The young Queen Hatshepsut was now a widow
0:08:09 > 0:08:13with a stepson too young to become Pharaoh.
0:08:14 > 0:08:19So Hatshepsut became Regent, taking the reins of the kingdom.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22But she was a woman.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26Would patriarchal Egypt accept a female leader?
0:08:29 > 0:08:33Hatshepsut's challenge was to impose her power
0:08:33 > 0:08:36and mounting a spectacular expedition at sea
0:08:36 > 0:08:37was one way to do it.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53The discoveries made at Mersa Gawasis
0:08:53 > 0:08:55have rekindled the controversy
0:08:55 > 0:08:59over the seafaring capacity of Ancient Egypt.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06Many of Cheryl's fellow researchers are sceptical of the find's value,
0:09:06 > 0:09:10arguing the items are not clearly dated and don't prove anything.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15They believe the voyage to Punt never really happened.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18How could she prove her case?
0:09:20 > 0:09:25Cheryl believes her only option is to reconstruct one of the boats
0:09:25 > 0:09:27in Hatshepsut's fleet,
0:09:27 > 0:09:31based on the archaeological finds from Mersa Gawasis.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36That way they'll know whether the boat was seaworthy.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44And a whole range of tools and some very good ship...
0:09:44 > 0:09:47To carry out her project, Cheryl teams up with Tom Vosmer,
0:09:47 > 0:09:50a ship-builder who is also an archaeologist.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54- Is there any racing system on this?- No.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57- No. We probably need two sails then.- OK.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03Tom has designed and supervised the building of several replicas
0:10:03 > 0:10:04of ancient sailing vessels.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08He lives in Oman in the Middle East,
0:10:08 > 0:10:12where he studies the old boats of the Indian Ocean.
0:10:12 > 0:10:17When I was growing up, my father had a hobby of building ship models.
0:10:17 > 0:10:22There were old ship models all around the house that he had built
0:10:22 > 0:10:28and I've been fascinated by old ships, by the sea, by sailing
0:10:28 > 0:10:31as long as I can remember.
0:10:31 > 0:10:36And although I grew up 800 miles from the sea,
0:10:36 > 0:10:40the first chance I got to leave home I went and I just went sailing.
0:10:48 > 0:10:49Cheryl and Tom's investigation
0:10:49 > 0:10:52begins in the Maritime Museum in Paris.
0:10:55 > 0:11:00The two researchers know that building a 3,500-year-old replica
0:11:00 > 0:11:04of Hatshepsut's boat presents a tremendous challenge.
0:11:08 > 0:11:09How can they recreate a ship
0:11:09 > 0:11:13when practically no physical trace of it exists?
0:11:15 > 0:11:18All they have right now are a few planks,
0:11:18 > 0:11:20some ropes, several anchors
0:11:20 > 0:11:25and a reproduction of the bas-relief in Deir el-Bahri.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29Figuring out how to make this ship watertight
0:11:29 > 0:11:32is going to be one of the major goals I have.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35Any caulking, luting, anything like that?
0:11:35 > 0:11:39There is no sign of caulking, nothing jammed in between the seams.
0:11:39 > 0:11:44There's no bitumen, there's no resin, there's no pitch, there's nothing.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48I mean, to put a boat on the sea, it's going to float,
0:11:48 > 0:11:50it's going to make it, say down to Punt and back,
0:11:50 > 0:11:54is a greater achievement in many ways
0:11:54 > 0:11:56than building a pyramid which just sits there.
0:11:56 > 0:12:01I think one of the things we need to do now is to go to Deir el-Bahri
0:12:01 > 0:12:04and look very carefully at the reliefs there.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01These are sea-going ships. They're great sea-going ships.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04They're huge. They are work ships.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07They have people who are rowing, people who are sailing.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09They have the cargos piled up.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11As soon as they land, they begin to unload.
0:13:11 > 0:13:16They are a veritable treasure house of information about the seafaring.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21There's a lot of perhaps confusing things as well.
0:13:21 > 0:13:26But we haven't quite sorted out what they're trying to depict exactly
0:13:26 > 0:13:29and I think we'll get to that when we start building models
0:13:29 > 0:13:32and have the actual things in front of us.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36And we can then we can sort out what those images are actually telling us
0:13:36 > 0:13:39and in some cases where it's a bit of a mystery.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42If we can get some of the basic measurements down,
0:13:42 > 0:13:46that'll help a lot, too, because they seem to be proportional.
0:13:46 > 0:13:51These bas-reliefs are the only known images of the ancient vessel.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53But they're not complete.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56They only show the boat from one side.
0:13:59 > 0:14:05In Mersa Gawasis, Cheryl found wooden planks and a rudder
0:14:05 > 0:14:08whose shape was identical to the one on Hatshepsut's boats.
0:14:11 > 0:14:16Knowing ancient Egyptians averaged 1.65m in height,
0:14:16 > 0:14:17Cheryl and Tom conclude
0:14:17 > 0:14:20the bas-relief has in fact been drawn to scale.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25Now they can calculate the length of the ancient ship.
0:14:27 > 0:14:32Hatshepsut's boats must have measured a little over 20 metres.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50Hatshepsut knew that to rise from the rank of Regent to Pharaoh,
0:14:50 > 0:14:53she would have to undergo a spectacular metamorphosis.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57To appear as a genuine monarch,
0:14:57 > 0:15:00she needed to relinquish her femininity,
0:15:00 > 0:15:03don the short kilt worn by kings,
0:15:03 > 0:15:06put on a false beard and wear the Pharaoh's crown.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24She also knew her success would depend on forging good relationships
0:15:24 > 0:15:26with the powerful priests of Egypt.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38An expedition to the Land of Punt, though risky,
0:15:38 > 0:15:43might succeed in bringing back a valuable gift for the priests -
0:15:43 > 0:15:48large quantities of myrrh, the rare and highly sought-after incense
0:15:48 > 0:15:50they used daily in their temple ceremonies.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15An oracle had been sent by the gods.
0:16:15 > 0:16:20Hatshepsut ordered her royal steward Senenmut to build five ships,
0:16:20 > 0:16:22outfitted with sails.
0:16:34 > 0:16:363,500 years later,
0:16:36 > 0:16:41Cheryl and Tom embark on the next stage of their journey.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44They've come to study a much larger boat
0:16:44 > 0:16:47resting at the base of the Cheops Pyramid.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53I think that really, ours is going to look a lot like this,
0:16:53 > 0:16:55in terms of the general hull shape.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57I mean, this is a huge boat..
0:16:57 > 0:17:01This impressive 43-metre vessel carried the mummies of pharaohs
0:17:01 > 0:17:06down the Nile more than 1,000 years before Hatshepsut's reign.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08But in some ways it's very similar.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12Cheryl is intrigued by its keel.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16It looks so much like the Punt reliefs,
0:17:16 > 0:17:18you've got that nice little profile.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22Now these are common, I think, in boats that have to be beached
0:17:22 > 0:17:26or that are operating in areas where they may have reefs
0:17:26 > 0:17:28or other sandy areas, because if you have an ordinary keel
0:17:28 > 0:17:31dropping down there like a lot of modern sailboats do,
0:17:31 > 0:17:35that keel is gonna get caught on anything that goes by.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51The two researchers continue their investigation
0:17:51 > 0:17:53at the Cairo Museum.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57The display of model boats gives them valuable clues
0:17:57 > 0:17:58to the shape of the hulls
0:17:58 > 0:18:02and the earliest sails used in ancient times.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04So these are Middle Kingdom models
0:18:04 > 0:18:07from the very beginning of the Middle Kingdom. Around 2100.
0:18:08 > 0:18:13An ancient fishing boat excavated at Dahshur, south of Cairo,
0:18:13 > 0:18:15provides some crucial information.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20It's very similar to Hatshepsut's boats.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22Same shape, same proportions.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29Cheryl and Tom can now calculate the approximate width of their boat,
0:18:29 > 0:18:31almost five metres.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43Now it's time to draw it.
0:18:44 > 0:18:49Combining the relics of antiquity with the tools of the 21st century.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03In a modelling laboratory in Florida,
0:19:03 > 0:19:07the boat takes on a concrete form for the first time.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15The next challenge is to figure out how to build it,
0:19:15 > 0:19:19based on the evidence found at Mersa Gawasis.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32There are a lot of difficulties right now,
0:19:32 > 0:19:37because there are literally thousands of decisions to be made.
0:19:37 > 0:19:38How long is this plank?
0:19:38 > 0:19:40How wide is this plank?
0:19:40 > 0:19:42What angle should this shape be?
0:19:44 > 0:19:46Every plank is unique.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49We have about 45 planks on each side
0:19:49 > 0:19:52and they all fit together in an interlocking way.
0:19:52 > 0:19:53They're not straight edges,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56and that's part of the ancient Egyptian plan
0:19:56 > 0:19:59for helping the hull to stay integrated.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01Locked together like a jigsaw puzzle.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16One of the amazing things, I think, in Western minds anyway,
0:20:16 > 0:20:20is that there's no skeleton to build this boat around.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23We build the hull plank first
0:20:23 > 0:20:27and the planks and the shapes of these planks that I'm working on now
0:20:27 > 0:20:29actually determines the shape of the hull.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33Not the shape of any frames or moulds or anything like that.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40Is it possible to make one?
0:20:40 > 0:20:41Hmmm...
0:20:42 > 0:20:48If Queen Hatshepsut's ships got to Punt, it is possible.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52Whether we'll be able to do that is another thing,
0:20:52 > 0:20:56but I think if you get a competent shipwright,
0:20:56 > 0:20:58they may think it's strange,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03but it's certainly possible to work something out like that.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20Cheryl has asked her friend,
0:21:20 > 0:21:23Egyptian archaeologist Mohamed Abd El Maguid,
0:21:23 > 0:21:26to help her find the best shipbuilders.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29It seemed an impossible mission,
0:21:29 > 0:21:31but after searching for several weeks
0:21:31 > 0:21:34he finds some craftsmen keen to take the challenge
0:21:34 > 0:21:36of building the vessel.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40A family of shipwrights living on the Nile, outside Alexandria.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51Boat building here is a family affair,
0:21:51 > 0:21:53but have they the skills to do the job?
0:21:53 > 0:21:56The oldest shipwright, Mossad,
0:21:56 > 0:22:01is the most familiar with traditional building techniques.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03Yosri usually works on fishing boats.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07Their three brothers, Marrouz, Hassan and Hamdy
0:22:07 > 0:22:09will soon join them.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19The first step is to study Tom's model.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26That's the initial few strakes of planking.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28Very nice, Tom.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31I'm trying to understand how these all fit together.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33These two were very easy. This one is easy.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37These two, very difficult.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02I think with this model,
0:23:02 > 0:23:05they have been able to see in three dimensions
0:23:05 > 0:23:09what is perhaps a little bit confusing in two dimensions.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13But now they can translate it completely from the drawing to this
0:23:13 > 0:23:15and go, "Aha! This is how it works."
0:23:31 > 0:23:35Thousands of years after Queen Hatshepsut's reign
0:23:35 > 0:23:37the ship-builders of Rashid
0:23:37 > 0:23:40are summoning the skills of their ancestors.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50The archaeologists know there are no easy shortcuts.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53For the project to have credibility,
0:23:53 > 0:23:57the boat must be built using ancient techniques.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59But it's an enormous challenge.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03There's no textbook explaining the methods of the distant past.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07The techniques have to be reinvented.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49Every boat that's ever been built begins with laying the keel
0:24:49 > 0:24:53and the precision with which these shipwrights work
0:24:53 > 0:24:55with these very simple tools -
0:24:55 > 0:24:57levers, wedges, strings with the plumb bob.
0:24:57 > 0:25:02To see this happening here in Egypt where we have the oldest plank boat,
0:25:02 > 0:25:065,000 years old, is very special for me.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15What I've really enjoyed about this process is seeing
0:25:15 > 0:25:17this whole shipyard come together
0:25:17 > 0:25:19and concentrate on this one piece of work.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21It's really quite remarkable.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24They all know exactly what they're doing.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28Here we go again, the third piece.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30I mean, it's fantastic, really.
0:25:50 > 0:25:54Three months have passed and it's getting hotter by the day.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58The temperature has tipped 40 degrees Celsius.
0:25:58 > 0:25:59Work has slowed.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05Cheryl and Tom have had to return home.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09Mohamed is now in charge of overseeing the construction process.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13The Egyptian archaeologist becomes the third pillar
0:26:13 > 0:26:15of the scientific team.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43Examination of the planks discovered at Mersa Gawasis
0:26:43 > 0:26:47reveal the ancient Egyptians didn't use nails or metal.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50They fastened the pieces of wood together
0:26:50 > 0:26:53though a complex mortise and tenon system
0:26:53 > 0:26:56that our modern boat-builders are attempting to copy.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00But as the work progresses, the shape of the planks,
0:27:00 > 0:27:03which have to be curved along their length and width,
0:27:03 > 0:27:05makes things very complicated.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13The rows of tenons and mortises
0:27:13 > 0:27:17must be made with greater, more painstaking precision.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19The fit must be perfect.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34The archaeologists are convinced the ship will become watertight
0:27:34 > 0:27:37when the wood swells after being launched.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48Two months later, their labour continues, piece by piece.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28TAPPING
0:28:40 > 0:28:43The pharaoh's fleet needed a captain.
0:28:48 > 0:28:50Hatshepsut chose Nehesy,
0:28:50 > 0:28:54a valiant soldier who had served her father in the past.
0:28:57 > 0:28:59When he agreed to take on this mission,
0:28:59 > 0:29:03Nehesy knew he'd be venturing into the dangerous unknown.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06The gods alone would decide his fate.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08In order to seek their favours,
0:29:08 > 0:29:11he had several cartouches of divine protection
0:29:11 > 0:29:13engraved on the stone anchors.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20And then they've attached it down there. And then they're able...
0:29:20 > 0:29:2235 centuries later,
0:29:22 > 0:29:26David Vann is the captain who will follow in Nehesy's wake.
0:29:26 > 0:29:31It's just... It's going to be so tippy and once it gets rocking...
0:29:31 > 0:29:33Before he ventures into the Red Sea,
0:29:33 > 0:29:35the skipper comes to take a look at his boat.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40I've never sailed anything like this.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44This is the kind of boat they were sailing up to 4,000 years ago.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47But compared to a boat now, of course, it'll...
0:29:47 > 0:29:51The technical term would be a pig. We would call it a pig now.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53It's a beamy, heavy, short, fat boat
0:29:53 > 0:29:56that's gonna move terribly through the water.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08I'm a little worried about this.
0:30:08 > 0:30:13I had a crack once in a boat, just a little hairline crack,
0:30:13 > 0:30:16and the title of my book about it is A Mile Down,
0:30:16 > 0:30:19because that boat sank in 5,000 feet of water,
0:30:19 > 0:30:21a big 90 foot, very strong steel boat,
0:30:21 > 0:30:24because of a little crack, and these are really big cracks.
0:30:24 > 0:30:28I've been reassured by a couple of people that it's OK in wood
0:30:28 > 0:30:31to have these cracks from the drying process, it's normal.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35I don't know.
0:30:47 > 0:30:51A potentially leaky boat is one challenge.
0:30:51 > 0:30:53The rigging is another.
0:30:55 > 0:31:00The bas-reliefs at Deir el-Bahri show dozens of intertwined ropes
0:31:00 > 0:31:03and complex knots keeping the sail attached to the yard.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08What is most puzzling is how the ropes are wrapped around the mast.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16No other visual image of these boats exists.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21The only hope is that these ancestral techniques
0:31:21 > 0:31:23have transcended the ages.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29Cheryl travels from Alexandria to nearby Lake Borolos
0:31:29 > 0:31:30in search of a clue.
0:31:30 > 0:31:35So, at Borolos, when I first saw these boats, though,
0:31:35 > 0:31:38the first thing that I saw was the short mast
0:31:38 > 0:31:40and the yoke on the mast,
0:31:40 > 0:31:45because suddenly, I could see the relief from the temple,
0:31:45 > 0:31:50and exactly what the function of that yoke around the mast is for.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52Because all we see is the little twisted line,
0:31:52 > 0:31:56- and in fact, it's the backstay, I think.- Yeah.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58I can see some out there right now.
0:31:58 > 0:32:02There's no backstay, so that mast yoke is substituting for a backstay.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13Lake Borolos has some strange-looking flat sailboats
0:32:13 > 0:32:16with short masts and huge sails.
0:32:16 > 0:32:20The way the mast is fixed to the hull intrigues the archaeologist.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24An enormous knot, made up of several ropes,
0:32:24 > 0:32:29reminds her of the rigging seen in the bas-reliefs at Deir el-Bahri.
0:32:29 > 0:32:31To me, this is just amazing.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34It's another one of those times when you can touch the past.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37- Yeah, it's amazing... - Thousands of years ago.
0:32:37 > 0:32:41- The same system.- People were using the same forces, the same mechanics.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43Slightly different material.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47Yes, we'll have the mast and then two pieces of wood on either side
0:32:47 > 0:32:48and the tie going around the middle,
0:32:48 > 0:32:51and that should keep the wood from breaking
0:32:51 > 0:32:55- and it should be a very strong attach point for the line.- OK.
0:33:04 > 0:33:05In just one more month,
0:33:05 > 0:33:08the boat must leave the shipyard and head for the Red Sea.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12It's down to the wire, as Marrouz and the other shipwrights
0:33:12 > 0:33:16put all of their remaining energy into finishing it.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54SHOUTING
0:33:58 > 0:34:00CHEERING
0:34:33 > 0:34:36A few minutes after the boat is launched,
0:34:36 > 0:34:39water seeps in through the tiniest cracks in the hull.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41According to the archaeologists,
0:34:41 > 0:34:45the wood should absorb the water and begin to swell.
0:34:46 > 0:34:48They predict it will be two weeks
0:34:48 > 0:34:52before the hull reaches maximum expansion and becomes watertight.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10The boat has now been in the water for two weeks.
0:35:12 > 0:35:18After 12 hours, all of the water is finally pumped from the hull.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21Mohamed leaves the boat.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23But is it watertight now?
0:36:28 > 0:36:30Archaeologists have never found any evidence
0:36:30 > 0:36:34to show that the Egyptians ever caulked their boats.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41So how can they make the boat watertight
0:36:41 > 0:36:44using an authentic ancient technique?
0:36:44 > 0:36:46What did the Egyptians do?
0:36:49 > 0:36:52Mohamed and Tom will find the answer to their problem
0:36:52 > 0:36:54right in the shipyard itself.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59So this is linen fibre.
0:37:01 > 0:37:06I wonder what would happen if we put this between our planks?
0:37:08 > 0:37:13For hundreds of years, people here have been stuffing plant fibre
0:37:13 > 0:37:15into the cracks between planks of wood
0:37:15 > 0:37:17as a method of waterproofing.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22In ancient times, other seafaring peoples
0:37:22 > 0:37:26such as the Greeks used beeswax to make their boats watertight.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29So why not use beeswax as well?
0:37:29 > 0:37:33With no other alternative or additional archaeological evidence,
0:37:33 > 0:37:37this becomes their chosen option.
0:37:39 > 0:37:43The boat has now been under construction for ten months.
0:37:43 > 0:37:45The final touches are being made.
0:37:45 > 0:37:49Two rudders are carved out of huge pieces of wood.
0:37:49 > 0:37:54Cotton sails, each measuring 15 metres in width, are woven.
0:37:57 > 0:38:02In the streets of Rashid, a dozen men are busy making the rigging.
0:38:02 > 0:38:03Using strands of hemp fibre,
0:38:03 > 0:38:06they twist together several kilometres of rope
0:38:06 > 0:38:08in different thicknesses.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49SHOUTING
0:39:23 > 0:39:25CHEERING
0:39:31 > 0:39:33SINGING
0:39:42 > 0:39:43Congratulations.
0:39:46 > 0:39:48Now it's yours.
0:39:50 > 0:39:51It's beautiful.
0:39:51 > 0:39:52Now it's yours.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59I'm really amazed to be at this point,
0:39:59 > 0:40:01to see this mast up finally.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04And I just...
0:40:04 > 0:40:08I mean, we've been waiting and waiting, organising this
0:40:08 > 0:40:11and finally, OK, here it is, the mast is up.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14Now I'm just anxious to get on with the rest of it, you know.
0:40:14 > 0:40:16Why do we have to break for lunch?
0:40:16 > 0:40:22I want to get the yards on board, sort out this mess of lines,
0:40:22 > 0:40:25make some order out of it and just get on with it.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30Before it leaves the shipyard,
0:40:30 > 0:40:32the boat is christened Min
0:40:32 > 0:40:35in honour of a fertility god in the Egyptian pantheon.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49A few days before the original expedition set sail,
0:40:49 > 0:40:53Queen Hatshepsut had the temple priests create a statue of herself
0:40:53 > 0:40:55with the god Amun.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00It would be offered as a token of friendship
0:41:00 > 0:41:04by the expedition's captain to the inhabitants of the Land of Punt.
0:41:18 > 0:41:20The winds were blowing in the right direction
0:41:20 > 0:41:23when messengers brought the news to the queen
0:41:23 > 0:41:26that her fleet was finally ready to sail.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29All they required was her signal.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32She gave the order for the ships to depart.
0:41:48 > 0:41:50SHOUTING
0:42:08 > 0:42:11Almost a year after construction began,
0:42:11 > 0:42:14Min is ready for her maiden voyage.
0:42:16 > 0:42:20What seemed an impossible challenge has become reality.
0:42:21 > 0:42:25The boat engraved in bas-relief at Deir el-Bahri
0:42:25 > 0:42:31has come back to life 3,500 years after its first expedition.
0:42:40 > 0:42:44But now they are out on the open sea, new questions arise.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48Will the boat weather the gusty winds?
0:42:48 > 0:42:52Is it strong enough to withstand the swells of the Red Sea?
0:42:52 > 0:42:56Will it find the route Hatshepsut's fleet took
0:42:56 > 0:42:58to reach the Land of Punt?
0:43:10 > 0:43:11INDISTINCT
0:43:13 > 0:43:16Yeah. I want to just go straight downwind first,
0:43:16 > 0:43:18see how it is, what the speed is,
0:43:18 > 0:43:21then we can change a little, see how the speed is,
0:43:21 > 0:43:23- just try to learn today.- OK.
0:43:29 > 0:43:32One of the crew's primary concerns is the rigging.
0:43:33 > 0:43:37The archaeologists have recreated, as faithfully as possible,
0:43:37 > 0:43:42the sail and mast system seen in the Deir el-Bahri bas-relief.
0:43:44 > 0:43:48But getting a hang of the ropes isn't easy.
0:43:48 > 0:43:51When you look at the sail, it looks like we have a lot of lines going,
0:43:51 > 0:43:53and it's very confusing and complicated.
0:43:53 > 0:43:56The 16 below and six above, we never change those,
0:43:56 > 0:43:58they just they stay in place.
0:43:58 > 0:44:01So it's a much simpler rig than it looks like
0:44:01 > 0:44:02when you first look at it.
0:44:02 > 0:44:05We only have four lines to pull up the sail,
0:44:05 > 0:44:08and two lines, really, to control side to side
0:44:08 > 0:44:10and two others that we don't really use, but that's it.
0:44:10 > 0:44:13So it's really simple, much simpler than it looks.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16The boat seems to be going really well right now.
0:44:16 > 0:44:20We're surfing on some of these swells
0:44:20 > 0:44:23down to, you know, seven, eight knots sometimes,
0:44:23 > 0:44:26and getting a nice push from behind with the wind.
0:44:26 > 0:44:28It's going really well.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42Min's voyage is a faraway echo
0:44:42 > 0:44:47of the journey Hatshepsut's fleet may have undertaken.
0:44:50 > 0:44:54At sundown, Nehesy's fleet probably lowered sails
0:44:54 > 0:44:56and came back to shore to rest,
0:44:56 > 0:44:59get their bearings, find water and cook.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07Tonight Min is at anchor in a sheltered bay.
0:45:11 > 0:45:14How would Hatshepsut's crew have felt?
0:45:15 > 0:45:18Were they anxious about the sailing conditions,
0:45:18 > 0:45:21the strength of the breeze, or where they were headed?
0:45:23 > 0:45:25Did they fear for their lives?
0:45:40 > 0:45:44Hatshepsut nervously awaited Nehesy's return.
0:45:45 > 0:45:49The accounts of past expeditions made her anxious.
0:45:55 > 0:45:57Nehesy had warned her
0:45:57 > 0:46:00that she'd be waiting months before receiving news.
0:46:02 > 0:46:07Would her five ships succeed in reaching the land of the gods
0:46:07 > 0:46:09and return safely?
0:46:31 > 0:46:33Most of us didn't sleep at all last night.
0:46:33 > 0:46:38Min was rocking really wildly and there was a lot of wind,
0:46:38 > 0:46:41and today there's too much wind to do the full sail.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43There's about 20 knots of wind,
0:46:43 > 0:46:45and that's too much for our main sail,
0:46:45 > 0:46:50so we'll have to take that down and put up just a very small sail.
0:46:50 > 0:46:53And I think it'll be rougher on the rudders today.
0:46:53 > 0:46:55I think there'll be bigger waves.
0:46:55 > 0:46:58So not a lucky turn of events for us,
0:46:58 > 0:47:01because we've only had a couple of days on this boat,
0:47:01 > 0:47:04and it'd be nice if the conditions could remain a little lighter.
0:47:04 > 0:47:07So we'll see.
0:47:11 > 0:47:13Anticipating bad conditions,
0:47:13 > 0:47:17David and Cheryl had a second heavy-weather sail made.
0:47:17 > 0:47:23Its smaller surface area should work better in strong winds.
0:47:25 > 0:47:30However, the crew is apprehensive about going out to sea this morning.
0:47:30 > 0:47:34Will Min cope in the wind and waves?
0:47:36 > 0:47:39The success of the project depends on her ability
0:47:39 > 0:47:42to withstand these conditions.
0:48:28 > 0:48:30OK, we need to do something pretty quickly here.
0:48:38 > 0:48:40The waves are about...
0:48:40 > 0:48:43We had about six to eight feet earlier.
0:48:43 > 0:48:45We did have a few bigger ones,
0:48:45 > 0:48:47and then a few that came in sets of two or three
0:48:47 > 0:48:49and pushed us around quite a bit,
0:48:49 > 0:48:51our starboard rail was even with the water,
0:48:51 > 0:48:55we took some water over the port rail, so that was exciting.
0:49:02 > 0:49:05I thought she rode the waves really well.
0:49:05 > 0:49:10Rolls like a pig, but you'd expect that with this whole ship, really.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18What I'm really amazed at is that I'm not seasick.
0:49:28 > 0:49:30CREAKING
0:49:40 > 0:49:44At the end of the day, the cracking sounds at the rear of the boat
0:49:44 > 0:49:45are the only signal
0:49:45 > 0:49:48she's been through some tough sailing conditions.
0:49:51 > 0:49:54A few waves did throw her off balance,
0:49:54 > 0:49:58but Min was able to reach the place where they'd planned to camp.
0:49:58 > 0:50:02For the crew, this is a first success.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11We had a few minutes today when we were coming into harbour tonight
0:50:11 > 0:50:14where it was very tempting,
0:50:14 > 0:50:16and the first mate said to me,
0:50:16 > 0:50:20"You know, we could just put some lights on this ship and take off.
0:50:20 > 0:50:22"We could sail a long way".
0:50:39 > 0:50:42The archives in Egypt contain a papyrus
0:50:42 > 0:50:46on which it is written that, 400 years before Hatshepsut,
0:50:46 > 0:50:50a steward named Henu went on an expedition to the Land of Punt.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57The pharaoh, her royal steward, Senenmut,
0:50:57 > 0:51:01and her captain, Nehesy, must have known about this journey.
0:51:04 > 0:51:08Henu's papyrus describes the events of his journey,
0:51:08 > 0:51:12but it does not reveal the location of the Land of Punt.
0:51:21 > 0:51:24Studies of wind and current patterns for the Red Sea
0:51:24 > 0:51:27show that they travel southward from June to September,
0:51:27 > 0:51:30making them favourable for departing vessels.
0:51:31 > 0:51:35Is Punt to be found somewhere in Africa?
0:51:35 > 0:51:37Modern Sudan, or in Eritrea?
0:51:38 > 0:51:40Or is it on the other side of the Red Sea,
0:51:40 > 0:51:43in Yemen or the Arabian peninsula?
0:51:49 > 0:51:51To answer this question,
0:51:51 > 0:51:55Cheryl and Tom need to know what Min is capable of doing.
0:51:55 > 0:51:56Can she sail against the wind,
0:51:56 > 0:51:59allowing her to reach the far side of the Red Sea?
0:51:59 > 0:52:03Or is she only able to sail dead before the wind,
0:52:03 > 0:52:06forcing her to remain close to the coast?
0:52:11 > 0:52:13On modern boats, it is the rudder,
0:52:13 > 0:52:15combined with the action of the sail
0:52:15 > 0:52:18that enables the crew to change direction.
0:52:21 > 0:52:23For Min, the matter is more complicated
0:52:23 > 0:52:25because of her shallow keel.
0:52:25 > 0:52:29Her crew needs to find out whether she can change course
0:52:29 > 0:52:31by filling or flattening the sail,
0:52:31 > 0:52:36and by turning it in different directions in relation to the hull.
0:52:37 > 0:52:40A new experiment gets underway.
0:53:02 > 0:53:036.3.
0:53:03 > 0:53:056.
0:53:06 > 0:53:086.2.
0:53:08 > 0:53:106.
0:53:10 > 0:53:14After a few days of tests and adjustments,
0:53:14 > 0:53:17Min is able to do much more than run before the wind.
0:53:18 > 0:53:21She tacks, points her stern towards the open sea
0:53:21 > 0:53:24and heads back towards the coast.
0:53:36 > 0:53:38The fact that the boat can make progress,
0:53:38 > 0:53:40despite variations in the wind,
0:53:40 > 0:53:45tells us that the Land of Punt could have been Sudan or Yemen.
0:53:47 > 0:53:49Min pursues her journey.
0:53:52 > 0:53:57The strong wind that was blowing for several days has now eased,
0:53:57 > 0:54:02leaving a heavy swell that challenges the boat and her crew.
0:54:22 > 0:54:24But they're in luck again.
0:54:24 > 0:54:26The swell settles and their journey continues.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33Day after day, the crew put Min to the test.
0:54:34 > 0:54:37They rediscover the actions of the ancient seafarers
0:54:37 > 0:54:40as if they had sailed back through time.
0:54:48 > 0:54:52They were in a world that they knew much better than I know,
0:54:52 > 0:54:56and they had the ability to stop and wait
0:54:56 > 0:54:57when the winds are up, like today.
0:54:57 > 0:55:00And yet they also knew where they were going,
0:55:00 > 0:55:02exactly what they would find there.
0:55:02 > 0:55:06And still, it was a huge journey for them.
0:55:06 > 0:55:10The chance to repeat one small part of it,
0:55:10 > 0:55:14even if we can't go all the way to the Land of Punt,
0:55:14 > 0:55:18brings all of us that much closer to really appreciating
0:55:18 > 0:55:22the ingenuity, the creativity, the intelligence, the skills,
0:55:22 > 0:55:26the craftsmanship of our ancient predecessors,
0:55:26 > 0:55:29and it's a very humbling experience.
0:56:07 > 0:56:09When Hatshepsut's fleet returned,
0:56:09 > 0:56:11most of the population made it to the shore
0:56:11 > 0:56:15to see the ships laden with extraordinary treasures.
0:56:18 > 0:56:21There was a dazzling procession of precious woods,
0:56:21 > 0:56:23rings of gold, semi-precious gems,
0:56:23 > 0:56:27ivories, animal hides and ostrich feathers,
0:56:27 > 0:56:32and a menagerie of animals - giraffes, panthers and cheetahs.
0:56:32 > 0:56:35And among these marvels,
0:56:35 > 0:56:39the most valuable of all were the 31 live myrrh trees
0:56:39 > 0:56:44and other fragrant resins that Nehesy had brought back from Punt.
0:56:59 > 0:57:02Hatshepsut had all that she wished for.
0:57:02 > 0:57:04The precious incense from Punt
0:57:04 > 0:57:08had gained her the favours of the priests of Amun.
0:57:08 > 0:57:11Their appeasement allowed her to rule unchallenged
0:57:11 > 0:57:13- for more than two decades.
0:57:19 > 0:57:21Hatshepsut, whose memory was desecrated
0:57:21 > 0:57:25and whose name was expunged from the roll call of pharaohs,
0:57:25 > 0:57:28could have been wiped for ever from Egypt's history.
0:57:29 > 0:57:30Could she have imagined
0:57:30 > 0:57:33that many thousands of years after her death,
0:57:33 > 0:57:36her fleet's voyage would be so lovingly recreated
0:57:36 > 0:57:39and her legacy raised from oblivion?
0:58:04 > 0:58:08Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:08 > 0:58:12E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk