0:00:03 > 0:00:06The Sahara Desert, Mali,
0:00:06 > 0:00:11home to one of Earth's most mysterious and legendary places.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14Africa's fabled city of gold.
0:00:14 > 0:00:15Timbuktu.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22My name's Alice Morrison.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26I'm an Arabist and explorer.
0:00:26 > 0:00:27I live in Morocco,
0:00:27 > 0:00:30and since childhood I've dreamt of making the gruelling journey
0:00:30 > 0:00:33across the Sahara to see this ancient city
0:00:33 > 0:00:37before it's lost for ever to sand and war.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41I love touching history.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47In this series, I'll track 2,000 miles following ancient trade routes,
0:00:47 > 0:00:53often known as salt roads, across some of the world's most hostile lands.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56Timbuktu is at the centre of all these trade routes,
0:00:56 > 0:00:59and I want to follow them, and find it, and see what's there.
0:00:59 > 0:01:05'I'll pass through some magical places that time has barely touched.'
0:01:05 > 0:01:06Oh, wow!
0:01:06 > 0:01:10'Relying on the hospitality of Berber nomads.'
0:01:12 > 0:01:15He's just cutting up the heart.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19'And I'll come face-to-face with some frightening modern-day realities.'
0:01:19 > 0:01:21I'm beginning to feel quite nervous.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23'Travelling deep beneath the veil
0:01:23 > 0:01:26'into the heart of ancient and modern North Africa,
0:01:26 > 0:01:29'I'll discover its incredible forgotten history...
0:01:30 > 0:01:34'..en route to the legendary city of gold, Timbuktu.'
0:01:51 > 0:01:54The Mediterranean Sea, Mare Nostrum.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59'The basin of civilisation.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02'My 2,000-mile journey begins here.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05'Behind me, Europe, ahead of me, Africa
0:02:05 > 0:02:11'and an intoxicating mix of new experiences, danger and untold wealth.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17'First up, the historic trading port of Tangier,
0:02:17 > 0:02:19'on the northernmost tip of Morocco.'
0:02:20 > 0:02:22I'm trying to imagine what it was like hundreds of years ago,
0:02:22 > 0:02:26when you had ships here in full sail, stuffed to the gunwales with spices,
0:02:26 > 0:02:31with ostrich feathers, with metal, with wool from Manchester.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33I wonder what it would have been like if you were a merchant in those days,
0:02:33 > 0:02:35coming across from cold, rainy Europe,
0:02:35 > 0:02:39and seeing Tangier glinting in the distance, this promise of Africa.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48For centuries, merchants have crossed these waters
0:02:48 > 0:02:51seeking the fantastic riches of the African continent.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01Tangier was founded in the fifth century BC,
0:03:01 > 0:03:05and has always attracted adventurers, pirates and even spies.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11It's where European merchants would have encountered the flow of gold from
0:03:11 > 0:03:13the south for the first time.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17And it's my first leg of the journey on the original trade routes that
0:03:17 > 0:03:19brought it all the way from Timbuktu.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25'This city is full of treasures,
0:03:25 > 0:03:29'and in a small book shop I've found a reproduction of the most important
0:03:29 > 0:03:33'map of medieval times, the Catalan atlas.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38'It confirms Timbuktu's reputation as the gold capital of Mali
0:03:38 > 0:03:40'and of Africa.'
0:03:40 > 0:03:42You can see, very clearly,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45the king of the kingdom of Mali sitting there,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48on his throne with a great big nugget of gold in his hand,
0:03:48 > 0:03:50and a huge gold crown on his head.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57This is Mansa Musa, king of Mali,
0:03:57 > 0:04:01and stories of Timbuktu's fabled gold began to spread
0:04:01 > 0:04:03during his reign in the 14th century.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07Even today, he is said to be the richest man in history.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12There is an inscription on the map...
0:04:13 > 0:04:16"So abundant is the gold found in his country,
0:04:16 > 0:04:19"that he is the richest and most noble king in the land."
0:04:22 > 0:04:26800 years on, modern gold traders still thrive here.
0:04:27 > 0:04:32'I'm dying to touch the real thing to find out why it was so prized.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36'So I'm meeting an expert in Moroccan antiquities.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40'Much of the gold was used to mint coins,
0:04:40 > 0:04:43'and she has an ancient one to show me.'
0:04:43 > 0:04:45Here are some inscriptions saying
0:04:45 > 0:04:48that it was from the Marinid dynasty of the 15th century.
0:04:48 > 0:04:53Gold came from the sub-Saharan Africa through the trans-Saharan trade.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57And this is evidence of that, it landed in Morocco.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59Do you think this coin might have come through Timbuktu?
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Yes, of course, most likely it did come from Timbuktu.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06Yes. I would say that it was probably the most important crossroads for gold.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10It's very exciting for me, I feel like I'm touching history.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13You are! Yes! You are touching history.
0:05:13 > 0:05:14It's in your hands.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18I've got gold fever.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23I can feel how its allure drew the merchants of old to make the journey
0:05:23 > 0:05:25south to Mali, and the city of Timbuktu.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33The roads they forged are the very ones I'm going to travel, too.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36This is going to be my Bible.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39Absolutely invaluable.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42It is a map of all the major trade routes across the Sahara.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46But I think the journey's going to take some doing.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49I think we're going to have a lot of fun in the Atlas Mountains,
0:05:49 > 0:05:51because that is a big, big natural barrier.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54And each of those mountains is three times higher than Ben Nevis.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57So it's quite a difficult thing to get across.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00And, of course, then, that is all the Sahara Desert, all the way along.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02That is going to be another major thing for us to cross.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05And then the routes, all routes, lead to Timbuktu.
0:06:06 > 0:06:11'It's not difficult to see why Timbuktu became a mecca for gold traders.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13'It was surrounded by gold mines.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17'But the merchants didn't just deal in gold.
0:06:17 > 0:06:23'There was a huge trade in slaves, leather goods, ivory and also in salt.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28'Back then it was the only way to preserve food.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30'It was almost as valuable as gold,
0:06:30 > 0:06:34'and that's why many of these routes were called salt roads.'
0:06:34 > 0:06:39So, the gold went north, and then the salt came south.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41And they met in El Dorado, they met in Timbuktu.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43It makes perfect sense, when you look at the map.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51The next place I'm heading on my desert odyssey is Fes.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55Five hours' drive away,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58it's where many merchants started the long trek to Timbuktu.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06To get to Fes, I'm going to use one of Morocco's most popular forms of
0:07:06 > 0:07:08transport, the grand taxi.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12There's a taxi rank in every city,
0:07:12 > 0:07:15with old Mercedes going in all directions.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18And it's one of the cheapest ways to get around,
0:07:18 > 0:07:19IF you know the tricks of the trade.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25'First, you have to find one going your way.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30'Then you negotiate your fare.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42'But if you can find another traveller to share the back seat,
0:07:42 > 0:07:44'you can split the fare.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50'Having found a travel buddy to share the cost,
0:07:50 > 0:07:53'we're whisked out of town towards the coast road.
0:07:55 > 0:08:00'It turns out my fellow passenger, Driss, is a trader himself.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05'He's going to Fes to buy artefacts to sell to tourists.'
0:08:05 > 0:08:08Say you buy a dagger for 150 dirhams.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10Daggers for 150 dirhams, no.
0:08:10 > 0:08:11How much would you sell it for?
0:08:11 > 0:08:16Maybe a profit, five euros, maybe a profit some day of ten euros.
0:08:16 > 0:08:17Some days no profit.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19That's my business.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22And which country spends the most money?
0:08:22 > 0:08:26- American people.- Oh! We love those dollars!
0:08:26 > 0:08:29Profit. They have plenty of grand bucks!
0:08:34 > 0:08:37We're travelling south along the Atlantic coast,
0:08:37 > 0:08:40and I'm enjoying a comfortable ride with Driss.
0:08:40 > 0:08:41But on such a long journey,
0:08:41 > 0:08:44it's customary to pick up other passengers
0:08:44 > 0:08:45along the way.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49THEY SPEAK ARABIC
0:08:59 > 0:09:01And just when I'm thinking three's company...
0:09:14 > 0:09:16It's getting a bit cosy in here.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20I'm in here with two Drisses and Akram.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23'My fellow passengers make for charming company on the long drive,
0:09:23 > 0:09:27'and ahead of me lies a city with a charm all of its own
0:09:27 > 0:09:30'and a history of welcoming travelling merchants through its gates.'
0:09:46 > 0:09:52Fes, the ancient capital of Morocco, dating from the eighth century,
0:09:52 > 0:09:55and the oldest of its four imperial cities.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59It's said to be surrounded by springs,
0:09:59 > 0:10:02providing travellers with the supply of precious water.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06And between the 8th and 16th centuries,
0:10:06 > 0:10:11Fes grew rich from the gold and salt traffic coming across the Sahara.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17Its old medina, or walled city,
0:10:17 > 0:10:19is the biggest pedestrian zone in the world.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23And it's full of narrow streets where life remains seemingly
0:10:23 > 0:10:25untouched by modern times.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32Once traders finally got here from Timbuktu,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35they needed a sanctuary where they could rest, wash,
0:10:35 > 0:10:36feast and store their goods.
0:10:38 > 0:10:45'They would stay in a caravanserai, a motel with camel and mule parking.'
0:10:45 > 0:10:47So this is a caravanserai.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50I guess you'd have put your camel or your donkey
0:10:50 > 0:10:52in these little rooms, in the past.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54And then kipped down in your B & B.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00The space is still occupied by traders.
0:11:12 > 0:11:17The building was last used as a caravanserai more than 80 years ago,
0:11:17 > 0:11:20but there are tantalising bits of evidence of its original use.
0:11:40 > 0:11:45Upstairs was a safe place for weary merchant travellers to rest,
0:11:45 > 0:11:48luxurious in comparison to where they'd been.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54Berbers, Arabs and West Africans all would have stayed together,
0:11:54 > 0:11:56vying for the best traveller's tale.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01The atmosphere here is absolutely fantastic.
0:12:01 > 0:12:02You can actually feel the history.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05600 years old, relatively unchanged.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07OK, it's different downstairs,
0:12:07 > 0:12:09because that's where the animals would have been,
0:12:09 > 0:12:10and now there's trading goods,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13but up here you've got little girls sitting there drinking tea,
0:12:13 > 0:12:15you've got their mothers doing the washing.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17It feels like I've gone back in time.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22'I've decided I'm going to bed down here for the night to get a feel for
0:12:22 > 0:12:24'what it was like centuries ago.'
0:12:26 > 0:12:28Just a sleeping bag.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33'I've brought with me some writings from travellers and adventurers who've
0:12:33 > 0:12:35'trodden this perilous path before me,
0:12:35 > 0:12:38'to help bring these ancient journeys to life.'
0:12:40 > 0:12:43"It is more profitable and advantageous for the trader
0:12:43 > 0:12:46"to export his product to a distant land,
0:12:46 > 0:12:48"and take a dangerous route.
0:12:48 > 0:12:53"In this way, the distance and the risk incurred will give a rare quality to
0:12:53 > 0:12:56"his merchandise and thereby increase its value.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01"This is why the wealthiest and the most prosperous merchants
0:13:01 > 0:13:03"are those who dare to go."
0:13:14 > 0:13:18I've just woken up. Five o'clock, the alarm's gone off,
0:13:18 > 0:13:21because I want to get up and see the dawn rising over Fes,
0:13:21 > 0:13:23and hear the call to prayer.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26It's very, very, very cold.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30But I think my first night in a caravanserai, I would say,
0:13:30 > 0:13:32it's not been at all bad.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51Fes is known as the spiritual capital of Morocco,
0:13:51 > 0:13:57and Islam was first brought to the country by the Arab invasion in 682 AD.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04It spread to the native Berber tribes,
0:14:04 > 0:14:06who went on to form Islamic kingdoms.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09CALL TO PRAYER
0:14:15 > 0:14:18I always find the early-morning call to prayer very moving.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23Prayer is better than sleep, the muezzin says,
0:14:23 > 0:14:25in the Adhan al-Fajr, the dawn call.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30The five calls a day frame life in Morocco.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33Hasten to prayer, hasten to salvation.
0:14:37 > 0:14:42Dawn reveals ancient tombs left behind by the Marinid empire,
0:14:42 > 0:14:44which flourished in the early Middle Ages.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51They shaped Fes's religious and academic reputation.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56The city has 14 theological schools and the world's oldest university,
0:14:56 > 0:15:01the Qarawiyyin, founded in the ninth century by a woman, Fatima al-Fihri.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05It's amazing to think that while Europe was languishing in the Dark Ages,
0:15:05 > 0:15:07this was a centre of learning.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11Philosophy, mathematics, religion and law were all being taught here.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14And then, years later,
0:15:14 > 0:15:17all that knowledge went back across the Mediterranean Sea, into Europe,
0:15:17 > 0:15:19and informed the Renaissance.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27There's an old Moroccan saying,
0:15:27 > 0:15:30"manage with bread and butter until God brings you honey".
0:15:32 > 0:15:35Every neighbourhood has a communal bread oven where people take their
0:15:35 > 0:15:40dough to be baked, and it's hardly changed since the Middle Ages.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43'I'm meeting a friend at one of them.'
0:15:43 > 0:15:45Oh, my God!
0:15:45 > 0:15:47How are you?
0:15:48 > 0:15:51'Najat Kaanache is a Michelin- starred chef,
0:15:51 > 0:15:52'a Berber from the Moroccan mountains.'
0:15:52 > 0:15:55- How are you?- I'm good.
0:15:55 > 0:15:56How does it make you feel?
0:15:56 > 0:15:59The smell, it reminds me of home.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03It reminds to childhood, for me.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05Like, when I was little.
0:16:05 > 0:16:06Yeah?
0:16:06 > 0:16:08Look. Amazing.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10Warm.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12This, it just happens here.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15Let me cut it. The power of bread.
0:16:15 > 0:16:16Wow!
0:16:18 > 0:16:21'Najat is one of the world's top chefs.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24'She worked in Spain's famous elBulli restaurant.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27'She's come back to Fes to open one of her own.'
0:16:27 > 0:16:28Look at all the sausages, dried.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31- That's like haggis.- Look at this.
0:16:31 > 0:16:32Beautiful.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37'And she's bringing back the kind of food that merchants in the Middle Ages
0:16:37 > 0:16:40'would have eaten, but with a modern twist.'
0:16:40 > 0:16:42Here we are!
0:16:42 > 0:16:45- This is the one. - OK. Here we go. Oh, my goodness.
0:16:47 > 0:16:53Our friend Camel has a little grin in the face.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55Wow!
0:16:55 > 0:16:57So this is... Look at the meat.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59It's really super beautiful.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02It's really, really lean.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04You wouldn't think this.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06You would not think this meat is like that.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09People think of a camel being very dry, but, no...
0:17:09 > 0:17:11It's very soft. Look at the fat.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14Amazing, from the back.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16Oh, my goodness.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18It's very unique, this.
0:17:18 > 0:17:19That is the camel hump?
0:17:19 > 0:17:20Yes. Very, very unique.
0:17:23 > 0:17:28'Apparently, camel's milk was a popular drink for trans-Saharan traders too.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30'So, of course, I have to try it.'
0:17:30 > 0:17:31Bismillah.
0:17:35 > 0:17:36It's delicious.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38It's absolutely delicious.
0:17:38 > 0:17:39SHE SPEAKS ARABIC
0:17:43 > 0:17:45It has medicine, people believe.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47They have been using for a long time.
0:17:47 > 0:17:52The camel meat, camel fat, camel belly.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57It's medicinal.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05And that we're going to use like
0:18:05 > 0:18:10the fat that you use when you cook some meat.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13It's going to get a little brown, magically.
0:18:13 > 0:18:14Yeah?
0:18:17 > 0:18:19'And with two kilos of prime camel,
0:18:19 > 0:18:23'it's off to Najat's newly opened restaurant, Nur,
0:18:23 > 0:18:25'to cook up a trans-Saharan feast.'
0:18:25 > 0:18:26So, here we are.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30- Home sweet home.- Very incognito!
0:18:31 > 0:18:34- Be careful.- OK, thank you.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36'It's my very own MasterChef.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38'I'm helping Najat to prepare today's special,
0:18:38 > 0:18:40'camel meatballs.'
0:18:40 > 0:18:42I thought it was going to smell horrible...
0:18:42 > 0:18:45- No!- But actually, it certainly smells nice.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47Now that we're doing this, look here.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50I have my fermenting...
0:18:50 > 0:18:53er...camel milk,
0:18:53 > 0:18:55that is already a week.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57- It smells...- That smells...
0:18:57 > 0:19:00But this is going to make a beautiful, magical...
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Oh, my God, look at your face! Everything good smells horrible
0:19:03 > 0:19:06- at some point. - Yes. That's true.
0:19:06 > 0:19:07- Yes, or no?- Even me.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09- Even human beings.- So,
0:19:09 > 0:19:14in the times of the great trade across the Sahara from Africa to Fes,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17when the merchants arrived at Fes, would they have a feast of camel?
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Because that's a special meat, isn't it?
0:19:19 > 0:19:21I think camel was very important in their menu, because it meant,
0:19:21 > 0:19:23like, wealth, you know?
0:19:23 > 0:19:26Now, you see people, they try to buy camel, camel milk,
0:19:26 > 0:19:29just for health benefits.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Still it's a little bit pricey.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33But, in that time, it was festivity.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42OK.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51'Najat's ultramodern restaurant
0:19:51 > 0:19:54'is one of several springing up in the city
0:19:54 > 0:19:57'catering to tourists and the young, emerging middle class.'
0:19:57 > 0:20:00I'm just going to try one of these meatballs.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05'With growing prosperity, Morocco is evolving into a modern,
0:20:05 > 0:20:08'global player, and Fes, like most of its cities,
0:20:08 > 0:20:12'is embracing the change whilst still holding on to its cultural history.'
0:20:14 > 0:20:16Michelin-starred camel meatballs.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25I'm leaving Fes and heading for Marrakech,
0:20:25 > 0:20:30'the other great terminus at the northern end of the trans-Saharan trade route.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35'Both were places where merchants gathered money, provisions and goods
0:20:35 > 0:20:37'for the long trek south to Timbuktu.
0:20:39 > 0:20:44'But I'm exchanging Fes's spiritual calm for the buzz of Marrakech,
0:20:44 > 0:20:45'where everything is for sale.'
0:20:45 > 0:20:49The weather's really changed, so it's time now for the winter woollies.
0:20:49 > 0:20:50It's very, very chilly.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54'I was born in the '60s, so there's only one way to go to Marrakech.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59'And that's on the Marrakech Express.'
0:20:59 > 0:21:02MUSIC: Marrakesh Express by Crosby, Stills and Nash
0:21:04 > 0:21:09# Looking at the world through the sunset in your eyes
0:21:09 > 0:21:13# Travelling the train through clear Moroccan skies... #
0:21:13 > 0:21:18'Today the train isn't the sun-filled hippie experience of my imagination,
0:21:18 > 0:21:20'just modern Moroccans commuting between cities.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27'It's an eight-hour train journey to Marrakech,
0:21:27 > 0:21:31'but for a trader in the Middle Ages, it would have been a gruelling trek,
0:21:31 > 0:21:33'lasting several days.'
0:21:39 > 0:21:43"The distance and the hardship of the road they travel are great.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45"They have to cross a difficult desert
0:21:45 > 0:21:50"that is made almost inaccessible by fear and beset by thirst.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54"Water is found there only in a few well-known spots,
0:21:54 > 0:21:56"to which caravan guides lead the way.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00"The distance of this ordeal is braved only by very few people."
0:22:07 > 0:22:10'The explorers of old all say the same thing,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13'that this was the toughest of journeys.'
0:22:19 > 0:22:24Marrakech - it's called the Rose City, Daughter of the Desert,
0:22:24 > 0:22:27and it's always been a place where traders picked up
0:22:27 > 0:22:30high-quality goods to take with them on their journey.
0:22:31 > 0:22:36It was founded in the 11th century by the powerful Almoravid Berber dynasty,
0:22:36 > 0:22:41who made it the capital of a huge empire stretching right through North Africa
0:22:41 > 0:22:43and into southern Spain.
0:22:46 > 0:22:5150 miles to the east, the Atlas Mountains provide a spectacular backdrop.
0:23:03 > 0:23:04Moroccan porridge.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13Some of the most popular merchandise
0:23:13 > 0:23:15on the trans-Saharan trade routes were
0:23:15 > 0:23:19leather goods. And some of the best- quality leather was produced here at
0:23:19 > 0:23:21Marrakech's oldest tannery.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25It's as ancient as the salt roads themselves.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28And I'm surprised to find it's still in full swing.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40'Najib is one of the tannery's oldest workers.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42'He's been here for 48 years.'
0:23:59 > 0:24:00This is a cow.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08'It takes 20 days to turn an animal hide into the leather used for the
0:24:08 > 0:24:12'world-famous bags, shoes and belts sold in the local markets.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16'It's dirty work.'
0:24:16 > 0:24:17I'm primed, ready for action.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30OK, so this tank is full of gypsum.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35It smells totally and utterly disgusting.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38And I can't believe this guy's doing it with his bare hands,
0:24:38 > 0:24:40because I reckon this stuff burns.
0:24:41 > 0:24:46'This potent cocktail removes the hair from the hide.'
0:24:46 > 0:24:48That actually comes off really, really easily.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50'But there's worse to come.'
0:24:58 > 0:25:00Smells fantastic.
0:25:00 > 0:25:01Excited to get in.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06'Pigeon excrement contains ammonia,
0:25:06 > 0:25:10'which acts as a softening agent to make the hides more malleable.'
0:25:10 > 0:25:11This is harder than it looks.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13We're trampling on the animals in, like,
0:25:13 > 0:25:16a circle but I can't keep up with them.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18It's like being in a whirlpool.
0:25:18 > 0:25:19A whirlpool of pigeon shit.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24'Finally, we move the hides into a vat of water for rinsing.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29'Is this what would have been happening 1,000 years ago?'
0:25:45 > 0:25:48So, the process is exactly the same, passed down from father to son,
0:25:48 > 0:25:50so basically what I'm doing now,
0:25:50 > 0:25:52apart from the fact I've got new waders on,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55is the same exactly as they'd have done in the 11th century.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09This labour-intensive process was a highly skilled craft,
0:26:09 > 0:26:12which back then ensured the global reputation of Moroccan leather.
0:26:14 > 0:26:19And it's amazing that this tannery is still providing fine-quality hides
0:26:19 > 0:26:22for the shoes, bags and belts in the souks of Marrakech
0:26:22 > 0:26:24and markets all over the world.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35At night, Marrakech, the party town, comes to life.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38In the main square, Jemaa el-Fnaa,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41you're transported back in time to a more exotic world.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49The air is rife with hawkers' cries, wandering minstrels and magicians.
0:26:50 > 0:26:55You could end up with a monkey on your shoulder or eating a bowl of snails.
0:26:55 > 0:27:00And I can't help noticing how many more West African faces there are here,
0:27:00 > 0:27:02echoes of traders from the past who would have arrived
0:27:02 > 0:27:05from across the Sahara with their wares.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12But the performer who is attracting the biggest crowd is offering perhaps
0:27:12 > 0:27:14the simplest and oldest form of entertainment.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18'Storytelling.'
0:27:18 > 0:27:22This is the most interesting history lesson in the history of the world.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26He's talking about the trans-Saharan trade and about crossing the Sahara
0:27:26 > 0:27:28and he's got this line where he says,
0:27:28 > 0:27:32"The sun was beating down from above and the sun was burning up from below.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34"The camels were dying, the men were dying,
0:27:34 > 0:27:37"they were loaded with skins and hides from the south,
0:27:37 > 0:27:40"coming north and they were searching for gold and for salt."
0:27:55 > 0:27:59Many years ago, these stories would have been the only way for people to
0:27:59 > 0:28:01learn about life in faraway lands.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04Now they're opening a door into the past
0:28:04 > 0:28:06for us and it's thrilling to hear
0:28:06 > 0:28:101,000 years of history, and the journey I'm making, come alive.
0:28:15 > 0:28:16In this magical world,
0:28:16 > 0:28:19I feel like Timbuktu could be just around the corner.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22But I've still got 1,500 miles to travel.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26Time for me to get some sleep,
0:28:26 > 0:28:29as North Africa's largest mountain range awaits me.
0:28:36 > 0:28:38For this next leg of my journey,
0:28:38 > 0:28:41I've left Morocco's cities behind me and I'm continuing on foot
0:28:41 > 0:28:42through the Atlas Mountains.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47They stretch right across the country,
0:28:47 > 0:28:51forming a massive natural barrier, and climb to over 4,000 metres.
0:28:55 > 0:28:57I'm no stranger to endurance treks,
0:28:57 > 0:29:02having completed the gruelling Marathon Des Sables across the Sahara and
0:29:02 > 0:29:03run races through these mountains.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08But this will be a different kind of challenge,
0:29:08 > 0:29:12as the snows have come early, making it cold and treacherous underfoot.
0:29:17 > 0:29:18Up here, it's Berber country.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23There are around 14 million of them in Morocco and many of them live in
0:29:23 > 0:29:25these mountains.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31I'm starting my trek in the Berber village of Afra.
0:29:45 > 0:29:49'In these villages, traditions are part of everyday life.'
0:29:49 > 0:29:53This lady's been explaining to me about her henna.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56So she... I asked if it was for a wedding and she said no,
0:29:56 > 0:29:58but apparently she just wanted to look nice for her family,
0:29:58 > 0:30:01so she went and got it done. And it doesn't last as long as you think.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04I thought it would last a couple of weeks but she says it goes quickly
0:30:04 > 0:30:07because, of course, she's working hard here, using her hands.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24'I'm meeting my friend Saaid Naanaa, who's a mountain guide.'
0:30:24 > 0:30:28- Saaid, la bas!- And you?- Good!
0:30:28 > 0:30:32'We've taken on these mountains together before, but never in the snow.'
0:30:32 > 0:30:33OK, so...
0:30:33 > 0:30:37'If anyone can get me across these steep peaks in one piece, it's him.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48'We're heading for Tizi n'Tichka, the highest major pass in North Africa,
0:30:48 > 0:30:51'a gratifyingly tough half-day hike away.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57'Trans-Saharan merchants would have made this journey by mule
0:30:57 > 0:30:59'or, like us, on foot.'
0:30:59 > 0:31:01How high are we up here?
0:31:01 > 0:31:05We are here about 2,100 metres.
0:31:05 > 0:31:06I can feel it already on my chest.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09- Yeah, me too. It's normal. - Really?- Yeah.
0:31:10 > 0:31:15'Up here, the air is thin, making it harder to breathe, even for Saaid,
0:31:15 > 0:31:18'who has spent most of his life here in the mountains.'
0:31:18 > 0:31:21- Saaid, my friend?- Yes. - You're a Berber?
0:31:21 > 0:31:22Yes, I'm a Berber.
0:31:23 > 0:31:24What does that mean?
0:31:26 > 0:31:30Berber is... They say this is a nickname given by the Romans
0:31:30 > 0:31:33- when they occupied the north of Africa.- Yeah.
0:31:33 > 0:31:37But the original name is Amazighen.
0:31:37 > 0:31:41- It means free people or noble people, if you want.- Yeah.
0:31:41 > 0:31:46'The Berbers, or Amazigha, are the indigenous people of North Africa
0:31:46 > 0:31:49'and can trace their heritage back to 3000 BC.'
0:31:50 > 0:31:53Does Berber have its own language?
0:31:53 > 0:31:55The Berber, they have their language,
0:31:55 > 0:31:58which is totally different than Arabic.
0:31:58 > 0:32:04So, Arabic you write from right to left and the Berber is the opposite,
0:32:04 > 0:32:08from left to right, or you can write like Chinese, down.
0:32:12 > 0:32:14The weather is closing in, which is worrying,
0:32:14 > 0:32:19because the paths ahead are getting seriously precarious.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22- You see, the path is going down from here.- Yeah.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25- Then you see that rock ledge.- Whoa!
0:32:25 > 0:32:27Then you go uphill to the path.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31- So we've done the easy bit. This is the hard bit, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:32:36 > 0:32:41We've still got four miles to go and the light will soon be disappearing.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47SHE PANTS
0:32:47 > 0:32:50I really like Saaid, but right at the moment I actually hate him.
0:32:50 > 0:32:55He's making me go fast and we're uphill because we're worried about the dark.
0:32:55 > 0:32:58I don't really want to go fast uphill, frankly.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01He's all chirpy. I'm not the least bit chirpy.
0:33:05 > 0:33:09And how they ever did this with donkeys and mules laden with goods -
0:33:09 > 0:33:10totally beyond me.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22It's zero degrees and plummeting as the afternoon draws on
0:33:22 > 0:33:24and I'm cold and wet.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28Have we got long to go, Saaid?
0:33:28 > 0:33:30Nearly. This is the Tichka Pass.
0:33:30 > 0:33:34- Yeah?- And there we go.- Good. - Nearly there.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36- Well done. - I'm beginning to feel it a bit.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40'It's one last push to reach the top
0:33:40 > 0:33:44'and we make the Tichka summit just in the nick of time,
0:33:44 > 0:33:47'before the bad weather really rolls in.'
0:33:47 > 0:33:49Is this it, Saaid?
0:33:49 > 0:33:52- We made it.- Yeah, you did it.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo!
0:33:55 > 0:33:56Good job.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58Well done.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07We spend the night in the tiny village of Tazga,
0:34:07 > 0:34:09where we're lucky enough to find rooms.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12For the merchants centuries ago,
0:34:12 > 0:34:15it might have meant a cold night under canvas.
0:34:17 > 0:34:21In the morning, with the toughest part of this leg behind me,
0:34:21 > 0:34:22I set off alone.
0:34:29 > 0:34:30It's refreshing! Whew!
0:34:33 > 0:34:38I'm following an old trade route south along the Ounila Valley.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42The mountains here are rich in natural deposits - copper, silver,
0:34:42 > 0:34:46iron ore and a commodity much favoured by the traders - salt.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52The salt mines marked on my map are all in the desert,
0:34:52 > 0:34:55so I didn't expect to find one this far north.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59The track is dusted with the stuff,
0:34:59 > 0:35:01the first evidence I've come across
0:35:01 > 0:35:04of why these routes are named salt roads.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12The place seems deserted, but as if from nowhere,
0:35:12 > 0:35:14someone arrives to open the mine up.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19It looks pretty old and I'm wondering whether it was around
0:35:19 > 0:35:21in the days of the ancient salt roads themselves.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29One of the men, Zakaria Aboelkassem,
0:35:29 > 0:35:32is a co-owner of the mine and knows its history well.
0:35:36 > 0:35:37Oh, wow.
0:35:45 > 0:35:46Wow.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56'Parts of the mine date back to the 13th century,
0:35:56 > 0:35:59'which puts it right at the peak of trans-Saharan trade.'
0:36:44 > 0:36:45ALICE LAUGHS
0:36:59 > 0:37:00A flower of salt.
0:37:23 > 0:37:27There were salt mines all along the routes to Timbuktu.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30Until paper money was introduced by French colonisers
0:37:30 > 0:37:34in the early 20th century, it was used as a form of currency,
0:37:34 > 0:37:38and it's where our word "salary" comes from.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41Some say that at the height of the trade across the desert,
0:37:41 > 0:37:43salt was as valuable as gold by weight.
0:37:45 > 0:37:49I feel like Indiana Jones. I've just been down this incredible salt mine,
0:37:49 > 0:37:52and this is where they'd have come, the traders,
0:37:52 > 0:37:53with their mules and their donkeys,
0:37:53 > 0:37:56which they'd just brought over that snowy pass,
0:37:56 > 0:37:58and load up with the salt to take to Timbuktu.
0:38:07 > 0:38:09As I continue my journey southwards,
0:38:09 > 0:38:12I'm finding evidence all along the way
0:38:12 > 0:38:15that travelling merchants used this route.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18It became known as the Valley of the Kasbahs
0:38:18 > 0:38:22because it's dotted with ancient buildings where the traders stayed.
0:38:25 > 0:38:28Proof of the sheer volume of trade crossing the desert.
0:38:32 > 0:38:37Kasbahs, like this beautiful one in the small village of Tamatert,
0:38:37 > 0:38:39were built by rich and powerful families
0:38:39 > 0:38:41as fortresses for themselves
0:38:41 > 0:38:45but also for the many merchants who passed through the area.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50This is a fortified village,
0:38:50 > 0:38:54absolutely typical along this route where all the merchants travelled.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57You've got every single thing you would need in it for a stay -
0:38:57 > 0:39:01somewhere to put your animals, a water supply, a granary,
0:39:01 > 0:39:05somewhere to store your goods and to sleep, and also things like a mosque
0:39:05 > 0:39:07and even in some of them they had two cemeteries,
0:39:07 > 0:39:09one for the Jews and one for the Muslims,
0:39:09 > 0:39:12in case you were unlucky enough to die on the route.
0:39:12 > 0:39:16But really the main reason that the merchants wanted to come here...
0:39:18 > 0:39:21..was for the kasbah. The kasbah was the fortress,
0:39:21 > 0:39:25and typically had four big towers, one on each corner,
0:39:25 > 0:39:28tiny little windows and each one of those towers would have soldiers
0:39:28 > 0:39:31guarding it. So once you got yourself into a fortified area,
0:39:31 > 0:39:33into a kasbah, you knew that your goods were safe
0:39:33 > 0:39:35and that you weren't going to get robbed,
0:39:35 > 0:39:39because there were a load of robbers and thieves on this highway,
0:39:39 > 0:39:42and the only downside, I guess, is that, of course,
0:39:42 > 0:39:46you had to pay for it. So the guy who owned this would take a tax
0:39:46 > 0:39:49and there were really quite rich pickings from those caravans.
0:39:54 > 0:39:58A safe and secure place to rest for the night was something
0:39:58 > 0:40:01sensible merchants would gladly pay for.
0:40:01 > 0:40:03After all, most were carrying a precious cargo.
0:40:06 > 0:40:11"Six days past, a nobleman arrived here from Gago called Jordabasha.
0:40:11 > 0:40:16"He brought with him 30 camels laden with tibar, which is unrefined gold,
0:40:16 > 0:40:20"also a great store of pepper, unicorn horns
0:40:20 > 0:40:25"and a great quantity of eunuchs, dwarves and men and women slaves,
0:40:25 > 0:40:26"besides 15 virgins."
0:40:30 > 0:40:35This must have made extraordinary reading for 16th-century Europeans.
0:40:35 > 0:40:39Tales of this kind of cargo on the salt roads would only have added
0:40:39 > 0:40:42to Timbuktu's already glittering reputation.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51This morning, I've left the Valley of the Kasbahs
0:40:51 > 0:40:54and I'm heading into the mountains and plains of the Jbel Saghro.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00I'm trying to reach the ancient city of Sijilmasa,
0:41:00 > 0:41:03the great northern crossroads of the old trade routes.
0:41:05 > 0:41:06But first, I have to cross
0:41:06 > 0:41:08some of the most barren terrain in the world.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14Jbel Saghro means "mountains of drought".
0:41:14 > 0:41:19This area of the Atlas gets a mere 10cm of rain a year,
0:41:19 > 0:41:21the same as parts of the neighbouring Sahara Desert.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27This landscape feels completely prehistoric, it's so rugged,
0:41:27 > 0:41:31it's so violent in some way and yet it is completely beautiful,
0:41:31 > 0:41:33and very, very few outsiders,
0:41:33 > 0:41:37very, very few Westerners get to come here,
0:41:37 > 0:41:39so it's unchanged.
0:41:44 > 0:41:48I have some help to navigate this vast territory.
0:41:51 > 0:41:55This is home to the Ait Atta tribe of Berber nomads,
0:41:55 > 0:41:58who for centuries have guided traders across these mountains.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03I'm lucky enough to count one of the last surviving nomad families
0:42:03 > 0:42:04as friends.
0:42:07 > 0:42:11I was saying I can see the whole family waiting for me.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13- Alice, la vas.- La vas!
0:42:13 > 0:42:15THEY SPEAK ARABIC
0:42:17 > 0:42:19'Zaid is the head of a large family.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22'He and his wife, Izza, have six children,
0:42:22 > 0:42:26'including a little one, Brahim, who I haven't met before.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28'Zaid's mother, Aisha, is 77.'
0:42:28 > 0:42:30Mama.
0:42:30 > 0:42:34'Berbers venerate their elders and she commands a certain respect.'
0:42:39 > 0:42:45Zaid and his family have 250 goats, which are the main source of income.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48To find grazing for them, they have to keep on the move.
0:42:48 > 0:42:49Every day in summer,
0:42:49 > 0:42:52they pack up the tent they live in and all their belongings
0:42:52 > 0:42:54to find new pastures.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59All the family, young and old, help out.
0:43:05 > 0:43:09Traversing this rocky landscape is no mean feat
0:43:09 > 0:43:12with all the animals, goods and people in tow.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15We have six miles to cover before we stop for the night
0:43:15 > 0:43:18and there are few paths or landmarks to navigate by.
0:43:20 > 0:43:24Their knowledge of the area made these Berber tribes invaluable
0:43:24 > 0:43:27to the merchants, who needed to get their goods across the terrain.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33Centuries ago, these Berbers were doing exactly this.
0:43:33 > 0:43:37They were transporting goods across these treacherous mountains,
0:43:37 > 0:43:40down these difficult paths that they know so well,
0:43:40 > 0:43:44and still today it's the Berbers, with their mules and donkeys,
0:43:44 > 0:43:46who get things to the very remote villages
0:43:46 > 0:43:50that aren't accessible by vehicle. So nothing has changed.
0:43:59 > 0:44:03Zaid's family come from the Ait Atta tribe of Berbers,
0:44:03 > 0:44:06whose history dates back to before the arrival of Arabs and Islam
0:44:06 > 0:44:07in the seventh century.
0:44:10 > 0:44:12At the height of trans-Saharan trade,
0:44:12 > 0:44:14they were the leading Berber tribe.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19But now, nomad numbers are dwindling.
0:44:32 > 0:44:36So Zaid's just been telling me about how he came into this life
0:44:36 > 0:44:38and his father was a nomad before him.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41And his father used to migrate between here and Ait Bougmez,
0:44:41 > 0:44:45which is a three-week trek, and he did that all his life.
0:44:45 > 0:44:47Then when he got older and a bit more tired,
0:44:47 > 0:44:50he bought a very small piece of land down in the valley
0:44:50 > 0:44:53and Zaid is carrying on the tradition with his family,
0:44:53 > 0:44:55which he will pass on to his sons, probably.
0:45:05 > 0:45:09After five hours, our entourage finally comes to a halt.
0:45:10 > 0:45:11It doesn't look much to my eye,
0:45:11 > 0:45:13but this is going to be home for the night.
0:45:17 > 0:45:19But first, there's some work to do.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25The first thing the women did when they got into camp was to go and
0:45:25 > 0:45:27collect the kind of dry scrub
0:45:27 > 0:45:29and then they've just put it straight onto the fire
0:45:29 > 0:45:32because it burns immediately and they put the tea on, first thing.
0:45:35 > 0:45:39This is an azib, left behind by other nomads passing through.
0:45:39 > 0:45:43Experienced hands quickly turn the tumbledown walls into
0:45:43 > 0:45:45a robust enclosure and shelter.
0:45:48 > 0:45:52Once the goatherd tent is up, it's time to think about dinner.
0:45:56 > 0:45:58With typical Berber hospitality,
0:45:58 > 0:46:00they're preparing a meal in my honour,
0:46:00 > 0:46:06and with no supermarket for miles, there's only one thing on the menu.
0:46:06 > 0:46:09Fahid and Zaid...the two Zaids are taking a goat up here to kill it
0:46:09 > 0:46:11for a celebration for my arrival, and of course for me
0:46:11 > 0:46:14it's really difficult to watch an animal being killed,
0:46:14 > 0:46:17even though I do eat meat, so I'm not looking forward to this
0:46:17 > 0:46:18but I have to do it, so I'm going to.
0:46:29 > 0:46:31GOAT CRIES
0:46:35 > 0:46:36SLICING
0:46:41 > 0:46:44It's hard to watch, but it's a great honour.
0:46:44 > 0:46:48Goats represent the family's wealth, so it's a big deal to eat one.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54They immediately set to work to skin the carcass.
0:47:10 > 0:47:13As night falls in the Jbel Saghro mountains,
0:47:13 > 0:47:15Zaid is preparing skewers
0:47:15 > 0:47:18to put the best bits of goat on the open fire.
0:47:18 > 0:47:20Nothing of this animal will be wasted.
0:47:30 > 0:47:32He's just cutting up the heart.
0:47:32 > 0:47:35Got the livers cooking already
0:47:35 > 0:47:38and the kidneys are somewhere in the middle.
0:47:39 > 0:47:42The smell of the meat and Izza's bread cooking on the fire
0:47:42 > 0:47:45is making everybody hungry after a long and active day.
0:47:47 > 0:47:51But I'm not sure whether hearts, livers and kidneys are going to be
0:47:51 > 0:47:54as much of a treat for me as they clearly are for them.
0:47:56 > 0:47:58Tastes really, really good.
0:47:58 > 0:48:01Salty and really savoury but it's a little bit crunchy.
0:48:04 > 0:48:05BOTH: Mmm!
0:48:08 > 0:48:10By 8:30, I'm ready for bed.
0:48:12 > 0:48:16The family all sleep together under rugs and blankets in the tent,
0:48:16 > 0:48:18much as their ancestors would have done,
0:48:18 > 0:48:19and I'm bedding down with them.
0:48:26 > 0:48:28THEY LAUGH
0:48:41 > 0:48:46It's just after six in the morning and everyone's starting to wake up.
0:48:46 > 0:48:48The mother's got up and has put on the fire.
0:48:50 > 0:48:51The kids are awake.
0:48:53 > 0:48:58I'm beginning to get a feel for what the caravans must have been like,
0:48:58 > 0:49:00loading up the animals, unloading them,
0:49:00 > 0:49:02living in a big tent all together,
0:49:02 > 0:49:07eating together and everyone having their job to do and doing it quickly
0:49:07 > 0:49:09and efficiently as they can,
0:49:09 > 0:49:12but I still haven't experienced the burning sands of the desert
0:49:12 > 0:49:15and I'm beginning to look forward to that because it's been so cold.
0:49:26 > 0:49:30The morning fire takes a little chill off the mountain air
0:49:30 > 0:49:32and the hot, sweet tea helps as well.
0:49:41 > 0:49:44THEY SPEAK ARABIC
0:49:47 > 0:49:50Zaid's just telling me that life here in the mountains is too hard,
0:49:50 > 0:49:54that it's too cold, that every day packing up the tent,
0:49:54 > 0:49:57putting up the tent, trying to find food for the animals,
0:49:57 > 0:50:00the children always, always being cold,
0:50:00 > 0:50:03the children getting sick because there's no medicines here,
0:50:03 > 0:50:08that it's too much and what he really wants within the next ten years is to settle in the village
0:50:08 > 0:50:11and what he wants for his children is that they go to school
0:50:11 > 0:50:14and that they get jobs, things like drivers.
0:50:14 > 0:50:16Which of course, to us seems, you know,
0:50:16 > 0:50:18it's such a romantic lifestyle, this, when you see it,
0:50:18 > 0:50:20when you see the family all together,
0:50:20 > 0:50:21when you see how happy they are,
0:50:21 > 0:50:23when you see how hard they're working.
0:50:23 > 0:50:28But having spent the night under canvas, it is absolutely freezing
0:50:28 > 0:50:32and seeing how hard they have to work even to get a fire going,
0:50:32 > 0:50:34it makes you think, would you want to do this?
0:50:34 > 0:50:37And I have to say, the answer is no, I wouldn't. It is too hard.
0:50:37 > 0:50:39So I can completely understand
0:50:39 > 0:50:41why he would want something different for his children.
0:50:50 > 0:50:53It's sad to say goodbye to Zaid and his family.
0:50:56 > 0:51:00There are few nomads left in these mountains, and in a few years' time,
0:51:00 > 0:51:03this way of life may have disappeared altogether.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13I'm leaving the rocky mountain terrain of the Jbel Saghro
0:51:13 > 0:51:15and travelling east.
0:51:17 > 0:51:21100 miles away is my next destination, Sijilmasa,
0:51:21 > 0:51:25an ancient city which was a mecca for trans-Saharan traders due to its
0:51:25 > 0:51:28position on the edge of the Sahara.
0:51:30 > 0:51:33Strangely, it's not marked on any modern maps,
0:51:33 > 0:51:37but I do know that it's next to the modern town of Rissani.
0:51:41 > 0:51:46Rissani seems typical of so many towns in Morocco.
0:51:46 > 0:51:48A bustling market in the centre of town
0:51:48 > 0:51:52and a lot of new houses going up on the outskirts.
0:51:52 > 0:51:54And so far, there's nothing to give me a clue
0:51:54 > 0:51:57as to where the ancient city might be.
0:51:58 > 0:52:02It's proving very difficult to find - no signs, no blue plaques
0:52:02 > 0:52:04and at the moment I'm in what appears to be
0:52:04 > 0:52:06a great big building site.
0:52:12 > 0:52:15Then, something begins to show itself above the skyline.
0:52:25 > 0:52:27A vast, lost city in the sand.
0:52:34 > 0:52:37Sijilmasa was founded at the end of the eighth century
0:52:37 > 0:52:39and became the most important city
0:52:39 > 0:52:41on the trade routes north of the Sahara.
0:52:44 > 0:52:46Its position on the northern edge of the desert meant
0:52:46 > 0:52:49it could control the gold supply coming up from the south.
0:52:52 > 0:52:54It boasted a mosque, a palace
0:52:54 > 0:52:56and probably barracks for soldiers.
0:53:00 > 0:53:03And on its fringes, a huge oasis
0:53:03 > 0:53:06meant there was one thing in abundance - water,
0:53:06 > 0:53:08a lifeline for travellers
0:53:08 > 0:53:11arriving after a gruelling journey through the desert.
0:53:15 > 0:53:18'I've arranged to meet Chloe Capel, a French archaeologist
0:53:18 > 0:53:21'and one of very few who have worked on this site.'
0:53:22 > 0:53:25It's about 2km long,
0:53:25 > 0:53:29800 metres wide and there are so many things to know about it.
0:53:29 > 0:53:30It's not done, not yet.
0:53:30 > 0:53:34There's lots of work for archaeologists here on this site.
0:53:42 > 0:53:45The site has remained a well-kept secret
0:53:45 > 0:53:48and no-one has excavated here for several years.
0:53:48 > 0:53:52There are still pieces of history lying all over the place.
0:53:52 > 0:53:54Here, as you can see...
0:53:55 > 0:54:01- ..there is a lid.- Uh-huh?
0:54:01 > 0:54:04You take it this way on the top of a...
0:54:04 > 0:54:07a cup or a little jar, something like that, and it's medieval.
0:54:07 > 0:54:11- How do you know?- Because of the shape, because of the paste.
0:54:11 > 0:54:15Maybe it's 12th century or 14th century.
0:54:15 > 0:54:16And it's just lying here on the site?
0:54:16 > 0:54:20- It's everywhere, all around you, on the 2km wide of the site.- Wow.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24And if I were here at the height of the trans-Saharan trade,
0:54:24 > 0:54:26what would I have seen?
0:54:26 > 0:54:32Probably a very rich city with many houses,
0:54:32 > 0:54:34gardens, numerous gardens,
0:54:34 > 0:54:38because medieval texts tell us that there were many gardens
0:54:38 > 0:54:41inside the city and it was spectacular for travellers
0:54:41 > 0:54:44because they were just emerging from the desert
0:54:44 > 0:54:48and they found this oasis, it was impressive for them.
0:54:56 > 0:55:00The oasis was large enough to cater not only for the townsfolk
0:55:00 > 0:55:03but visiting traders and caravans too.
0:55:03 > 0:55:06And Chloe believes it was planned that way,
0:55:06 > 0:55:09to attract the burgeoning trans-Saharan traffic of the time.
0:55:11 > 0:55:15People, travellers, merchants were aware that
0:55:15 > 0:55:17when you stop in Sijilmasa,
0:55:17 > 0:55:22whenever you stop here, whenever it is in the season, you can find food,
0:55:22 > 0:55:27water, camels, numerous camels to travel, dates, fodder,
0:55:27 > 0:55:31everything to be sure to go safe until Timbuktu,
0:55:31 > 0:55:33until the sub-Saharan Africa.
0:55:41 > 0:55:46It seems to me that in its way, this was the Timbuktu of the north,
0:55:46 > 0:55:49a vital refuelling stop for traders coming out of
0:55:49 > 0:55:51or heading into the Sahara.
0:55:53 > 0:55:55How sad, then, that this great city
0:55:55 > 0:55:59was destroyed in the early 19th century by invading Berber nomads.
0:56:01 > 0:56:05In fact, the same tribe as the nomad family I've just stayed with.
0:56:10 > 0:56:14It's less than a mile back into the centre of Rissani and I'm travelling
0:56:14 > 0:56:17in the way of most traders here, by donkey cart.
0:56:20 > 0:56:23We park up at the town's answer to pay and display.
0:56:25 > 0:56:28SHE SPEAKS ARABIC
0:56:30 > 0:56:32In Rissani's bustling market,
0:56:32 > 0:56:36you can buy just about anything and there are stalls laden with the same
0:56:36 > 0:56:39fresh produce that would have gladdened the hearts of weary desert
0:56:39 > 0:56:41travellers of the Middle Ages.
0:56:46 > 0:56:49- Hafida?- Hi!- Hey!- How are you? - I'm good.
0:56:49 > 0:56:52'I've come here to meet Hafida H'douban,
0:56:52 > 0:56:55'Morocco's first-ever female trekking guide.'
0:56:55 > 0:56:56Are you looking for some dates?
0:56:56 > 0:57:00'Hafida's taking me on the next, most dangerous leg of the journey,
0:57:00 > 0:57:04'into the Sahara Desert, and she's stocking up with provisions.'
0:57:04 > 0:57:05Taste it, if it's OK.
0:57:07 > 0:57:08- That's nice?- Yeah.
0:57:08 > 0:57:11I think the best one is that, so I will take from there.
0:57:11 > 0:57:15'Dates were a staple food for people crossing the Sahara.
0:57:15 > 0:57:18'They say you can survive on just seven a day
0:57:18 > 0:57:21'and their high-sugar content means they last for ages.'
0:57:22 > 0:57:25Very energetic and very nice
0:57:25 > 0:57:29and now we are lucky because it's a time for the dates.
0:57:29 > 0:57:31- Perfect!- It's for this year, it's the new one,
0:57:31 > 0:57:35because in October we have dates.
0:57:35 > 0:57:36- Yeah.- So it's OK.
0:57:37 > 0:57:43Tomorrow, Hafida and I will be embarking on the most challenging part of my journey so far,
0:57:43 > 0:57:47one which many a trans-Saharan trader didn't survive.
0:57:54 > 0:57:56Next time,
0:57:56 > 0:58:00we trek into 3.5 million square miles of desert...
0:58:01 > 0:58:04..and some of the most extreme temperatures on the planet -
0:58:04 > 0:58:05the great Sahara.
0:58:07 > 0:58:10It was incredibly perilous.
0:58:10 > 0:58:13This is why the goods, when they got to the other end, cost so much,
0:58:13 > 0:58:15it was the danger factor.
0:58:15 > 0:58:18Modern life takes an ugly turn...
0:58:18 > 0:58:20My security contingent has got extremely nervous
0:58:20 > 0:58:22and they won't let me go any further.
0:58:22 > 0:58:27..and I finally make it to the city of my dreams, Timbuktu.
0:58:27 > 0:58:32Now I get it, my first glimpse of the icon of Timbuktu.