0:00:02 > 0:00:06My Bradshaw's Continental Railways Guide, dated 1913,
0:00:06 > 0:00:10has brought me east, to the border lands where Europe meets Asia.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14My journey will take me from the grasslands of the Steppe
0:00:14 > 0:00:18to the shores of the Black Sea and run along the ridge
0:00:18 > 0:00:20of the mighty Caucasus mountains
0:00:20 > 0:00:22to a volcanic land of fire.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27I'll explore countries which, at the time of my guidebook,
0:00:27 > 0:00:30were under the rule of a tsar,
0:00:30 > 0:00:34but which a century ago fell to a revolutionary empire,
0:00:34 > 0:00:37the likes of which had never been seen.
0:00:37 > 0:00:43I will encounter Cossacks and communists, monasteries and mosques,
0:00:43 > 0:00:44tea and black gold.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48On my journeys through these enchanting lands,
0:00:48 > 0:00:51I'll try to understand the tensions and conflicts of today.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15I've crossed the Black Sea to continue my journey
0:01:15 > 0:01:18through the former Russian Empire.
0:01:18 > 0:01:19I'm in Georgia,
0:01:19 > 0:01:24famed for its natural beauty and the hospitality of its people.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26Situated at the edge of Europe,
0:01:26 > 0:01:30it's been regularly colonised by the great empires of the region.
0:01:30 > 0:01:35In the 19th and 20th centuries, by Russia and the Soviet Union.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38I'll be following the Transcaucasus Railway,
0:01:38 > 0:01:41built by the time of my Bradshaw's Guide
0:01:41 > 0:01:45to haul oil from the landlocked Caspian Sea at Baku
0:01:45 > 0:01:48to the Black Sea at Batumi.
0:01:50 > 0:01:55I'm making that journey in reverse, beginning at the port of Batumi,
0:01:55 > 0:01:57to trace the oil to its source.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01Heading east, I'll explore the ancient city of Kutaisi
0:02:01 > 0:02:04and its medieval hillside monastery.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06Reaching the capital, Tbilisi,
0:02:06 > 0:02:10I'll uncover the story of Georgia's most famous son.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12Then I'll cross into neighbouring Azerbaijan,
0:02:12 > 0:02:15once also under Soviet control,
0:02:15 > 0:02:19finishing my journey in the heart of the country's oil industry at Baku.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22As I ride rails
0:02:22 > 0:02:26along which only the most intrepid Bradshaw's tourist ventured,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29I'll discover medieval monasteries and magnificent mountains...
0:02:29 > 0:02:33Peeking through the clouds now,
0:02:33 > 0:02:375,047 metres up, we skim the top.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39..and savour the very soul of Georgia...
0:02:39 > 0:02:42You're drinking now my family's heart,
0:02:42 > 0:02:45and my family's energy inside of the glass.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49..before delighting in Azerbaijan's heritage...
0:02:49 > 0:02:50Absolutely thrilling!
0:02:50 > 0:02:52Their athleticism!
0:02:52 > 0:02:54..and seeking out the source of its wealth.
0:02:54 > 0:02:59A view of the terminal from up here is absolutely extraordinary.
0:02:59 > 0:03:00It is immense.
0:03:04 > 0:03:10I've arrived on the dazzling Caucasian Riviera. Batumi beckons.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14A sparkling modern train, not what I expected.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17What other surprises will there be in Georgia?
0:03:29 > 0:03:32On the ancient Silk Road connecting East and West,
0:03:32 > 0:03:36Georgia has long been important as a trading route
0:03:36 > 0:03:39and 19th-century Batumi was a vital hub.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Bradshaw says, "the chief Russian seaport,
0:03:42 > 0:03:46"on the east side of the Black Sea, now strongly fortified,
0:03:46 > 0:03:50"having been ceded to Russia in 1878,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53"the town has increased rapidly since the railway opened.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56"Huge quantities of naphtha are exported."
0:03:56 > 0:03:58Naphtha, a product of oil,
0:03:58 > 0:04:02that black gold that ignited the greed of the great powers
0:04:02 > 0:04:07East and West, and Batumi was the gateway to Europe and beyond.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16Trade flourished, and Batumi became a fashionable resort,
0:04:16 > 0:04:21but 70 years of Soviet communism hit the city hard.
0:04:23 > 0:04:28When Georgia won independence, new life was breathed into Batumi.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32It's now a thriving commercial centre and holiday destination
0:04:32 > 0:04:35with shiny new buildings and a smart seafront.
0:04:42 > 0:04:47This ride to the top of the hill opened four years ago and has become
0:04:47 > 0:04:49one of the city's top tourist attractions.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55I'm meeting Batumi resident Nino.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59The setting of Batumi is stunning -
0:04:59 > 0:05:02on the Black Sea, surrounded by mountains and, even in June,
0:05:02 > 0:05:05some of these are snow-capped.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08- Very beautiful.- It has a really interesting geographical location.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10As you see, we have a coastline.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13The weather is summer and really hot weather but on the other hand,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16there is a beautiful mountain with snow on top of it.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18The strategic location is very obvious
0:05:18 > 0:05:19and it's sort of at a crossroads
0:05:19 > 0:05:22with Europe and Asia, so Batumi has actually suffered from being
0:05:22 > 0:05:24absorbed over history into various empires.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28Oh, yes, it was part of the Roman Empire, the Byzantium Empire,
0:05:28 > 0:05:30the Ottoman Empire, the Russian Empire.
0:05:30 > 0:05:31In 1918,
0:05:31 > 0:05:33it was independent for only three years
0:05:33 > 0:05:35before entering the Soviet Union
0:05:35 > 0:05:38and being part of it until 1991.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41I'm trying to imagine, what was it like in Soviet times?
0:05:41 > 0:05:44There were no high-class hotels and business centres.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48It was a quiet city with a calm lifestyle.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51And now, what sort of tourists are you attracting?
0:05:51 > 0:05:53It's a good advantage for the country and for the region
0:05:53 > 0:05:56to have these hotels with casinos and conferences
0:05:56 > 0:05:58but the main thing for attracting the tourists is
0:05:58 > 0:06:00the nature, the landscapes.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10In the verdant West Georgian countryside,
0:06:10 > 0:06:12according to my 1913 Bradshaw's,
0:06:12 > 0:06:13tea is cultivated.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19I've come to a plantation 30 miles north-east of Batumi.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Gocha is in charge.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28- Hello, I'm Michael.- Hello, sir. Hello, Mike.
0:06:28 > 0:06:29Very good to see you. Now,
0:06:29 > 0:06:31what kind of leaves are you picking just at the moment?
0:06:31 > 0:06:36Well, we just started harvesting the top quality of green leaves.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38Very fresh, very tiny, very new.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40- And soft.- I'm quite surprised to find tea in Georgia.
0:06:40 > 0:06:45I associate tea with India and China and this seems a bit far north.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48- Is that not so?- Yes, that's true.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Georgia is the only one country
0:06:50 > 0:06:52where tea harvesting season takes place
0:06:52 > 0:06:55end of April and finish end of September.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58The rest of the year we have a strong winter
0:06:58 > 0:07:00and sometimes we have snow
0:07:00 > 0:07:01and low temperatures.
0:07:01 > 0:07:06Because of that, it is really unique and it has a special flavour.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08When did tea production begin in Georgia?
0:07:08 > 0:07:11Well, the first seedlings were
0:07:11 > 0:07:15introduced in the country in the 19th-century but in mass production,
0:07:15 > 0:07:17it was started from 1920s.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21At the beginning, the seedlings came from China
0:07:21 > 0:07:24but then our scientists created local tea bushes,
0:07:24 > 0:07:25local varieties.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28Did this production flourish during the Soviet time?
0:07:28 > 0:07:32Yes, but at the time of the Soviet Union, we had plan economy, right?
0:07:32 > 0:07:34And the quality, of course,
0:07:34 > 0:07:37it was not as good as we have at the present time.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45Three miles from the plantation at the company's factory,
0:07:45 > 0:07:48the tea leaves are processed, packed and tested.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52A-ha. Hello.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56- Time for tasting?- Yes, now it's time for the tasting.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00Normally we put in the cups 3g of the tea, not more.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Then we put hot water. This is the classic green tea.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06We put water in the cup.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10Now, in terms of flavour, we have to smell...
0:08:10 > 0:08:13..and check it. You can feel the Georgian flavour.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16It's a unique Georgian flavour.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18Yes.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20I mean,
0:08:20 > 0:08:21it's a strong smell.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24- Yes.- It's going right to the back of my throat, actually.
0:08:24 > 0:08:25Right.
0:08:26 > 0:08:27Ah, yeah, that's great.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29Did you get some honey flavour?
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Now that you suggest it, yes, I get a honey flavour!
0:08:34 > 0:08:36The way the cup should be tasted to get taste...
0:08:36 > 0:08:37HE SLURPS
0:08:37 > 0:08:39HE SUCKS
0:08:39 > 0:08:41So, you have to make a sound like a sparrow?
0:08:41 > 0:08:42Yeah.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Yes.
0:08:49 > 0:08:54Ah, that is a great green tea, with a luscious, full flavour.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56I absolutely adore green tea.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01And that is a lovely, lovely cup of tea.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12As the day draws to a close,
0:09:12 > 0:09:16I'm continuing my journey north-east on the evening express service.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21Crossing the Rioni River, the largest in Western Georgia,
0:09:21 > 0:09:25I'm on my way to historic Kutaisi, the country's second city.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29I look forward to exploring tomorrow.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56A lovely morning view of Kutaisi and Bradshaw's tells me
0:09:56 > 0:10:01it's a convenient centre for several mountain excursions.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05It seems the mountains are ever-present in Georgia.
0:10:05 > 0:10:10It was, in the medieval period, the capital of a united Georgia,
0:10:10 > 0:10:12and in the post-Soviet period,
0:10:12 > 0:10:16Kutaisi has been promoted again to an important national role.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Kutaisi has become home to the parliament of Georgia,
0:10:30 > 0:10:33which now meets in this wonderful crystal dome.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41Parliaments don't need to be housed in old buildings,
0:10:41 > 0:10:46they can inhabit architecture like an airport terminal, too.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48It's made of glass to represent transparency
0:10:48 > 0:10:50and the end of the Soviet era.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53The place abounds in metaphors and symbols,
0:10:53 > 0:10:56something for the Members of Parliament to reflect upon.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01150 are elected every four years
0:11:01 > 0:11:04and they meet here for spring and autumn sessions.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07The debating chamber is adorned
0:11:07 > 0:11:10with the St George's Cross of Georgia
0:11:10 > 0:11:14and the colour of the national flag is picked up in the chairs.
0:11:14 > 0:11:19I hope that the debate is equally red in tooth and claw.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29Away from the big decisions of state,
0:11:29 > 0:11:32the heart of this city of almost 180,000 people
0:11:32 > 0:11:36is its vibrant central market, one of the largest in Georgia.
0:11:39 > 0:11:44HE GREETS THEM IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE
0:11:51 > 0:11:53Everybody, it seems, has a smile.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05In Batumi, with all its modernity, it felt like
0:12:05 > 0:12:08someone had taken an eraser to recent history,
0:12:08 > 0:12:11to the Soviet period, but here in Kutaisi,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14the past has been allowed to age gracefully.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30To delve further back in time, I've followed my guidebook
0:12:30 > 0:12:34to one of this region's oldest and most sacred sites.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44"About six miles north-east of Kutaisi, on a height,
0:12:44 > 0:12:47"is the Gelati convent," says my Bradshaw's,
0:12:47 > 0:12:52"with a church of the 11th century containing portraits of kings."
0:12:52 > 0:12:54Its beauty is now somewhat scarred
0:12:54 > 0:12:58by scaffolding poles, but amongst this tranquillity and birdsong,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01there's no doubt that it has a special feel.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09This site is recognised by Unesco as
0:13:09 > 0:13:12one of the world's largest medieval Orthodox monasteries
0:13:12 > 0:13:16and a monument to Georgian cultural heritage.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20At its heart is the ancient Church of the Nativity of the Virgin.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29THEY GREET EACH OTHER
0:13:44 > 0:13:48WHISPERS: The display of frescoes is absolutely magnificent.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Glorious colours.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54Every centimetre of the wall is covered,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57but in poor condition, many of them.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05Eka is in charge of the church's restoration.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09Eka, this is the most wonderful display of frescoes.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11Who is responsible for building this?
0:14:11 > 0:14:15Gelati Monastery was built in the 11th century
0:14:15 > 0:14:16by King David the Builder.
0:14:16 > 0:14:21He was the most powerful king in Georgian history, the best king.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24- Why do you say the best? - Because he became king
0:14:24 > 0:14:28just 16 years old. He united Georgia and in the 11th and 12th centuries,
0:14:28 > 0:14:30it was the golden age in Georgia.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32Built by your best king,
0:14:32 > 0:14:36how important is this monastery to the Georgian people?
0:14:36 > 0:14:40This monastery is showing to all Georgians how powerful
0:14:40 > 0:14:43and how rich was the Georgia in the 11th century
0:14:43 > 0:14:48so, for all Georgians, it's one of the most popular sites
0:14:48 > 0:14:52as a spiritual centre, also as a historical centre.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54And throughout history, Georgia has
0:14:54 > 0:14:56remained Christian?
0:14:56 > 0:14:59Yes, we became to be Christians in the fourth century
0:14:59 > 0:15:04and after this until today, we are Christian Orthodox.
0:15:04 > 0:15:0780% or 90% of Georgian citizens they are Orthodox Christians.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10Did the monastery maintain a connection with royalty?
0:15:10 > 0:15:15Yes, of course. The Builder told that, after he,
0:15:15 > 0:15:17every king must be buried here,
0:15:17 > 0:15:20so here are buried 23 kings of Georgia.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28Work is now under way to conserve the precious frescoes
0:15:28 > 0:15:30and carefully to restore the exterior.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39- Oh, it's quite high up here.- It is.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42You certainly get a great view, don't you?
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Surrounded by beautiful mountains.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47Yes. The location is very special here
0:15:47 > 0:15:52and the second reason of building the monastery here
0:15:52 > 0:15:56was because it was very safe from attacks from enemies.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58I can see the work you're doing here.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00How far have you got with your work?
0:16:00 > 0:16:04Actually, we're working here two years and we have already done
0:16:04 > 0:16:06stone conservation works on the wall.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10We are now on the lower part and in this year we will finish.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13These beautiful tiles, these are the new ones
0:16:13 > 0:16:16- that you're putting on now?- Yes, the green tile is very special.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21In Georgia, there were just three churches which had green tiles.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24But you found craftsmen today who can make that tile for you?
0:16:24 > 0:16:26Yes, it is made in Georgia.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29They are special for Gelati Monastery.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32I think in the next year we will finish the roofing also.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34I get the impression this is, for you,
0:16:34 > 0:16:37not just a construction project, it's an emotional thing as well?
0:16:37 > 0:16:41It's true. For me, as for all the workers here,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44we are doing everything because we are Georgians
0:16:44 > 0:16:47and because it is very important for all of us.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15I'm resuming my journey from Kutaisi's Rioni station,
0:17:15 > 0:17:16just south of the city,
0:17:16 > 0:17:18bound for the capital.
0:17:20 > 0:17:21- Hello.- Hello.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43WHISTLE BLOWS
0:17:46 > 0:17:50Bradshaw's describes the railway to Tbilisi in excited terms.
0:17:50 > 0:17:55"As it starts to ascend, it affords good views across viaducts
0:17:55 > 0:17:58"and through a tunnel about 4km long.
0:17:58 > 0:18:05"It reaches 2,480 feet and descends through a landscape of bare rock."
0:18:07 > 0:18:10This is the Transcaucasus Railway,
0:18:10 > 0:18:14built to transport oil from Baku in Azerbaijan
0:18:14 > 0:18:17to the Georgian port of Batumi.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20It's one of the stunning rail routes of the world.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23The scenery is getting grander every moment.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34This ambitious line, built between 1865 and 1883,
0:18:34 > 0:18:39was partly financed by European bankers, the Rothschild family.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41Aha! Thank you.
0:18:48 > 0:18:49WHISTLE BLOWS
0:18:58 > 0:19:00The daring route took heavy oil tank wagons
0:19:00 > 0:19:04over the Caucasus Mountains at the Surami Pass.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10Because they struggled with the steep gradients,
0:19:10 > 0:19:15a new tunnel was blasted through the rock, opening in 1890.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20But 15 years later, these sites of engineering prowess
0:19:20 > 0:19:24became a battle ground as unrest swept imperial Russia.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29During the insurrections of 1905,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32it was possible to cut Georgia in half
0:19:32 > 0:19:35simply by blocking the tunnel -
0:19:35 > 0:19:38as Marxist revolutionaries did
0:19:38 > 0:19:40in order to prevent the Tsar's troops
0:19:40 > 0:19:43from penetrating West Georgia.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49The Tsar survived the revolution of 1905
0:19:49 > 0:19:52and at the time of my 1913 Bradshaw's,
0:19:52 > 0:19:56the Georgian capital remained an important outpost of his empire.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14Beautiful Tbilisi.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18My Bradshaw's says, "situated in a narrow alley.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22"Warm in summer but pleasant in winter.
0:20:22 > 0:20:23"Population, very mixed.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27"Georgians, Russians and Armenians."
0:20:27 > 0:20:31The multiplicity of churches with their crucifixes
0:20:31 > 0:20:34confirm how strong here is the Orthodox faith
0:20:34 > 0:20:38but this has also long been a crossroads of trades
0:20:38 > 0:20:43and cultures, so I'm expecting to find the city as cosmopolitan
0:20:43 > 0:20:45as it is Christian.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56Today, Tbilisi, home to almost 1.5 million people,
0:20:56 > 0:20:59has all the ingredients of a 21st-century city...
0:21:01 > 0:21:06..eye-catching buildings, designer shops and a laid-back cafe culture.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13Bradshaw's comments that there is a striking contrast
0:21:13 > 0:21:17between the old native quarters of narrow lanes and alleys,
0:21:17 > 0:21:22and the modern quarter, with its broad boulevards and squares.
0:21:22 > 0:21:23There is still a big difference
0:21:23 > 0:21:26between the old and the new city today
0:21:26 > 0:21:29but everywhere you feel the warmth of the welcome.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36In 1918, Tbilisi became the capital of an independent Georgia,
0:21:36 > 0:21:40following the Russian Revolution of the previous year.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43But in 1921, the Red Army invaded.
0:21:43 > 0:21:48The Soviet Communist era began and a Georgian would soon rise to the top
0:21:48 > 0:21:50of the party machine.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54Legends surround the young life of the most famous Georgian of all,
0:21:54 > 0:21:57Joseph Stalin, who ruled the Soviet Union
0:21:57 > 0:22:00with an iron fist for 30 years.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02It's said that here in Tbilisi,
0:22:02 > 0:22:06he organised the hold-up of the state bank of the Russian Empire
0:22:06 > 0:22:10to raise funds for the Marxist revolution.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14He is believed to have directed operations from the railway station
0:22:14 > 0:22:18from which he was able to steal away like a thief in the night.
0:22:23 > 0:22:29Stalin was born in 1879 in the town of Gori, north-west of the capital.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32To find out more about his youth in Tbilisi,
0:22:32 > 0:22:35I'm visiting the site of a once secret printing press
0:22:35 > 0:22:37hidden deep in an underground tunnel.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41Stalin, it's claimed,
0:22:41 > 0:22:45was amongst those who printed revolutionary propaganda here
0:22:45 > 0:22:46in the early 20th century.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50It's now a privately maintained museum commemorating his life.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53- Lasha.- Hello, my friend. How are you?
0:22:53 > 0:22:54Very good to see you.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56What an extraordinary place!
0:22:57 > 0:23:00Dr Lasha Bakradze from Tbilisi University
0:23:00 > 0:23:05has met me here to cast some light on Stalin's shadowy young days.
0:23:08 > 0:23:09Who was Joseph Stalin?
0:23:09 > 0:23:11His name was Ioseb Jughashvili.
0:23:11 > 0:23:16His mother was a wash woman and father was a shoemaker
0:23:16 > 0:23:20but the relationship between mother and father was not so good
0:23:20 > 0:23:23and father left the family very early.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25What did the young Stalin intend to be?
0:23:25 > 0:23:29Father wanted the son to be a shoemaker like him
0:23:29 > 0:23:32but the mother was hoping it will be priest.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36- Really?- It started in Gori, in
0:23:36 > 0:23:41the seminary and afterwards, Orthodox seminary in Tbilisi.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44And in this seminary was
0:23:44 > 0:23:47many, many young boys like Stalin.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51They were fighting against Russian Empire.
0:23:51 > 0:23:56It was like central education place for revolutionaries.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58So Stalin, as we now know him,
0:23:58 > 0:24:00picked up his first revolutionary ideas in a seminary?
0:24:00 > 0:24:05Yeah, sure. He was thrown out from this seminary because he took part
0:24:05 > 0:24:09in some demonstrations and was reading forbidden literature
0:24:09 > 0:24:13from Marx, Engels, and so he became a revolutionary.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17With big political ambitions, in 1912,
0:24:17 > 0:24:20he dropped his obviously Georgian surname
0:24:20 > 0:24:22for the Russian-sounding Stalin,
0:24:22 > 0:24:24or "man of steel".
0:24:24 > 0:24:29You know, in reality, we have mythology about Stalin
0:24:29 > 0:24:32and it is the reality is not so easy to find.
0:24:32 > 0:24:37For example, from the beginning, he was a chief and leader and so on.
0:24:37 > 0:24:42It was not true. Many, many alternative facts about Stalin,
0:24:42 > 0:24:46official biographies in the Soviet, especially from the young period.
0:24:46 > 0:24:53We are here sitting in a place which is dedicated to Stalin but we are
0:24:53 > 0:24:56even not sure if Stalin was one time here!
0:24:59 > 0:25:03How do you think Georgians feel today about Stalin?
0:25:03 > 0:25:08If you are outside of Georgia, you say you are Georgian,
0:25:08 > 0:25:12and if somebody knows something about Georgia, it is Stalin.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15To be from a country from a mass murderer is not so good.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25Georgia has now been an independent nation
0:25:25 > 0:25:27for more than a quarter of a century,
0:25:27 > 0:25:31during which time its capital has been transformed.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34Tbilisi has warmly embraced architecture
0:25:34 > 0:25:35that is bold and modern.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38The city has clearly turned a page in its history.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47Alongside sleek new structures,
0:25:47 > 0:25:5119th-century buildings have been painstakingly restored.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53Hello, Peter.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55- I'm Michael.- Very nice to meet you.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57Very nice to see you indeed.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00I've come to the National Library of Georgia.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05This is a glorious lobby, isn't it?
0:26:05 > 0:26:08Look at all these wonderful bright colours and the gold
0:26:08 > 0:26:12and the marble staircase. It's gorgeous.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16Author Peter Nasmyth is introducing me to a literary brother and sister
0:26:16 > 0:26:20who touched the hearts of Georgians at the start of the 20th century.
0:26:21 > 0:26:26So, who where the Wardrops, Oliver and Marjory?
0:26:26 > 0:26:32Oliver and Marjory Wardrop were what I describe as two literary diplomats
0:26:32 > 0:26:36in that they had a very rich cultural basis to their relationship
0:26:36 > 0:26:39- with another country.- What had first excited their interest in Georgia?
0:26:39 > 0:26:42Well, their joint interest was sparked by Oliver,
0:26:42 > 0:26:45who first came to Georgia in 1887.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47A Victorian minor aristocrat,
0:26:47 > 0:26:51had seen everybody else do the European grand tour,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54and decided that he would take it one stage further.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58India had been done, Western Europe, Russia had been done,
0:26:58 > 0:27:01but the Caucususes were undiscovered
0:27:01 > 0:27:06so Oliver went, saw and wrote a book,
0:27:06 > 0:27:09and he called it The Kingdom Of Georgia,
0:27:09 > 0:27:11- The Land Of Women, Wine And Song. - Ha!
0:27:13 > 0:27:16Sir Oliver Wardrop began to visit Georgia regularly
0:27:16 > 0:27:18on behalf of the British Foreign Office.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20His sister, Marjory,
0:27:20 > 0:27:23accompanied him and together they shared
0:27:23 > 0:27:25a lifelong love of the country.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27So, how do they develop this passion?
0:27:27 > 0:27:31Well, they decided first of all to learn the language.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33Then they started translating Georgian literature
0:27:33 > 0:27:35which had never been translated before
0:27:35 > 0:27:37and then they started publishing it.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40I've seen Georgian writing while I have been here
0:27:40 > 0:27:43on street signs and so on. I've never seen an alphabet like it.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46Is the Georgian language related to anything else?
0:27:46 > 0:27:48It has its own language group.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50The Georgian word for father is mamma
0:27:50 > 0:27:53and the Georgian wood for mother is dada.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55OK?
0:27:55 > 0:27:57It's a very complex language.
0:27:57 > 0:28:02It is a very elegant language, too, a very poetic language.
0:28:02 > 0:28:03The Wardrops spotted that.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07Oliver started translating more of the tales
0:28:07 > 0:28:11but Marjory decided to do the poetry and that is where
0:28:11 > 0:28:15she really outshone her brother in many ways.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18Marjory made her name as a Georgian language scholar
0:28:18 > 0:28:22with her translation of one of the nation's most famous poems,
0:28:22 > 0:28:24The Man In The Panther's Skin.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27Written by Shota Rustaveli,
0:28:27 > 0:28:29Georgia's Shakespeare, in the 12th century,
0:28:29 > 0:28:33this is a 1,500-verse epic poem
0:28:33 > 0:28:36about courtly love, about friendship.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39It's a wonderful artefact, this, isn't it?
0:28:39 > 0:28:42This is her original, as it were exercise book,
0:28:42 > 0:28:44in which she first attempts the translation?
0:28:44 > 0:28:47- Yeah.- And here are all the crossings out.
0:28:47 > 0:28:51Unfortunately, she died before this was able to be published
0:28:51 > 0:28:55so her brother, Oliver, finished it off
0:28:55 > 0:28:57and published it himself in 1912.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00Are the Wardrops remembered in Georgia today?
0:29:00 > 0:29:04Very much so. They've built a statue to the Wardrops here.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08There's streets named after them and in this particular library,
0:29:08 > 0:29:10there's a room named after them.
0:29:10 > 0:29:11Georgia is such a small country.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14It's so cut off from the world that
0:29:14 > 0:29:19anybody who takes the trouble to translate the literature
0:29:19 > 0:29:21is much appreciated.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34Evening draws in but my day in Tbilisi is far from over.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39The famous sort of feast in Georgia is called a supra,
0:29:39 > 0:29:43and so that I can experience one, I have been invited to a wedding.
0:29:43 > 0:29:44Do I know the bride and groom?
0:29:44 > 0:29:46I do not, and it's all extraordinary,
0:29:46 > 0:29:50but then they say that Georgian hospitality is unique.
0:29:54 > 0:29:59Georgian bride Nanuka Zaalishvili has wed Englishman Nathan Moss.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01MEN SING IN CLOSE HARMONY
0:30:01 > 0:30:02Just outside the city,
0:30:02 > 0:30:07the celebration is in full swing with a traditional toast master,
0:30:07 > 0:30:09or tamada, and Georgian folk singers.
0:30:14 > 0:30:15Nanuka, excuse me.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17May I wish you great happiness?
0:30:17 > 0:30:19Nathan, great happiness to you as well.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22My name is Michael, and just a few flowers.
0:30:22 > 0:30:24Thank you so much for your invitation.
0:30:24 > 0:30:28- It's our pleasure.- Please enjoy the meal, culture, music.
0:30:28 > 0:30:29SINGING CONTINUES
0:30:46 > 0:30:48Hello, you're the tamada.
0:30:48 > 0:30:49Welcome. Yes, I am.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52Thank you so much. What a pleasure to see you.
0:30:52 > 0:30:56- The singers.- What a privilege to meet you all, gentlemen.
0:30:56 > 0:30:58Thank you so much for your singing.
0:30:58 > 0:30:59Beautiful.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03Isn't it a wonderful setting for a wedding?
0:31:03 > 0:31:07What we see here is very much a traditional wedding, is it?
0:31:07 > 0:31:08This is traditional wedding.
0:31:08 > 0:31:12The only thing which is a little bit untraditional is the bride is
0:31:12 > 0:31:14Georgian and the groom is British.
0:31:14 > 0:31:16The groom looks the part, though, doesn't he?
0:31:16 > 0:31:18Is that national dress he's wearing?
0:31:18 > 0:31:20Yeah, so he moved two years ago to this country
0:31:20 > 0:31:23and he knows already a lot about Georgian traditions.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26Well, it is so lovely to meet you all.
0:31:26 > 0:31:27To new friendships!
0:31:27 > 0:31:29SINGING RESUMES
0:32:06 > 0:32:07Amazing!
0:32:07 > 0:32:09Fantastic!
0:32:25 > 0:32:29This morning, following the recommendation of my guidebook,
0:32:29 > 0:32:32I'm escaping Tbilisi's busy streets
0:32:32 > 0:32:36for the tranquillity of Georgia's Caucasus mountains.
0:32:41 > 0:32:46I'm getting a lift from mountaineer Nick Erkomaishvil.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48Fantastic terrain, Nick.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50Yeah, beautiful.
0:32:55 > 0:32:57You know these mountains pretty well?
0:32:57 > 0:32:59Quite well I would say, yeah.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02My parents were mountaineers themselves,
0:33:02 > 0:33:03so I grew up in the mountains.
0:33:03 > 0:33:05We Europeans are used to the Alps.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08What's the comparison between the Alps and the Caucasus?
0:33:08 > 0:33:10Caucasus is much higher than the Alps.
0:33:10 > 0:33:13We have five peaks over 5,000 metres.
0:33:13 > 0:33:15The mountains are not as developed.
0:33:15 > 0:33:17I would say, like, Alps,
0:33:17 > 0:33:21maybe 200 years ago, it is so wild you may walk for days,
0:33:21 > 0:33:24for weeks and no seeing anybody.
0:33:24 > 0:33:26It is proper wild nature.
0:33:26 > 0:33:31I love any mountains, of course, but the Caucasus is like a paradise.
0:33:35 > 0:33:40We are travelling along the 120-mile Georgian military road,
0:33:40 > 0:33:44which stretches from Tbilisi into southern Russia.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47An ancient bridle track,
0:33:47 > 0:33:50it was first engineered in the early 19th century
0:33:50 > 0:33:55by the colonising Russian army as it pushed further into Georgia.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58- You see the watchtower over there? - Yes, yes.
0:33:58 > 0:34:02So there were lots of watchtowers all along this gorge.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04These are the signal towers,
0:34:04 > 0:34:06so they were used as a communication system when
0:34:06 > 0:34:08the enemy was coming.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10Mainly from the north.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14Still today, Georgia coexists uneasily
0:34:14 > 0:34:16with its northern neighbour.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19The military road skirts the eastern edge
0:34:19 > 0:34:23of the disputed Georgian territory of South Ossetia -
0:34:23 > 0:34:26occupied since 2008 by Russian forces.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32The official international border is marked by
0:34:32 > 0:34:34the peaks of the mountains,
0:34:34 > 0:34:36including the mighty Mount Kazbek,
0:34:36 > 0:34:40highest and most beautiful in the Caucasus' range.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44The first recorded accent was by a British mountaineer,
0:34:44 > 0:34:47Douglas Freshfield, in 1868.
0:34:47 > 0:34:51You know the mountain - Kazbek, how difficult is it?
0:34:51 > 0:34:55It's over 5,000 metres, so it's quite tough.
0:34:55 > 0:34:59You need to wear crampons, you need an ice axe, you need two belays.
0:34:59 > 0:35:00Especially at those times,
0:35:00 > 0:35:04they were like real heroes to climb with all this heavy gear.
0:35:04 > 0:35:08Did Freshfields' ascent make the Caucasus popular with European?
0:35:08 > 0:35:12Yes, there were some other peaks climbed by Freshfield and his team,
0:35:12 > 0:35:15and he even wrote a very interesting guidebook -
0:35:15 > 0:35:17The Exploration of the Caucasus.
0:35:24 > 0:35:28I can't leave the Caucasus without attempting a glimpse
0:35:28 > 0:35:30of this towering peak.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50I've forced myself to remember that these mountains,
0:35:50 > 0:35:52which we so effortlessly glide above,
0:35:52 > 0:35:57were once the most enormous challenge for mountaineers.
0:35:57 > 0:36:02And, by the way, the resting place for thousands of invading soldiers
0:36:02 > 0:36:04over the centuries.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13Tell me about the top of the mountain, Nick.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16It's covered by the ice and snow year round,
0:36:16 > 0:36:20and it's one of the beautiful mountains in this valley
0:36:20 > 0:36:22and in the whole Caucasus.
0:36:26 > 0:36:28How does it feel to be on that glacier?
0:36:28 > 0:36:31When it is good weather, it's amazing to be there.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34Sometimes it's scary, when it is stormy, but in general,
0:36:34 > 0:36:38you can feel the spirit of freedom up in the mountains.
0:36:47 > 0:36:53Peeking through the clouds now, 5,047 metres up,
0:36:53 > 0:36:55we skim the top.
0:37:22 > 0:37:27The awesome Caucasus Mountains have witnessed imperviously the rise,
0:37:27 > 0:37:32and fall of empires from the Ottomans to the Soviets.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35Indeed, in Georgia's mountains, and medieval monasteries,
0:37:35 > 0:37:38its traditional singing and epic verse,
0:37:38 > 0:37:41I've found a remarkable continuity
0:37:41 > 0:37:44that belies the country's turbulent past.
0:37:46 > 0:37:51And before I leave it, I must sample one more ancient national tradition.
0:37:52 > 0:37:57Georgians had discovered winemaking long before they found Christ.
0:37:57 > 0:38:00When they adopted Christianity in the fourth century,
0:38:00 > 0:38:05they planted vines in the form of a cross to demonstrate their fervour.
0:38:05 > 0:38:09It seems that the grape and faith are the fundamentals
0:38:09 > 0:38:11of the Georgian identity.
0:38:16 > 0:38:22With Oliver Wardrop's writings on women, wine and song in mind,
0:38:22 > 0:38:25I've come to Kakheti to find out more about
0:38:25 > 0:38:28Georgian viticulture culture.
0:38:28 > 0:38:29- Hi, I'm Michael.- You're welcome.
0:38:29 > 0:38:31Thank you very much. Great to see you.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34- Nice to meet you. - And what a lovely place this is.
0:38:35 > 0:38:39I understand that wine is really deep in the Georgian culture.
0:38:39 > 0:38:41- Is that right?- Yeah, it's true.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43You can find the wine everywhere,
0:38:43 > 0:38:47in our books, in our paintings.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49Part of the religion and everything.
0:38:49 > 0:38:50It's very important, yeah.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53How long has your family been making wine?
0:38:53 > 0:38:55I know that my great-grandfather
0:38:55 > 0:38:58was one of the big winemakers in West Georgia.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01He was producing and selling the wine.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04Then the communists came and everything is destroyed.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08Then the life changed, we moved to the capital and five, six years ago,
0:39:08 > 0:39:11I tried to rebuild all of this.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19..is passionate about preserving the ancient Georgian method
0:39:19 > 0:39:22using the earthenware amphora sunk into the ground.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26A-ha.
0:39:26 > 0:39:30So under here are the amphorae, is that right?
0:39:30 > 0:39:34This is the Georgian amphorae, we call it qvevri.
0:39:34 > 0:39:38We put under the ground, because it gives you the possibility
0:39:38 > 0:39:42to have a constant temperature in the winemaking process.
0:39:42 > 0:39:47This is a natural wine and we don't do anything.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49We don't add anything.
0:39:49 > 0:39:51Where does your wine go to?
0:39:51 > 0:39:54Is it drunk by Georgians or does some of it go abroad?
0:39:54 > 0:39:56Everywhere, nine countries.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59Australia, Japan, Europe, United States, everywhere.
0:40:00 > 0:40:05One of the most popular varieties is the traditional Georgian amber wine,
0:40:05 > 0:40:09made using the grape skins and stems to create a deep colour.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12I love the wine racks. They're absolutely beautiful.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15- What are we going to try? - We will try now 2015 vintage.
0:40:15 > 0:40:17Why have you picked up two?
0:40:17 > 0:40:20One will be not enough for us.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22One for you, one for me.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27Always when you're tasting the wine,
0:40:27 > 0:40:31there must be fresh cheese and Georgian bread on the table.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36I mean, this is an immense surprise to me.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38It really is amber.
0:40:38 > 0:40:4014.7 alcohol.
0:40:40 > 0:40:42And a little cheese, you think?
0:40:49 > 0:40:53Hmm. Wow. It's quite different from anything I've ever drunk before,
0:40:53 > 0:40:57- I think.- Yeah.- It has a dryness, a little bit of sour afterwards.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59- It's lovely.- Yeah.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01And in your history, what role has wine played?
0:41:01 > 0:41:03In history, it was very important.
0:41:03 > 0:41:08When the Muslims were coming for the war to the European countries,
0:41:08 > 0:41:11the vineyard was very important for the Georgian man.
0:41:11 > 0:41:16Georgian religion, Christianity, gives us the possibility to have
0:41:16 > 0:41:20this product in our family and in our culture,
0:41:20 > 0:41:21but Muslims, no.
0:41:21 > 0:41:26And when the Muslims were destroyed, then the vineyards first,
0:41:26 > 0:41:31then the Georgian mentality and the mentality was to first restore,
0:41:31 > 0:41:34to rebuild the vineyard.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38So you really think there's a link between wine, national sentiment,
0:41:38 > 0:41:41national revival and national religion?
0:41:41 > 0:41:44Yeah, of course. Of course.
0:41:44 > 0:41:48You're drinking now my family's heart and my family's energy
0:41:48 > 0:41:51- inside the glass. - What a lovely thing to say.
0:42:01 > 0:42:06My time in Georgia is drawing to a close and a new adventure begins.
0:42:06 > 0:42:07Back in the capital,
0:42:07 > 0:42:11I'm boarding the overnight service to neighbouring Azerbaijan.
0:42:17 > 0:42:18Ah, very comfortable.
0:42:18 > 0:42:22Now, if there's one thing more exciting than a sleeper train,
0:42:22 > 0:42:25it's an international sleeper train.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28This will come in handy.
0:42:28 > 0:42:30WHISTLE BLOWS
0:42:52 > 0:42:54Goodbye, hospitable Georgia,
0:42:54 > 0:42:56I think I'm going to miss you.
0:43:11 > 0:43:13Ah!
0:43:13 > 0:43:15- Cox sag ol.- Sag ol.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18- HE LAUGHS - Nus olsun.
0:43:21 > 0:43:24Cox sag ol - Azeri for "thank you."
0:43:40 > 0:43:45From Tbilisi, I will travel 360 miles across the border
0:43:45 > 0:43:50into the Republic of Azerbaijan in eastern Transcaucasia.
0:43:50 > 0:43:54My final destination is the capital, Baku,
0:43:54 > 0:43:58centre of the country's oil industry on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
0:44:00 > 0:44:02Well, it took more than two hours
0:44:02 > 0:44:06to clear both sides of the Georgia/Azerbaijan border
0:44:06 > 0:44:08and, sadly, the border guards,
0:44:08 > 0:44:11with their epaulettes and broad-rimmed military style hats,
0:44:11 > 0:44:16were rather camera shy, but they did leave me a souvenir -
0:44:16 > 0:44:19exit and entry stamps.
0:44:19 > 0:44:23And both are marked with choo-choos.
0:44:23 > 0:44:24So cute!
0:44:41 > 0:44:43What a difference a night makes.
0:44:43 > 0:44:46I'm about 600km from Tbilisi now,
0:44:46 > 0:44:49and gone are the green slopes and the snowy peaks
0:44:49 > 0:44:51and now there's a scrubby desert,
0:44:51 > 0:44:55and lunar mountains and a pipeline running parallel with the track
0:44:55 > 0:44:59in this oil corridor. At the time of my Bradshaw's Guide,
0:44:59 > 0:45:03half the world's oil came from the Caucasus.
0:45:03 > 0:45:08Most of it from Baku, which already had 1,900 oil wells
0:45:08 > 0:45:10producing 12 million tonnes.
0:45:10 > 0:45:13This was the supplier to the world of a substance
0:45:13 > 0:45:17to which the world was becoming addicted.
0:45:17 > 0:45:19My compartment has radio music.
0:45:19 > 0:45:21Let's see what's playing in Azerbaijan this morning.
0:45:21 > 0:45:24MUSIC PLAYS
0:45:24 > 0:45:27Confirmation that we've moved well to the East.
0:45:30 > 0:45:33This is known as the land of fire.
0:45:33 > 0:45:37It's blessed with oil and natural gas, which seep from the ground,
0:45:37 > 0:45:42igniting hillsides, which inspired worshippers to build fire temples.
0:45:48 > 0:45:53Around 14 hours after leaving Tbilisi, I've arrived in Baku.
0:45:55 > 0:46:00After so many miles of dry scrub, the last thing I expected was rain.
0:46:03 > 0:46:05HORN BLARES
0:46:11 > 0:46:15Polished marble abounds, like an air terminal.
0:46:35 > 0:46:40Azerbaijan declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
0:46:43 > 0:46:45Baku is home to two million people,
0:46:45 > 0:46:49and my first impressions are of modernity and money.
0:46:53 > 0:46:59These sweeping swirls of whipped cream represent the finest work
0:46:59 > 0:47:04of the late Iraqi-born British architect, Zaha Hadid.
0:47:04 > 0:47:06The clearing of the homes that used to stand here
0:47:06 > 0:47:10mired the project in human rights controversy,
0:47:10 > 0:47:14but the finished building sends an unmistakable message -
0:47:14 > 0:47:18Baku is wealthy, international and innovative.
0:47:23 > 0:47:26The past has been carefully preserved, too.
0:47:30 > 0:47:34The old walled quarter dates back around 1,000 years,
0:47:34 > 0:47:36and great efforts have been made
0:47:36 > 0:47:39to restore important historic buildings.
0:47:41 > 0:47:44My Bradshaw's mentions the mosques of Baku
0:47:44 > 0:47:48and the majority of the population is Shiite Muslim,
0:47:48 > 0:47:52although the state is assertively secular.
0:47:52 > 0:47:56This, the Bibi-Heybat Mosque, was the most outstanding -
0:47:56 > 0:48:00dating from the 13th century, but blown up by the Soviets.
0:48:00 > 0:48:04Explosion after explosion bringing down the minarets.
0:48:04 > 0:48:06And rebuilt in the 1990s.
0:48:10 > 0:48:14The three domes of the old mosque have been restored,
0:48:14 > 0:48:17each featuring inscriptions from the Koran.
0:48:20 > 0:48:24It's once more the spiritual centre for Muslims of the region
0:48:24 > 0:48:27and one of the most important examples
0:48:27 > 0:48:29of Islamic architecture in Azerbaijan.
0:48:35 > 0:48:39Well, I have never seen anything like this,
0:48:39 > 0:48:43and that beauty is created by the intensity
0:48:43 > 0:48:45and uniformity of this colour,
0:48:45 > 0:48:50this green turquoise made of reflective tiles.
0:48:52 > 0:48:55And here, the tomb of a descendant of the Prophet,
0:48:55 > 0:49:00which they were able to rescue before the Soviets did their work.
0:49:00 > 0:49:04If the Russians thought they could repress religion...
0:49:05 > 0:49:07..this building tells them they were wrong.
0:49:14 > 0:49:18Like Georgia, at the time of my Bradshaw's,
0:49:18 > 0:49:20the territory now known as Azerbaijan
0:49:20 > 0:49:23was part of the Russian Empire.
0:49:23 > 0:49:26In preceding centuries, Persians, Ottomans,
0:49:26 > 0:49:29and Mongols vied for control.
0:49:29 > 0:49:33Since independence, the Republic of Azerbaijan has fought hard
0:49:33 > 0:49:37to establish a distinct national identity -
0:49:37 > 0:49:41including laying claim to a thrilling traditional sport
0:49:41 > 0:49:44first played by nomadic tribes hundreds of years ago.
0:49:44 > 0:49:46THEY SHOUT IN OWN LANGUAGE
0:49:51 > 0:49:54- Salam eleykum! ALL:- Salam!
0:49:54 > 0:49:57What a beautiful sight! What wonderful horses.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01- Hello.- Hello, welcome to Azerbaijan.
0:50:01 > 0:50:03So I've brought some national costumes for you today,
0:50:03 > 0:50:07because we are going to watch some chovgan games today.
0:50:07 > 0:50:09Very good, thank you.
0:50:11 > 0:50:17This ancient sport, a forerunner of polo, is played on Karabakh horses.
0:50:17 > 0:50:20First bred on the mountain steppe of the Southern Caucasus,
0:50:20 > 0:50:25these magnificent beasts are now a national symbol of Azerbaijan.
0:50:25 > 0:50:31Equestrian expert Bahruz Nabiyev has invited me to judge today's game.
0:50:31 > 0:50:35If there is a goal, you wave it here and if it's not a goal,
0:50:35 > 0:50:37then you wave it underneath.
0:50:37 > 0:50:39OK.
0:50:39 > 0:50:43Here comes the ball, here comes the ball.
0:50:43 > 0:50:44Oh! THEY CHEER
0:50:44 > 0:50:48I see now how modern Baku is, I see how modern Azerbaijan has changed,
0:50:48 > 0:50:51is the sport surviving from generation to generation?
0:50:51 > 0:50:53- Of course.- Oh!
0:50:53 > 0:50:54THEY CHEER AND APPLAUD
0:50:54 > 0:50:57That's the goal, that's the goal.
0:50:57 > 0:50:58Good goal.
0:50:58 > 0:51:01A lot of people coming to watch these championships,
0:51:01 > 0:51:05and we can feel that people still have this love for horses.
0:51:05 > 0:51:10In 2013, UNESCO also approved the chovgan game
0:51:10 > 0:51:13as the national horseback game of Azerbaijan.
0:51:14 > 0:51:16Need to keep my wits about me now.
0:51:17 > 0:51:19Close to the posts now.
0:51:21 > 0:51:24THEY CHEER Whoa!
0:51:28 > 0:51:33Game over, the riders put on a show of spectacular horsemanship.
0:51:41 > 0:51:42Here she comes.
0:51:45 > 0:51:48Absolutely thrilling. Their athleticism!
0:51:48 > 0:51:50So impressive.
0:51:51 > 0:51:52Brava!
0:51:54 > 0:51:55They are superb.
0:52:02 > 0:52:06A human pyramid on horseback, an enormous Azerbaijan flag,
0:52:06 > 0:52:08of course they're proud.
0:52:18 > 0:52:22Today, Azerbaijan's national self-confidence owes a lot
0:52:22 > 0:52:26to the oil industry, which accounts for nearly 90% of all exports.
0:52:27 > 0:52:31This astonishing story was already unfolding
0:52:31 > 0:52:33at the time of my Bradshaw's Guide.
0:52:33 > 0:52:37"Baku," says Bradshaw's, "is an important commercial town
0:52:37 > 0:52:42"on the west side of the Caspian Sea, having a great trade in naptha.
0:52:42 > 0:52:46"It's forced through a pipe nearly 500 miles long
0:52:46 > 0:52:48"to Batumi on the Black Sea.
0:52:48 > 0:52:52"All round Baku, the odour of naphtha is noticeable."
0:52:55 > 0:52:58Since independence, the Azerbaijani government
0:52:58 > 0:53:01has struck deals with international oil companies
0:53:01 > 0:53:05to exploit deposits of oil and gas discovered offshore.
0:53:06 > 0:53:11Just south of the city is BP's vast Sangachal Terminal.
0:53:11 > 0:53:151.2 million barrels of oil and vast amounts of gas
0:53:15 > 0:53:18are processed here each day, flowing into the plant
0:53:18 > 0:53:21through pipelines laid beneath the Caspian Sea.
0:53:28 > 0:53:32The view of the terminal from up here is absolutely extraordinary.
0:53:32 > 0:53:33It is immense.
0:53:33 > 0:53:37There is a cat's cradle of pipelines and then the plant,
0:53:37 > 0:53:40there are gas flares and of course these storage tanks.
0:53:40 > 0:53:44This one can hold 100,000 tonnes of crude.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55I'm surveying the story of Azerbaijani oil
0:53:55 > 0:53:58with BP's Orkhan Guliyev.
0:53:59 > 0:54:03Orkhan, from here we have the most amazing vista.
0:54:03 > 0:54:06For a start, the setting is beautiful with these mountains,
0:54:06 > 0:54:09but then the terminal is absolutely vast.
0:54:09 > 0:54:10How does this compare with others?
0:54:10 > 0:54:12This is the biggest terminal in the world.
0:54:12 > 0:54:17The whole purpose of the terminal is to stabilise crude and stabilise gas
0:54:17 > 0:54:20before it's ready to export to the European market.
0:54:20 > 0:54:24How did the modern, large-scale oil industry get going in Baku?
0:54:24 > 0:54:27Initially, it was just man-dug wells,
0:54:27 > 0:54:29and people had been collecting slowly.
0:54:29 > 0:54:33The first really properly drilled well goes back to 1846.
0:54:33 > 0:54:37That was one of the first wells drilled into 21 metres depth.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39From that time onwards,
0:54:39 > 0:54:42we've got some Western entrepreneurs coming to Baku.
0:54:44 > 0:54:49The first were the Nobels, the family behind the prestigious award.
0:54:49 > 0:54:52Robert Nobel, the eldest of three brothers,
0:54:52 > 0:54:55was born in Stockholm in 1829
0:54:55 > 0:54:58and moved with his family to St Petersburg.
0:54:58 > 0:55:00He was working with his brother, Ludwig,
0:55:00 > 0:55:04at his gun making factory when he visited Baku in 1873.
0:55:06 > 0:55:10They came here in pursuit of fine walnut timber, for rifles, actually.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13Got in the middle of the oil refinery here,
0:55:13 > 0:55:15they found a fantastic opportunity for investment,
0:55:15 > 0:55:17so he bought the kerosene plant,
0:55:17 > 0:55:19and then Robert convinced his brother, Ludwig,
0:55:19 > 0:55:22to come and join him.
0:55:22 > 0:55:25The brothers set up the Branobel Company,
0:55:25 > 0:55:28which soon dominated Baku's oil industry.
0:55:28 > 0:55:32They pioneered oil engineering practises and drilling extraction,
0:55:32 > 0:55:34transportation and storage of oil.
0:55:34 > 0:55:39The first rail link was built between Baku and Batumi in 1883,
0:55:39 > 0:55:41moving oil to the Black Sea,
0:55:41 > 0:55:44and then it was shipped to the Western markets.
0:55:44 > 0:55:47But that wasn't good enough, so the smart people at that time
0:55:47 > 0:55:52decided to build a new pipeline at the very end of the 19th century.
0:55:52 > 0:55:55It was about 900km long.
0:55:55 > 0:55:57At that time, it was really an engineering genius.
0:56:00 > 0:56:04The pioneering Branobel Pipeline remained in use
0:56:04 > 0:56:07until the Second World War, when it was dismantled.
0:56:08 > 0:56:12But, in 2006, a new pipeline opened,
0:56:12 > 0:56:15which now carries Baku oil all the way to Turkey.
0:56:19 > 0:56:20Hello, I'm Michael.
0:56:20 > 0:56:22- Hello.- Good to see you. - Nice to meet you.
0:56:22 > 0:56:25So take me through that map.
0:56:25 > 0:56:27Yeah, OK, we're here in Baku.
0:56:27 > 0:56:29Pump station one.
0:56:29 > 0:56:34Sangachal Terminal. You can see Tbilisi and Ceyhan
0:56:34 > 0:56:35is at this point.
0:56:35 > 0:56:37From Ceyhan, this is where the tankers
0:56:37 > 0:56:40could come into southern Turkey and then take away the crude?
0:56:40 > 0:56:42Yes, exactly.
0:56:42 > 0:56:45My journey started in Batumi, which would be about here, I think,
0:56:45 > 0:56:48- just north of the Turkish border. - Correct.
0:56:48 > 0:56:51This is extraordinary. What length of pipeline is that?
0:56:51 > 0:56:54The full length of pipeline is 1,800 kilometres.
0:56:54 > 0:56:59It goes up and down to 3,000 metres above sea.
0:56:59 > 0:57:03So it goes into mountains, it crosses hundreds of rivers.
0:57:03 > 0:57:05This would make the Nobels gasp, wouldn't it?
0:57:05 > 0:57:08Absolutely. That would make them proud,
0:57:08 > 0:57:10and also envy what has been achieved.
0:57:10 > 0:57:12This is a new page in Azerbaijan's history.
0:57:40 > 0:57:41At the time of my Bradshaw's,
0:57:41 > 0:57:46Georgia and Azerbaijan were already linked by a railway
0:57:46 > 0:57:48and, subsequently, were lashed together
0:57:48 > 0:57:50within the Soviet Union.
0:57:50 > 0:57:53Its collapse gave both countries independence
0:57:53 > 0:57:56and a series of political challenges.
0:57:56 > 0:57:59Today, though still wary of Russia,
0:57:59 > 0:58:01their hopes point in other directions.
0:58:01 > 0:58:05Strongly Christian Georgia looks towards the European Union,
0:58:05 > 0:58:11whilst Muslim but secular Azerbaijan aspires to bridge East and West,
0:58:11 > 0:58:16and Baku resembles a Dubai on the Caspian Sea.
0:58:16 > 0:58:20I wish them both well and thank them for their hospitality.