Episode 1 Morocco To Timbuktu: An Arabian Adventure


Episode 1

Similar Content

Browse content similar to Episode 1. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!

Transcript


LineFromTo

The Sahara Desert, Mali,

0:00:030:00:06

home to one of Earth's most mysterious and legendary places.

0:00:060:00:11

Africa's fabled city of gold.

0:00:110:00:14

Timbuktu.

0:00:140:00:15

My name's Alice Morrison.

0:00:200:00:22

I'm an Arabist and explorer.

0:00:220:00:26

I live in Morocco,

0:00:260:00:27

and since childhood I've dreamt of making the gruelling journey

0:00:270:00:30

across the Sahara to see this ancient city

0:00:300:00:33

before it's lost for ever to sand and war.

0:00:330:00:37

I love touching history.

0:00:390:00:41

In this series, I'll track 2,000 miles following ancient trade routes,

0:00:430:00:47

often known as salt roads, across some of the world's most hostile lands.

0:00:470:00:53

Timbuktu is at the centre of all these trade routes,

0:00:530:00:56

and I want to follow them, and find it, and see what's there.

0:00:560:00:59

'I'll pass through some magical places that time has barely touched.'

0:00:590:01:05

Oh, wow!

0:01:050:01:06

'Relying on the hospitality of Berber nomads.'

0:01:060:01:10

He's just cutting up the heart.

0:01:120:01:15

'And I'll come face-to-face with some frightening modern-day realities.'

0:01:150:01:19

I'm beginning to feel quite nervous.

0:01:190:01:21

'Travelling deep beneath the veil

0:01:210:01:23

'into the heart of ancient and modern North Africa,

0:01:230:01:26

'I'll discover its incredible forgotten history...

0:01:260:01:29

'..en route to the legendary city of gold, Timbuktu.'

0:01:300:01:34

The Mediterranean Sea, Mare Nostrum.

0:01:510:01:54

'The basin of civilisation.

0:01:570:01:59

'My 2,000-mile journey begins here.

0:01:590:02:02

'Behind me, Europe, ahead of me, Africa

0:02:020:02:05

'and an intoxicating mix of new experiences, danger and untold wealth.

0:02:050:02:11

'First up, the historic trading port of Tangier,

0:02:130:02:17

'on the northernmost tip of Morocco.'

0:02:170:02:19

I'm trying to imagine what it was like hundreds of years ago,

0:02:200:02:22

when you had ships here in full sail, stuffed to the gunwales with spices,

0:02:220:02:26

with ostrich feathers, with metal, with wool from Manchester.

0:02:260:02:31

I wonder what it would have been like if you were a merchant in those days,

0:02:310:02:33

coming across from cold, rainy Europe,

0:02:330:02:35

and seeing Tangier glinting in the distance, this promise of Africa.

0:02:350:02:39

For centuries, merchants have crossed these waters

0:02:450:02:48

seeking the fantastic riches of the African continent.

0:02:480:02:51

Tangier was founded in the fifth century BC,

0:02:580:03:01

and has always attracted adventurers, pirates and even spies.

0:03:010:03:05

It's where European merchants would have encountered the flow of gold from

0:03:080:03:11

the south for the first time.

0:03:110:03:13

And it's my first leg of the journey on the original trade routes that

0:03:130:03:17

brought it all the way from Timbuktu.

0:03:170:03:19

'This city is full of treasures,

0:03:230:03:25

'and in a small book shop I've found a reproduction of the most important

0:03:250:03:29

'map of medieval times, the Catalan atlas.

0:03:290:03:33

'It confirms Timbuktu's reputation as the gold capital of Mali

0:03:340:03:38

'and of Africa.'

0:03:380:03:40

You can see, very clearly,

0:03:400:03:42

the king of the kingdom of Mali sitting there,

0:03:420:03:45

on his throne with a great big nugget of gold in his hand,

0:03:450:03:48

and a huge gold crown on his head.

0:03:480:03:50

This is Mansa Musa, king of Mali,

0:03:540:03:57

and stories of Timbuktu's fabled gold began to spread

0:03:570:04:01

during his reign in the 14th century.

0:04:010:04:03

Even today, he is said to be the richest man in history.

0:04:030:04:07

There is an inscription on the map...

0:04:100:04:12

"So abundant is the gold found in his country,

0:04:130:04:16

"that he is the richest and most noble king in the land."

0:04:160:04:19

800 years on, modern gold traders still thrive here.

0:04:220:04:26

'I'm dying to touch the real thing to find out why it was so prized.

0:04:270:04:32

'So I'm meeting an expert in Moroccan antiquities.

0:04:320:04:36

'Much of the gold was used to mint coins,

0:04:380:04:40

'and she has an ancient one to show me.'

0:04:400:04:43

Here are some inscriptions saying

0:04:430:04:45

that it was from the Marinid dynasty of the 15th century.

0:04:450:04:48

Gold came from the sub-Saharan Africa through the trans-Saharan trade.

0:04:480:04:53

And this is evidence of that, it landed in Morocco.

0:04:530:04:57

Do you think this coin might have come through Timbuktu?

0:04:570:04:59

Yes, of course, most likely it did come from Timbuktu.

0:04:590:05:02

Yes. I would say that it was probably the most important crossroads for gold.

0:05:020:05:06

It's very exciting for me, I feel like I'm touching history.

0:05:060:05:10

You are! Yes! You are touching history.

0:05:100:05:13

It's in your hands.

0:05:130:05:14

I've got gold fever.

0:05:160:05:18

I can feel how its allure drew the merchants of old to make the journey

0:05:190:05:23

south to Mali, and the city of Timbuktu.

0:05:230:05:25

The roads they forged are the very ones I'm going to travel, too.

0:05:290:05:33

This is going to be my Bible.

0:05:340:05:36

Absolutely invaluable.

0:05:370:05:39

It is a map of all the major trade routes across the Sahara.

0:05:390:05:42

But I think the journey's going to take some doing.

0:05:440:05:46

I think we're going to have a lot of fun in the Atlas Mountains,

0:05:460:05:49

because that is a big, big natural barrier.

0:05:490:05:51

And each of those mountains is three times higher than Ben Nevis.

0:05:510:05:54

So it's quite a difficult thing to get across.

0:05:540:05:57

And, of course, then, that is all the Sahara Desert, all the way along.

0:05:570:06:00

That is going to be another major thing for us to cross.

0:06:000:06:02

And then the routes, all routes, lead to Timbuktu.

0:06:020:06:05

'It's not difficult to see why Timbuktu became a mecca for gold traders.

0:06:060:06:11

'It was surrounded by gold mines.

0:06:110:06:13

'But the merchants didn't just deal in gold.

0:06:150:06:17

'There was a huge trade in slaves, leather goods, ivory and also in salt.

0:06:170:06:23

'Back then it was the only way to preserve food.

0:06:250:06:28

'It was almost as valuable as gold,

0:06:280:06:30

'and that's why many of these routes were called salt roads.'

0:06:300:06:34

So, the gold went north, and then the salt came south.

0:06:340:06:39

And they met in El Dorado, they met in Timbuktu.

0:06:390:06:41

It makes perfect sense, when you look at the map.

0:06:410:06:43

The next place I'm heading on my desert odyssey is Fes.

0:06:480:06:51

Five hours' drive away,

0:06:530:06:55

it's where many merchants started the long trek to Timbuktu.

0:06:550:06:58

To get to Fes, I'm going to use one of Morocco's most popular forms of

0:07:020:07:06

transport, the grand taxi.

0:07:060:07:08

There's a taxi rank in every city,

0:07:100:07:12

with old Mercedes going in all directions.

0:07:120:07:15

And it's one of the cheapest ways to get around,

0:07:150:07:18

IF you know the tricks of the trade.

0:07:180:07:19

'First, you have to find one going your way.

0:07:220:07:25

'Then you negotiate your fare.

0:07:280:07:30

'But if you can find another traveller to share the back seat,

0:07:390:07:42

'you can split the fare.

0:07:420:07:44

'Having found a travel buddy to share the cost,

0:07:480:07:50

'we're whisked out of town towards the coast road.

0:07:500:07:53

'It turns out my fellow passenger, Driss, is a trader himself.

0:07:550:08:00

'He's going to Fes to buy artefacts to sell to tourists.'

0:08:010:08:05

Say you buy a dagger for 150 dirhams.

0:08:050:08:08

Daggers for 150 dirhams, no.

0:08:080:08:10

How much would you sell it for?

0:08:100:08:11

Maybe a profit, five euros, maybe a profit some day of ten euros.

0:08:110:08:16

Some days no profit.

0:08:160:08:17

That's my business.

0:08:170:08:19

And which country spends the most money?

0:08:190:08:22

-American people.

-Oh! We love those dollars!

0:08:220:08:26

Profit. They have plenty of grand bucks!

0:08:260:08:29

We're travelling south along the Atlantic coast,

0:08:340:08:37

and I'm enjoying a comfortable ride with Driss.

0:08:370:08:40

But on such a long journey,

0:08:400:08:41

it's customary to pick up other passengers

0:08:410:08:44

along the way.

0:08:440:08:45

THEY SPEAK ARABIC

0:08:470:08:49

And just when I'm thinking three's company...

0:08:590:09:01

It's getting a bit cosy in here.

0:09:140:09:16

I'm in here with two Drisses and Akram.

0:09:160:09:20

'My fellow passengers make for charming company on the long drive,

0:09:200:09:23

'and ahead of me lies a city with a charm all of its own

0:09:230:09:27

'and a history of welcoming travelling merchants through its gates.'

0:09:270:09:30

Fes, the ancient capital of Morocco, dating from the eighth century,

0:09:460:09:52

and the oldest of its four imperial cities.

0:09:520:09:55

It's said to be surrounded by springs,

0:09:560:09:59

providing travellers with the supply of precious water.

0:09:590:10:02

And between the 8th and 16th centuries,

0:10:030:10:06

Fes grew rich from the gold and salt traffic coming across the Sahara.

0:10:060:10:11

Its old medina, or walled city,

0:10:140:10:17

is the biggest pedestrian zone in the world.

0:10:170:10:19

And it's full of narrow streets where life remains seemingly

0:10:190:10:23

untouched by modern times.

0:10:230:10:25

Once traders finally got here from Timbuktu,

0:10:290:10:32

they needed a sanctuary where they could rest, wash,

0:10:320:10:35

feast and store their goods.

0:10:350:10:36

'They would stay in a caravanserai, a motel with camel and mule parking.'

0:10:380:10:45

So this is a caravanserai.

0:10:450:10:47

I guess you'd have put your camel or your donkey

0:10:470:10:50

in these little rooms, in the past.

0:10:500:10:52

And then kipped down in your B & B.

0:10:520:10:54

The space is still occupied by traders.

0:10:570:11:00

The building was last used as a caravanserai more than 80 years ago,

0:11:120:11:17

but there are tantalising bits of evidence of its original use.

0:11:170:11:20

Upstairs was a safe place for weary merchant travellers to rest,

0:11:400:11:45

luxurious in comparison to where they'd been.

0:11:450:11:48

Berbers, Arabs and West Africans all would have stayed together,

0:11:500:11:54

vying for the best traveller's tale.

0:11:540:11:56

The atmosphere here is absolutely fantastic.

0:11:590:12:01

You can actually feel the history.

0:12:010:12:02

600 years old, relatively unchanged.

0:12:020:12:05

OK, it's different downstairs,

0:12:050:12:07

because that's where the animals would have been,

0:12:070:12:09

and now there's trading goods,

0:12:090:12:10

but up here you've got little girls sitting there drinking tea,

0:12:100:12:13

you've got their mothers doing the washing.

0:12:130:12:15

It feels like I've gone back in time.

0:12:150:12:17

'I've decided I'm going to bed down here for the night to get a feel for

0:12:180:12:22

'what it was like centuries ago.'

0:12:220:12:24

Just a sleeping bag.

0:12:260:12:28

'I've brought with me some writings from travellers and adventurers who've

0:12:290:12:33

'trodden this perilous path before me,

0:12:330:12:35

'to help bring these ancient journeys to life.'

0:12:350:12:38

"It is more profitable and advantageous for the trader

0:12:400:12:43

"to export his product to a distant land,

0:12:430:12:46

"and take a dangerous route.

0:12:460:12:48

"In this way, the distance and the risk incurred will give a rare quality to

0:12:480:12:53

"his merchandise and thereby increase its value.

0:12:530:12:56

"This is why the wealthiest and the most prosperous merchants

0:12:570:13:01

"are those who dare to go."

0:13:010:13:03

I've just woken up. Five o'clock, the alarm's gone off,

0:13:140:13:18

because I want to get up and see the dawn rising over Fes,

0:13:180:13:21

and hear the call to prayer.

0:13:210:13:23

It's very, very, very cold.

0:13:240:13:26

But I think my first night in a caravanserai, I would say,

0:13:270:13:30

it's not been at all bad.

0:13:300:13:32

Fes is known as the spiritual capital of Morocco,

0:13:480:13:51

and Islam was first brought to the country by the Arab invasion in 682 AD.

0:13:510:13:57

It spread to the native Berber tribes,

0:14:010:14:04

who went on to form Islamic kingdoms.

0:14:040:14:06

CALL TO PRAYER

0:14:060:14:09

I always find the early-morning call to prayer very moving.

0:14:150:14:18

Prayer is better than sleep, the muezzin says,

0:14:200:14:23

in the Adhan al-Fajr, the dawn call.

0:14:230:14:25

The five calls a day frame life in Morocco.

0:14:270:14:30

Hasten to prayer, hasten to salvation.

0:14:300:14:33

Dawn reveals ancient tombs left behind by the Marinid empire,

0:14:370:14:42

which flourished in the early Middle Ages.

0:14:420:14:44

They shaped Fes's religious and academic reputation.

0:14:480:14:51

The city has 14 theological schools and the world's oldest university,

0:14:520:14:56

the Qarawiyyin, founded in the ninth century by a woman, Fatima al-Fihri.

0:14:560:15:01

It's amazing to think that while Europe was languishing in the Dark Ages,

0:15:010:15:05

this was a centre of learning.

0:15:050:15:07

Philosophy, mathematics, religion and law were all being taught here.

0:15:070:15:11

And then, years later,

0:15:120:15:14

all that knowledge went back across the Mediterranean Sea, into Europe,

0:15:140:15:17

and informed the Renaissance.

0:15:170:15:19

There's an old Moroccan saying,

0:15:240:15:27

"manage with bread and butter until God brings you honey".

0:15:270:15:30

Every neighbourhood has a communal bread oven where people take their

0:15:320:15:35

dough to be baked, and it's hardly changed since the Middle Ages.

0:15:350:15:40

'I'm meeting a friend at one of them.'

0:15:400:15:43

Oh, my God!

0:15:430:15:45

How are you?

0:15:450:15:47

'Najat Kaanache is a Michelin- starred chef,

0:15:480:15:51

'a Berber from the Moroccan mountains.'

0:15:510:15:52

-How are you?

-I'm good.

0:15:520:15:55

How does it make you feel?

0:15:550:15:56

The smell, it reminds me of home.

0:15:560:15:59

It reminds to childhood, for me.

0:15:590:16:03

Like, when I was little.

0:16:030:16:05

Yeah?

0:16:050:16:06

Look. Amazing.

0:16:060:16:08

Warm.

0:16:080:16:10

This, it just happens here.

0:16:100:16:12

Let me cut it. The power of bread.

0:16:120:16:15

Wow!

0:16:150:16:16

'Najat is one of the world's top chefs.

0:16:180:16:21

'She worked in Spain's famous elBulli restaurant.

0:16:210:16:24

'She's come back to Fes to open one of her own.'

0:16:240:16:27

Look at all the sausages, dried.

0:16:270:16:28

-That's like haggis.

-Look at this.

0:16:280:16:31

Beautiful.

0:16:310:16:32

'And she's bringing back the kind of food that merchants in the Middle Ages

0:16:340:16:37

'would have eaten, but with a modern twist.'

0:16:370:16:40

Here we are!

0:16:400:16:42

-This is the one.

-OK. Here we go. Oh, my goodness.

0:16:420:16:45

Our friend Camel has a little grin in the face.

0:16:470:16:53

Wow!

0:16:530:16:55

So this is... Look at the meat.

0:16:550:16:57

It's really super beautiful.

0:16:570:16:59

It's really, really lean.

0:16:590:17:02

You wouldn't think this.

0:17:020:17:04

You would not think this meat is like that.

0:17:040:17:06

People think of a camel being very dry, but, no...

0:17:060:17:09

It's very soft. Look at the fat.

0:17:090:17:11

Amazing, from the back.

0:17:120:17:14

Oh, my goodness.

0:17:140:17:16

It's very unique, this.

0:17:160:17:18

That is the camel hump?

0:17:180:17:19

Yes. Very, very unique.

0:17:190:17:20

'Apparently, camel's milk was a popular drink for trans-Saharan traders too.

0:17:230:17:28

'So, of course, I have to try it.'

0:17:280:17:30

Bismillah.

0:17:300:17:31

It's delicious.

0:17:350:17:36

It's absolutely delicious.

0:17:360:17:38

SHE SPEAKS ARABIC

0:17:380:17:39

It has medicine, people believe.

0:17:430:17:45

They have been using for a long time.

0:17:450:17:47

The camel meat, camel fat, camel belly.

0:17:470:17:52

It's medicinal.

0:17:550:17:57

And that we're going to use like

0:18:030:18:05

the fat that you use when you cook some meat.

0:18:050:18:10

It's going to get a little brown, magically.

0:18:100:18:13

Yeah?

0:18:130:18:14

'And with two kilos of prime camel,

0:18:170:18:19

'it's off to Najat's newly opened restaurant, Nur,

0:18:190:18:23

'to cook up a trans-Saharan feast.'

0:18:230:18:25

So, here we are.

0:18:250:18:26

-Home sweet home.

-Very incognito!

0:18:270:18:30

-Be careful.

-OK, thank you.

0:18:310:18:34

'It's my very own MasterChef.

0:18:340:18:36

'I'm helping Najat to prepare today's special,

0:18:360:18:38

'camel meatballs.'

0:18:380:18:40

I thought it was going to smell horrible...

0:18:400:18:42

-No!

-But actually, it certainly smells nice.

0:18:420:18:45

Now that we're doing this, look here.

0:18:450:18:47

I have my fermenting...

0:18:470:18:50

er...camel milk,

0:18:500:18:53

that is already a week.

0:18:530:18:55

-It smells...

-That smells...

0:18:550:18:57

But this is going to make a beautiful, magical...

0:18:570:19:00

Oh, my God, look at your face! Everything good smells horrible

0:19:000:19:03

-at some point.

-Yes. That's true.

0:19:030:19:06

-Yes, or no?

-Even me.

0:19:060:19:07

-Even human beings.

-So,

0:19:070:19:09

in the times of the great trade across the Sahara from Africa to Fes,

0:19:090:19:14

when the merchants arrived at Fes, would they have a feast of camel?

0:19:140:19:17

Because that's a special meat, isn't it?

0:19:170:19:19

I think camel was very important in their menu, because it meant,

0:19:190:19:21

like, wealth, you know?

0:19:210:19:23

Now, you see people, they try to buy camel, camel milk,

0:19:230:19:26

just for health benefits.

0:19:260:19:29

Still it's a little bit pricey.

0:19:290:19:31

But, in that time, it was festivity.

0:19:310:19:33

OK.

0:19:400:19:42

'Najat's ultramodern restaurant

0:19:490:19:51

'is one of several springing up in the city

0:19:510:19:54

'catering to tourists and the young, emerging middle class.'

0:19:540:19:57

I'm just going to try one of these meatballs.

0:19:570:20:00

'With growing prosperity, Morocco is evolving into a modern,

0:20:020:20:05

'global player, and Fes, like most of its cities,

0:20:050:20:08

'is embracing the change whilst still holding on to its cultural history.'

0:20:080:20:12

Michelin-starred camel meatballs.

0:20:140:20:16

I'm leaving Fes and heading for Marrakech,

0:20:230:20:25

'the other great terminus at the northern end of the trans-Saharan trade route.

0:20:250:20:30

'Both were places where merchants gathered money, provisions and goods

0:20:310:20:35

'for the long trek south to Timbuktu.

0:20:350:20:37

'But I'm exchanging Fes's spiritual calm for the buzz of Marrakech,

0:20:390:20:44

'where everything is for sale.'

0:20:440:20:45

The weather's really changed, so it's time now for the winter woollies.

0:20:450:20:49

It's very, very chilly.

0:20:490:20:50

'I was born in the '60s, so there's only one way to go to Marrakech.

0:20:500:20:54

'And that's on the Marrakech Express.'

0:20:560:20:59

MUSIC: Marrakesh Express by Crosby, Stills and Nash

0:20:590:21:02

# Looking at the world through the sunset in your eyes

0:21:040:21:09

# Travelling the train through clear Moroccan skies... #

0:21:090:21:13

'Today the train isn't the sun-filled hippie experience of my imagination,

0:21:130:21:18

'just modern Moroccans commuting between cities.

0:21:180:21:20

'It's an eight-hour train journey to Marrakech,

0:21:250:21:27

'but for a trader in the Middle Ages, it would have been a gruelling trek,

0:21:270:21:31

'lasting several days.'

0:21:310:21:33

"The distance and the hardship of the road they travel are great.

0:21:390:21:43

"They have to cross a difficult desert

0:21:430:21:45

"that is made almost inaccessible by fear and beset by thirst.

0:21:450:21:50

"Water is found there only in a few well-known spots,

0:21:500:21:54

"to which caravan guides lead the way.

0:21:540:21:56

"The distance of this ordeal is braved only by very few people."

0:21:570:22:00

'The explorers of old all say the same thing,

0:22:070:22:10

'that this was the toughest of journeys.'

0:22:100:22:13

Marrakech - it's called the Rose City, Daughter of the Desert,

0:22:190:22:24

and it's always been a place where traders picked up

0:22:240:22:27

high-quality goods to take with them on their journey.

0:22:270:22:30

It was founded in the 11th century by the powerful Almoravid Berber dynasty,

0:22:310:22:36

who made it the capital of a huge empire stretching right through North Africa

0:22:360:22:41

and into southern Spain.

0:22:410:22:43

50 miles to the east, the Atlas Mountains provide a spectacular backdrop.

0:22:460:22:51

Moroccan porridge.

0:23:030:23:04

Some of the most popular merchandise

0:23:110:23:13

on the trans-Saharan trade routes were

0:23:130:23:15

leather goods. And some of the best- quality leather was produced here at

0:23:150:23:19

Marrakech's oldest tannery.

0:23:190:23:21

It's as ancient as the salt roads themselves.

0:23:230:23:25

And I'm surprised to find it's still in full swing.

0:23:250:23:28

'Najib is one of the tannery's oldest workers.

0:23:370:23:40

'He's been here for 48 years.'

0:23:400:23:42

This is a cow.

0:23:590:24:00

'It takes 20 days to turn an animal hide into the leather used for the

0:24:050:24:08

'world-famous bags, shoes and belts sold in the local markets.

0:24:080:24:12

'It's dirty work.'

0:24:140:24:16

I'm primed, ready for action.

0:24:160:24:17

OK, so this tank is full of gypsum.

0:24:270:24:30

It smells totally and utterly disgusting.

0:24:310:24:35

And I can't believe this guy's doing it with his bare hands,

0:24:350:24:38

because I reckon this stuff burns.

0:24:380:24:40

'This potent cocktail removes the hair from the hide.'

0:24:410:24:46

That actually comes off really, really easily.

0:24:460:24:48

'But there's worse to come.'

0:24:480:24:50

Smells fantastic.

0:24:580:25:00

Excited to get in.

0:25:000:25:01

'Pigeon excrement contains ammonia,

0:25:040:25:06

'which acts as a softening agent to make the hides more malleable.'

0:25:060:25:10

This is harder than it looks.

0:25:100:25:11

We're trampling on the animals in, like,

0:25:110:25:13

a circle but I can't keep up with them.

0:25:130:25:16

It's like being in a whirlpool.

0:25:160:25:18

A whirlpool of pigeon shit.

0:25:180:25:19

'Finally, we move the hides into a vat of water for rinsing.

0:25:210:25:24

'Is this what would have been happening 1,000 years ago?'

0:25:260:25:29

So, the process is exactly the same, passed down from father to son,

0:25:450:25:48

so basically what I'm doing now,

0:25:480:25:50

apart from the fact I've got new waders on,

0:25:500:25:52

is the same exactly as they'd have done in the 11th century.

0:25:520:25:55

This labour-intensive process was a highly skilled craft,

0:26:050:26:09

which back then ensured the global reputation of Moroccan leather.

0:26:090:26:12

And it's amazing that this tannery is still providing fine-quality hides

0:26:140:26:19

for the shoes, bags and belts in the souks of Marrakech

0:26:190:26:22

and markets all over the world.

0:26:220:26:24

At night, Marrakech, the party town, comes to life.

0:26:310:26:35

In the main square, Jemaa el-Fnaa,

0:26:360:26:38

you're transported back in time to a more exotic world.

0:26:380:26:41

The air is rife with hawkers' cries, wandering minstrels and magicians.

0:26:440:26:49

You could end up with a monkey on your shoulder or eating a bowl of snails.

0:26:500:26:55

And I can't help noticing how many more West African faces there are here,

0:26:550:27:00

echoes of traders from the past who would have arrived

0:27:000:27:02

from across the Sahara with their wares.

0:27:020:27:05

But the performer who is attracting the biggest crowd is offering perhaps

0:27:090:27:12

the simplest and oldest form of entertainment.

0:27:120:27:14

'Storytelling.'

0:27:160:27:18

This is the most interesting history lesson in the history of the world.

0:27:180:27:22

He's talking about the trans-Saharan trade and about crossing the Sahara

0:27:220:27:26

and he's got this line where he says,

0:27:260:27:28

"The sun was beating down from above and the sun was burning up from below.

0:27:280:27:32

"The camels were dying, the men were dying,

0:27:320:27:34

"they were loaded with skins and hides from the south,

0:27:340:27:37

"coming north and they were searching for gold and for salt."

0:27:370:27:40

Many years ago, these stories would have been the only way for people to

0:27:550:27:59

learn about life in faraway lands.

0:27:590:28:01

Now they're opening a door into the past

0:28:020:28:04

for us and it's thrilling to hear

0:28:040:28:06

1,000 years of history, and the journey I'm making, come alive.

0:28:060:28:10

In this magical world,

0:28:150:28:16

I feel like Timbuktu could be just around the corner.

0:28:160:28:19

But I've still got 1,500 miles to travel.

0:28:200:28:22

Time for me to get some sleep,

0:28:240:28:26

as North Africa's largest mountain range awaits me.

0:28:260:28:29

For this next leg of my journey,

0:28:360:28:38

I've left Morocco's cities behind me and I'm continuing on foot

0:28:380:28:41

through the Atlas Mountains.

0:28:410:28:42

They stretch right across the country,

0:28:450:28:47

forming a massive natural barrier, and climb to over 4,000 metres.

0:28:470:28:51

I'm no stranger to endurance treks,

0:28:550:28:57

having completed the gruelling Marathon Des Sables across the Sahara and

0:28:570:29:02

run races through these mountains.

0:29:020:29:03

But this will be a different kind of challenge,

0:29:050:29:08

as the snows have come early, making it cold and treacherous underfoot.

0:29:080:29:12

Up here, it's Berber country.

0:29:170:29:18

There are around 14 million of them in Morocco and many of them live in

0:29:200:29:23

these mountains.

0:29:230:29:25

I'm starting my trek in the Berber village of Afra.

0:29:280:29:31

'In these villages, traditions are part of everyday life.'

0:29:450:29:49

This lady's been explaining to me about her henna.

0:29:490:29:53

So she... I asked if it was for a wedding and she said no,

0:29:530:29:56

but apparently she just wanted to look nice for her family,

0:29:560:29:58

so she went and got it done. And it doesn't last as long as you think.

0:29:580:30:01

I thought it would last a couple of weeks but she says it goes quickly

0:30:010:30:04

because, of course, she's working hard here, using her hands.

0:30:040:30:07

'I'm meeting my friend Saaid Naanaa, who's a mountain guide.'

0:30:210:30:24

-Saaid, la bas!

-And you?

-Good!

0:30:240:30:28

'We've taken on these mountains together before, but never in the snow.'

0:30:280:30:32

OK, so...

0:30:320:30:33

'If anyone can get me across these steep peaks in one piece, it's him.

0:30:330:30:37

'We're heading for Tizi n'Tichka, the highest major pass in North Africa,

0:30:440:30:48

'a gratifyingly tough half-day hike away.

0:30:480:30:51

'Trans-Saharan merchants would have made this journey by mule

0:30:540:30:57

'or, like us, on foot.'

0:30:570:30:59

How high are we up here?

0:30:590:31:01

We are here about 2,100 metres.

0:31:010:31:05

I can feel it already on my chest.

0:31:050:31:06

-Yeah, me too. It's normal.

-Really?

-Yeah.

0:31:060:31:09

'Up here, the air is thin, making it harder to breathe, even for Saaid,

0:31:100:31:15

'who has spent most of his life here in the mountains.'

0:31:150:31:18

-Saaid, my friend?

-Yes.

-You're a Berber?

0:31:180:31:21

Yes, I'm a Berber.

0:31:210:31:22

What does that mean?

0:31:230:31:24

Berber is... They say this is a nickname given by the Romans

0:31:260:31:30

-when they occupied the north of Africa.

-Yeah.

0:31:300:31:33

But the original name is Amazighen.

0:31:330:31:37

-It means free people or noble people, if you want.

-Yeah.

0:31:370:31:41

'The Berbers, or Amazigha, are the indigenous people of North Africa

0:31:410:31:46

'and can trace their heritage back to 3000 BC.'

0:31:460:31:49

Does Berber have its own language?

0:31:500:31:53

The Berber, they have their language,

0:31:530:31:55

which is totally different than Arabic.

0:31:550:31:58

So, Arabic you write from right to left and the Berber is the opposite,

0:31:580:32:04

from left to right, or you can write like Chinese, down.

0:32:040:32:08

The weather is closing in, which is worrying,

0:32:120:32:14

because the paths ahead are getting seriously precarious.

0:32:140:32:19

-You see, the path is going down from here.

-Yeah.

0:32:190:32:22

-Then you see that rock ledge.

-Whoa!

0:32:220:32:25

Then you go uphill to the path.

0:32:250:32:27

-So we've done the easy bit. This is the hard bit, isn't it?

-Yeah.

0:32:280:32:31

We've still got four miles to go and the light will soon be disappearing.

0:32:360:32:41

SHE PANTS

0:32:440:32:47

I really like Saaid, but right at the moment I actually hate him.

0:32:470:32:50

He's making me go fast and we're uphill because we're worried about the dark.

0:32:500:32:55

I don't really want to go fast uphill, frankly.

0:32:550:32:58

He's all chirpy. I'm not the least bit chirpy.

0:32:580:33:01

And how they ever did this with donkeys and mules laden with goods -

0:33:050:33:09

totally beyond me.

0:33:090:33:10

It's zero degrees and plummeting as the afternoon draws on

0:33:180:33:22

and I'm cold and wet.

0:33:220:33:24

Have we got long to go, Saaid?

0:33:260:33:28

Nearly. This is the Tichka Pass.

0:33:280:33:30

-Yeah?

-And there we go.

-Good.

-Nearly there.

0:33:300:33:34

-Well done.

-I'm beginning to feel it a bit.

0:33:340:33:36

'It's one last push to reach the top

0:33:380:33:40

'and we make the Tichka summit just in the nick of time,

0:33:400:33:44

'before the bad weather really rolls in.'

0:33:440:33:47

Is this it, Saaid?

0:33:470:33:49

-We made it.

-Yeah, you did it.

0:33:490:33:52

Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo!

0:33:520:33:55

Good job.

0:33:550:33:56

Well done.

0:33:560:33:58

We spend the night in the tiny village of Tazga,

0:34:040:34:07

where we're lucky enough to find rooms.

0:34:070:34:09

For the merchants centuries ago,

0:34:100:34:12

it might have meant a cold night under canvas.

0:34:120:34:15

In the morning, with the toughest part of this leg behind me,

0:34:170:34:21

I set off alone.

0:34:210:34:22

It's refreshing! Whew!

0:34:290:34:30

I'm following an old trade route south along the Ounila Valley.

0:34:330:34:38

The mountains here are rich in natural deposits - copper, silver,

0:34:380:34:42

iron ore and a commodity much favoured by the traders - salt.

0:34:420:34:46

The salt mines marked on my map are all in the desert,

0:34:490:34:52

so I didn't expect to find one this far north.

0:34:520:34:55

The track is dusted with the stuff,

0:34:560:34:59

the first evidence I've come across

0:34:590:35:01

of why these routes are named salt roads.

0:35:010:35:04

The place seems deserted, but as if from nowhere,

0:35:090:35:12

someone arrives to open the mine up.

0:35:120:35:14

It looks pretty old and I'm wondering whether it was around

0:35:160:35:19

in the days of the ancient salt roads themselves.

0:35:190:35:21

One of the men, Zakaria Aboelkassem,

0:35:270:35:29

is a co-owner of the mine and knows its history well.

0:35:290:35:32

Oh, wow.

0:35:360:35:37

Wow.

0:35:450:35:46

'Parts of the mine date back to the 13th century,

0:35:530:35:56

'which puts it right at the peak of trans-Saharan trade.'

0:35:560:35:59

ALICE LAUGHS

0:36:440:36:45

A flower of salt.

0:36:590:37:00

There were salt mines all along the routes to Timbuktu.

0:37:230:37:27

Until paper money was introduced by French colonisers

0:37:270:37:30

in the early 20th century, it was used as a form of currency,

0:37:300:37:34

and it's where our word "salary" comes from.

0:37:340:37:38

Some say that at the height of the trade across the desert,

0:37:380:37:41

salt was as valuable as gold by weight.

0:37:410:37:43

I feel like Indiana Jones. I've just been down this incredible salt mine,

0:37:450:37:49

and this is where they'd have come, the traders,

0:37:490:37:52

with their mules and their donkeys,

0:37:520:37:53

which they'd just brought over that snowy pass,

0:37:530:37:56

and load up with the salt to take to Timbuktu.

0:37:560:37:58

As I continue my journey southwards,

0:38:070:38:09

I'm finding evidence all along the way

0:38:090:38:12

that travelling merchants used this route.

0:38:120:38:15

It became known as the Valley of the Kasbahs

0:38:160:38:18

because it's dotted with ancient buildings where the traders stayed.

0:38:180:38:22

Proof of the sheer volume of trade crossing the desert.

0:38:250:38:28

Kasbahs, like this beautiful one in the small village of Tamatert,

0:38:320:38:37

were built by rich and powerful families

0:38:370:38:39

as fortresses for themselves

0:38:390:38:41

but also for the many merchants who passed through the area.

0:38:410:38:45

This is a fortified village,

0:38:480:38:50

absolutely typical along this route where all the merchants travelled.

0:38:500:38:54

You've got every single thing you would need in it for a stay -

0:38:540:38:57

somewhere to put your animals, a water supply, a granary,

0:38:570:39:01

somewhere to store your goods and to sleep, and also things like a mosque

0:39:010:39:05

and even in some of them they had two cemeteries,

0:39:050:39:07

one for the Jews and one for the Muslims,

0:39:070:39:09

in case you were unlucky enough to die on the route.

0:39:090:39:12

But really the main reason that the merchants wanted to come here...

0:39:120:39:16

..was for the kasbah. The kasbah was the fortress,

0:39:180:39:21

and typically had four big towers, one on each corner,

0:39:210:39:25

tiny little windows and each one of those towers would have soldiers

0:39:250:39:28

guarding it. So once you got yourself into a fortified area,

0:39:280:39:31

into a kasbah, you knew that your goods were safe

0:39:310:39:33

and that you weren't going to get robbed,

0:39:330:39:35

because there were a load of robbers and thieves on this highway,

0:39:350:39:39

and the only downside, I guess, is that, of course,

0:39:390:39:42

you had to pay for it. So the guy who owned this would take a tax

0:39:420:39:46

and there were really quite rich pickings from those caravans.

0:39:460:39:49

A safe and secure place to rest for the night was something

0:39:540:39:58

sensible merchants would gladly pay for.

0:39:580:40:01

After all, most were carrying a precious cargo.

0:40:010:40:03

"Six days past, a nobleman arrived here from Gago called Jordabasha.

0:40:060:40:11

"He brought with him 30 camels laden with tibar, which is unrefined gold,

0:40:110:40:16

"also a great store of pepper, unicorn horns

0:40:160:40:20

"and a great quantity of eunuchs, dwarves and men and women slaves,

0:40:200:40:25

"besides 15 virgins."

0:40:250:40:26

This must have made extraordinary reading for 16th-century Europeans.

0:40:300:40:35

Tales of this kind of cargo on the salt roads would only have added

0:40:350:40:39

to Timbuktu's already glittering reputation.

0:40:390:40:42

This morning, I've left the Valley of the Kasbahs

0:40:480:40:51

and I'm heading into the mountains and plains of the Jbel Saghro.

0:40:510:40:54

I'm trying to reach the ancient city of Sijilmasa,

0:40:570:41:00

the great northern crossroads of the old trade routes.

0:41:000:41:03

But first, I have to cross

0:41:050:41:06

some of the most barren terrain in the world.

0:41:060:41:08

Jbel Saghro means "mountains of drought".

0:41:110:41:14

This area of the Atlas gets a mere 10cm of rain a year,

0:41:140:41:19

the same as parts of the neighbouring Sahara Desert.

0:41:190:41:21

This landscape feels completely prehistoric, it's so rugged,

0:41:240:41:27

it's so violent in some way and yet it is completely beautiful,

0:41:270:41:31

and very, very few outsiders,

0:41:310:41:33

very, very few Westerners get to come here,

0:41:330:41:37

so it's unchanged.

0:41:370:41:39

I have some help to navigate this vast territory.

0:41:440:41:48

This is home to the Ait Atta tribe of Berber nomads,

0:41:510:41:55

who for centuries have guided traders across these mountains.

0:41:550:41:58

I'm lucky enough to count one of the last surviving nomad families

0:42:000:42:03

as friends.

0:42:030:42:04

I was saying I can see the whole family waiting for me.

0:42:070:42:11

-Alice, la vas.

-La vas!

0:42:110:42:13

THEY SPEAK ARABIC

0:42:130:42:15

'Zaid is the head of a large family.

0:42:170:42:19

'He and his wife, Izza, have six children,

0:42:190:42:22

'including a little one, Brahim, who I haven't met before.

0:42:220:42:26

'Zaid's mother, Aisha, is 77.'

0:42:260:42:28

Mama.

0:42:280:42:30

'Berbers venerate their elders and she commands a certain respect.'

0:42:300:42:34

Zaid and his family have 250 goats, which are the main source of income.

0:42:390:42:45

To find grazing for them, they have to keep on the move.

0:42:450:42:48

Every day in summer,

0:42:480:42:49

they pack up the tent they live in and all their belongings

0:42:490:42:52

to find new pastures.

0:42:520:42:54

All the family, young and old, help out.

0:42:560:42:59

Traversing this rocky landscape is no mean feat

0:43:050:43:09

with all the animals, goods and people in tow.

0:43:090:43:12

We have six miles to cover before we stop for the night

0:43:120:43:15

and there are few paths or landmarks to navigate by.

0:43:150:43:18

Their knowledge of the area made these Berber tribes invaluable

0:43:200:43:24

to the merchants, who needed to get their goods across the terrain.

0:43:240:43:27

Centuries ago, these Berbers were doing exactly this.

0:43:290:43:33

They were transporting goods across these treacherous mountains,

0:43:330:43:37

down these difficult paths that they know so well,

0:43:370:43:40

and still today it's the Berbers, with their mules and donkeys,

0:43:400:43:44

who get things to the very remote villages

0:43:440:43:46

that aren't accessible by vehicle. So nothing has changed.

0:43:460:43:50

Zaid's family come from the Ait Atta tribe of Berbers,

0:43:590:44:03

whose history dates back to before the arrival of Arabs and Islam

0:44:030:44:06

in the seventh century.

0:44:060:44:07

At the height of trans-Saharan trade,

0:44:100:44:12

they were the leading Berber tribe.

0:44:120:44:14

But now, nomad numbers are dwindling.

0:44:160:44:19

So Zaid's just been telling me about how he came into this life

0:44:320:44:36

and his father was a nomad before him.

0:44:360:44:38

And his father used to migrate between here and Ait Bougmez,

0:44:380:44:41

which is a three-week trek, and he did that all his life.

0:44:410:44:45

Then when he got older and a bit more tired,

0:44:450:44:47

he bought a very small piece of land down in the valley

0:44:470:44:50

and Zaid is carrying on the tradition with his family,

0:44:500:44:53

which he will pass on to his sons, probably.

0:44:530:44:55

After five hours, our entourage finally comes to a halt.

0:45:050:45:09

It doesn't look much to my eye,

0:45:100:45:11

but this is going to be home for the night.

0:45:110:45:13

But first, there's some work to do.

0:45:170:45:19

The first thing the women did when they got into camp was to go and

0:45:220:45:25

collect the kind of dry scrub

0:45:250:45:27

and then they've just put it straight onto the fire

0:45:270:45:29

because it burns immediately and they put the tea on, first thing.

0:45:290:45:32

This is an azib, left behind by other nomads passing through.

0:45:350:45:39

Experienced hands quickly turn the tumbledown walls into

0:45:390:45:43

a robust enclosure and shelter.

0:45:430:45:45

Once the goatherd tent is up, it's time to think about dinner.

0:45:480:45:52

With typical Berber hospitality,

0:45:560:45:58

they're preparing a meal in my honour,

0:45:580:46:00

and with no supermarket for miles, there's only one thing on the menu.

0:46:000:46:06

Fahid and Zaid...the two Zaids are taking a goat up here to kill it

0:46:060:46:09

for a celebration for my arrival, and of course for me

0:46:090:46:11

it's really difficult to watch an animal being killed,

0:46:110:46:14

even though I do eat meat, so I'm not looking forward to this

0:46:140:46:17

but I have to do it, so I'm going to.

0:46:170:46:18

GOAT CRIES

0:46:290:46:31

SLICING

0:46:350:46:36

It's hard to watch, but it's a great honour.

0:46:410:46:44

Goats represent the family's wealth, so it's a big deal to eat one.

0:46:440:46:48

They immediately set to work to skin the carcass.

0:46:510:46:54

As night falls in the Jbel Saghro mountains,

0:47:100:47:13

Zaid is preparing skewers

0:47:130:47:15

to put the best bits of goat on the open fire.

0:47:150:47:18

Nothing of this animal will be wasted.

0:47:180:47:20

He's just cutting up the heart.

0:47:300:47:32

Got the livers cooking already

0:47:320:47:35

and the kidneys are somewhere in the middle.

0:47:350:47:38

The smell of the meat and Izza's bread cooking on the fire

0:47:390:47:42

is making everybody hungry after a long and active day.

0:47:420:47:45

But I'm not sure whether hearts, livers and kidneys are going to be

0:47:470:47:51

as much of a treat for me as they clearly are for them.

0:47:510:47:54

Tastes really, really good.

0:47:560:47:58

Salty and really savoury but it's a little bit crunchy.

0:47:580:48:01

BOTH: Mmm!

0:48:040:48:05

By 8:30, I'm ready for bed.

0:48:080:48:10

The family all sleep together under rugs and blankets in the tent,

0:48:120:48:16

much as their ancestors would have done,

0:48:160:48:18

and I'm bedding down with them.

0:48:180:48:19

THEY LAUGH

0:48:260:48:28

It's just after six in the morning and everyone's starting to wake up.

0:48:410:48:46

The mother's got up and has put on the fire.

0:48:460:48:48

The kids are awake.

0:48:500:48:51

I'm beginning to get a feel for what the caravans must have been like,

0:48:530:48:58

loading up the animals, unloading them,

0:48:580:49:00

living in a big tent all together,

0:49:000:49:02

eating together and everyone having their job to do and doing it quickly

0:49:020:49:07

and efficiently as they can,

0:49:070:49:09

but I still haven't experienced the burning sands of the desert

0:49:090:49:12

and I'm beginning to look forward to that because it's been so cold.

0:49:120:49:15

The morning fire takes a little chill off the mountain air

0:49:260:49:30

and the hot, sweet tea helps as well.

0:49:300:49:32

THEY SPEAK ARABIC

0:49:410:49:44

Zaid's just telling me that life here in the mountains is too hard,

0:49:470:49:50

that it's too cold, that every day packing up the tent,

0:49:500:49:54

putting up the tent, trying to find food for the animals,

0:49:540:49:57

the children always, always being cold,

0:49:570:50:00

the children getting sick because there's no medicines here,

0:50:000:50:03

that it's too much and what he really wants within the next ten years is to settle in the village

0:50:030:50:08

and what he wants for his children is that they go to school

0:50:080:50:11

and that they get jobs, things like drivers.

0:50:110:50:14

Which of course, to us seems, you know,

0:50:140:50:16

it's such a romantic lifestyle, this, when you see it,

0:50:160:50:18

when you see the family all together,

0:50:180:50:20

when you see how happy they are,

0:50:200:50:21

when you see how hard they're working.

0:50:210:50:23

But having spent the night under canvas, it is absolutely freezing

0:50:230:50:28

and seeing how hard they have to work even to get a fire going,

0:50:280:50:32

it makes you think, would you want to do this?

0:50:320:50:34

And I have to say, the answer is no, I wouldn't. It is too hard.

0:50:340:50:37

So I can completely understand

0:50:370:50:39

why he would want something different for his children.

0:50:390:50:41

It's sad to say goodbye to Zaid and his family.

0:50:500:50:53

There are few nomads left in these mountains, and in a few years' time,

0:50:560:51:00

this way of life may have disappeared altogether.

0:51:000:51:03

I'm leaving the rocky mountain terrain of the Jbel Saghro

0:51:100:51:13

and travelling east.

0:51:130:51:15

100 miles away is my next destination, Sijilmasa,

0:51:170:51:21

an ancient city which was a mecca for trans-Saharan traders due to its

0:51:210:51:25

position on the edge of the Sahara.

0:51:250:51:28

Strangely, it's not marked on any modern maps,

0:51:300:51:33

but I do know that it's next to the modern town of Rissani.

0:51:330:51:37

Rissani seems typical of so many towns in Morocco.

0:51:410:51:46

A bustling market in the centre of town

0:51:460:51:48

and a lot of new houses going up on the outskirts.

0:51:480:51:52

And so far, there's nothing to give me a clue

0:51:520:51:54

as to where the ancient city might be.

0:51:540:51:57

It's proving very difficult to find - no signs, no blue plaques

0:51:580:52:02

and at the moment I'm in what appears to be

0:52:020:52:04

a great big building site.

0:52:040:52:06

Then, something begins to show itself above the skyline.

0:52:120:52:15

A vast, lost city in the sand.

0:52:250:52:27

Sijilmasa was founded at the end of the eighth century

0:52:340:52:37

and became the most important city

0:52:370:52:39

on the trade routes north of the Sahara.

0:52:390:52:41

Its position on the northern edge of the desert meant

0:52:440:52:46

it could control the gold supply coming up from the south.

0:52:460:52:49

It boasted a mosque, a palace

0:52:520:52:54

and probably barracks for soldiers.

0:52:540:52:56

And on its fringes, a huge oasis

0:53:000:53:03

meant there was one thing in abundance - water,

0:53:030:53:06

a lifeline for travellers

0:53:060:53:08

arriving after a gruelling journey through the desert.

0:53:080:53:11

'I've arranged to meet Chloe Capel, a French archaeologist

0:53:150:53:18

'and one of very few who have worked on this site.'

0:53:180:53:21

It's about 2km long,

0:53:220:53:25

800 metres wide and there are so many things to know about it.

0:53:250:53:29

It's not done, not yet.

0:53:290:53:30

There's lots of work for archaeologists here on this site.

0:53:300:53:34

The site has remained a well-kept secret

0:53:420:53:45

and no-one has excavated here for several years.

0:53:450:53:48

There are still pieces of history lying all over the place.

0:53:480:53:52

Here, as you can see...

0:53:520:53:54

-..there is a lid.

-Uh-huh?

0:53:550:54:01

You take it this way on the top of a...

0:54:010:54:04

a cup or a little jar, something like that, and it's medieval.

0:54:040:54:07

-How do you know?

-Because of the shape, because of the paste.

0:54:070:54:11

Maybe it's 12th century or 14th century.

0:54:110:54:15

And it's just lying here on the site?

0:54:150:54:16

-It's everywhere, all around you, on the 2km wide of the site.

-Wow.

0:54:160:54:20

And if I were here at the height of the trans-Saharan trade,

0:54:210:54:24

what would I have seen?

0:54:240:54:26

Probably a very rich city with many houses,

0:54:260:54:32

gardens, numerous gardens,

0:54:320:54:34

because medieval texts tell us that there were many gardens

0:54:340:54:38

inside the city and it was spectacular for travellers

0:54:380:54:41

because they were just emerging from the desert

0:54:410:54:44

and they found this oasis, it was impressive for them.

0:54:440:54:48

The oasis was large enough to cater not only for the townsfolk

0:54:560:55:00

but visiting traders and caravans too.

0:55:000:55:03

And Chloe believes it was planned that way,

0:55:030:55:06

to attract the burgeoning trans-Saharan traffic of the time.

0:55:060:55:09

People, travellers, merchants were aware that

0:55:110:55:15

when you stop in Sijilmasa,

0:55:150:55:17

whenever you stop here, whenever it is in the season, you can find food,

0:55:170:55:22

water, camels, numerous camels to travel, dates, fodder,

0:55:220:55:27

everything to be sure to go safe until Timbuktu,

0:55:270:55:31

until the sub-Saharan Africa.

0:55:310:55:33

It seems to me that in its way, this was the Timbuktu of the north,

0:55:410:55:46

a vital refuelling stop for traders coming out of

0:55:460:55:49

or heading into the Sahara.

0:55:490:55:51

How sad, then, that this great city

0:55:530:55:55

was destroyed in the early 19th century by invading Berber nomads.

0:55:550:55:59

In fact, the same tribe as the nomad family I've just stayed with.

0:56:010:56:05

It's less than a mile back into the centre of Rissani and I'm travelling

0:56:100:56:14

in the way of most traders here, by donkey cart.

0:56:140:56:17

We park up at the town's answer to pay and display.

0:56:200:56:23

SHE SPEAKS ARABIC

0:56:250:56:28

In Rissani's bustling market,

0:56:300:56:32

you can buy just about anything and there are stalls laden with the same

0:56:320:56:36

fresh produce that would have gladdened the hearts of weary desert

0:56:360:56:39

travellers of the Middle Ages.

0:56:390:56:41

-Hafida?

-Hi!

-Hey!

-How are you?

-I'm good.

0:56:460:56:49

'I've come here to meet Hafida H'douban,

0:56:490:56:52

'Morocco's first-ever female trekking guide.'

0:56:520:56:55

Are you looking for some dates?

0:56:550:56:56

'Hafida's taking me on the next, most dangerous leg of the journey,

0:56:560:57:00

'into the Sahara Desert, and she's stocking up with provisions.'

0:57:000:57:04

Taste it, if it's OK.

0:57:040:57:05

-That's nice?

-Yeah.

0:57:070:57:08

I think the best one is that, so I will take from there.

0:57:080:57:11

'Dates were a staple food for people crossing the Sahara.

0:57:110:57:15

'They say you can survive on just seven a day

0:57:150:57:18

'and their high-sugar content means they last for ages.'

0:57:180:57:21

Very energetic and very nice

0:57:220:57:25

and now we are lucky because it's a time for the dates.

0:57:250:57:29

-Perfect!

-It's for this year, it's the new one,

0:57:290:57:31

because in October we have dates.

0:57:310:57:35

-Yeah.

-So it's OK.

0:57:350:57:36

Tomorrow, Hafida and I will be embarking on the most challenging part of my journey so far,

0:57:370:57:43

one which many a trans-Saharan trader didn't survive.

0:57:430:57:47

Next time,

0:57:540:57:56

we trek into 3.5 million square miles of desert...

0:57:560:58:00

..and some of the most extreme temperatures on the planet -

0:58:010:58:04

the great Sahara.

0:58:040:58:05

It was incredibly perilous.

0:58:070:58:10

This is why the goods, when they got to the other end, cost so much,

0:58:100:58:13

it was the danger factor.

0:58:130:58:15

Modern life takes an ugly turn...

0:58:150:58:18

My security contingent has got extremely nervous

0:58:180:58:20

and they won't let me go any further.

0:58:200:58:22

..and I finally make it to the city of my dreams, Timbuktu.

0:58:220:58:27

Now I get it, my first glimpse of the icon of Timbuktu.

0:58:270:58:32

Download Subtitles

SRT

ASS