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host: from the tenth
to the 15th century,

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north and west africa underwent
a dramatic transformation.

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celebrated cities arose,
including timbuktu...

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marrakesh...
and ile ife.

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great scholars wrote books
that filled libraries.

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wealth from trans-saharan trade

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grew on a spectacular scale...

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drawing attention from afar

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to the wonders
of the african continent.

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this is the incredible story

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of how farmers,
traders, and nomads

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from the barren fringes
of the sahara desert

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would build some of the most

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advanced civilizations
in history.

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by 1000 a.d.,

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islam, a religion born
on the arabian peninsula,

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had become established along
the whole north african coast

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and deep into
the iberian peninsula.

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the western extremity
of islamic civilization,

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what's called the maghreb,

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meaning land of
the setting sun.

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this is where our story begins,

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in the city of marrakesh.

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when it was founded
in the year 1070,

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marrakesh was a center
of politics and law.

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but it soon began to attract
merchants and craftsmen

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from the surrounding regions.

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for centuries since,

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luxury goods
have been traded here.

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spices, gold, and textiles.

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in just 50 years,
marrakesh had been transformed

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from a collection
of mud-brick huts

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to a sophisticated metropolis.

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the ancient walled city,
the medina,

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is a maze of narrow laneways.

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it's easy to get lost.

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seemingly around every corner,

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one encounters a fine palace,
a great mosque,

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or a lush garden.

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the origins of much
of this splendor

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can be traced to the influence

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of one charismatic
islamic theologian--

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abdallah ibn yasin.

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woman: ibn yasin
actually originated from

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what's now southern morocco.

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he was obviously someone who was
interested in religious learning

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because he made
the very difficult journey north

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across the high atlas mountains
into spain

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to study in cordoba.

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he seems
to have had aspirations

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to religiously lead
a group of tribes,

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but then lead them
on to greater things

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in a political sense as well.

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host: ibn yasin was a berber.

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his tribe, the judala,

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was part of the sanhaja,

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a group living
in the sahara desert.

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in 1046, ibn yasin was invited
to give the sanhaja

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instruction in the true
principles of islam.

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when they rebelled against this
harsh interpretation of the law,

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he withdrew and founded
a movement to convert them.

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in 1055, he launched a campaign

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to spread his reformist ideas

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among the urban centers
of morocco and ghana.

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bennison: at that point,
the tribes of the sahara were

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fairly superficially islamized,

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so, they were muslim,

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but they didn't have
a deep knowledge

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of the rites and rituals
that came with being muslim...

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nor were they very familiar
with islamic law.

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host: ibn yasin's solution

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was to go back to basics

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and promote a literal
and puritanical

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form of islam.

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he wanted to bring worshippers
back in line

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with what he believed
was the true islamic faith.

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man: ibn yasin talked
about people converting,

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but what he actually meant was
changing the way

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they'd been practicing islam
to the way

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he thought it should
be practiced.

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and he decided that they were
effectively deep sinners,

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and so, they should give up 1/3

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of all their goods to him.

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and he was really fond
of flogging people.

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people left out a word
while they were praying,

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they got some lashes for that.

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if they didn't stand
in the right position,

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they got lashes for that.

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those joining the movement
would be

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whipped and scourged
for the prayers

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they hadn't performed
in their past life.

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they were in a sense literally
being whipped into a frenzy,

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and the zeal for the movement
was being inculcated in them

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through this very intense
phase of initiation.

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host: deep in the desert,

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among the sanhaja berbers,

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his revolutionary message

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attracted a fervent following.

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his followers were called
the almoravids,

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which can be interpreted as

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"people of
the frontier fortress."

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man: this is one of
many movements where

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people come along and say, you
know, "you're doing it wrong,

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and i know the way
to do it right."

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bennison: and it's at that point
in the 1050s

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that the almoravids
begin to coalesce

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as a significant army, as
a significant military force,

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and began to emerge
from their desert territories,

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moving northwards, first of all

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towards the great caravan city
of sijilmasa.

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[men shouting indistinctly]

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host: sijilmasa was
an important trading center

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on the edge of the sahara.

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ibn yasin demanded
that sijilmasa submit

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because of its sins.

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when it refused, he attacked.

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at the caravan city
of sijilmasa,

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the almoravid army
smashed musical instruments

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and shut down the wine shops.

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everywhere they conquered,

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the almoravids imposed
a fundamentalist regime.

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those who failed to comply
risked execution.

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bennison: ibn yasin
was motivated

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by a number of
different factors.

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there was obviously
the religious factor,

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but at the same time, there were
commercial and political motives

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underpinning his actions.

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when they were successful,
they believed that meant

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that they were religiously right
in their approach.

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they saw victory as
a mark of god's favor.

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host: taking sijilmasa
brought ibn yasin and his army

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one step closer
to a major goal--

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control of the trans-saharan
caravan trade,

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especially the trade in gold.

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to complete that mission,
ibn yasin set off

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on the arduous,
thousand-mile journey

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across one of the largest
deserts on the planet--

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the sahara.

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the great expanse
of the sahara desert

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was an ocean to cross.

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it was a barrier
that divided africa

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from north to south,

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and attempts to navigate it
were treacherous.

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long journeys from one oasis
to the next oasis

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could be quite dangerous,
even life-threatening.

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the sahara covers 3 1/2 million
formidable square miles.

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the sanhaja lived across
the whole of the sahara,

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from ghana and takrur
on one side

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to sijilmasa on the other.

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so, berbers like them had been

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criss-crossing the desert
to trade

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for more than 1,000 years.

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around the second century,

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they adopted a new mode
of transportation

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which made crossing easier--
the camel.

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as trans-saharan trade routes
opened up,

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demand for west african gold
increased dramatically.

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the domestication of the camel

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would allow traders to conquer
the unforgiving heat

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and vast distances
through seas of sand

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with far greater efficiency
than ever before.

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on the southern end of
the trans-saharan caravan route

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was a resource-rich land
called the sahel,

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meaning "shore."

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it contained merchant cities
that were gateways

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to the principal source of gold

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for medieval europe.

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one of the largest
of these cities

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was in modern-day mauritania--
awdaghust.

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seize it, and the almoravids

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could control the gold trade.

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that meant confronting a large
sub-saharan state--

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the empire of ghana.

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man: ghana emerges as
a kind of middleman state

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that is going to tap into
west africa mercantile activity

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and especially going to control
the gold trade

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across the desert
from sub-saharan africa.

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host: ghana's roots date back

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to the very first civilizations

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in sub-saharan west africa.

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00:10:07,474 --> 00:10:10,942
around 1500 b.c.,
a rich culture arose

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in the region
of dhar tichitt,

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in today's mauritania.

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eventually, this civilization
spread south

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and founded new settlements
along the niger river,

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where it grew
into a powerful empire.

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ghana is located
right in the middle

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between the senegal
river system

189
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and the niger river system,

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and it's in
a position strategically

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where it can control
access to both of those,

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at least potentially it can.

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control of the gold trade

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generated enormous wealth,

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wealth that built empires.

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and the kingdom of ghana
was poised to exploit

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its perfect location.

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ghana's legendary
wealth and strength

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would lead the gold coast colony
in 1957

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00:10:59,526 --> 00:11:01,593
to adopt "ghana" as the name

201
00:11:01,628 --> 00:11:04,229
of its modern-day nation.

202
00:11:04,264 --> 00:11:06,431
ware: there's an 11th-century
source that says

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00:11:06,466 --> 00:11:09,000
the ruler of
the empire of ghana

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00:11:09,035 --> 00:11:11,302
can put 200,000 soldiers
in the field,

205
00:11:11,338 --> 00:11:12,804
40,000 of them archers.

206
00:11:15,375 --> 00:11:16,941
he's the biggest, baddest
guy on the block

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00:11:16,977 --> 00:11:18,676
and you're not messing with him.
[laughs]

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00:11:18,712 --> 00:11:20,512
thornton:
ghana had a very strong

209
00:11:20,547 --> 00:11:23,848
equestrian tradition
and cavalry

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00:11:23,884 --> 00:11:25,683
that would have
allowed it to dominate

211
00:11:25,719 --> 00:11:28,019
other regions around it.

212
00:11:28,054 --> 00:11:30,155
host: in the tenth century,
ghana's army

213
00:11:30,190 --> 00:11:33,925
had captured awdaghust
from the sanhaja.

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00:11:33,960 --> 00:11:37,495
so, in 1055, ibn yasin arrived

215
00:11:37,531 --> 00:11:40,498
to seize it back
in a brutal takeover.

216
00:11:42,869 --> 00:11:46,504
writing in 1068 a.d.,
the andalusian muslim

217
00:11:46,540 --> 00:11:49,040
geographer and historian
al-bakri

218
00:11:49,075 --> 00:11:51,142
had this to say.

219
00:11:51,178 --> 00:11:53,011
man as al-bakri:
they violated the women

220
00:11:53,046 --> 00:11:55,079
and declared everything
they found there

221
00:11:55,115 --> 00:11:58,283
to be the property
of the muslim community.

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00:11:59,452 --> 00:12:01,653
host: following the loss
of awdaghust,

223
00:12:01,688 --> 00:12:03,254
ghana began to decline,

224
00:12:03,290 --> 00:12:06,991
ultimately falling in 1076.

225
00:12:07,027 --> 00:12:10,361
its traditional religions
first coexisted with,

226
00:12:10,397 --> 00:12:12,630
but then eventually
gave way to,

227
00:12:12,666 --> 00:12:14,399
the force of islam.

228
00:12:14,434 --> 00:12:15,700
thornton: the almoravids
may very well have

229
00:12:15,735 --> 00:12:17,936
converted ghana by conquest

230
00:12:17,971 --> 00:12:19,838
or it may have been
a voluntary conquest

231
00:12:19,873 --> 00:12:22,473
or an alliance or some other
kind of thing.

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00:12:22,509 --> 00:12:25,710
we know that by 1100,
that region had been

233
00:12:25,745 --> 00:12:27,045
converted to islam.

234
00:12:31,785 --> 00:12:32,984
[horse whinnies]

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00:12:38,024 --> 00:12:40,024
host: by the late 1050s,

236
00:12:40,060 --> 00:12:41,559
the almoravid army,

237
00:12:41,595 --> 00:12:44,195
initially comprised
mostly of north african

238
00:12:44,231 --> 00:12:45,964
sanhaja berbers,

239
00:12:45,999 --> 00:12:50,435
now included vast ranks
of sub-saharan africans.

240
00:12:50,470 --> 00:12:52,437
senegalese, you know, soldiers,
not slaves,

241
00:12:52,472 --> 00:12:54,739
free senegalese soldiers
that participated,

242
00:12:54,774 --> 00:12:56,274
at least 4,000 of them.

243
00:12:56,309 --> 00:12:58,009
so, then it's not surprising
that instead

244
00:12:58,044 --> 00:12:59,978
of an adversarial relationship,

245
00:13:00,013 --> 00:13:02,513
the saharan and sub-saharan,
you know, populations

246
00:13:02,549 --> 00:13:04,682
were working in,
you know, in concert.

247
00:13:06,419 --> 00:13:08,620
host: in 1059,
while the almoravids

248
00:13:08,655 --> 00:13:10,822
were campaigning in the desert,

249
00:13:10,857 --> 00:13:13,024
ibn yasin was killed in battle.

250
00:13:14,427 --> 00:13:16,794
but his movement
continued to grow.

251
00:13:18,732 --> 00:13:20,832
one of its new leaders
was a general--

252
00:13:20,867 --> 00:13:23,801
yusuf ibn tashfin.

253
00:13:23,837 --> 00:13:26,170
ibn tashfin marched
the almoravid army

254
00:13:26,206 --> 00:13:28,706
across the high
atlas mountains

255
00:13:28,742 --> 00:13:31,609
and seized control of
the north african coast.

256
00:13:36,082 --> 00:13:40,151
in the year 1070, ibn tashfin
founded a new city

257
00:13:40,186 --> 00:13:42,720
to be his almoravid capital.

258
00:13:42,756 --> 00:13:45,056
it was called marrakesh.

259
00:13:50,063 --> 00:13:51,963
bennison: they settled
on a territory which is

260
00:13:51,998 --> 00:13:55,199
described as being very arid,
very barren,

261
00:13:55,235 --> 00:13:58,136
quite desert-like.

262
00:13:58,171 --> 00:14:00,371
not an area that
one might think of

263
00:14:00,407 --> 00:14:03,274
as immediately being the place
to found a city,

264
00:14:03,310 --> 00:14:06,177
but nonetheless an environment
which was quite akin

265
00:14:06,212 --> 00:14:09,247
to the environment
which they had come from.

266
00:14:09,282 --> 00:14:12,583
bloom: what the almoravids
did was replace

267
00:14:12,619 --> 00:14:14,419
the old town of sijilmasa,

268
00:14:14,454 --> 00:14:17,355
which was on the other side
of the high atlas mountains,

269
00:14:17,390 --> 00:14:21,426
with their new center,
their new city, marrakesh,

270
00:14:21,461 --> 00:14:24,095
which became much greater
than sijilmasa

271
00:14:24,130 --> 00:14:25,563
ever had been before.

272
00:14:27,300 --> 00:14:28,566
host: marrakesh became

273
00:14:28,601 --> 00:14:30,535
such a rich commercial city

274
00:14:30,570 --> 00:14:33,404
for one reason--its location.

275
00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:35,273
it was the terminus
of one of the great

276
00:14:35,308 --> 00:14:38,376
commercial trade routes
on the african continent.

277
00:14:40,714 --> 00:14:42,080
situated halfway between

278
00:14:42,115 --> 00:14:44,515
the sahara
and the mediterranean,

279
00:14:44,551 --> 00:14:46,584
marrakesh was a junction

280
00:14:46,619 --> 00:14:48,987
for goods moving across africa

281
00:14:49,022 --> 00:14:50,755
into europe and asia.

282
00:14:52,425 --> 00:14:57,395
textiles...
leatherwork...

283
00:14:57,430 --> 00:15:00,164
and, above all, gold.

284
00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:02,633
bloom: you know,
war is wonderful.

285
00:15:02,669 --> 00:15:04,736
i mean, i guess, theoretically,
if you--

286
00:15:04,771 --> 00:15:06,804
but it doesn't--
it doesn't provide

287
00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:08,873
the steady means of--
of support,

288
00:15:08,908 --> 00:15:11,409
and so, building a city,
a trading city

289
00:15:11,444 --> 00:15:12,777
is a much better way.

290
00:15:15,048 --> 00:15:17,915
host: as the city grew
in wealth and reputation,

291
00:15:17,951 --> 00:15:20,284
marrakesh became a showcase

292
00:15:20,320 --> 00:15:22,553
for the ingenuity and artistry

293
00:15:22,589 --> 00:15:24,422
of architects and artisans.

294
00:15:24,457 --> 00:15:26,391
[hammering]

295
00:15:29,429 --> 00:15:33,598
bloom: i think that
the almoravids had bad press.

296
00:15:33,633 --> 00:15:36,134
probably the people
who wrote about them

297
00:15:36,169 --> 00:15:38,803
had suffered under their rule,

298
00:15:38,838 --> 00:15:41,439
and so, they didn't have
anything good to say to them.

299
00:15:41,474 --> 00:15:44,776
one of the things that's great
about art and culture,

300
00:15:44,811 --> 00:15:47,145
i mean, is it's sort of
silent testimony

301
00:15:47,180 --> 00:15:49,247
to what happens
during a period.

302
00:15:51,051 --> 00:15:54,485
host: in 1947,
archaeologists uncovered

303
00:15:54,521 --> 00:15:57,088
something here
that shed new light

304
00:15:57,123 --> 00:15:59,323
on its almoravid period.

305
00:15:59,359 --> 00:16:01,359
this tower--the koubba.

306
00:16:08,701 --> 00:16:11,335
bennison: one of the most
notable features of the koubba

307
00:16:11,371 --> 00:16:13,704
is the contrast
between the exterior,

308
00:16:13,740 --> 00:16:17,241
which is quite
plain and simple,

309
00:16:17,277 --> 00:16:19,844
and what you see
when you go inside.

310
00:16:24,150 --> 00:16:25,683
it's a real revelation.

311
00:16:29,923 --> 00:16:33,224
compared to the austerity
of the exterior,

312
00:16:33,259 --> 00:16:37,528
once you get inside
and you look upward,

313
00:16:37,564 --> 00:16:44,802
you see this fantastic,
deeply carved, plaster dome

314
00:16:44,838 --> 00:16:48,306
which has vegetal designs,

315
00:16:48,341 --> 00:16:50,775
conch shell, which in some ways

316
00:16:50,810 --> 00:16:52,343
reminds you of the interior

317
00:16:52,378 --> 00:16:55,279
of the domes in the great mosque
of cordoba.

318
00:16:58,685 --> 00:17:01,219
so, in the day, it would
probably have been

319
00:17:01,254 --> 00:17:03,855
even more of a surprise,
because the plasterwork

320
00:17:03,890 --> 00:17:05,556
would probably
have been painted.

321
00:17:07,794 --> 00:17:09,794
host: one theory holds
that the koubba

322
00:17:09,829 --> 00:17:11,729
was an ablutions pavilion

323
00:17:11,764 --> 00:17:14,065
for a great almoravid mosque,

324
00:17:14,100 --> 00:17:16,334
which no longer exists.

325
00:17:16,369 --> 00:17:18,769
another is that
it was a monument

326
00:17:18,805 --> 00:17:20,271
in a public park.

327
00:17:23,009 --> 00:17:25,042
bennison: we can't really say
exactly what

328
00:17:25,078 --> 00:17:28,312
the koubba was
designed for originally,

329
00:17:28,348 --> 00:17:31,983
but it is part of
the monumental infrastructure

330
00:17:32,018 --> 00:17:35,186
of early marrakesh,
and it was certainly designed

331
00:17:35,221 --> 00:17:38,356
to be a project which
the public would see

332
00:17:38,391 --> 00:17:40,892
and which they would
identify with the almoravids

333
00:17:40,927 --> 00:17:44,462
and which would celebrate
the almoravid empire

334
00:17:44,497 --> 00:17:46,063
in its wider sense.

335
00:17:49,936 --> 00:17:51,369
bloom: the architecture
of the koubba

336
00:17:51,404 --> 00:17:54,305
is a product of
the interaction between

337
00:17:54,340 --> 00:17:57,842
andalusian builders
and techniques

338
00:17:57,877 --> 00:18:00,111
and north african patrons.

339
00:18:01,714 --> 00:18:03,681
the almoravids
have this reputation

340
00:18:03,716 --> 00:18:07,218
of not being attuned
to aesthetic things.

341
00:18:07,253 --> 00:18:09,153
clearly were
interested, because

342
00:18:09,189 --> 00:18:13,191
they must have brought
very talented artisans

343
00:18:13,226 --> 00:18:17,929
to build these structures
from spain to morocco,

344
00:18:17,964 --> 00:18:20,131
and of course, the artisans
were happy to come,

345
00:18:20,166 --> 00:18:21,899
because this is where
the money was.

346
00:18:24,137 --> 00:18:26,237
host: by the end
of the 11th century,

347
00:18:26,272 --> 00:18:29,407
marrakesh had become
a place of affluence,

348
00:18:29,442 --> 00:18:31,008
wealth, and luxury,

349
00:18:31,044 --> 00:18:33,778
a far cry from the berbers'
nomadic existence

350
00:18:33,813 --> 00:18:36,113
in the remote atlas mountains.

351
00:18:36,149 --> 00:18:39,083
the berbers had gone from being
mercenaries for hire

352
00:18:39,118 --> 00:18:40,318
to empire builders.

353
00:18:43,323 --> 00:18:47,158
in 1085, war broke out
in al andalus,

354
00:18:47,193 --> 00:18:49,193
the patchwork
of muslim-ruled kingdoms

355
00:18:49,229 --> 00:18:52,129
in the iberian peninsula.

356
00:18:52,165 --> 00:18:55,366
a christian king,
alfonso vi of leon,

357
00:18:55,401 --> 00:18:58,803
seized the central spanish city
of toledo from the muslims.

358
00:19:00,506 --> 00:19:03,140
across the straits of gibraltar
in north africa,

359
00:19:03,176 --> 00:19:06,911
yusuf ibn tashfin was now
the supreme almoravid leader.

360
00:19:13,052 --> 00:19:15,553
bennison: the muslim rulers
of the peninsula

361
00:19:15,588 --> 00:19:18,723
desperately needed
military assistance,

362
00:19:18,758 --> 00:19:20,758
and they began to send messages

363
00:19:20,793 --> 00:19:23,661
down to yusuf ibn tashfin
in north africa, saying,

364
00:19:23,696 --> 00:19:26,097
you know, you're an important
muslim ruler.

365
00:19:26,132 --> 00:19:29,133
you have a good army.
we need military support.

366
00:19:33,673 --> 00:19:35,406
host: with ibn tashfin's help,

367
00:19:35,441 --> 00:19:37,275
the andalusian army

368
00:19:37,310 --> 00:19:39,310
halted alfonso's advance

369
00:19:39,345 --> 00:19:41,379
at the bloody battle
of zallaqa.

370
00:19:42,915 --> 00:19:46,117
then, ibn tashfin
decided to seize

371
00:19:46,152 --> 00:19:48,986
the andalusian territories
for himself.

372
00:19:54,394 --> 00:19:57,328
bennison: the only way
to hold the peninsula

373
00:19:57,363 --> 00:20:00,298
was to actually conquer it
and bring it into his empire.

374
00:20:00,333 --> 00:20:03,734
he felt that the kings
of al andalus were too weak,

375
00:20:03,770 --> 00:20:05,836
too likely to pay tribute

376
00:20:05,872 --> 00:20:08,572
and join with christians
in alliances

377
00:20:08,608 --> 00:20:10,508
to hold the territory.

378
00:20:10,543 --> 00:20:13,444
host: by the time
of his death in 1106,

379
00:20:13,479 --> 00:20:17,148
ibn tashfin's empire
stretched from central spain

380
00:20:17,183 --> 00:20:19,116
to southern mauritania,

381
00:20:19,152 --> 00:20:21,919
and from lisbon to algiers.

382
00:20:21,954 --> 00:20:24,722
[sheep baa-ing]

383
00:20:24,757 --> 00:20:27,725
a flourishing world
of art, science,

384
00:20:27,760 --> 00:20:29,560
commerce, and religion.

385
00:20:35,134 --> 00:20:37,401
bennison: the iberian peninsula
and north africa

386
00:20:37,437 --> 00:20:39,136
were seen as the two shores

387
00:20:39,172 --> 00:20:41,706
of a single political entity,

388
00:20:41,741 --> 00:20:44,008
the almoravid empire,
and there was

389
00:20:44,043 --> 00:20:47,311
enormous movement
backwards and forwards

390
00:20:47,347 --> 00:20:48,746
across the straits
of gibraltar,

391
00:20:48,781 --> 00:20:50,481
which are very much a bridge

392
00:20:50,516 --> 00:20:53,718
rather than a barrier
at this time.

393
00:20:53,753 --> 00:20:56,587
host: the almoravid empire
had rapidly expanded,

394
00:20:56,622 --> 00:20:58,489
but it would prove
to be short-lived.

395
00:21:04,430 --> 00:21:08,132
in the 1120s, a new
berber religious movement arose

396
00:21:08,167 --> 00:21:12,837
in remote valleys
of the atlas mountains.

397
00:21:12,872 --> 00:21:15,172
they were known
as the almohads,

398
00:21:15,208 --> 00:21:17,508
a term derived from
the arabic word

399
00:21:17,543 --> 00:21:19,977
for the monotheists.

400
00:21:20,012 --> 00:21:23,514
in 1147, they overthrew
the almoravids

401
00:21:23,549 --> 00:21:26,183
and founded their own empire.

402
00:21:26,219 --> 00:21:29,086
the almohads used literacy
as a vital tool

403
00:21:29,122 --> 00:21:31,322
to spread the word of islam.

404
00:21:31,357 --> 00:21:34,658
in the city of fez,
northeast of marrakesh,

405
00:21:34,694 --> 00:21:37,795
islamic scholarship
would reach new heights.

406
00:21:41,567 --> 00:21:43,534
fez has been
a center of learning

407
00:21:43,569 --> 00:21:47,471
since it was founded
in the year 789 a.d.

408
00:21:47,507 --> 00:21:51,041
but under almohad rule,
in the 12th century,

409
00:21:51,077 --> 00:21:53,944
it became a truly
global hub for knowledge.

410
00:21:57,049 --> 00:21:58,749
woman: fez is just
a remarkable city

411
00:21:58,785 --> 00:22:01,018
and such an important center.

412
00:22:01,053 --> 00:22:04,822
it was always the intellectual
capital in a certain sense.

413
00:22:04,857 --> 00:22:07,792
the scholars' capital
within morocco.

414
00:22:11,764 --> 00:22:13,798
fez stood among the greatest
centers of education,

415
00:22:13,833 --> 00:22:15,900
not only on
the african continent

416
00:22:15,935 --> 00:22:18,202
but throughout
the medieval world.

417
00:22:18,237 --> 00:22:20,971
home to astonishing
breakthroughs in science,

418
00:22:21,007 --> 00:22:23,207
mathematics, and astronomy.

419
00:22:25,044 --> 00:22:27,611
fez, during europe's
middle ages,

420
00:22:27,647 --> 00:22:31,515
was a city of more than
200,000 people

421
00:22:31,551 --> 00:22:36,320
crammed into a maze of more than
9,000 twisting streets.

422
00:22:38,424 --> 00:22:41,292
today, the fez el bali
walled medina

423
00:22:41,327 --> 00:22:45,296
is the largest urban pedestrian
precinct in the world.

424
00:22:45,331 --> 00:22:48,065
bloom: you go inside
these great gateways

425
00:22:48,100 --> 00:22:50,468
and suddenly,
there are no more cars.

426
00:22:50,503 --> 00:22:52,369
there are no more
wheeled vehicles

427
00:22:52,405 --> 00:22:55,139
except for, like,
little trolleys or hand carts

428
00:22:55,174 --> 00:22:56,173
to move things.

429
00:22:56,209 --> 00:22:59,510
it's all beasts of burden--
donkeys--

430
00:22:59,545 --> 00:23:03,180
or humans of burden,
porters carrying it,

431
00:23:03,216 --> 00:23:04,482
and everyone's
screaming at you,

432
00:23:04,517 --> 00:23:07,017
"belak, belak," "watch out,
watch out, watch out,"

433
00:23:07,053 --> 00:23:08,552
and they're
coming up behind you.

434
00:23:08,588 --> 00:23:10,654
and it's, like, total chaos.

435
00:23:14,093 --> 00:23:16,026
host: in the middle
of this bustling city

436
00:23:16,062 --> 00:23:20,197
sits a mosque begun
in the year 859 a.d.--

437
00:23:20,233 --> 00:23:21,432
the kairaouine.

438
00:23:26,305 --> 00:23:31,075
it's arguably the world's oldest
institution of higher learning.

439
00:23:31,110 --> 00:23:34,044
two centuries before
european universities

440
00:23:34,080 --> 00:23:36,847
like oxford and bologna
even existed,

441
00:23:36,883 --> 00:23:40,684
the kairaouine was issuing
medical degrees.

442
00:23:40,720 --> 00:23:44,188
bloom: the kairaouine was
founded in the ninth century,

443
00:23:44,223 --> 00:23:46,924
supposedly by
one of two sisters

444
00:23:46,959 --> 00:23:49,260
who came from kairouan,
which was

445
00:23:49,295 --> 00:23:51,662
the capital of tunisia.

446
00:23:51,697 --> 00:23:53,430
and so, it was called
the kairaouine,

447
00:23:53,466 --> 00:23:56,667
meaning "the mosque
for the people of kairouan."

448
00:23:56,702 --> 00:23:59,403
this was the most important
mosque in the city,

449
00:23:59,438 --> 00:24:01,472
and the reason was
because it was the center

450
00:24:01,507 --> 00:24:04,141
of muslim scholarship,
muslim learning

451
00:24:04,176 --> 00:24:06,610
for the whole region.

452
00:24:12,385 --> 00:24:16,754
host: in 1349, the kairaouine
was endowed with a library,

453
00:24:16,789 --> 00:24:21,292
home to more than 5,600
priceless arabic manuscripts.

454
00:24:24,730 --> 00:24:29,166
professor said ennahid
is an expert on its history.

455
00:24:29,201 --> 00:24:30,734
said, what are
some of the great

456
00:24:30,770 --> 00:24:33,504
literary treasures
held in this library?

457
00:24:33,539 --> 00:24:36,006
one good example
is volume 5

458
00:24:36,042 --> 00:24:37,908
of ibn khaldun's book.

459
00:24:37,944 --> 00:24:39,977
ibn khaldun was
a very famous scholar.

460
00:24:40,012 --> 00:24:41,845
we think of him
as the father of--

461
00:24:41,881 --> 00:24:43,647
of--of sociology.

462
00:24:43,683 --> 00:24:46,417
and he wrote
this masterpiece,

463
00:24:46,452 --> 00:24:49,386
universal history,
in late 14th century,

464
00:24:49,422 --> 00:24:51,789
and we have this
volume number 5

465
00:24:51,824 --> 00:24:54,224
with his signature
on it saying that

466
00:24:54,260 --> 00:24:57,328
this copy should stay
here at--at the library.

467
00:24:57,363 --> 00:24:58,495
he was
a student here.

468
00:24:58,531 --> 00:25:00,464
he had this strong
connection with fez.

469
00:25:00,499 --> 00:25:01,865
maybe as a student
but maybe also

470
00:25:01,901 --> 00:25:03,834
as a--as a teacher,
or at least

471
00:25:03,869 --> 00:25:06,337
as someone who had
connections with

472
00:25:06,372 --> 00:25:07,972
the elite of fez.

473
00:25:08,007 --> 00:25:09,473
we know that
he was here,

474
00:25:09,508 --> 00:25:10,641
maybe in this
very spot.

475
00:25:10,676 --> 00:25:11,976
wow. amazing.

476
00:25:13,746 --> 00:25:16,714
some of the most important
intellectuals of the middle ages

477
00:25:16,749 --> 00:25:19,950
did their finest work
here in fez,

478
00:25:19,986 --> 00:25:22,119
and in the almohad empire
more generally.

479
00:25:23,489 --> 00:25:26,690
bloom: these are
cultural figures who flourished

480
00:25:26,726 --> 00:25:30,961
and they became, in effect,
the gateway for

481
00:25:30,997 --> 00:25:35,566
the transfer of
classical knowledge to the west.

482
00:25:35,601 --> 00:25:38,769
host: one especially brilliant
scholar was ibn rushd,

483
00:25:38,804 --> 00:25:43,273
also known by his
latinized name--averroes.

484
00:25:43,309 --> 00:25:47,111
averroes was considered
the greatest interpreter

485
00:25:47,146 --> 00:25:49,079
of aristotle.

486
00:25:49,115 --> 00:25:51,382
so, when europeans started

487
00:25:51,417 --> 00:25:53,217
wanting to study aristotle,

488
00:25:53,252 --> 00:25:55,419
they turned to
the arabic writings,

489
00:25:55,454 --> 00:25:58,255
which they then
translated into latin.

490
00:25:58,290 --> 00:26:00,658
host: another noted scholar
at the kairaouine

491
00:26:00,693 --> 00:26:02,860
was hasan wazzan,

492
00:26:02,895 --> 00:26:06,930
also known as leo africanus.

493
00:26:06,966 --> 00:26:10,401
thornton: leo africanus was
a north african legal scholar

494
00:26:10,436 --> 00:26:13,170
who was actually captured
by christian pirates

495
00:26:13,205 --> 00:26:15,706
and became a slave of the pope
for a while.

496
00:26:15,741 --> 00:26:17,374
while he was a slave
of the pope, he wrote

497
00:26:17,410 --> 00:26:21,245
a description of basically
all of north and west africa.

498
00:26:24,483 --> 00:26:26,750
host: beyond the walls
of fez's kairaouine,

499
00:26:26,786 --> 00:26:30,754
instruction took place in a
network of residential schools

500
00:26:30,790 --> 00:26:32,289
called madrassas.

501
00:26:37,930 --> 00:26:40,431
the madrassas,
or islamic schools,

502
00:26:40,466 --> 00:26:42,299
were structured like
the medieval colleges

503
00:26:42,334 --> 00:26:44,034
of oxford and cambridge.

504
00:26:44,070 --> 00:26:46,937
students could deepen their
understanding of the koran

505
00:26:46,972 --> 00:26:49,373
and study the most
important developments

506
00:26:49,408 --> 00:26:51,508
in the sciences and humanities.

507
00:26:53,079 --> 00:26:56,480
by the 14th century,
7 great madrassas

508
00:26:56,515 --> 00:26:58,115
thrived in fez,

509
00:26:58,150 --> 00:26:59,650
the most famous of which

510
00:26:59,685 --> 00:27:01,351
was the bou inania,

511
00:27:01,387 --> 00:27:04,555
founded in the year 1350.

512
00:27:04,590 --> 00:27:06,523
[man calling in arabic]

513
00:27:25,878 --> 00:27:29,313
preston blier: the repetition
of design, on the one hand,

514
00:27:29,348 --> 00:27:33,050
there is a sort of mathematical
quality in it,

515
00:27:33,085 --> 00:27:36,553
of multiples of geometries,
of that play of forms,

516
00:27:36,589 --> 00:27:39,022
but there's also
something that takes on

517
00:27:39,058 --> 00:27:40,858
an element of meditation

518
00:27:40,893 --> 00:27:42,760
as you begin to explore a form

519
00:27:42,795 --> 00:27:44,661
and it merges into another form

520
00:27:44,697 --> 00:27:47,631
and it separates
from one into another.

521
00:27:47,666 --> 00:27:50,200
you can't really
go away from these

522
00:27:50,236 --> 00:27:53,036
without just being in awe of

523
00:27:53,072 --> 00:27:55,973
the incredible artisans
and architects

524
00:27:56,008 --> 00:27:57,141
who created them.

525
00:28:05,451 --> 00:28:07,751
host: when fez was
reaching its peak,

526
00:28:07,787 --> 00:28:10,053
a new center
of scholarship emerged

527
00:28:10,089 --> 00:28:12,489
1,200 miles away,

528
00:28:12,525 --> 00:28:15,659
on the southern shore
of the sahara desert.

529
00:28:15,694 --> 00:28:19,096
it became a kind of sister city
to fez,

530
00:28:19,131 --> 00:28:21,465
and no less legendary--

531
00:28:21,500 --> 00:28:24,168
the fabled city of timbuktu.

532
00:28:30,409 --> 00:28:32,376
since the 14th century,

533
00:28:32,411 --> 00:28:34,878
timbuktu has been
a place of mystery

534
00:28:34,914 --> 00:28:37,080
in the imagination
of the west,

535
00:28:37,116 --> 00:28:40,217
a metaphor for the remotest
place on earth.

536
00:28:40,252 --> 00:28:41,985
but timbuktu was to become
one of the great

537
00:28:42,021 --> 00:28:44,021
cities of the medieval world,

538
00:28:44,056 --> 00:28:46,924
an unparalleled center
of scholarship,

539
00:28:46,959 --> 00:28:48,859
learning, and trade.

540
00:28:53,599 --> 00:28:57,234
timbuktu had its own counterpart
to fez's kairaouine--

541
00:28:57,269 --> 00:28:58,902
the sankore mosque.

542
00:29:02,274 --> 00:29:04,241
thornton: timbuktu
really attracted

543
00:29:04,276 --> 00:29:06,143
a lot of very learned scholars,

544
00:29:06,178 --> 00:29:09,546
and the sankore mosque
in particular became,

545
00:29:09,582 --> 00:29:14,151
really, the university
of west africa for muslims.

546
00:29:14,186 --> 00:29:16,587
so, if you were
an islamic scholar

547
00:29:16,622 --> 00:29:19,122
and you were living in a village
in the gambia, let's say,

548
00:29:19,158 --> 00:29:20,858
one of your aspirations
would be

549
00:29:20,893 --> 00:29:23,160
if you--if you really
studied hard and you did well,

550
00:29:23,195 --> 00:29:25,896
you might go up to timbuktu,
and that was like the ph.d.

551
00:29:28,767 --> 00:29:30,934
host: the heart of timbuktu's
intellectual life

552
00:29:30,970 --> 00:29:33,237
was its libraries.

553
00:29:33,272 --> 00:29:36,073
between the 14th
and the 17th centuries,

554
00:29:36,108 --> 00:29:39,209
they acquired hundreds
of thousands of books,

555
00:29:39,245 --> 00:29:41,111
mostly written by
african authors

556
00:29:41,146 --> 00:29:42,546
working in the city.

557
00:29:46,118 --> 00:29:48,018
the first time
i visited timbuktu

558
00:29:48,053 --> 00:29:50,621
and saw those
astonishing libraries

559
00:29:50,656 --> 00:29:53,423
with their wealth
of scholarly text,

560
00:29:53,459 --> 00:29:55,626
i wanted to cry.

561
00:29:55,661 --> 00:29:58,528
i grew up being told that
africans never wrote books,

562
00:29:58,564 --> 00:30:02,232
yet here was this
astonishing treasure trove

563
00:30:02,268 --> 00:30:05,002
of extraordinary,
hand-written manuscripts.

564
00:30:05,037 --> 00:30:06,470
many of them were religious,

565
00:30:06,505 --> 00:30:12,175
but there were also books about
math, astronomy, philosophy.

566
00:30:12,211 --> 00:30:16,513
i felt incredible pride
and vindication.

567
00:30:16,548 --> 00:30:18,448
books produced in timbuktu

568
00:30:18,484 --> 00:30:21,451
became valuable objects
in themselves,

569
00:30:21,487 --> 00:30:24,621
prized all over africa
and beyond.

570
00:30:24,657 --> 00:30:27,958
thornton: leo africanus,
he talks about timbuktu

571
00:30:27,993 --> 00:30:30,160
and he mentions how it's
such an important center

572
00:30:30,195 --> 00:30:32,896
for the book trade,
and how books are sold

573
00:30:32,932 --> 00:30:36,233
and sold for very high prices
and--and so on.

574
00:30:37,937 --> 00:30:41,171
ware: there's a manual
that has everything that

575
00:30:41,206 --> 00:30:43,473
a learned scholar in the bend
of the niger river

576
00:30:43,509 --> 00:30:46,476
in the 1400s needs to know--

577
00:30:46,512 --> 00:30:48,345
how to keep your wife happy,

578
00:30:48,380 --> 00:30:50,180
how to get in and out
of a canoe,

579
00:30:50,215 --> 00:30:53,550
how to help a woman who isn't
producing enough milk

580
00:30:53,585 --> 00:30:55,052
to nurse her--her child.

581
00:30:55,087 --> 00:30:57,688
it's a window onto

582
00:30:57,723 --> 00:31:01,291
all of the concerns
and preoccupations of

583
00:31:01,327 --> 00:31:04,361
an african muslim society
in the 1400s.

584
00:31:05,965 --> 00:31:09,399
host: timbuktu became
one of the principal cities

585
00:31:09,435 --> 00:31:12,636
of a rising new power
in west africa--

586
00:31:12,671 --> 00:31:14,805
the empire of mali.

587
00:31:19,078 --> 00:31:21,912
mali was founded
around the year 1240

588
00:31:21,947 --> 00:31:26,283
by a legendary warrior king
called sundiata

589
00:31:26,318 --> 00:31:28,685
who grew his small
provincial kingdom

590
00:31:28,721 --> 00:31:32,856
into the largest state that has
ever existed in west africa.

591
00:31:35,894 --> 00:31:38,462
when king sundiata
assembled his army,

592
00:31:38,497 --> 00:31:41,999
he ordered his local chiefs
to surrender their titles.

593
00:31:42,034 --> 00:31:44,568
such was the reverence
accorded to the king

594
00:31:44,603 --> 00:31:47,904
that his subjects were said
to approach him on their knees.

595
00:31:47,940 --> 00:31:49,873
mali would become
a great empire,

596
00:31:49,908 --> 00:31:53,243
with political, military,
and religious power

597
00:31:53,278 --> 00:31:55,779
concentrated in the figure
of the emperor.

598
00:32:00,219 --> 00:32:02,719
ware: the empire of mali
takes the mantle

599
00:32:02,755 --> 00:32:04,788
from the empire of ghana,

600
00:32:04,823 --> 00:32:07,224
insofar as it comes to control

601
00:32:07,259 --> 00:32:09,593
the gold trade
from west africa,

602
00:32:09,628 --> 00:32:12,129
but it doesn't just
take over, it expands.

603
00:32:12,164 --> 00:32:15,065
so, this is the time
when the gold trade

604
00:32:15,100 --> 00:32:17,968
really reaches its height,
and when the kind of

605
00:32:18,003 --> 00:32:21,605
wealth and opulence of the
west african imperial states

606
00:32:21,640 --> 00:32:23,073
are--are greatest.

607
00:32:24,843 --> 00:32:27,044
host: through its control
of the gold trade,

608
00:32:27,079 --> 00:32:31,481
mali became the superpower
of the medieval world.

609
00:32:31,517 --> 00:32:34,084
but gold was just
one of its products,

610
00:32:34,119 --> 00:32:36,820
exchanged through a complex
commercial network

611
00:32:36,855 --> 00:32:38,388
that transversed the desert.

612
00:32:41,693 --> 00:32:43,960
thornton: even though
the sahara desert looks empty,

613
00:32:43,996 --> 00:32:47,264
it's actually--they have got
trading communities

614
00:32:47,299 --> 00:32:50,300
located within the desert,
and there are stages of trade

615
00:32:50,335 --> 00:32:52,669
that go back and forth.

616
00:32:52,704 --> 00:32:55,672
when we talk about
the trans-saharan trade,

617
00:32:55,707 --> 00:32:58,975
it gives the sense
or the impression that

618
00:32:59,011 --> 00:33:02,079
goods were transiting
through the sahara

619
00:33:02,114 --> 00:33:04,714
to get to markets to the north.

620
00:33:04,750 --> 00:33:06,349
but the sense
in which the sahara

621
00:33:06,385 --> 00:33:08,285
was a world in its own,

622
00:33:08,320 --> 00:33:09,886
and a very integrated world.

623
00:33:11,256 --> 00:33:13,723
host: one of the most valuable
items of the trade

624
00:33:13,759 --> 00:33:19,863
originated within
the desert itself--salt.

625
00:33:19,898 --> 00:33:22,933
salt is the refrigeration
of the ancient world, right?

626
00:33:22,968 --> 00:33:26,036
so that you can't, you know,
have meat or fish

627
00:33:26,071 --> 00:33:28,505
or any kind of, you know,
protein products

628
00:33:28,540 --> 00:33:30,707
last more than a couple of days

629
00:33:30,742 --> 00:33:33,777
unless you salt them
and smoke them.

630
00:33:33,812 --> 00:33:36,680
salt is almost
impossible to find

631
00:33:36,715 --> 00:33:38,582
in sub-saharan west africa,

632
00:33:38,617 --> 00:33:42,452
except when people
are making sea salt.

633
00:33:42,488 --> 00:33:45,222
akyeampong: in the sahara,
salt was mined,

634
00:33:45,257 --> 00:33:48,625
and mined in forms
that were like slabs.

635
00:33:48,660 --> 00:33:52,562
it could be carried
for hundreds of miles

636
00:33:52,598 --> 00:33:54,431
on the back of camels.

637
00:33:54,466 --> 00:33:56,600
[camel grunts]

638
00:34:01,673 --> 00:34:04,341
host: another
commonly-traded commodity

639
00:34:04,376 --> 00:34:08,812
made salt mining
even more profitable--slaves.

640
00:34:12,784 --> 00:34:15,785
slaves were captured as a result
of military action,

641
00:34:15,821 --> 00:34:18,221
such as war or sometimes raids,

642
00:34:18,257 --> 00:34:20,423
then sold to berber traders.

643
00:34:22,427 --> 00:34:25,862
ware: there were some slaves
that were incorporated

644
00:34:25,898 --> 00:34:29,199
in the trans-saharan trade
in the early period.

645
00:34:29,234 --> 00:34:31,635
there's actually not just
an export of trade--

646
00:34:31,670 --> 00:34:34,171
of slaves from sub-saharan
africa in small numbers,

647
00:34:34,206 --> 00:34:35,906
but there's also
an import of slaves

648
00:34:35,941 --> 00:34:38,775
into sub-saharan africa
from north africa and europe,

649
00:34:38,810 --> 00:34:40,110
also in small numbers.

650
00:34:42,247 --> 00:34:44,915
akyeampong: they would
settle the slaves around oases

651
00:34:44,950 --> 00:34:48,852
to grow cereals
and other crops.

652
00:34:48,887 --> 00:34:52,622
slaves also worked
in gold mines.

653
00:34:52,658 --> 00:34:56,593
much of the surplus that
went into long-distance trade

654
00:34:56,628 --> 00:35:00,664
was actually production
based on slavery.

655
00:35:00,699 --> 00:35:04,301
host: it wasn't only commodities
like gold, salt, or slaves

656
00:35:04,336 --> 00:35:06,503
that moved across the desert.

657
00:35:06,538 --> 00:35:09,673
traders also carried with them
treasured personal possessions.

658
00:35:15,614 --> 00:35:19,749
the british library in london
holds one such object--

659
00:35:19,785 --> 00:35:21,418
a saddlebag koran.

660
00:35:25,090 --> 00:35:27,424
gus, what's
a saddlebag koran?

661
00:35:27,459 --> 00:35:30,460
a saddlebag koran is,
it's loose-leafed koran

662
00:35:30,495 --> 00:35:32,896
that would fit
into a bag

663
00:35:32,931 --> 00:35:34,998
so that it could be--
it could be

664
00:35:35,033 --> 00:35:36,733
carried with you
wherever you went.

665
00:35:36,768 --> 00:35:38,702
who would've
produced this,

666
00:35:38,737 --> 00:35:41,805
created this beautiful
edition of the koran?

667
00:35:41,840 --> 00:35:44,574
well, this is
by one hand.

668
00:35:44,610 --> 00:35:47,344
these are breaks
to particular bits
in the koran,

669
00:35:47,379 --> 00:35:49,613
and so, they have
illustrations
in them, so,

670
00:35:49,648 --> 00:35:51,982
it's someone who
understood that this

671
00:35:52,017 --> 00:35:53,950
had to be
not just accurate

672
00:35:53,986 --> 00:35:55,719
but also incredibly
beautiful,

673
00:35:55,754 --> 00:35:57,520
because it's about
uplifting people,

674
00:35:57,556 --> 00:36:02,025
not just
through words but
also aesthetically.

675
00:36:02,060 --> 00:36:03,693
so, this was
for families,

676
00:36:03,729 --> 00:36:05,862
for people who would
travel abroad, um,

677
00:36:05,897 --> 00:36:07,931
and they wanted
to have a koran,

678
00:36:07,966 --> 00:36:09,666
but they also wanted
something where

679
00:36:09,701 --> 00:36:11,668
they could
take leaves out,

680
00:36:11,703 --> 00:36:13,837
they could refer
to it, they could
look at it.

681
00:36:13,872 --> 00:36:16,072
and share them.
and share them. exactly.

682
00:36:16,108 --> 00:36:17,641
this would be
something that

683
00:36:17,676 --> 00:36:20,343
through its
accumulated use

684
00:36:20,379 --> 00:36:23,246
could become
more important.

685
00:36:23,282 --> 00:36:24,714
so, like the gates
family bible,

686
00:36:24,750 --> 00:36:27,250
which was started
by my great-grandmother.

687
00:36:27,286 --> 00:36:28,218
exactly.

688
00:36:31,490 --> 00:36:33,657
host: merchants could afford
such luxury objects

689
00:36:33,692 --> 00:36:37,460
in part because of the
ever-increasing global demand

690
00:36:37,496 --> 00:36:39,462
for mali's gold.

691
00:36:39,498 --> 00:36:41,331
[camel grunts]

692
00:36:41,366 --> 00:36:44,401
probably something like
3/4 of the gold

693
00:36:44,436 --> 00:36:47,537
that's going into north african
and european markets

694
00:36:47,572 --> 00:36:49,172
in the medieval period
is coming out

695
00:36:49,207 --> 00:36:50,640
of the empire of mali.

696
00:36:53,145 --> 00:36:54,744
throughout most
of the middle ages,

697
00:36:54,780 --> 00:36:56,579
europe was
on the gold standard,

698
00:36:56,615 --> 00:36:59,649
and without african gold,
the whole currency of europe

699
00:36:59,685 --> 00:37:01,685
basically would fall.

700
00:37:03,188 --> 00:37:05,021
they were already melting down

701
00:37:05,057 --> 00:37:07,023
roman coins in this period

702
00:37:07,059 --> 00:37:09,592
to try to make up in part
for this lack.

703
00:37:11,830 --> 00:37:14,297
host: mali's role in
global commerce brought it

704
00:37:14,333 --> 00:37:18,668
recognition, respect,
and envy from afar.

705
00:37:18,704 --> 00:37:20,970
this is the catalan atlas,

706
00:37:21,006 --> 00:37:24,040
a map dating from 1375,

707
00:37:24,076 --> 00:37:27,177
probably owned by
king charles v of france.

708
00:37:29,414 --> 00:37:32,048
on its southern edge is mali,

709
00:37:32,084 --> 00:37:34,718
personified by
its greatest ruler,

710
00:37:34,753 --> 00:37:37,687
the legendary emperor
mansa musa.

711
00:37:39,358 --> 00:37:40,724
gus, it's such
a surprise to see

712
00:37:40,759 --> 00:37:44,260
a black man
on a map from
the 14th century.

713
00:37:44,296 --> 00:37:47,564
how did mansa musa
get on this atlas?

714
00:37:47,599 --> 00:37:50,533
this was a known
figure in europe.

715
00:37:50,569 --> 00:37:53,703
this was someone
who had influence,

716
00:37:53,739 --> 00:37:56,406
not just within africa
but beyond.

717
00:37:56,441 --> 00:38:00,043
and he was interested
himself in seeing

718
00:38:00,078 --> 00:38:01,511
beyond his own kingdom.

719
00:38:01,546 --> 00:38:03,146
and he's represented
with his--

720
00:38:03,181 --> 00:38:06,116
the gold orb,
gold crown,
gold scepter.

721
00:38:06,151 --> 00:38:08,318
yes. yes. and it's
a fantastically

722
00:38:08,353 --> 00:38:09,619
wealthy kingdom.

723
00:38:09,654 --> 00:38:11,488
it has some of
the biggest gold mines

724
00:38:11,523 --> 00:38:13,156
in the region.

725
00:38:13,191 --> 00:38:15,759
it also has copper.
it also has salt.

726
00:38:15,794 --> 00:38:17,260
if you look
at this map,

727
00:38:17,295 --> 00:38:19,095
it gives
a sense of how

728
00:38:19,131 --> 00:38:20,930
it's right at the center

729
00:38:20,966 --> 00:38:22,932
of a nexus
of trade routes

730
00:38:22,968 --> 00:38:25,535
that link it
right across
the continent.

731
00:38:25,570 --> 00:38:27,504
it's not just the cont--
it's beyond.

732
00:38:28,707 --> 00:38:30,440
host: mali's control
of a large share

733
00:38:30,475 --> 00:38:33,410
of the world's gold supply,
especially europe's,

734
00:38:33,445 --> 00:38:36,546
gave mansa musa
wealth beyond compare.

735
00:38:36,581 --> 00:38:39,182
it's often claimed
that mansa musa

736
00:38:39,217 --> 00:38:42,485
is the richest man
who has ever lived.

737
00:38:44,423 --> 00:38:46,890
ware: newspapers constructing
top 10 lists

738
00:38:46,925 --> 00:38:48,691
of the wealthiest people
of all time,

739
00:38:48,727 --> 00:38:50,660
they almost always
put mansa musa first,

740
00:38:50,695 --> 00:38:52,695
and some of them, you know,
will--will say that

741
00:38:52,731 --> 00:38:54,697
his net worth
adjusted for inflation

742
00:38:54,733 --> 00:38:58,268
is something like $400 billion
in today's money.

743
00:38:59,738 --> 00:39:03,406
host: in 1324,
mansa musa's notoriety

744
00:39:03,442 --> 00:39:05,175
grew exponentially,

745
00:39:05,210 --> 00:39:08,278
thanks to reports of his
largesse and generosity

746
00:39:08,313 --> 00:39:11,014
during his hajj, the pilgrimage

747
00:39:11,049 --> 00:39:13,650
to the muslim
holy city of mecca.

748
00:39:14,953 --> 00:39:18,521
ware: his pilgrimage that
he makes in 1324, 1325,

749
00:39:18,557 --> 00:39:20,457
you know, there are different
accounts, but the usual account

750
00:39:20,492 --> 00:39:24,060
is something like 300 camels
laden with gold

751
00:39:24,095 --> 00:39:27,363
in addition to all the people
that are traveling with him.

752
00:39:27,399 --> 00:39:29,732
host: ibn khaldun,
the great author

753
00:39:29,768 --> 00:39:32,202
working at fez's
kairaouine library,

754
00:39:32,237 --> 00:39:33,837
wrote an account of a person

755
00:39:33,872 --> 00:39:36,806
in mansa musa's entourage.

756
00:39:36,842 --> 00:39:39,008
man as ibn khaldun: "we used
to keep the sultan company

757
00:39:39,044 --> 00:39:40,643
"during his progress

758
00:39:40,679 --> 00:39:43,046
"and converse
to his enjoyment.

759
00:39:43,081 --> 00:39:45,114
"at each halt,
he would regale us

760
00:39:45,150 --> 00:39:47,617
"with rare foods
and confectionery.

761
00:39:47,652 --> 00:39:49,953
"his equipment and furnishings

762
00:39:49,988 --> 00:39:53,523
"were carried by 12,000
private slave women

763
00:39:53,558 --> 00:39:56,893
wearing gowns of brocade
and yemeni silk."

764
00:39:58,830 --> 00:40:00,763
host: mansa musa
and his retinue

765
00:40:00,799 --> 00:40:04,300
stopped at every town
between mali and mecca.

766
00:40:06,304 --> 00:40:10,540
it was said that mansa musa's
largesse knew no bounds.

767
00:40:10,575 --> 00:40:12,108
as he made his way to mecca,

768
00:40:12,143 --> 00:40:15,578
he handed out extravagant
amounts of gold,

769
00:40:15,614 --> 00:40:18,348
to high-ranking officials
and working people alike.

770
00:40:18,383 --> 00:40:21,050
and according to legend,
his generosity

771
00:40:21,086 --> 00:40:24,821
inadvertently destabilized
the economy of cairo.

772
00:40:24,856 --> 00:40:28,725
he distributed so much gold
that its market value collapsed

773
00:40:28,760 --> 00:40:30,727
and took years to recover.

774
00:40:37,035 --> 00:40:40,503
as he traveled, he purchased
camel-loads of books

775
00:40:40,539 --> 00:40:42,639
and recruited
respected scholars

776
00:40:42,674 --> 00:40:43,973
to bring back home.

777
00:40:45,944 --> 00:40:47,877
ware: when he
comes back is when

778
00:40:47,913 --> 00:40:50,446
he begins to invest,
especially in

779
00:40:50,482 --> 00:40:52,549
the construction
of mosques and schools

780
00:40:52,584 --> 00:40:54,117
in the town of timbuktu.

781
00:40:56,421 --> 00:40:58,788
mansa musa,
he's trying to invest

782
00:40:58,823 --> 00:41:01,624
in learning and schooling
and knowledge

783
00:41:01,660 --> 00:41:05,962
in order to diversify
the economic and social basis

784
00:41:05,997 --> 00:41:08,031
for what he was trying to do
in the empire of mali.

785
00:41:16,708 --> 00:41:18,975
host: 1,000 miles
along the niger river

786
00:41:19,010 --> 00:41:20,944
in modern-day nigeria,

787
00:41:20,979 --> 00:41:22,879
another great civilization

788
00:41:22,914 --> 00:41:24,781
traded with the empire of mali.

789
00:41:26,151 --> 00:41:28,685
it was called ife,
and it was the site

790
00:41:28,720 --> 00:41:31,821
of a remarkable explosion
of creativity

791
00:41:31,856 --> 00:41:35,758
at about the same time
as mali's rise.

792
00:41:35,794 --> 00:41:38,528
the national museum
of nigeria in lagos

793
00:41:38,563 --> 00:41:41,631
houses an extensive collection
of ife art.

794
00:41:44,102 --> 00:41:46,269
this astonishing sculpture

795
00:41:46,304 --> 00:41:48,605
is the mask of the ooni--

796
00:41:48,640 --> 00:41:50,406
obalufon the second,

797
00:41:50,442 --> 00:41:52,642
monarch of one of
the most important kingdoms

798
00:41:52,677 --> 00:41:55,311
in all of west africa
in the middle ages--

799
00:41:55,347 --> 00:41:58,514
the kingdom of ife.

800
00:41:58,550 --> 00:42:02,552
this is one of 40 or so
brass and copper sculptures,

801
00:42:02,587 --> 00:42:05,088
executed with
dazzling naturalism

802
00:42:05,123 --> 00:42:06,623
under the king's patronage.

803
00:42:10,762 --> 00:42:13,396
preston blier: they are
technically among the most

804
00:42:13,431 --> 00:42:15,398
truly remarkable works of art

805
00:42:15,433 --> 00:42:17,867
created any place in the world.

806
00:42:17,902 --> 00:42:21,904
these are striking heads
that are quite naturalistic,

807
00:42:21,940 --> 00:42:24,874
but they're also this
idealized naturalism,

808
00:42:24,909 --> 00:42:29,712
so that none of the warts and
wrinkles of the face are shown.

809
00:42:29,748 --> 00:42:31,781
if you look at them,
there's almost this

810
00:42:31,816 --> 00:42:34,017
serenity and calmness in them,

811
00:42:34,052 --> 00:42:36,419
and give a sense of--
of timelessness,

812
00:42:36,454 --> 00:42:38,921
which are really,
really beautiful.

813
00:42:41,960 --> 00:42:43,393
while european artists
were still

814
00:42:43,428 --> 00:42:45,294
grappling with perspective,

815
00:42:45,330 --> 00:42:47,964
and often struggling
with the human form,

816
00:42:47,999 --> 00:42:50,633
these african artists
were making magnificent,

817
00:42:50,669 --> 00:42:52,935
life-like sculptures.

818
00:42:52,971 --> 00:42:54,771
it's not just
the technical achievement

819
00:42:54,806 --> 00:42:57,073
of these sculptures
that's so impressive.

820
00:42:57,108 --> 00:42:59,842
it's also their sheer artistry,

821
00:42:59,878 --> 00:43:03,379
their capacity to capture
the human spirit.

822
00:43:06,017 --> 00:43:08,551
these classic masterworks
of world art

823
00:43:08,586 --> 00:43:13,656
date from the late 13th
and early 14th centuries.

824
00:43:13,692 --> 00:43:15,358
the artists that produced them

825
00:43:15,393 --> 00:43:18,327
lived in a powerful and handsome
city-state.

826
00:43:21,166 --> 00:43:23,366
preston blier: it just must have
been an amazingly thrilling

827
00:43:23,401 --> 00:43:25,134
city to live in,

828
00:43:25,170 --> 00:43:26,903
a city of great hierarchy.

829
00:43:26,938 --> 00:43:28,771
the king and others
in the court

830
00:43:28,807 --> 00:43:31,407
being very distinguished
by the kinds of

831
00:43:31,443 --> 00:43:35,144
attire that they would wear,
crowns of glass beads

832
00:43:35,180 --> 00:43:36,979
and--and other things
that--that

833
00:43:37,015 --> 00:43:39,515
would have made it
a really remarkable place.

834
00:43:39,551 --> 00:43:43,086
host: ife, or ile ife
as it's properly known,

835
00:43:43,121 --> 00:43:44,954
had paved courtyards

836
00:43:44,989 --> 00:43:48,524
and a flourishing trade in
high-value manufactured goods,

837
00:43:48,560 --> 00:43:51,194
like textiles and glass beads,

838
00:43:51,229 --> 00:43:52,862
which were a symbol
of authority

839
00:43:52,897 --> 00:43:55,198
throughout the world
at that time.

840
00:43:55,233 --> 00:43:57,233
preston blier: i would say if
there's one place in the world

841
00:43:57,268 --> 00:43:59,502
that i would love
to be able to visit,

842
00:43:59,537 --> 00:44:01,838
circa 1300, it would be ife.

843
00:44:05,076 --> 00:44:08,444
host: ife's role is so important
in west african history

844
00:44:08,480 --> 00:44:10,847
that today, the yoruba,

845
00:44:10,882 --> 00:44:13,516
a 40-million-strong ethnic group
in the region,

846
00:44:13,551 --> 00:44:16,419
regard ife as their
spiritual capital.

847
00:44:19,090 --> 00:44:22,492
the nobel laureate
for literature, wole soyinka,

848
00:44:22,527 --> 00:44:25,595
is an expert on
yoruba culture and art.

849
00:44:27,298 --> 00:44:31,400
what is the role
of ile ife historically

850
00:44:31,436 --> 00:44:32,835
for the yoruba people?

851
00:44:32,871 --> 00:44:36,205
ife is acknowledged
universally as

852
00:44:36,241 --> 00:44:39,275
the origin of
the black peoples.

853
00:44:39,310 --> 00:44:40,777
mm-mm.
the white people,

854
00:44:40,812 --> 00:44:42,745
the yellow peoples,
they can decide which
is their own origin.

855
00:44:42,781 --> 00:44:44,447
we have decided
that ile ife

856
00:44:44,482 --> 00:44:46,315
is where we all
came from.

857
00:44:46,351 --> 00:44:48,017
that's our
spiritual home.

858
00:44:48,052 --> 00:44:51,087
it's--it's where--
those who believe
in reincarnation,

859
00:44:51,122 --> 00:44:53,790
or revitalization,

860
00:44:53,825 --> 00:44:56,292
they believe that they
will come back to ife.

861
00:44:56,327 --> 00:44:59,395
[chuckles]
and that's enough for us.

862
00:45:01,032 --> 00:45:04,233
host: this origin myth lies
at the heart of yoruba culture.

863
00:45:06,504 --> 00:45:10,206
after death, the oonis
were worshipped as gods,

864
00:45:10,241 --> 00:45:12,708
and the artworks that
we call ife heads

865
00:45:12,744 --> 00:45:15,812
were probably used
as icons of power.

866
00:45:15,847 --> 00:45:18,347
ife sculptures
are so naturalistic,

867
00:45:18,383 --> 00:45:20,183
so...humanlike.

868
00:45:20,218 --> 00:45:22,118
and those who encounter

869
00:45:22,153 --> 00:45:23,753
it for the first time,

870
00:45:23,788 --> 00:45:25,521
you know,
it's mind-blowing

871
00:45:25,557 --> 00:45:28,624
that--with that
kind of complexity

872
00:45:28,660 --> 00:45:30,393
in the use of
the material, which is--

873
00:45:30,428 --> 00:45:33,930
and yet,
what comes out is so,

874
00:45:33,965 --> 00:45:36,299
um, it's just
so beautiful,

875
00:45:36,334 --> 00:45:37,366
just so beautiful.

876
00:45:39,537 --> 00:45:43,940
host: ife's greatest ooni
was obalufon the second,

877
00:45:43,975 --> 00:45:47,410
who came to power following
a brutal civil war.

878
00:45:47,445 --> 00:45:50,246
he rebuilt the city
and sponsored the renaissance

879
00:45:50,281 --> 00:45:52,248
that produced the ife heads

880
00:45:52,283 --> 00:45:55,117
within a single generation.

881
00:45:55,153 --> 00:45:57,687
obalufon the second
is one of those

882
00:45:57,722 --> 00:46:00,890
remarkable figures
in world history

883
00:46:00,925 --> 00:46:06,028
who came into power
under really quite

884
00:46:06,064 --> 00:46:07,997
unfortunate circumstances.

885
00:46:08,032 --> 00:46:10,867
his father had died
in--in a civil war

886
00:46:10,902 --> 00:46:13,569
that had hit the city,

887
00:46:13,605 --> 00:46:15,838
but obalufon seemed to have had

888
00:46:15,874 --> 00:46:17,740
the support of the population

889
00:46:17,775 --> 00:46:20,843
to come back onto the throne
to really create a center

890
00:46:20,879 --> 00:46:23,512
that--that would
stand on its own

891
00:46:23,548 --> 00:46:26,382
as a remarkable place
for centuries to come.

892
00:46:28,753 --> 00:46:30,319
host: until the 20th century,

893
00:46:30,355 --> 00:46:32,421
most of the world
had little idea

894
00:46:32,457 --> 00:46:34,590
that the ife heads
even existed.

895
00:46:35,760 --> 00:46:39,195
several were found accidentally
in 1938

896
00:46:39,230 --> 00:46:41,664
by builders remodeling a house,

897
00:46:41,699 --> 00:46:44,367
but the first european
to unearth these heads

898
00:46:44,402 --> 00:46:47,837
was a german ethnographer
called leo frobenius.

899
00:46:52,076 --> 00:46:54,844
in fact, he took
these photographs.

900
00:47:02,720 --> 00:47:04,987
preston blier:
when leo frobenius

901
00:47:05,023 --> 00:47:06,956
fell upon these works,

902
00:47:06,991 --> 00:47:08,791
not only was he stunned by them

903
00:47:08,826 --> 00:47:11,093
but he tried to reference them

904
00:47:11,129 --> 00:47:15,264
with his--his own sense
of the history of the world.

905
00:47:15,300 --> 00:47:17,566
at that point, they had
assumed that africa,

906
00:47:17,602 --> 00:47:19,769
really, there was no complexity,
no wealth.

907
00:47:19,804 --> 00:47:23,139
this was the high era of
the introduction of colonialism.

908
00:47:25,143 --> 00:47:27,810
host: incredibly, frobenius
found it easier to believe

909
00:47:27,845 --> 00:47:31,047
that they came from
the lost city of atlantis

910
00:47:31,082 --> 00:47:33,549
than that black people
could have created them.

911
00:47:35,820 --> 00:47:37,453
preston blier: he wanted
to make himself famous

912
00:47:37,488 --> 00:47:40,122
and claimed he'd found
the lost atlantis

913
00:47:40,158 --> 00:47:44,460
and telegraphed this off
to the "new york times."

914
00:47:44,495 --> 00:47:46,295
the only thing that
he could think about

915
00:47:46,331 --> 00:47:48,297
was that they
must have been made

916
00:47:48,333 --> 00:47:51,600
by some kind of lost colony
of greeks

917
00:47:51,636 --> 00:47:54,670
who somehow had made
their way here.

918
00:47:54,706 --> 00:47:57,173
host: frobenius'
theory of atlantis

919
00:47:57,208 --> 00:47:59,742
was quickly challenged
by other scholars,

920
00:47:59,777 --> 00:48:01,978
who understood
that the ife heads

921
00:48:02,013 --> 00:48:05,247
could only have been
made by africans.

922
00:48:05,283 --> 00:48:08,651
the rediscovery of the ife heads
in the 20th century

923
00:48:08,686 --> 00:48:12,121
changed how many people
throughout the world

924
00:48:12,156 --> 00:48:14,657
regarded both african art

925
00:48:14,692 --> 00:48:16,859
and the african
people themselves.

926
00:48:19,530 --> 00:48:21,597
preston blier: you really can't
know african history

927
00:48:21,632 --> 00:48:23,232
unless you look closely
at the art,

928
00:48:23,267 --> 00:48:26,702
because they complicate, enrich,
and--and inform in new ways

929
00:48:26,738 --> 00:48:28,671
so much of what
we know about the past.

930
00:48:31,976 --> 00:48:34,010
host: the national museum
of nigeria's

931
00:48:34,045 --> 00:48:37,046
collection of ife art
gives us some insight

932
00:48:37,081 --> 00:48:39,749
into obalufon the second's
royal court.

933
00:48:41,619 --> 00:48:44,687
woman: normally, you
do not see the face
of an ooni,

934
00:48:44,722 --> 00:48:46,856
and they use beads,
stringed beads

935
00:48:46,891 --> 00:48:48,557
to cover the mouth
as well as

936
00:48:48,593 --> 00:48:50,092
part of the face.

937
00:48:50,128 --> 00:48:52,528
so, that's why you have
the holes all there.

938
00:48:53,798 --> 00:48:55,664
this is a mask
that can be worn,

939
00:48:55,700 --> 00:48:57,333
and it has a slit.

940
00:48:58,736 --> 00:49:00,803
when it was brought
out of ife,

941
00:49:00,838 --> 00:49:03,606
we had gold dusting
by the eyes

942
00:49:03,641 --> 00:49:05,808
and red pigments
all over it.

943
00:49:08,713 --> 00:49:10,212
this one is that
of the king.

944
00:49:10,248 --> 00:49:12,748
you see the crown,
the beaded crown
on the head.

945
00:49:18,689 --> 00:49:20,189
host: one of the most
difficult crafts

946
00:49:20,224 --> 00:49:22,224
that ife artisans mastered

947
00:49:22,260 --> 00:49:23,459
was metalwork.

948
00:49:24,862 --> 00:49:26,429
was there a class
of artists

949
00:49:26,464 --> 00:49:29,665
working for the king
who made these pieces?

950
00:49:29,700 --> 00:49:31,500
well, if you look
at this time,

951
00:49:31,536 --> 00:49:34,437
it's like they are
from a common artist.

952
00:49:34,472 --> 00:49:37,540
who the artist was,
how they were grouped,

953
00:49:37,575 --> 00:49:38,641
we do not know.

954
00:49:40,912 --> 00:49:43,412
the conception
of africans that, um,

955
00:49:43,448 --> 00:49:45,514
we are not
that intelligent.

956
00:49:45,550 --> 00:49:48,684
it shows the ingenuity
of the africans.

957
00:49:48,719 --> 00:49:49,752
it shows genius.

958
00:49:49,787 --> 00:49:50,953
genius.

959
00:50:04,969 --> 00:50:09,171
host: from ile ife to timbuktu
to marrakesh,

960
00:50:09,207 --> 00:50:11,841
this was an extraordinarily
rich period

961
00:50:11,876 --> 00:50:13,542
when merchants and rulers

962
00:50:13,578 --> 00:50:17,079
and artisans
and scholars thrived.

963
00:50:17,115 --> 00:50:19,715
and knowledge of their riches
and cultural treasures

964
00:50:19,750 --> 00:50:21,417
spread across the world.

965
00:50:26,090 --> 00:50:29,391
the great sahara desert
was, for millennia,

966
00:50:29,427 --> 00:50:33,896
a vast ocean, a seemingly
impassable barrier,

967
00:50:33,931 --> 00:50:36,632
but really, for those
who mastered it,

968
00:50:36,667 --> 00:50:39,201
it was a conduit
between lands to its south

969
00:50:39,237 --> 00:50:40,970
and lands to its north.

970
00:50:43,474 --> 00:50:45,207
on the shores of this desert,

971
00:50:45,243 --> 00:50:47,443
great cities
arose to prominence,

972
00:50:47,478 --> 00:50:49,812
driven by trade,
religious devotion,

973
00:50:49,847 --> 00:50:51,247
and a love of learning.

974
00:50:53,117 --> 00:50:55,885
kingdoms were linked
for centuries to each other

975
00:50:55,920 --> 00:51:00,756
by trading networks across
vast regions of africa,

976
00:51:00,791 --> 00:51:03,292
reminding us
that this continent

977
00:51:03,327 --> 00:51:06,762
has always been
dynamic, interconnected,

978
00:51:06,797 --> 00:51:09,365
and an integral part
of world history.

979
00:51:12,069 --> 00:51:14,470
as europe's
middle ages progress,

980
00:51:14,505 --> 00:51:17,673
key regions in africa
enter a golden age.

981
00:51:20,077 --> 00:51:23,112
in the east,
the swahili coast will blossom

982
00:51:23,147 --> 00:51:26,782
as a new cosmopolitan
center of islamic culture.

983
00:51:27,852 --> 00:51:30,219
in the west,
the kingdom of benin

984
00:51:30,254 --> 00:51:32,221
will take art
and royal authority

985
00:51:32,256 --> 00:51:34,123
to ever-greater heights.

986
00:51:38,763 --> 00:51:41,397
and in the south,
great zimbabwe

987
00:51:41,432 --> 00:51:45,000
will grow fabulously wealthy
through trade.

988
00:51:45,036 --> 00:51:47,303
while these key
african civilizations

989
00:51:47,338 --> 00:51:51,240
would experience unprecedented
growth and prosperity,

990
00:51:51,275 --> 00:51:54,476
they would also encounter
new conflict--

991
00:51:54,512 --> 00:51:58,180
with each other
and, increasingly,

992
00:51:58,216 --> 00:52:00,082
with the outside world.

993
00:52:02,118 --> 00:52:04,153
announcer: on "africa's
great civilizations"...

994
00:52:04,222 --> 00:52:04,853
dr. henry louis gates, jr.:
the wheel is about to turn

995
00:52:04,922 --> 00:52:07,223
once more for africa.

996
00:52:07,291 --> 00:52:10,292
civilizations throughout
the african continent

997
00:52:10,361 --> 00:52:12,695
experience something of
a golden age

998
00:52:12,763 --> 00:52:14,363
during europe's middle ages.

999
00:52:14,432 --> 00:52:17,433
sublime artistry,
astute political maneuvering,

1000
00:52:17,501 --> 00:52:19,868
and daring commercial endeavors

1001
00:52:19,937 --> 00:52:22,571
redefine not only how
the world sees africa,

1002
00:52:22,640 --> 00:52:25,207
but how africa sees itself.

1003
00:52:25,276 --> 00:52:27,209
announcer: "africa's
great civilizations,

1004
00:52:27,278 --> 00:52:29,311
coming up next, only on pbs.

1005
00:52:40,798 --> 00:52:43,432
host: between the 11th
and the 17th centuries,

1006
00:52:43,467 --> 00:52:46,401
civilizations throughout
the african continent

1007
00:52:46,437 --> 00:52:49,071
experienced something
of a golden age.

1008
00:52:51,308 --> 00:52:54,109
africa, during europe's
middle ages,

1009
00:52:54,144 --> 00:52:56,445
was dotted with powerful cities

1010
00:52:56,480 --> 00:52:58,113
built on the trade
of the riches

1011
00:52:58,148 --> 00:53:00,682
of the continent's
natural resources

1012
00:53:00,718 --> 00:53:02,150
with the outside world.

1013
00:53:04,088 --> 00:53:07,189
goods and ideas flowed
in and out of africa

1014
00:53:07,224 --> 00:53:08,924
along its trade routes,

1015
00:53:08,959 --> 00:53:11,493
resulting in
sophisticated societies

1016
00:53:11,528 --> 00:53:13,662
that were truly cosmopolitan.

1017
00:53:18,335 --> 00:53:22,270
with expansion and wealth
came tensions

1018
00:53:22,306 --> 00:53:25,674
that, inevitably,
would lead to conflict.

1019
00:53:28,512 --> 00:53:32,147
this period remains defined
by sublime artistry,

1020
00:53:32,182 --> 00:53:33,815
astute political maneuvering,

1021
00:53:33,851 --> 00:53:36,518
and daring
commercial endeavors,

1022
00:53:36,553 --> 00:53:38,954
which taken together
would redefine

1023
00:53:38,989 --> 00:53:41,623
not only how the world
saw africa

1024
00:53:41,658 --> 00:53:45,060
but also how africa
would see itself.

1025
00:53:46,764 --> 00:53:48,463
[thunder]

1026
00:54:06,373 --> 00:54:09,040
our story begins on the shores
of east africa,

1027
00:54:09,076 --> 00:54:13,178
on the swahili coast,
once known as azania.

1028
00:54:13,213 --> 00:54:15,981
for over 1,000 years,
african merchants

1029
00:54:16,016 --> 00:54:18,917
have gathered on this coast
to exchange their wares

1030
00:54:18,952 --> 00:54:22,220
with other merchants
from europe, from persia,

1031
00:54:22,256 --> 00:54:25,590
arabia, even
as far east as china...

1032
00:54:26,760 --> 00:54:29,594
creating a cosmopolitan society

1033
00:54:29,630 --> 00:54:31,897
as well-connected as any

1034
00:54:31,932 --> 00:54:33,532
in late medieval europe.

1035
00:54:36,103 --> 00:54:38,870
the island of zanzibar
sits 45 miles

1036
00:54:38,906 --> 00:54:42,941
off present-day tanzania
in the indian ocean.

1037
00:54:42,976 --> 00:54:45,043
here in the darajani market,

1038
00:54:45,078 --> 00:54:46,912
in the capital, stone town,

1039
00:54:46,947 --> 00:54:48,747
the legacy of commerce
that helped make

1040
00:54:48,782 --> 00:54:52,017
the swahili coast
so prosperous endures.

1041
00:54:54,154 --> 00:54:56,121
[speaking native language]

1042
00:54:56,156 --> 00:54:59,791
spices, still, but once also
ivory and gold.

1043
00:55:04,865 --> 00:55:07,532
between 800 and 1600 a.d.,

1044
00:55:07,568 --> 00:55:09,801
east africa exported
an estimated

1045
00:55:09,837 --> 00:55:14,005
500 tons of gold,
at a value today

1046
00:55:14,041 --> 00:55:16,141
of $25 billion.

1047
00:55:19,880 --> 00:55:23,348
woman: swahili culture
was basically a result of

1048
00:55:23,383 --> 00:55:28,253
deep african traditions that
are soaked in the indian ocean

1049
00:55:28,288 --> 00:55:32,290
with surrounding cultures
and give birth

1050
00:55:32,326 --> 00:55:37,229
to this extraordinary
and fairly distinct culture.

1051
00:55:39,233 --> 00:55:41,533
host: this fertile strip
of east african coast

1052
00:55:41,568 --> 00:55:45,103
extends 1,800 miles
from modern-day somalia

1053
00:55:45,138 --> 00:55:46,738
down to mozambique.

1054
00:55:46,773 --> 00:55:48,440
the majority of its inhabitants

1055
00:55:48,475 --> 00:55:50,742
engaged in fishing and farming.

1056
00:55:50,777 --> 00:55:55,547
one metropolis, rhapta, traded
with merchants from arabia.

1057
00:55:55,582 --> 00:55:57,983
and by the end
of the first millennium,

1058
00:55:58,018 --> 00:56:01,219
a series of other
coastal cities had emerged.

1059
00:56:01,255 --> 00:56:03,722
woman: the height
of the swahili age,

1060
00:56:03,757 --> 00:56:05,824
1000 to 1500, is where you get

1061
00:56:05,859 --> 00:56:09,995
the physical coast
looking the way we think of it.

1062
00:56:10,030 --> 00:56:12,531
the merchant elite
had a level of wealth

1063
00:56:12,566 --> 00:56:15,333
that is probably
new at that time.

1064
00:56:15,369 --> 00:56:18,103
host: a fascinating
natural phenomenon

1065
00:56:18,138 --> 00:56:21,439
that sailors along the coast
had been using for centuries

1066
00:56:21,475 --> 00:56:24,843
fueled the growth
of these cities.

1067
00:56:24,878 --> 00:56:28,413
in the first century b.c.,
a greek navigator named hippalus

1068
00:56:28,448 --> 00:56:31,216
noticed that between the months
of november and march,

1069
00:56:31,251 --> 00:56:34,986
the monsoon winds
blow from india towards africa.

1070
00:56:35,022 --> 00:56:37,222
that is southwest.

1071
00:56:37,257 --> 00:56:40,091
then in april, miraculously,

1072
00:56:40,127 --> 00:56:41,793
the winds would reverse,

1073
00:56:41,828 --> 00:56:44,496
so, between the months
of april and october,

1074
00:56:44,531 --> 00:56:46,765
the winds blow
from the swahili coast

1075
00:56:46,800 --> 00:56:49,668
back northeast towards india.

1076
00:56:55,609 --> 00:56:57,676
working with the monsoon
wind shifts

1077
00:56:57,711 --> 00:56:59,511
dramatically reduced
the time it took

1078
00:56:59,546 --> 00:57:01,246
to cross the indian ocean...

1079
00:57:04,251 --> 00:57:07,919
connecting the east coast
of africa since ancient times

1080
00:57:07,955 --> 00:57:10,522
with civilizations
on the arabian gulf,

1081
00:57:10,557 --> 00:57:13,625
in india, and even
far-away china.

1082
00:57:16,129 --> 00:57:17,963
and using this principle,

1083
00:57:17,998 --> 00:57:20,699
merchants have since
the time of christ

1084
00:57:20,734 --> 00:57:22,567
been coming
to the swahili coast

1085
00:57:22,603 --> 00:57:27,672
to exchange goods, ideas,
and yes, even genes.

1086
00:57:27,708 --> 00:57:29,708
by harnessing these winds,

1087
00:57:29,743 --> 00:57:32,811
traders could make
the 3,000-mile journey

1088
00:57:32,846 --> 00:57:34,913
from india to east africa

1089
00:57:34,948 --> 00:57:38,083
in as little as 25 days

1090
00:57:38,118 --> 00:57:42,020
in wooden boats known as dhows.

1091
00:57:42,055 --> 00:57:45,323
classic dhows are
still built by hand

1092
00:57:45,359 --> 00:57:47,192
at the nungwi boat yard

1093
00:57:47,227 --> 00:57:49,527
on the northern tip
of zanzibar.

1094
00:57:49,563 --> 00:57:52,831
man: there are two types
of construction style.

1095
00:57:52,866 --> 00:57:57,035
there's dhow, with big stomach,
that can carry

1096
00:57:57,070 --> 00:57:59,104
lot of things inside,

1097
00:57:59,139 --> 00:58:01,406
can float in
very shallow water,

1098
00:58:01,441 --> 00:58:04,809
but not very good
for long way journey.

1099
00:58:04,845 --> 00:58:07,712
so, other type of dhow
is narrow at the end.

1100
00:58:07,748 --> 00:58:09,648
they call them
taper-style dhow.

1101
00:58:09,683 --> 00:58:12,684
this can cut the movement
of the waves

1102
00:58:12,719 --> 00:58:16,688
and make easy to cross
from the deep sea or rough sea.

1103
00:58:18,125 --> 00:58:20,992
host: dhows carry far more
than just traded goods

1104
00:58:21,028 --> 00:58:23,128
back and forth
across the ocean.

1105
00:58:24,898 --> 00:58:28,933
prosperity bred competition
between cultures and religions.

1106
00:58:28,969 --> 00:58:31,136
[speaking native language]

1107
00:58:31,171 --> 00:58:34,239
through this long history
of trade and intermarriage,

1108
00:58:34,274 --> 00:58:37,242
a cross-pollination of cultures
and beliefs took place,

1109
00:58:37,277 --> 00:58:39,811
and in fact, the most
enduring contribution

1110
00:58:39,846 --> 00:58:42,714
that the arab immigrants
and traders made

1111
00:58:42,749 --> 00:58:46,384
was their religion--islam.

1112
00:58:46,420 --> 00:58:49,587
as early as
the ninth century a.d.,

1113
00:58:49,623 --> 00:58:51,723
arabian traders brought islam

1114
00:58:51,758 --> 00:58:53,725
to the people of
the swahili coast.

1115
00:58:55,395 --> 00:58:57,829
woman: it's not that
they become arabs

1116
00:58:57,864 --> 00:58:59,898
but that they are
swahili people

1117
00:58:59,933 --> 00:59:03,334
who are practitioners
of the islamic faith.

1118
00:59:03,370 --> 00:59:06,571
the swahili did adopt islam
and they africanize it,

1119
00:59:06,606 --> 00:59:08,406
they swahili-ize it.

1120
00:59:08,442 --> 00:59:10,375
[indistinct chatter]

1121
00:59:13,513 --> 00:59:16,347
man: we do know that the islam
that emerges on the coast

1122
00:59:16,383 --> 00:59:19,217
is a very distinctive
type of islam.

1123
00:59:19,252 --> 00:59:22,887
so, the way that
they treat the dead,

1124
00:59:22,923 --> 00:59:26,124
the way they mark burials, the
way they construct ancestors.

1125
00:59:26,159 --> 00:59:28,560
the actual physical space
of the mosque

1126
00:59:28,595 --> 00:59:30,428
and the things that
they put in the mosque,

1127
00:59:30,464 --> 00:59:33,264
those are all very
locally fashioned.

1128
00:59:33,300 --> 00:59:36,134
host: islam gave
the swahili elite

1129
00:59:36,169 --> 00:59:39,037
added entry to the vast
common market

1130
00:59:39,072 --> 00:59:41,072
of the indian ocean.

1131
00:59:41,108 --> 00:59:43,274
fourshey: the swahili
did see islam

1132
00:59:43,310 --> 00:59:45,076
in terms of its religious value

1133
00:59:45,112 --> 00:59:47,846
but they also saw that
it helped to improve

1134
00:59:47,881 --> 00:59:50,248
the terms of trade, and that

1135
00:59:50,283 --> 00:59:52,417
being part of this
islamic brotherhood

1136
00:59:52,452 --> 00:59:56,221
allowed them access
to certain networks.

1137
00:59:56,256 --> 00:59:57,555
[horn honking]

1138
00:59:57,591 --> 00:59:59,758
host: alongside
this growth in trade,

1139
00:59:59,793 --> 01:00:02,927
the people along the coast
developed their own language,

1140
01:00:02,963 --> 01:00:05,597
called kiswahili,

1141
01:00:05,632 --> 01:00:09,167
an african language with
loan words from arabic,

1142
01:00:09,202 --> 01:00:11,770
a lingua franca that
unified the cultures

1143
01:00:11,805 --> 01:00:13,505
along the coast still further.

1144
01:00:13,540 --> 01:00:15,473
[man speaking native language]

1145
01:00:19,146 --> 01:00:24,215
host: islam also brought
literacy in arabic.

1146
01:00:24,251 --> 01:00:28,052
man: because of the necessity
to read the koran,

1147
01:00:28,088 --> 01:00:34,092
you begin to have koran classes
where the alphabet was taught,

1148
01:00:34,127 --> 01:00:38,830
and the swahili used
that alphabet to write poetry,

1149
01:00:38,865 --> 01:00:42,333
to write history
of their own towns,

1150
01:00:42,369 --> 01:00:50,008
and this contributed to
the advancement of the culture.

1151
01:00:50,043 --> 01:00:52,076
what we call swahili culture

1152
01:00:52,112 --> 01:00:54,879
is a peak of tradition

1153
01:00:54,915 --> 01:00:59,384
rather than something new
just mushrooming.

1154
01:00:59,419 --> 01:01:03,087
traditions which will
still be practiced today,

1155
01:01:03,123 --> 01:01:06,324
which are actually, um,

1156
01:01:06,359 --> 01:01:08,593
originally from a different
religion, but

1157
01:01:08,628 --> 01:01:11,496
in the indigenous tradition
have been absorbed.

1158
01:01:11,531 --> 01:01:13,464
[children speaking
native language]

1159
01:01:15,335 --> 01:01:18,503
host: civilization thrived
along the swahili coast,

1160
01:01:18,538 --> 01:01:22,273
exemplified by the legendary
city-state of kilwa,

1161
01:01:22,309 --> 01:01:25,677
located 200 miles south
of zanzibar.

1162
01:01:25,712 --> 01:01:27,512
its authority at its height

1163
01:01:27,547 --> 01:01:30,949
stretched the entire length
of the swahili coast.

1164
01:01:33,553 --> 01:01:37,088
in the year 1331, ibn battuta,

1165
01:01:37,123 --> 01:01:40,024
the muslim world's
great explorer and chronicler,

1166
01:01:40,060 --> 01:01:42,293
wrote that kilwa was
one of the most beautiful

1167
01:01:42,329 --> 01:01:45,897
and well-constructed towns
in the whole world,

1168
01:01:45,932 --> 01:01:49,701
and these ruins testify
to its past splendor.

1169
01:01:51,538 --> 01:01:54,839
kilwa's fame was legendary
and far-reaching.

1170
01:01:54,875 --> 01:01:58,543
in 1667, the english poet
john milton

1171
01:01:58,578 --> 01:02:02,280
referred to kilwa as one of
the world's great kingdoms

1172
01:02:02,315 --> 01:02:05,917
in his epic poem
"paradise lost."

1173
01:02:05,952 --> 01:02:11,489
its remarkable rise stemmed
from its ideal location.

1174
01:02:11,524 --> 01:02:14,726
man: kilwa happens
to be the edge where

1175
01:02:14,761 --> 01:02:17,729
the monsoon winds
that were bringing

1176
01:02:17,764 --> 01:02:21,866
the vessels from
india, arabia,

1177
01:02:21,902 --> 01:02:24,235
this is about
the furthest south

1178
01:02:24,271 --> 01:02:27,038
that they could
directly come.

1179
01:02:27,073 --> 01:02:30,575
but if you lived
further south of kilwa,
you were toast.

1180
01:02:30,610 --> 01:02:32,443
exactly. so, kilwa
ha ha!

1181
01:02:32,479 --> 01:02:34,612
played the middle,
and as you know,

1182
01:02:34,648 --> 01:02:36,481
in commerce,
the middleman

1183
01:02:36,516 --> 01:02:39,617
is the one who reaps
the profit. yeah.

1184
01:02:39,653 --> 01:02:40,985
say, man, you know
how long it took

1185
01:02:41,021 --> 01:02:42,020
to get this gold here?

1186
01:02:42,055 --> 01:02:43,154
you got to pay.

1187
01:02:43,189 --> 01:02:45,056
huh? yes, exactly.

1188
01:02:45,091 --> 01:02:47,725
and--and these guys
would come here

1189
01:02:47,761 --> 01:02:50,862
and say, no, no,
you can't even
get yourselves there.

1190
01:02:50,897 --> 01:02:53,398
get south of kilwa,
you are going to die.

1191
01:02:53,433 --> 01:02:55,466
[laughs]
so, all those guys
would come here

1192
01:02:55,502 --> 01:02:57,902
and stop and wait
for, uh--

1193
01:02:57,938 --> 01:02:58,903
wait for the wind
to change.

1194
01:02:58,939 --> 01:03:00,338
yes, exactly.

1195
01:03:00,373 --> 01:03:02,473
host: constructed
in the 10th century

1196
01:03:02,509 --> 01:03:04,275
and subsequently rebuilt,

1197
01:03:04,311 --> 01:03:06,177
kilwa's great mosque
would become

1198
01:03:06,212 --> 01:03:08,046
one of the largest of its kind

1199
01:03:08,081 --> 01:03:10,782
in the whole of
sub-saharan africa.

1200
01:03:10,817 --> 01:03:12,250
this is stunning.

1201
01:03:12,285 --> 01:03:13,584
stunningly
beautiful.

1202
01:03:13,620 --> 01:03:15,186
it is. it is.

1203
01:03:17,390 --> 01:03:19,257
how long did it
take to build?
do we know?

1204
01:03:19,292 --> 01:03:23,394
in some sources
it shows, like,
10 years to finish.

1205
01:03:23,430 --> 01:03:25,296
this part
where we are now

1206
01:03:25,332 --> 01:03:28,066
was built in
the 14th century.

1207
01:03:28,101 --> 01:03:30,601
this was just at
the time when kilwa

1208
01:03:30,637 --> 01:03:33,905
was at its apex
of commercial strength.

1209
01:03:36,609 --> 01:03:40,044
and i just marvel
at the domes,
as you see.

1210
01:03:40,080 --> 01:03:42,580
yeah.
extraordinary.

1211
01:03:42,615 --> 01:03:44,349
it's amazingly
beautiful.

1212
01:03:47,887 --> 01:03:51,255
this is what they call
the friday mosque,

1213
01:03:51,291 --> 01:03:53,624
which tends to be
bigger, where

1214
01:03:53,660 --> 01:03:55,093
all people
would come here.

1215
01:03:55,128 --> 01:03:56,828
it's like sunday church.
exactly.

1216
01:03:56,863 --> 01:03:58,896
and it symbolizes the
glory that was kilwa.

1217
01:03:58,932 --> 01:04:01,432
exactly.
exactly.

1218
01:04:03,370 --> 01:04:05,603
host: kilwa's
most ambitious ruler

1219
01:04:05,638 --> 01:04:07,338
greatly extended the mosque

1220
01:04:07,374 --> 01:04:09,340
in the 14th century

1221
01:04:09,376 --> 01:04:12,010
along with
a spectacular palace.

1222
01:04:14,547 --> 01:04:15,847
so, bertram,
who lived in

1223
01:04:15,882 --> 01:04:17,815
this modest, little
cottage by the sea?
[laughs]

1224
01:04:17,851 --> 01:04:22,086
[laughs]
this was the place where

1225
01:04:22,122 --> 01:04:24,389
the great sultan

1226
01:04:24,424 --> 01:04:27,058
al-hasan ibn
sulaiman lived.

1227
01:04:27,093 --> 01:04:29,827
this was his
personal house.

1228
01:04:29,863 --> 01:04:34,499
this is where
his close family
would be, but

1229
01:04:34,534 --> 01:04:37,435
it is also a place
built in such a way

1230
01:04:37,470 --> 01:04:40,371
that he would
receive all those

1231
01:04:40,407 --> 01:04:41,739
important people,

1232
01:04:41,775 --> 01:04:44,609
because he would
receive them here.

1233
01:04:44,644 --> 01:04:48,279
host: sultan sulaiman was
one of a long line of sultans

1234
01:04:48,314 --> 01:04:51,849
who embellished kilwa
with magnificent buildings.

1235
01:04:51,885 --> 01:04:55,186
his palace, known as
husuni kubwa,

1236
01:04:55,221 --> 01:04:59,223
was built between
1315 and 1330.

1237
01:04:59,259 --> 01:05:02,460
it was exquisite,
covering 5 acres

1238
01:05:02,495 --> 01:05:05,263
and containing 70 rooms.

1239
01:05:05,298 --> 01:05:08,299
fleisher: husuni kubwa
is an incredible piece
of architecture.

1240
01:05:08,334 --> 01:05:10,268
it was probably gleaming white,

1241
01:05:10,303 --> 01:05:12,236
and as you pulled
into the harbor,

1242
01:05:12,272 --> 01:05:15,339
you would see this
phenomenal palace.

1243
01:05:15,375 --> 01:05:17,075
and if you wanted
to approach it,

1244
01:05:17,110 --> 01:05:19,177
you'd walk up sort of
winding your way

1245
01:05:19,212 --> 01:05:23,581
up into this massive
formal audience court.

1246
01:05:23,616 --> 01:05:26,417
there was a sense that
the sultan was building
into the structure

1247
01:05:26,453 --> 01:05:28,453
a sense of drama,
a sense of greatness

1248
01:05:28,488 --> 01:05:31,189
that had never been done before
in east africa.

1249
01:05:35,829 --> 01:05:38,229
so, this was
the public face
of the palace

1250
01:05:38,264 --> 01:05:41,766
where affairs of state
and general hospitality

1251
01:05:41,801 --> 01:05:42,934
would both be...

1252
01:05:42,969 --> 01:05:44,936
yeah.
sultan sulaiman

1253
01:05:44,971 --> 01:05:48,573
is said to be
the father of gifts.

1254
01:05:48,608 --> 01:05:49,574
what's that mean?

1255
01:05:49,609 --> 01:05:52,977
we are told that
everyone who would come

1256
01:05:53,012 --> 01:05:56,314
and be received here
would not leave without

1257
01:05:56,349 --> 01:05:59,750
a tiny, little something
to tell the story.

1258
01:05:59,786 --> 01:06:02,120
a little gold nugget?
[laughter]

1259
01:06:02,155 --> 01:06:04,155
of course.

1260
01:06:04,190 --> 01:06:05,590
a small, little
leopard skin?

1261
01:06:05,625 --> 01:06:07,892
yes, exactly.

1262
01:06:07,927 --> 01:06:12,230
host: the medieval moroccan
scholar and traveler ibn battuta

1263
01:06:12,265 --> 01:06:14,365
tells us that sultan sulaiman

1264
01:06:14,400 --> 01:06:18,369
was renowned as a pious
and humble man,

1265
01:06:18,404 --> 01:06:20,838
known to share his food
with beggars

1266
01:06:20,874 --> 01:06:23,474
and even give them his clothes.

1267
01:06:23,510 --> 01:06:27,044
but the sultan was not above
earthly pleasures.

1268
01:06:27,080 --> 01:06:29,380
amidst the ruins
of husuni kubwa

1269
01:06:29,415 --> 01:06:32,850
rests one of the palace's
most luxurious features--

1270
01:06:32,886 --> 01:06:34,852
a hexagonal swimming pool.

1271
01:06:34,888 --> 01:06:36,487
so, like
a jacuzzi.

1272
01:06:36,523 --> 01:06:37,955
exactly.
with these steps

1273
01:06:37,991 --> 01:06:39,924
on which you could sit.
yes.

1274
01:06:39,959 --> 01:06:41,692
how much water
would it hold?

1275
01:06:41,728 --> 01:06:45,229
something like 80
cubic meters of water.

1276
01:06:45,265 --> 01:06:47,031
a lot of water.
yes.

1277
01:06:47,066 --> 01:06:49,800
you can imagine
how many people

1278
01:06:49,836 --> 01:06:53,004
filling one bucket
after another until

1279
01:06:53,039 --> 01:06:55,239
you fill this pool.

1280
01:06:55,275 --> 01:06:57,208
host: it's a lot of buckets.
mapunda: exactly.

1281
01:06:57,243 --> 01:06:59,043
and this was a place
of recreation.

1282
01:06:59,078 --> 01:07:00,011
yes.

1283
01:07:01,614 --> 01:07:05,249
host: the sultan's court hosted
a regular traffic of traders

1284
01:07:05,285 --> 01:07:07,351
from across the indian ocean,

1285
01:07:07,387 --> 01:07:08,953
and on the city streets,

1286
01:07:08,988 --> 01:07:11,055
a cosmopolitan mix of people

1287
01:07:11,090 --> 01:07:13,224
reflected both its modernity

1288
01:07:13,259 --> 01:07:16,160
and its
commercial significance.

1289
01:07:16,196 --> 01:07:18,563
fleisher: if you're
walking down the street
at a place like kilwa,

1290
01:07:18,598 --> 01:07:21,499
you would see traders that
had come from the interior

1291
01:07:21,534 --> 01:07:24,835
meeting people with
scarification, with piercings.

1292
01:07:24,871 --> 01:07:28,773
you'd see religious teachers
from across the indian ocean.

1293
01:07:28,808 --> 01:07:31,442
you would see
craftspeople working.

1294
01:07:31,477 --> 01:07:33,010
people with different
amounts of wealth.

1295
01:07:33,046 --> 01:07:35,413
some with the ability
to build an earthen house,

1296
01:07:35,448 --> 01:07:37,114
some with the ability
to build a stone house,

1297
01:07:37,150 --> 01:07:40,451
some with the ability to build
a stone palace.

1298
01:07:40,486 --> 01:07:42,119
what unites all of them is

1299
01:07:42,155 --> 01:07:44,422
a sort of sense
of urban dwelling.

1300
01:07:44,457 --> 01:07:46,490
host: sultan sulaiman's
prosperity,

1301
01:07:46,526 --> 01:07:48,259
and that of kilwa, was built

1302
01:07:48,294 --> 01:07:51,462
on a monopoly on the trade
in gold and ivory

1303
01:07:51,497 --> 01:07:53,197
from the african interior.

1304
01:07:55,101 --> 01:07:57,368
and those
very precious resources

1305
01:07:57,403 --> 01:08:01,138
originated 400 miles inland
to the south,

1306
01:08:01,174 --> 01:08:03,374
on the zimbabwe plateau.

1307
01:08:03,409 --> 01:08:05,209
one african kingdom dominated

1308
01:08:05,245 --> 01:08:07,478
the flow of gold from the west,

1309
01:08:07,513 --> 01:08:09,714
and the rulers
on the swahili coast

1310
01:08:09,749 --> 01:08:13,017
became its
international brokers.

1311
01:08:13,052 --> 01:08:15,620
this extraordinary
african kingdom

1312
01:08:15,655 --> 01:08:17,855
was extremely well placed

1313
01:08:17,890 --> 01:08:22,093
to profit from the great
resources it controlled.

1314
01:08:22,128 --> 01:08:26,530
that way, to the west,
people mined the gold.

1315
01:08:26,566 --> 01:08:30,868
and that way, to the northeast,
people bought the gold.

1316
01:08:30,903 --> 01:08:35,706
and sandwiched in between
sat great zimbabwe.

1317
01:08:35,742 --> 01:08:39,310
location, location, location.

1318
01:08:40,613 --> 01:08:42,780
great zimbabwe lies close

1319
01:08:42,815 --> 01:08:44,882
to the most extensive
gold workings

1320
01:08:44,917 --> 01:08:46,851
in the ancient world.

1321
01:08:46,886 --> 01:08:50,588
at its peak, as much as
a ton of gold a year

1322
01:08:50,623 --> 01:08:52,890
was extracted from this region.

1323
01:08:52,925 --> 01:08:56,661
incredibly, half the gold coins
in medieval europe

1324
01:08:56,696 --> 01:08:59,463
were struck from african gold.

1325
01:08:59,499 --> 01:09:01,098
but it wasn't just
gold that made

1326
01:09:01,134 --> 01:09:03,501
the rulers of great zimbabwe
wealthy.

1327
01:09:05,405 --> 01:09:06,904
you didn't have
to mine the gold

1328
01:09:06,939 --> 01:09:08,272
to become wealthy.

1329
01:09:08,308 --> 01:09:10,574
trade could be
a gold mine, too.

1330
01:09:12,045 --> 01:09:14,879
great zimbabwe was known
far and wide

1331
01:09:14,914 --> 01:09:17,181
as africa's el dorado,

1332
01:09:17,216 --> 01:09:19,116
a place shrouded in mystery

1333
01:09:19,152 --> 01:09:21,752
and wrapped in tales
laden with gold.

1334
01:09:26,059 --> 01:09:29,226
the original site, which became
the king's palace,

1335
01:09:29,262 --> 01:09:33,631
began on the rocky precipice
around 1200 a.d.

1336
01:09:33,666 --> 01:09:36,867
from here, his kingdom
unfolded before him,

1337
01:09:36,903 --> 01:09:39,970
as far as the eye could see.

1338
01:09:40,006 --> 01:09:41,672
over the following century,

1339
01:09:41,708 --> 01:09:42,973
the city spread

1340
01:09:43,009 --> 01:09:45,710
into the valley below.

1341
01:09:45,745 --> 01:09:49,180
the city of great zimbabwe
filled this entire valley.

1342
01:09:49,215 --> 01:09:51,282
thousands of adobe buildings,

1343
01:09:51,317 --> 01:09:54,051
clustered around
larger stone enclosures,

1344
01:09:54,087 --> 01:09:57,088
housed more than 15,000 people.

1345
01:09:57,123 --> 01:10:00,424
who were the people who created
this great civilization

1346
01:10:00,460 --> 01:10:02,626
that prospered
and flourished here

1347
01:10:02,662 --> 01:10:04,795
for more than 200 years?

1348
01:10:11,270 --> 01:10:15,039
its builders almost certainly
were shona speakers,

1349
01:10:15,074 --> 01:10:18,376
ancestors of many
of today's zimbabweans,

1350
01:10:18,411 --> 01:10:20,911
and heirs to
an older civilization

1351
01:10:20,947 --> 01:10:23,447
that stretched back to 900 a.d.

1352
01:10:27,286 --> 01:10:29,520
man: coming into the city
from the countryside,

1353
01:10:29,555 --> 01:10:31,956
we first go through
areas of fields.

1354
01:10:31,991 --> 01:10:34,892
women would be the farmers
doing most of the farming.

1355
01:10:34,927 --> 01:10:37,495
and then as you
come into the city,

1356
01:10:37,530 --> 01:10:40,865
you'd be walking in among
hundreds and hundreds of houses,

1357
01:10:40,900 --> 01:10:43,434
and as you wend your way
past all these houses,

1358
01:10:43,469 --> 01:10:46,437
you might eventually see
the great buildings themselves,

1359
01:10:46,472 --> 01:10:48,672
and the most notable
is the great enclosure.

1360
01:10:52,111 --> 01:10:54,645
host: the great enclosure
sat at the heart of a city

1361
01:10:54,680 --> 01:10:57,448
that covered nearly
1,800 acres.

1362
01:10:59,051 --> 01:11:00,684
its ruler controlled a kingdom

1363
01:11:00,720 --> 01:11:03,287
that spanned much of
present-day zimbabwe

1364
01:11:03,322 --> 01:11:04,955
and surrounding countries.

1365
01:11:06,993 --> 01:11:09,627
this is the largest
pre-colonial structure

1366
01:11:09,662 --> 01:11:12,430
in the whole of
sub-saharan africa.

1367
01:11:12,465 --> 01:11:16,767
it was a statement
of majesty and power,

1368
01:11:16,803 --> 01:11:20,538
wealth but also
architectural genius.

1369
01:11:27,146 --> 01:11:28,512
few people know this site

1370
01:11:28,548 --> 01:11:30,314
as well as
its former director--

1371
01:11:30,349 --> 01:11:31,949
dr. edward matenga.

1372
01:11:33,619 --> 01:11:36,854
my god, this is
astonishingly beautiful,
is it not?

1373
01:11:36,889 --> 01:11:40,491
absolutely.
and it's the pride
of all africans.

1374
01:11:40,526 --> 01:11:43,427
the king and his family,
would they have lived here, or

1375
01:11:43,463 --> 01:11:46,397
what would've happened here
on a day-to-day basis?

1376
01:11:46,432 --> 01:11:48,666
ordinarily,
the king
would have lived

1377
01:11:48,701 --> 01:11:50,668
on top of the hill,
on the summit.

1378
01:11:50,703 --> 01:11:53,737
the king's great wife
lived in this enclosure.

1379
01:11:53,773 --> 01:11:55,739
number-one wife.
yes. mm-hmm.

1380
01:11:55,775 --> 01:11:57,274
so, the queen
had her palace

1381
01:11:57,310 --> 01:11:58,542
and the king had his.

1382
01:11:58,578 --> 01:11:59,643
absolutely.

1383
01:12:01,781 --> 01:12:03,547
why did they need
the wall, do you think?

1384
01:12:03,583 --> 01:12:04,715
prestige.

1385
01:12:04,750 --> 01:12:06,550
the person
who is living
in this enclosure

1386
01:12:06,586 --> 01:12:07,618
is very important.

1387
01:12:07,653 --> 01:12:10,054
so, a wall is
the signature of power,

1388
01:12:10,089 --> 01:12:12,122
of authority,
of dignity.

1389
01:12:12,158 --> 01:12:13,591
yes.

1390
01:12:13,626 --> 01:12:15,559
host: the great enclosure
is comprised of

1391
01:12:15,595 --> 01:12:18,095
over one million stone blocks,

1392
01:12:18,130 --> 01:12:22,700
but absolutely nothing
binds these walls together.

1393
01:12:22,735 --> 01:12:26,804
mire: those high walls
are connected together

1394
01:12:26,839 --> 01:12:28,405
without any mortar.

1395
01:12:28,441 --> 01:12:31,909
it showed
an indigenous, distinct
architectural development

1396
01:12:31,944 --> 01:12:33,677
in southern africa.

1397
01:12:35,014 --> 01:12:36,580
host: the massive outer wall

1398
01:12:36,616 --> 01:12:38,716
is over 800 feet long...

1399
01:12:40,286 --> 01:12:42,653
rising in places to the height

1400
01:12:42,688 --> 01:12:44,555
of a 4-story building.

1401
01:12:48,661 --> 01:12:52,096
and ingeniously, it combines
with an inner wall

1402
01:12:52,131 --> 01:12:55,466
to form
an intimidating passageway.

1403
01:12:55,501 --> 01:12:58,302
i love these curved walls.

1404
01:12:58,337 --> 01:12:59,503
the theory is that

1405
01:12:59,539 --> 01:13:02,706
because of social
stratification,

1406
01:13:02,742 --> 01:13:04,775
these passages
would force people

1407
01:13:04,810 --> 01:13:06,110
to move
in single file.

1408
01:13:06,145 --> 01:13:07,077
uh-huh.

1409
01:13:08,814 --> 01:13:10,247
to protect
the people
who live here.

1410
01:13:10,283 --> 01:13:12,316
oh, yeah.
absolutely.

1411
01:13:12,351 --> 01:13:15,352
host: the combined effect
of this monumental architecture

1412
01:13:15,388 --> 01:13:17,488
remains a marvel to behold,

1413
01:13:17,523 --> 01:13:19,957
one of the world's
great wonders.

1414
01:13:19,992 --> 01:13:21,892
ehret: the kings
have the wealth

1415
01:13:21,928 --> 01:13:23,961
to hire skilled masons,

1416
01:13:23,996 --> 01:13:26,864
and we can see as the years
go on at great zimbabwe,

1417
01:13:26,899 --> 01:13:29,166
the masons get
more and more skilled.

1418
01:13:29,201 --> 01:13:31,335
the latest buildings
are the most magnificent,

1419
01:13:31,370 --> 01:13:33,704
the most wonderfully
put together.

1420
01:13:33,739 --> 01:13:36,273
and the living areas
of the royal family

1421
01:13:36,309 --> 01:13:40,244
would've mostly have been more
within those particular areas.

1422
01:13:41,647 --> 01:13:42,913
they wouldn't have
been right out

1423
01:13:42,949 --> 01:13:46,183
with the hoi polloi
of the society.

1424
01:13:46,218 --> 01:13:48,018
this would've been a place of

1425
01:13:48,054 --> 01:13:49,820
having to get access

1426
01:13:49,855 --> 01:13:51,488
to be able to even
to go in there.

1427
01:13:53,159 --> 01:13:54,925
host: life in
the stone enclosures

1428
01:13:54,961 --> 01:13:58,195
was a world apart
from the everyday reality

1429
01:13:58,230 --> 01:14:01,365
of those living in
the crowded streets beyond.

1430
01:14:01,400 --> 01:14:03,300
this valley
would've been bustling

1431
01:14:03,336 --> 01:14:05,669
with the king's
enterprising subjects

1432
01:14:05,705 --> 01:14:07,404
and filled with the smog

1433
01:14:07,440 --> 01:14:10,074
from thousands
of cooking fires.

1434
01:14:10,109 --> 01:14:13,844
herds of livestock
grazed in the valley.

1435
01:14:13,879 --> 01:14:15,613
archaeologists have discovered

1436
01:14:15,648 --> 01:14:18,048
so many bones of cattle
in this valley

1437
01:14:18,084 --> 01:14:21,952
that it could be nicknamed
the valley of the dry bones.

1438
01:14:21,988 --> 01:14:24,221
and that shouldn't surprise us,
really, because

1439
01:14:24,256 --> 01:14:26,423
cattle sustained this society.

1440
01:14:26,459 --> 01:14:27,524
[cow moos]

1441
01:14:27,560 --> 01:14:30,761
surprisingly, however,
archaeological finds

1442
01:14:30,796 --> 01:14:33,330
suggest that only
the ruling elite

1443
01:14:33,366 --> 01:14:35,265
ate the beef from the cattle.

1444
01:14:35,301 --> 01:14:37,901
livestock served
as a sign of status.

1445
01:14:40,806 --> 01:14:43,173
ehret: these institutions
were organized around

1446
01:14:43,209 --> 01:14:45,242
ownership of
great herds of cattle,

1447
01:14:45,277 --> 01:14:48,012
and the chiefs who
grew into pedi kings

1448
01:14:48,047 --> 01:14:50,914
were people who controlled
enormous herds of cattle.

1449
01:14:50,950 --> 01:14:52,883
they could lend
these cattle out,

1450
01:14:52,918 --> 01:14:55,653
and so, they built up
a system of subordinate chiefs

1451
01:14:55,688 --> 01:14:57,554
within small kingdoms.

1452
01:14:57,590 --> 01:14:59,823
host: cattle became
the banking system

1453
01:14:59,859 --> 01:15:03,260
for the wealth accrued from
brokering the trade in gold

1454
01:15:03,295 --> 01:15:06,063
with the merchants
on the swahili coast.

1455
01:15:06,098 --> 01:15:09,266
in addition to gold,
the zimbabwe plateau

1456
01:15:09,301 --> 01:15:12,169
was also rich in another
natural commodity

1457
01:15:12,204 --> 01:15:14,772
coveted by those
traders from the coast.

1458
01:15:14,807 --> 01:15:16,473
there's one very
important product

1459
01:15:16,509 --> 01:15:18,075
along the limpopo river.

1460
01:15:18,110 --> 01:15:20,878
it was a great area
of elephant herds.

1461
01:15:20,913 --> 01:15:22,746
and swahili merchants
coming south

1462
01:15:22,782 --> 01:15:25,282
discovered that they
could get ivory there.

1463
01:15:25,317 --> 01:15:27,351
host: as late as
the 16th century,

1464
01:15:27,386 --> 01:15:31,321
about 40 tons of ivory
were being exported every year

1465
01:15:31,357 --> 01:15:33,057
from the swahili coast.

1466
01:15:33,092 --> 01:15:34,625
similar amounts were exported

1467
01:15:34,660 --> 01:15:36,860
during the heyday
of great zimbabwe,

1468
01:15:36,896 --> 01:15:39,863
and on every load transported
across the kingdom,

1469
01:15:39,899 --> 01:15:43,701
great zimbabwe's rulers
took a 50% cut.

1470
01:15:43,736 --> 01:15:46,770
ehret: the hunters went out to
do the killing of the elephant.

1471
01:15:46,806 --> 01:15:49,606
one tusk had to go
to the chief or the king.

1472
01:15:49,642 --> 01:15:51,642
they kept the other tusk.

1473
01:15:51,677 --> 01:15:54,378
and then it starts
happening with the gold.

1474
01:15:54,413 --> 01:15:56,246
so, with half
of the gold profits

1475
01:15:56,282 --> 01:15:58,749
and half of the ivory profits
going to the king,

1476
01:15:58,784 --> 01:16:01,618
that gives the king
all kinds of power.

1477
01:16:01,654 --> 01:16:04,054
now it becomes a tool
of state-building.

1478
01:16:05,991 --> 01:16:08,292
host: great zimbabwe's
enormous significance

1479
01:16:08,327 --> 01:16:11,128
can be gleaned not just
from the goods it exported

1480
01:16:11,163 --> 01:16:15,365
but from those it imported
into africa as well.

1481
01:16:15,401 --> 01:16:17,935
shards of
ming dynasty porcelain

1482
01:16:17,970 --> 01:16:20,671
from far-away china have been
discovered here,

1483
01:16:20,706 --> 01:16:22,773
suggesting that
great zimbabweans

1484
01:16:22,808 --> 01:16:25,676
liked to dine in style.

1485
01:16:25,711 --> 01:16:28,879
matenga: during
the ming dynasty,
they were getting

1486
01:16:28,914 --> 01:16:30,614
blue and white
porcelain.

1487
01:16:30,649 --> 01:16:33,317
really?
yeah. which was
used for making plates.

1488
01:16:33,352 --> 01:16:35,119
if you had said this
when i was growing up,

1489
01:16:35,154 --> 01:16:37,254
no one would have
believed it.

1490
01:16:37,289 --> 01:16:39,456
the myth of africa
was that

1491
01:16:39,492 --> 01:16:41,759
all these africans
are running around,

1492
01:16:41,794 --> 01:16:44,228
not being very bright,
waiting for some

1493
01:16:44,263 --> 01:16:46,430
european to discover them.
ha ha ha!

1494
01:16:46,465 --> 01:16:48,165
but you're saying
that's total rubbish.

1495
01:16:48,200 --> 01:16:50,801
the so-called myth
of a dark continent

1496
01:16:50,836 --> 01:16:52,636
does not hold water.

1497
01:16:52,671 --> 01:16:55,773
if you look at 1,000
years of exchange

1498
01:16:55,808 --> 01:16:57,641
between this part
of the continent

1499
01:16:57,676 --> 01:16:59,943
with the indian
ocean, across,

1500
01:16:59,979 --> 01:17:02,579
and then, of course,
beyond to
the middle east,

1501
01:17:02,615 --> 01:17:03,847
india and china.
in other words,

1502
01:17:03,883 --> 01:17:05,582
the world was
multicultural

1503
01:17:05,618 --> 01:17:07,251
over 1,000 years ago.

1504
01:17:07,286 --> 01:17:08,919
absolutely.
absolutely.

1505
01:17:08,954 --> 01:17:12,656
host: by the 1420s,
great zimbabwe was in decline.

1506
01:17:12,691 --> 01:17:15,392
a new trade route
allowed swahili merchants

1507
01:17:15,427 --> 01:17:17,594
to circumvent the old routes,

1508
01:17:17,630 --> 01:17:20,464
diverting gold before it ever
reached great zimbabwe,

1509
01:17:20,499 --> 01:17:23,834
leading to its decline
and kilwa's as well.

1510
01:17:23,869 --> 01:17:26,670
but these towering ruins
bear witness

1511
01:17:26,705 --> 01:17:30,340
to the civilization that
dwelled here so regally

1512
01:17:30,376 --> 01:17:31,742
for centuries.

1513
01:17:31,777 --> 01:17:34,311
man: it tells us that africans
were building cities

1514
01:17:34,346 --> 01:17:37,214
in the 13th century and
14th century and 15th century,

1515
01:17:37,249 --> 01:17:40,017
contrary to this notion
that africa is,

1516
01:17:40,052 --> 01:17:42,352
to some people,
it's a place where

1517
01:17:42,388 --> 01:17:45,289
there are animals and you have
a couple of villages.

1518
01:17:45,324 --> 01:17:47,825
but it shows that
there was substantial

1519
01:17:47,860 --> 01:17:50,694
technological and architectural
development and that

1520
01:17:50,729 --> 01:17:54,198
all these exploits
were the work of africans.

1521
01:17:54,233 --> 01:17:55,599
matenga: there has
been debate about

1522
01:17:55,634 --> 01:17:57,234
what is
a civilization.

1523
01:17:57,269 --> 01:18:00,704
civilization has
been rather sort of
wrongly defined as

1524
01:18:00,739 --> 01:18:04,441
the ability to
write, leave text.

1525
01:18:04,476 --> 01:18:06,243
i believe
in its own way,

1526
01:18:06,278 --> 01:18:07,578
this place
is a text.

1527
01:18:07,613 --> 01:18:09,880
it is a text.
it is a text because

1528
01:18:09,915 --> 01:18:11,849
a text is about
communicating messages.

1529
01:18:11,884 --> 01:18:15,052
mm-hmm.
so, this is a medium
through which

1530
01:18:15,087 --> 01:18:17,020
you can
communicate messages.

1531
01:18:17,056 --> 01:18:18,755
this is a sublime
manifestation

1532
01:18:18,791 --> 01:18:20,123
of the human spirit.

1533
01:18:20,159 --> 01:18:21,358
absolutely.

1534
01:18:27,666 --> 01:18:29,933
host: at the same time
that great zimbabwe

1535
01:18:29,969 --> 01:18:31,802
and the swahili coast

1536
01:18:31,837 --> 01:18:34,238
were flourishing
in east africa,

1537
01:18:34,273 --> 01:18:36,707
civilizations in west africa

1538
01:18:36,742 --> 01:18:40,978
were igniting
an artistic revolution.

1539
01:18:41,013 --> 01:18:44,581
today, benin city
is part of nigeria,

1540
01:18:44,617 --> 01:18:48,118
completely rebuilt
after it was burned and looted

1541
01:18:48,153 --> 01:18:52,556
by britain's invading army
in 1897.

1542
01:18:52,591 --> 01:18:55,692
but at its peak, it was
at the center of a kingdom

1543
01:18:55,728 --> 01:18:59,796
that controlled over
20,000 square miles.

1544
01:18:59,832 --> 01:19:05,002
and at its heart sat the royal
palace of the oba, the king.

1545
01:19:05,037 --> 01:19:07,871
the sublime art that
benin's artists created

1546
01:19:07,907 --> 01:19:10,707
reveals an urban society
that was both

1547
01:19:10,743 --> 01:19:12,943
complex and sophisticated.

1548
01:19:14,780 --> 01:19:17,314
these treasures
of classic world art

1549
01:19:17,349 --> 01:19:22,119
are known today
as the benin bronzes.

1550
01:19:22,154 --> 01:19:23,253
when i look at that, i see

1551
01:19:23,289 --> 01:19:26,156
a brother with dreadlocks
wearing a turtleneck.

1552
01:19:26,191 --> 01:19:28,358
ha ha!
what do you see,
art historian?

1553
01:19:28,394 --> 01:19:30,227
that's a great
commentary on it.

1554
01:19:30,262 --> 01:19:32,396
it's an idealized
portrait of

1555
01:19:32,431 --> 01:19:34,031
one of the kings
of benin,

1556
01:19:34,066 --> 01:19:36,466
and the dreadlocks,
as you are
calling them,

1557
01:19:36,502 --> 01:19:38,902
are actually
strings of coral.

1558
01:19:38,938 --> 01:19:41,538
what was the function
of the head of the oba?

1559
01:19:41,573 --> 01:19:44,007
well, these
were placed
on a royal altar

1560
01:19:44,043 --> 01:19:45,742
in the middle
of the palace.

1561
01:19:45,778 --> 01:19:47,377
each king,
once he died,

1562
01:19:47,413 --> 01:19:49,246
had an altar
made for him.

1563
01:19:49,281 --> 01:19:51,481
they would've been
made by a patron

1564
01:19:51,517 --> 01:19:53,050
who would've been
a later king

1565
01:19:53,085 --> 01:19:54,818
honoring his
predecessor.

1566
01:19:54,853 --> 01:19:56,119
mm.

1567
01:19:56,155 --> 01:19:57,854
the man chiefly responsible

1568
01:19:57,890 --> 01:20:00,590
for initiating this
artistic tradition

1569
01:20:00,626 --> 01:20:02,826
was a 15th-century oba

1570
01:20:02,861 --> 01:20:05,829
known as ewuare the great.

1571
01:20:05,864 --> 01:20:07,531
according to oral tradition,

1572
01:20:07,566 --> 01:20:10,534
ewuare seized power
from his brother

1573
01:20:10,569 --> 01:20:13,503
after years of civil war.

1574
01:20:13,539 --> 01:20:16,106
woman: ewuare the great
is one of these

1575
01:20:16,141 --> 01:20:18,709
remarkable figures
in human history

1576
01:20:18,744 --> 01:20:22,746
who is seen to have done
a lot for the kingdom.

1577
01:20:22,781 --> 01:20:27,217
there are many traditions that
are credited back to his reign.

1578
01:20:27,252 --> 01:20:29,353
i think one of the most
important is that

1579
01:20:29,388 --> 01:20:32,689
he rebuilds the city
and a palace in it.

1580
01:20:32,725 --> 01:20:35,325
host: from the year 900,
the edo people

1581
01:20:35,361 --> 01:20:37,127
had begun to carve a home

1582
01:20:37,162 --> 01:20:40,063
out of the west african
rainforest.

1583
01:20:40,099 --> 01:20:43,600
the people remained
within small village chiefdoms,

1584
01:20:43,635 --> 01:20:47,104
but over time, a centralized
city-state emerged

1585
01:20:47,139 --> 01:20:50,107
that by the 15th century
was about to undergo

1586
01:20:50,142 --> 01:20:53,110
a remarkable transformation.

1587
01:20:53,145 --> 01:20:56,246
when ewuare became oba in 1440,

1588
01:20:56,281 --> 01:20:59,816
he ordered an extraordinary
engineering project--

1589
01:20:59,852 --> 01:21:02,285
to rebuild the city
as a stronghold

1590
01:21:02,321 --> 01:21:04,955
from which he could
expand his kingdom.

1591
01:21:04,990 --> 01:21:09,459
man: benin had a very elaborate
system of earthworks

1592
01:21:09,495 --> 01:21:11,862
that went not just
around the city itself,

1593
01:21:11,897 --> 01:21:15,132
as you might expect, but all
throughout the countryside, too.

1594
01:21:15,167 --> 01:21:17,567
i think it's the longest
earthworks system

1595
01:21:17,603 --> 01:21:19,069
in the entire world.

1596
01:21:19,104 --> 01:21:22,439
host: estimated to be longer
than the great wall of china,

1597
01:21:22,474 --> 01:21:26,710
the walls encompassed
over 500 surrounding villages

1598
01:21:26,745 --> 01:21:31,148
and have been called the world's
largest ancient monument.

1599
01:21:31,183 --> 01:21:33,884
their purpose was not only
to keep out enemies

1600
01:21:33,919 --> 01:21:36,119
but to keep out
the forest as well.

1601
01:21:36,155 --> 01:21:38,055
boundaries are very important

1602
01:21:38,090 --> 01:21:41,992
in many indigenous
west african societies.

1603
01:21:42,027 --> 01:21:44,327
in benin, there's
a sense in which

1604
01:21:44,363 --> 01:21:46,063
the space of human settlement

1605
01:21:46,098 --> 01:21:48,865
was maintained
through constant work

1606
01:21:48,901 --> 01:21:51,501
to keep the forest at bay.

1607
01:21:51,537 --> 01:21:53,703
host: but for ewuare the great,

1608
01:21:53,739 --> 01:21:56,807
the city's walls served
still another purpose.

1609
01:21:56,842 --> 01:21:58,542
thornton: what's interesting
about all of those

1610
01:21:58,577 --> 01:22:00,143
earthworks around benin

1611
01:22:00,179 --> 01:22:01,778
is that their purpose
is to keep

1612
01:22:01,814 --> 01:22:05,715
people from moving anywhere
except through designated areas.

1613
01:22:05,751 --> 01:22:08,251
you couldn't go
anywhere in benin

1614
01:22:08,287 --> 01:22:09,786
without passing through a gate,

1615
01:22:09,822 --> 01:22:11,021
and there would be
a guard there

1616
01:22:11,056 --> 01:22:12,289
and he would inquire
about your business

1617
01:22:12,324 --> 01:22:14,057
and so on, so, everything was
channeled through

1618
01:22:14,093 --> 01:22:16,426
this very
elaborate bureaucracy.

1619
01:22:16,462 --> 01:22:19,963
host: benin city became
a military fortress.

1620
01:22:19,998 --> 01:22:24,234
residents unhappy with ewuare's
restructuring of benin society

1621
01:22:24,269 --> 01:22:26,703
were prevented from fleeing.

1622
01:22:26,738 --> 01:22:29,973
obedience and control,
ewuare believed,

1623
01:22:30,008 --> 01:22:32,609
encouraged stability
and strength.

1624
01:22:32,644 --> 01:22:34,478
but he also knew other ways

1625
01:22:34,513 --> 01:22:36,746
to inspire
his subjects' loyalty.

1626
01:22:38,884 --> 01:22:41,952
akyeampong: one of the things
that is notably significant

1627
01:22:41,987 --> 01:22:43,620
was that within the palace

1628
01:22:43,655 --> 01:22:45,755
he builds quarters
for craftsmen,

1629
01:22:45,791 --> 01:22:47,524
and that is also connected

1630
01:22:47,559 --> 01:22:49,693
to his patronage of the arts

1631
01:22:49,728 --> 01:22:51,862
and the flourish of the arts.

1632
01:22:51,897 --> 01:22:53,396
host: those craftsmen
were known

1633
01:22:53,432 --> 01:22:55,565
as servants of the oba.

1634
01:22:55,601 --> 01:22:58,435
in return for his
patronage and protection,

1635
01:22:58,470 --> 01:23:00,804
they produced
elaborately detailed

1636
01:23:00,839 --> 01:23:03,907
metal plaques that
decorated the interior

1637
01:23:03,942 --> 01:23:05,976
of the oba's palace.

1638
01:23:06,011 --> 01:23:08,178
akyeampong: from that period,
we see

1639
01:23:08,213 --> 01:23:10,747
militarism become important

1640
01:23:10,782 --> 01:23:12,849
and the annexation
of territory,

1641
01:23:12,885 --> 01:23:14,818
and these then are reflected

1642
01:23:14,853 --> 01:23:17,587
in the plaques that are made.

1643
01:23:19,424 --> 01:23:21,091
preston blier:
they're incredibly detailed

1644
01:23:21,126 --> 01:23:24,294
in terms of the portrayal
of various figures

1645
01:23:24,329 --> 01:23:26,830
in rich kinds of regalia,

1646
01:23:26,865 --> 01:23:28,732
engaged in various activities.

1647
01:23:28,767 --> 01:23:31,735
you can see the oba or king.
in a number of them,

1648
01:23:31,770 --> 01:23:36,606
you see various of his ministers
and servants and priests.

1649
01:23:36,642 --> 01:23:39,009
there are a number
of portrayals of

1650
01:23:39,044 --> 01:23:42,212
situations of war where
they're going to war

1651
01:23:42,247 --> 01:23:46,183
or coming back after
a military victory.

1652
01:23:46,218 --> 01:23:50,120
host: ewuare, the first of 5
great warrior kings,

1653
01:23:50,155 --> 01:23:52,522
could mobilize 20,000 soldiers

1654
01:23:52,558 --> 01:23:54,157
in a single day.

1655
01:23:54,193 --> 01:23:56,226
during the 15th
and 16th centuries,

1656
01:23:56,261 --> 01:23:58,094
ewuare and his successors

1657
01:23:58,130 --> 01:24:01,565
waged a series of wars
against neighboring states

1658
01:24:01,600 --> 01:24:03,433
and they commemorated
their victories

1659
01:24:03,468 --> 01:24:06,069
in a most unusual fashion.

1660
01:24:06,104 --> 01:24:08,505
suzanne, who is
this gentleman?

1661
01:24:08,540 --> 01:24:10,607
one of the theories
about this work

1662
01:24:10,642 --> 01:24:13,376
is it represents not
an individual from benin

1663
01:24:13,412 --> 01:24:15,979
but rather a defeated
enemy of some sort.

1664
01:24:16,014 --> 01:24:17,447
i think one of
the striking things

1665
01:24:17,482 --> 01:24:19,783
in many
african art contexts

1666
01:24:19,818 --> 01:24:22,619
is there's often
as much emphasis given

1667
01:24:22,654 --> 01:24:24,988
to honoring somebody
of importance

1668
01:24:25,023 --> 01:24:26,923
whom one defeated

1669
01:24:26,959 --> 01:24:28,658
as there is
in portraying

1670
01:24:28,694 --> 01:24:31,328
important individuals
in one's own society.

1671
01:24:31,363 --> 01:24:33,330
so, if you show
your enemy as brave

1672
01:24:33,365 --> 01:24:35,398
and strong and regal,

1673
01:24:35,434 --> 01:24:36,633
and you defeated him,

1674
01:24:36,668 --> 01:24:38,401
then you are brave
and strong and regal.

1675
01:24:38,437 --> 01:24:40,470
exactly, and that's
in part the point.

1676
01:24:40,505 --> 01:24:42,973
you're saying,
"who's the man? me,
because i defeated him."

1677
01:24:43,008 --> 01:24:45,208
exactly.
would he have
been beheaded?

1678
01:24:45,244 --> 01:24:46,476
most likely.
that was one of

1679
01:24:46,511 --> 01:24:49,179
the main means
of execution, so,

1680
01:24:49,214 --> 01:24:52,115
that idea of
an honorific
portrait head

1681
01:24:52,150 --> 01:24:55,018
and a trophy head,
they sometimes merge.

1682
01:24:56,088 --> 01:24:58,955
but does it look like
the defeated king?

1683
01:24:58,991 --> 01:25:02,592
no. the idea of
an exact representation

1684
01:25:02,628 --> 01:25:03,927
is something that
for the most part

1685
01:25:03,962 --> 01:25:05,161
was not done in africa.

1686
01:25:05,197 --> 01:25:07,397
there's much greater
sense on timelessness

1687
01:25:07,432 --> 01:25:08,832
and monumentality,

1688
01:25:08,867 --> 01:25:10,767
which comes when
one is creating

1689
01:25:10,802 --> 01:25:13,303
an idealized portrait.

1690
01:25:13,338 --> 01:25:15,438
host: although
they're called bronzes,

1691
01:25:15,474 --> 01:25:19,776
these heads are in fact
cast from brass.

1692
01:25:19,811 --> 01:25:23,146
the intricate skill involved
in memorializing their kings,

1693
01:25:23,181 --> 01:25:24,781
and their conquered opponents,

1694
01:25:24,816 --> 01:25:27,050
speaks to a society
that was both

1695
01:25:27,085 --> 01:25:30,587
sublimely self-confident
and extremely proud.

1696
01:25:33,158 --> 01:25:34,658
where does
this piece stand

1697
01:25:34,693 --> 01:25:37,060
in the canon of
late 15th-century art

1698
01:25:37,095 --> 01:25:38,328
throughout the world?

1699
01:25:38,363 --> 01:25:39,729
this is
an extraordinary work,

1700
01:25:39,765 --> 01:25:42,032
both in the effect
of its presence

1701
01:25:42,067 --> 01:25:44,367
and its technology.

1702
01:25:44,403 --> 01:25:46,002
and at this time,
the casting is

1703
01:25:46,038 --> 01:25:49,306
really just very, very
thin and very precise.

1704
01:25:49,341 --> 01:25:51,374
as a work of art,
it really stands

1705
01:25:51,410 --> 01:25:52,976
right up there among

1706
01:25:53,011 --> 01:25:55,512
the real canon
of art history.

1707
01:25:59,384 --> 01:26:01,518
host: remarkably, these bronzes

1708
01:26:01,553 --> 01:26:04,154
capture a moment that would
alter the course

1709
01:26:04,189 --> 01:26:06,256
of african history--

1710
01:26:06,291 --> 01:26:08,858
the arrival of the portuguese.

1711
01:26:08,894 --> 01:26:11,828
to the people of benin,
the portuguese

1712
01:26:11,863 --> 01:26:14,931
initially represented
a new market,

1713
01:26:14,966 --> 01:26:17,801
just another group
with which to trade.

1714
01:26:17,836 --> 01:26:19,669
what's coming
from europe?

1715
01:26:19,705 --> 01:26:22,205
by this time, the metal
is coming from europe

1716
01:26:22,240 --> 01:26:24,974
and there is an exchange
of individuals,

1717
01:26:25,010 --> 01:26:26,943
ideas, and materials.

1718
01:26:26,978 --> 01:26:29,145
so, was it a relationship
of equality?

1719
01:26:29,181 --> 01:26:31,247
each was offering
different elements

1720
01:26:31,283 --> 01:26:32,582
to the relationship.

1721
01:26:32,617 --> 01:26:33,817
for the portuguese,
this was

1722
01:26:33,852 --> 01:26:35,652
a center
for exchange.

1723
01:26:35,687 --> 01:26:38,355
for the edo
of benin city,

1724
01:26:38,390 --> 01:26:40,557
they used the
portuguese as soldiers,

1725
01:26:40,592 --> 01:26:41,958
and so,
in a certain sense,

1726
01:26:41,993 --> 01:26:43,326
it was
an equal exchange.

1727
01:26:43,362 --> 01:26:44,594
so, the king
was hiring

1728
01:26:44,629 --> 01:26:46,296
portuguese soldiers
as mercenaries.

1729
01:26:46,331 --> 01:26:48,264
yes. they were hired
as mercenaries.

1730
01:26:48,300 --> 01:26:50,800
it helped them to
expand the domain

1731
01:26:50,836 --> 01:26:53,103
of the empire
of benin.

1732
01:26:56,508 --> 01:26:58,141
host: the portuguese, however,

1733
01:26:58,176 --> 01:27:00,643
had expansionist ambitions
of their own.

1734
01:27:08,887 --> 01:27:10,954
back on the east coast
of africa,

1735
01:27:10,989 --> 01:27:12,922
by the end of the 15th century,

1736
01:27:12,958 --> 01:27:16,693
the swahili stone cities
were still thriving.

1737
01:27:16,728 --> 01:27:21,131
kilwa, now home to as many
as 12,000 inhabitants,

1738
01:27:21,166 --> 01:27:23,933
had long minted
its own gold coins.

1739
01:27:25,670 --> 01:27:28,438
little did they realize
that their dominance

1740
01:27:28,473 --> 01:27:30,640
was about to be
fatally challenged

1741
01:27:30,675 --> 01:27:32,876
by portuguese fortune hunters.

1742
01:27:34,446 --> 01:27:38,314
topan: the portuguese came
with an agenda of their own

1743
01:27:38,350 --> 01:27:43,787
and they were very much there
to take and to subdue.

1744
01:27:43,822 --> 01:27:45,922
laviolette: the portuguese
were essentially pirates
in many ways.

1745
01:27:45,957 --> 01:27:47,757
i mean, they are--
they were a pirate culture

1746
01:27:47,793 --> 01:27:50,293
into a very thriving,
existing system.

1747
01:27:50,328 --> 01:27:52,495
they wanted to co-opt
existing trade routes

1748
01:27:52,531 --> 01:27:53,663
and make them their own.

1749
01:27:53,698 --> 01:27:55,231
they wanted to seize ports.

1750
01:27:55,267 --> 01:27:56,933
they wanted
to tax ports.

1751
01:27:56,968 --> 01:27:59,602
they disrupted a world
in which they had no part.

1752
01:27:59,638 --> 01:28:01,438
they inserted themselves
in that.

1753
01:28:01,473 --> 01:28:03,740
they were looking for economic
toeholds in different places

1754
01:28:03,775 --> 01:28:05,975
and to disrupt and to exploit.

1755
01:28:08,447 --> 01:28:11,047
host: the portuguese believed
that kilwa

1756
01:28:11,082 --> 01:28:12,816
was the key to the gold trade

1757
01:28:12,851 --> 01:28:15,318
and eagerly desired
to conquer the city

1758
01:28:15,353 --> 01:28:17,487
to control that
lucrative trade.

1759
01:28:21,560 --> 01:28:24,260
bold in ambition,
ruthless in method,

1760
01:28:24,296 --> 01:28:27,564
the portuguese thought it would
be easy to defeat the sultan

1761
01:28:27,599 --> 01:28:30,600
and then take control
of this sophisticated

1762
01:28:30,635 --> 01:28:32,802
market economy.

1763
01:28:32,838 --> 01:28:38,041
in 1505, a fleet of 11
heavily-armed portuguese ships

1764
01:28:38,076 --> 01:28:41,511
carrying 500 men
docked at kilwa.

1765
01:28:41,546 --> 01:28:44,347
their captain was
francisco almeida,

1766
01:28:44,382 --> 01:28:46,683
a proud and experienced man,

1767
01:28:46,718 --> 01:28:50,019
recently appointed
the portuguese viceroy of india.

1768
01:28:50,055 --> 01:28:52,355
when the sultan
refused to surrender,

1769
01:28:52,390 --> 01:28:54,858
almeida's response was swift.

1770
01:28:57,863 --> 01:29:00,964
almeida and his men
resorted to force.

1771
01:29:00,999 --> 01:29:03,600
they bombarded the city
with cannon.

1772
01:29:03,635 --> 01:29:06,336
the coral buildings
were no match

1773
01:29:06,371 --> 01:29:08,638
for all that
portuguese firepower.

1774
01:29:10,075 --> 01:29:13,977
weakened by infighting
and local rivalries,

1775
01:29:14,012 --> 01:29:16,846
kilwa was hard pressed
to defend itself.

1776
01:29:20,819 --> 01:29:23,987
the portuguese attack
delivered the final blow

1777
01:29:24,022 --> 01:29:26,155
to this once-great city.

1778
01:29:26,191 --> 01:29:29,259
as a consequence,
almeida and his men

1779
01:29:29,294 --> 01:29:32,061
secured a vital
strategic stronghold

1780
01:29:32,097 --> 01:29:34,998
on the swahili coast.

1781
01:29:35,033 --> 01:29:37,200
but they made
a fundamental mistake.

1782
01:29:39,137 --> 01:29:40,803
arrogantly, they interfered

1783
01:29:40,839 --> 01:29:42,539
with a trading economy

1784
01:29:42,574 --> 01:29:45,074
that had evolved
over centuries.

1785
01:29:45,110 --> 01:29:47,377
mapunda: from that moment,
east africa

1786
01:29:47,412 --> 01:29:50,613
is falling in the hands
of the europeans.

1787
01:29:50,649 --> 01:29:52,181
mm-hmm.
their interest

1788
01:29:52,217 --> 01:29:55,818
is not to actually
promote trade.

1789
01:29:55,854 --> 01:29:58,555
had they been smart,
actually, what they
would have done,

1790
01:29:58,590 --> 01:30:01,491
just to take control
politically,

1791
01:30:01,526 --> 01:30:03,760
and then let
the business go on.

1792
01:30:03,795 --> 01:30:04,861
and take their cut.

1793
01:30:04,896 --> 01:30:06,095
[laughs] exactly.

1794
01:30:06,131 --> 01:30:07,363
but they didn't want
to do it.

1795
01:30:07,399 --> 01:30:09,832
leave the political
parts, they were
not interested,

1796
01:30:09,868 --> 01:30:11,701
but just the commerce.

1797
01:30:11,736 --> 01:30:14,103
now, they did not know
that this commerce

1798
01:30:14,139 --> 01:30:17,307
has been there going on
for a long time

1799
01:30:17,342 --> 01:30:20,043
and it was a system.

1800
01:30:20,078 --> 01:30:22,445
host: following the sacking
of kilwa,

1801
01:30:22,480 --> 01:30:26,416
the portuguese continue to upset
trade on the swahili coast

1802
01:30:26,451 --> 01:30:29,352
in their aggressive
pursuit of profits.

1803
01:30:29,387 --> 01:30:30,720
laviolette: the effect
of the portuguese

1804
01:30:30,755 --> 01:30:34,691
on the indian ocean
trading system is undeniable.

1805
01:30:36,161 --> 01:30:38,094
they came in to disrupt
and to exploit,

1806
01:30:38,129 --> 01:30:39,862
and it's the whole
indian ocean system

1807
01:30:39,898 --> 01:30:41,164
that they ended up disrupting.

1808
01:30:41,199 --> 01:30:44,300
so, it's the beginning of
the decline of a system.

1809
01:30:46,137 --> 01:30:48,471
host: but it was more than
gold and the spice trade

1810
01:30:48,506 --> 01:30:50,440
that the portuguese
had been seeking.

1811
01:30:52,043 --> 01:30:54,344
their navigators
carried a letter

1812
01:30:54,379 --> 01:30:57,513
written by the king
of portugal himself,

1813
01:30:57,549 --> 01:30:59,449
addressed to an individual

1814
01:30:59,484 --> 01:31:03,486
who had fascinated europeans
for centuries.

1815
01:31:03,521 --> 01:31:05,488
their search would lead them

1816
01:31:05,523 --> 01:31:08,925
to the ancient christian
kingdom of ethiopia.

1817
01:31:08,960 --> 01:31:12,395
ethiopia was replete
with biblical myth--

1818
01:31:12,430 --> 01:31:16,833
a line of kings descended from
solomon and the queen of sheba.

1819
01:31:16,868 --> 01:31:21,904
the home, legendarily, of
the ark of the covenant itself.

1820
01:31:21,940 --> 01:31:23,806
but what the portuguese
were seeking

1821
01:31:23,842 --> 01:31:26,576
was a superhero,
a wealthy african king

1822
01:31:26,611 --> 01:31:30,647
whose supernatural powers
would turn out to be a fantasy

1823
01:31:30,682 --> 01:31:33,983
of the european imagination.

1824
01:31:34,019 --> 01:31:36,386
a legendary ethiopian king

1825
01:31:36,421 --> 01:31:38,254
became a powerful symbol

1826
01:31:38,289 --> 01:31:40,456
of the glories of africa.

1827
01:31:40,492 --> 01:31:43,593
the embodiment of the riches,
romance, and mystery

1828
01:31:43,628 --> 01:31:46,162
that europe imagined
the continent to hold.

1829
01:31:46,197 --> 01:31:47,730
his name was prester john.

1830
01:31:49,934 --> 01:31:51,634
the legend of prester john

1831
01:31:51,670 --> 01:31:55,004
arose during the crusades
of the 12th century.

1832
01:31:55,040 --> 01:31:59,342
the idea of a mighty christian
ally located in the east

1833
01:31:59,377 --> 01:32:01,477
captured christendom's fancy.

1834
01:32:01,513 --> 01:32:04,347
he was, it was said,
rich and powerful,

1835
01:32:04,382 --> 01:32:06,916
descended from one of
the 3 magi

1836
01:32:06,951 --> 01:32:08,484
and immortal.

1837
01:32:08,520 --> 01:32:11,054
the fountain of youth
was located in his kingdom,

1838
01:32:11,089 --> 01:32:13,389
which explained why
he was still around

1839
01:32:13,425 --> 01:32:14,991
all these centuries later.

1840
01:32:16,194 --> 01:32:20,063
this greatest of kings,
prester john,

1841
01:32:20,098 --> 01:32:24,467
had thus far eluded
his european pursuers.

1842
01:32:24,502 --> 01:32:26,202
european monarchs believed that

1843
01:32:26,237 --> 01:32:28,271
if they could locate
this great king

1844
01:32:28,306 --> 01:32:31,074
and forge military alliances
with him,

1845
01:32:31,109 --> 01:32:33,042
they might be able
to reverse the progress

1846
01:32:33,078 --> 01:32:36,179
of the muslim forces that had
conquered the holy land.

1847
01:32:40,452 --> 01:32:42,852
europe's quest for prester john

1848
01:32:42,887 --> 01:32:46,189
had a certain appeal
for the ethiopians.

1849
01:32:46,224 --> 01:32:49,859
woman: the location of
prester john kept on moving.

1850
01:32:49,894 --> 01:32:53,863
was he in asia?
was he--who knew where he was?

1851
01:32:53,898 --> 01:32:56,065
and the ethiopians
came to europe

1852
01:32:56,101 --> 01:32:59,402
and when they heard this myth,
they said, "yeah, that's us.

1853
01:32:59,437 --> 01:33:03,139
we are those people.
our king is the prester john."

1854
01:33:03,174 --> 01:33:06,275
so, they corralled
this european myth

1855
01:33:06,311 --> 01:33:09,879
for their own uses, as it were.

1856
01:33:09,914 --> 01:33:12,248
host: the ethiopians
had their own reasons

1857
01:33:12,283 --> 01:33:15,885
for claiming prester john
as their own.

1858
01:33:15,920 --> 01:33:21,624
in 1306, ethiopia dispatched
an embassy to the king of spain,

1859
01:33:21,659 --> 01:33:24,160
requesting aid against
their muslim neighbors.

1860
01:33:25,897 --> 01:33:28,998
100 years later, a group
of ethiopian monks

1861
01:33:29,033 --> 01:33:32,702
constituted an official
delegation to the papacy.

1862
01:33:32,737 --> 01:33:35,505
belcher: we often think of
europeans discovering africa,

1863
01:33:35,540 --> 01:33:36,773
but of course, in this case,

1864
01:33:36,808 --> 01:33:38,608
the ethiopians were
discovering europe.

1865
01:33:38,643 --> 01:33:40,643
the ethiopians went to europe

1866
01:33:40,678 --> 01:33:43,246
in order to make
religious connections,

1867
01:33:43,281 --> 01:33:46,783
but of course, the political was
very much a part of it as well

1868
01:33:46,818 --> 01:33:49,752
because ethiopia was
surrounded by islam,

1869
01:33:49,788 --> 01:33:52,555
and they were anxious
to protect themselves.

1870
01:33:54,626 --> 01:33:57,960
host: ethiopia had lived
in a state of uneasy tension

1871
01:33:57,996 --> 01:34:01,063
with its islamic neighbors
for centuries.

1872
01:34:01,099 --> 01:34:03,633
but in the first half
of the 14th century,

1873
01:34:03,668 --> 01:34:07,537
christian ethiopia became
aggressively expansionist,

1874
01:34:07,572 --> 01:34:11,774
seizing the land of neighboring
muslim sultanates.

1875
01:34:11,810 --> 01:34:14,977
but then those neighbors
fought back.

1876
01:34:17,682 --> 01:34:19,715
man: by the end of
the 14th century,

1877
01:34:19,751 --> 01:34:22,585
a strong islamic state emerged

1878
01:34:22,620 --> 01:34:25,021
in the eastern highlands
of ethiopia.

1879
01:34:25,056 --> 01:34:27,256
that was the sultanate
of adal.

1880
01:34:27,292 --> 01:34:29,859
mm-hmm.
so, the sultanate
of adal

1881
01:34:29,894 --> 01:34:31,527
and the
christian kingdom

1882
01:34:31,563 --> 01:34:32,995
were in
continuous conflict.

1883
01:34:33,031 --> 01:34:36,032
the main reason
was control of
the trade route

1884
01:34:36,067 --> 01:34:38,968
that goes to
southwestern parts
of ethiopia.

1885
01:34:39,003 --> 01:34:39,969
it's all about
the money.

1886
01:34:40,004 --> 01:34:40,970
yeah.

1887
01:34:41,005 --> 01:34:44,006
so, the islamic
monarchy is expanding.

1888
01:34:44,042 --> 01:34:46,242
expanding.
at the beginning
of the 16th century.

1889
01:34:46,277 --> 01:34:47,243
yeah.

1890
01:34:49,113 --> 01:34:50,980
host: it seemed that
ethiopians had found

1891
01:34:51,015 --> 01:34:54,217
the christian ally
they'd been looking for.

1892
01:34:55,920 --> 01:34:58,020
the king sent
letters to portugal

1893
01:34:58,056 --> 01:34:59,255
and he
was expecting...

1894
01:34:59,290 --> 01:35:01,724
reinforcements.
yeah, the portuguese

1895
01:35:01,759 --> 01:35:03,593
came to assist
the christian king,

1896
01:35:03,628 --> 01:35:05,228
but by the time that
the portuguese came,

1897
01:35:05,263 --> 01:35:07,196
he was already dead
and he was succeeded by

1898
01:35:07,232 --> 01:35:08,698
his son gelawdewos,

1899
01:35:08,733 --> 01:35:10,299
and then in that
same year,

1900
01:35:10,335 --> 01:35:12,235
the portuguese arrived
at the...

1901
01:35:12,270 --> 01:35:13,236
at massawa.

1902
01:35:13,271 --> 01:35:14,303
at massawa.

1903
01:35:16,474 --> 01:35:19,275
host: the commander
of the portuguese musketeers

1904
01:35:19,310 --> 01:35:21,644
was christopher da gama.

1905
01:35:21,679 --> 01:35:23,813
he joined forces
with the ethiopians

1906
01:35:23,848 --> 01:35:26,048
under their leader gelawdewos.

1907
01:35:28,086 --> 01:35:30,853
in the year 1543,
the ethiopians,

1908
01:35:30,889 --> 01:35:33,389
assisted by
portuguese reinforcements,

1909
01:35:33,424 --> 01:35:36,726
inflicted a sharp defeat
on the attacking army

1910
01:35:36,761 --> 01:35:38,427
from the sultanate of adal.

1911
01:35:38,463 --> 01:35:41,397
they had managed to save
the christian kingdom.

1912
01:35:41,432 --> 01:35:43,366
[people singing
in native language]

1913
01:35:45,403 --> 01:35:47,570
host: but this new alliance
with the portuguese

1914
01:35:47,605 --> 01:35:51,440
would have profound
and devastating consequences
for ethiopia.

1915
01:35:53,478 --> 01:35:57,146
at its root lay
a fundamental misunderstanding.

1916
01:35:57,181 --> 01:35:59,882
woman: gelawdewos believed
that he was receiving

1917
01:35:59,918 --> 01:36:03,319
military aid out of
christian friendship.

1918
01:36:03,354 --> 01:36:05,021
on the other side, in portugal,

1919
01:36:05,056 --> 01:36:06,756
they believed
the military assistance

1920
01:36:06,791 --> 01:36:10,893
was given in exchange for a vow
of obedience to the pope.

1921
01:36:10,929 --> 01:36:12,561
so, something
very, very important

1922
01:36:12,597 --> 01:36:14,297
had been lost
in translation there.

1923
01:36:14,332 --> 01:36:15,765
[people chanting
in native language]

1924
01:36:15,800 --> 01:36:17,633
host: with
the portuguese mercenaries

1925
01:36:17,669 --> 01:36:22,071
came a different kind of army--
the jesuits.

1926
01:36:22,106 --> 01:36:26,275
they were roman catholics
in search of converts.

1927
01:36:26,311 --> 01:36:28,678
windmuller-luna: the ethiopian
orthodox christian church

1928
01:36:28,713 --> 01:36:32,381
is one of the oldest christian
churches in the world,

1929
01:36:32,417 --> 01:36:34,250
and the catholics admired that,

1930
01:36:34,285 --> 01:36:37,286
but they also believed
that it was full of errors

1931
01:36:37,322 --> 01:36:39,555
and that it had
become heretical.

1932
01:36:41,793 --> 01:36:44,293
belcher: they sent
these priests to ethiopia

1933
01:36:44,329 --> 01:36:46,829
in order to convert them,
and this is

1934
01:36:46,864 --> 01:36:50,366
one of the more bizarre
of all historical moments

1935
01:36:50,401 --> 01:36:54,603
when christians go to convert
christians to christianity.

1936
01:36:54,639 --> 01:36:59,976
host: by 1606, ethiopia had
a new emperor--susenyos.

1937
01:37:00,011 --> 01:37:03,646
seeking to counter the power of
the ethiopian orthodox church,

1938
01:37:03,681 --> 01:37:07,483
susenyos developed
an interest in catholicism.

1939
01:37:07,518 --> 01:37:11,220
what happened is that
there was a jesuit

1940
01:37:11,255 --> 01:37:12,822
who loved ethiopia.

1941
01:37:12,857 --> 01:37:15,558
he said to the emperor,
look, the church is wonderful.

1942
01:37:15,593 --> 01:37:16,993
christianity is wonderful.

1943
01:37:17,028 --> 01:37:18,694
you really don't have
to change anything.

1944
01:37:18,730 --> 01:37:20,529
this is really about politics.

1945
01:37:20,565 --> 01:37:22,765
if you say that
you are, you know,

1946
01:37:22,800 --> 01:37:25,301
agreeing to be a part
of the pope's kingdom,

1947
01:37:25,336 --> 01:37:27,470
that just helps us all
to fight islam.

1948
01:37:28,973 --> 01:37:31,040
host: susenyos converted.

1949
01:37:31,075 --> 01:37:33,676
determined to gain
total control of his kingdom,

1950
01:37:33,711 --> 01:37:36,645
he outlawed the ethiopian
orthodox church,

1951
01:37:36,681 --> 01:37:41,283
which was supported by powerful
and rival nobles.

1952
01:37:41,319 --> 01:37:43,419
the people of ethiopia
didn't take kindly

1953
01:37:43,454 --> 01:37:45,287
to the outlawing
of their faith,

1954
01:37:45,323 --> 01:37:47,423
a faith, after all,
that they had practiced

1955
01:37:47,458 --> 01:37:50,092
for over 1,000 years.

1956
01:37:50,128 --> 01:37:52,161
ordinary people, the nobility,

1957
01:37:52,196 --> 01:37:55,097
the clergy of the ethiopian
orthodox church

1958
01:37:55,133 --> 01:37:58,534
all refused to convert
to roman catholicism.

1959
01:37:58,569 --> 01:38:01,837
and what followed was
a catastrophe for ethiopia.

1960
01:38:04,709 --> 01:38:07,343
in the wake of
susenyos' conversion,

1961
01:38:07,378 --> 01:38:10,046
ethiopia plunged
into a civil war

1962
01:38:10,081 --> 01:38:11,814
that lasted 5 years.

1963
01:38:15,319 --> 01:38:17,887
in the fighting between
the forces of susenyos

1964
01:38:17,922 --> 01:38:19,922
and those who
resisted conversion,

1965
01:38:19,957 --> 01:38:22,358
the death toll was enormous.

1966
01:38:22,393 --> 01:38:24,427
on the last day
of fighting alone,

1967
01:38:24,462 --> 01:38:26,429
8,000 people were killed.

1968
01:38:26,464 --> 01:38:31,200
by 1632, susenyos
was a broken man.

1969
01:38:31,235 --> 01:38:33,335
he had little choice
but to abdicate

1970
01:38:33,371 --> 01:38:36,705
in favor of his son fasilides.

1971
01:38:36,741 --> 01:38:39,942
windmuller-luna: fasilides was
adamantly pro-orthodox,

1972
01:38:39,977 --> 01:38:44,680
and the very first thing he did
was to turn the kingdom's faith

1973
01:38:44,715 --> 01:38:46,482
back into ethiopian orthodox.

1974
01:38:46,517 --> 01:38:48,150
the second thing he did
was to expel

1975
01:38:48,186 --> 01:38:49,885
the jesuits from the court,

1976
01:38:49,921 --> 01:38:53,489
and very soon after, he expelled
them from the country.

1977
01:38:53,524 --> 01:38:56,725
belcher: this failed attempt
of the jesuits in ethiopia

1978
01:38:56,761 --> 01:39:00,262
turned out to be a great
blessing to the ethiopians,

1979
01:39:00,298 --> 01:39:02,531
and that's because they had
an early experience

1980
01:39:02,567 --> 01:39:05,000
of exactly what colonialism
would be.

1981
01:39:05,036 --> 01:39:08,971
the ethiopians decided that
this was not for them

1982
01:39:09,006 --> 01:39:11,707
and they were never
colonized again.

1983
01:39:12,944 --> 01:39:15,177
host: susenyos' ploy, however,

1984
01:39:15,213 --> 01:39:17,113
had opened up deep rifts

1985
01:39:17,148 --> 01:39:19,381
in ethiopian society.

1986
01:39:19,417 --> 01:39:22,485
fasilides faced
a huge challenge.

1987
01:39:22,520 --> 01:39:25,588
but he was a man who understood
the power of symbolism, and so,

1988
01:39:25,623 --> 01:39:27,623
he turned to architecture.

1989
01:39:27,658 --> 01:39:30,726
he believed that by building
a great, new capital city,

1990
01:39:30,761 --> 01:39:33,395
he could provide
a unifying focal point

1991
01:39:33,431 --> 01:39:36,132
for a nation
that had spent years

1992
01:39:36,167 --> 01:39:40,035
riven by religious division
and anarchy.

1993
01:39:40,071 --> 01:39:42,538
oral tradition states
that a buffalo

1994
01:39:42,573 --> 01:39:46,408
led fasilides to a spot
north of lake tana,

1995
01:39:46,444 --> 01:39:48,744
where a hermit told him
he should build a city.

1996
01:39:50,181 --> 01:39:53,249
4 years after fasilides
ascended the throne,

1997
01:39:53,284 --> 01:39:56,318
he commenced work
on a permanent stone capital

1998
01:39:56,354 --> 01:39:58,954
for his ancient country,

1999
01:39:58,990 --> 01:40:02,024
perched high
on a volcanic ridge

2000
01:40:02,059 --> 01:40:03,459
at gondar.

2001
01:40:12,837 --> 01:40:15,571
windmuller-luna: prior to
the establishment of gondar,

2002
01:40:15,606 --> 01:40:18,407
the capitals of ethiopia
were roving.

2003
01:40:18,442 --> 01:40:21,043
they moved from
place to place seasonally.

2004
01:40:21,078 --> 01:40:23,212
but in gondar,
you had settlement

2005
01:40:23,247 --> 01:40:25,915
at the same place
for hundreds of years,

2006
01:40:25,950 --> 01:40:28,717
going all the way
into the 18th century.

2007
01:40:28,753 --> 01:40:31,954
so, given this stability
in terms of place,

2008
01:40:31,989 --> 01:40:34,356
the empire's power
was consolidated.

2009
01:40:34,392 --> 01:40:37,993
host: at the heart of the city
sat fasilides' castle.

2010
01:40:38,029 --> 01:40:41,197
the castle enclosure,
known as fasil ghebbi,

2011
01:40:41,232 --> 01:40:43,933
covered 70,000 square meters

2012
01:40:43,968 --> 01:40:46,802
and was surrounded
by an imposing wall

2013
01:40:46,837 --> 01:40:49,305
more than half a mile long.

2014
01:40:49,340 --> 01:40:52,007
its design was a bold statement

2015
01:40:52,043 --> 01:40:54,510
of imperial intent.

2016
01:40:54,545 --> 01:40:57,713
windmuller-luna:
the gondarine style
is characterized

2017
01:40:57,748 --> 01:41:02,318
by large towers topped
by these egg-shaped domes

2018
01:41:02,353 --> 01:41:05,888
and grand staircases
on the outside.

2019
01:41:05,923 --> 01:41:09,024
you also have these sort of
crenellations at the top.

2020
01:41:09,060 --> 01:41:10,960
gives it a bit of
a fortified look.

2021
01:41:13,030 --> 01:41:15,898
host: within 20 years,
gondar had expanded

2022
01:41:15,933 --> 01:41:19,468
to become the largest city
in the ethiopian empire.

2023
01:41:19,503 --> 01:41:22,805
with a population
just over 25,000,

2024
01:41:22,840 --> 01:41:25,507
and a remarkable 44 churches,

2025
01:41:25,543 --> 01:41:29,678
gondar became a flourishing
center for the arts.

2026
01:41:29,714 --> 01:41:31,814
windmuller-luna:
under the gondarine kings,

2027
01:41:31,849 --> 01:41:33,716
there was a cultural explosion.

2028
01:41:33,751 --> 01:41:36,986
you had a royal court
centered in a city

2029
01:41:37,021 --> 01:41:39,622
where there were
workshops of painters

2030
01:41:39,657 --> 01:41:44,026
as well as monks producing
illuminated manuscripts,

2031
01:41:44,061 --> 01:41:46,495
and it really allowed
art to flourish.

2032
01:41:50,001 --> 01:41:51,300
host: coming out of a time of

2033
01:41:51,335 --> 01:41:53,535
bitter division
within the country,

2034
01:41:53,571 --> 01:41:56,872
gondar was
fasilides' reassertion

2035
01:41:56,907 --> 01:41:59,275
of the supremacy
of the emperor,

2036
01:41:59,310 --> 01:42:02,311
as well as a vision
of optimism and confidence

2037
01:42:02,346 --> 01:42:06,582
for the future of
the ethiopian empire.

2038
01:42:06,617 --> 01:42:10,286
fasilides had redeemed
the catastrophic error

2039
01:42:10,321 --> 01:42:11,887
of his father's plan.

2040
01:42:14,025 --> 01:42:17,526
and even today,
his legacy lives on.

2041
01:42:17,561 --> 01:42:20,129
fasilides' bath in gondar

2042
01:42:20,164 --> 01:42:22,398
is filled with water
once a year

2043
01:42:22,433 --> 01:42:24,533
for the timkat festival,

2044
01:42:24,568 --> 01:42:26,201
when ethiopians gather

2045
01:42:26,237 --> 01:42:28,070
to celebrate jesus' baptism.

2046
01:42:28,105 --> 01:42:30,039
[all cheering]

2047
01:42:36,113 --> 01:42:38,247
belcher: this is what people
don't know about africa,

2048
01:42:38,282 --> 01:42:41,083
is that there were
these amazing cities

2049
01:42:41,118 --> 01:42:43,485
that were effervescent.

2050
01:42:43,521 --> 01:42:46,155
people were writing,
people were creating things,

2051
01:42:46,190 --> 01:42:50,426
people were doing innovations
in law, in trade,

2052
01:42:50,461 --> 01:42:52,828
and gondar was a great example
of that.

2053
01:42:52,863 --> 01:42:54,730
host: the rise
of these sophisticated

2054
01:42:54,765 --> 01:42:56,899
and ambitious civilizations

2055
01:42:56,934 --> 01:42:59,535
on the swahili coast,
in great zimbabwe,

2056
01:42:59,570 --> 01:43:01,904
at benin city, and at gondar

2057
01:43:01,939 --> 01:43:05,474
was an indication of africa's
continuing engagement

2058
01:43:05,509 --> 01:43:07,910
with europe, the middle east,
and asia,

2059
01:43:07,945 --> 01:43:10,012
absorbing foreign influences

2060
01:43:10,047 --> 01:43:12,881
and transforming them
into something

2061
01:43:12,917 --> 01:43:14,650
uniquely african.

2062
01:43:14,685 --> 01:43:16,852
this period of
ingenuity, creativity,

2063
01:43:16,887 --> 01:43:18,821
and daring commercial ambition

2064
01:43:18,856 --> 01:43:21,924
would fuel the world's
curiosity about africa

2065
01:43:21,959 --> 01:43:24,493
for centuries to come.

2066
01:43:24,528 --> 01:43:28,063
but the wheel was about
to turn once more.

2067
01:43:29,767 --> 01:43:33,669
kingdoms in west africa
would undergo profound changes

2068
01:43:33,704 --> 01:43:36,071
as they were drawn
ever more deeply

2069
01:43:36,107 --> 01:43:40,476
into the political economies
of the atlantic world.

2070
01:43:40,511 --> 01:43:43,712
these links would generate
great wealth and power

2071
01:43:43,748 --> 01:43:47,516
but also disruption,
tearing 12 million people

2072
01:43:47,551 --> 01:43:49,385
from its shores.

2073
01:43:49,420 --> 01:43:52,354
[thunder]
while a revolution
based on faith

2074
01:43:52,390 --> 01:43:53,989
would lay the foundations

2075
01:43:54,024 --> 01:43:55,524
of one of the largest

2076
01:43:55,559 --> 01:43:57,926
and most culturally
vibrant empires

2077
01:43:57,962 --> 01:43:59,862
in the history of africa.

2078
01:44:02,241 --> 01:44:04,509
announcer: on "africa's
great civilizations"...

2079
01:44:04,578 --> 01:44:05,677
dr. henry louis gates, jr.:
europe's exploration
of the americas

2080
01:44:05,746 --> 01:44:09,047
ignites a race for riches
that turns the world

2081
01:44:09,116 --> 01:44:10,248
upside down.

2082
01:44:10,317 --> 01:44:12,984
this new world becomes
synonymous with trade,

2083
01:44:13,053 --> 01:44:14,419
and a crucial component of trade

2084
01:44:14,488 --> 01:44:16,621
is the shipping across
the atlantic

2085
01:44:16,690 --> 01:44:19,491
of 12 1/2 million africans
as slaves.

2086
01:44:19,560 --> 01:44:21,893
powerful empires rise and fall

2087
01:44:21,962 --> 01:44:25,230
during this time
of seismic global change.

2088
01:44:25,299 --> 01:44:27,232
announcer: "africa's
great civilizations,"

2089
01:44:27,301 --> 01:44:30,168
coming up next, only on pbs.

2090
01:44:40,780 --> 01:44:44,816
africa's great civilizations
is available on blu-ray and dvd.

2091
01:44:44,852 --> 01:44:50,088
to order visit shoppbs.org
or call 1-800-play-pbs.

2092
01:44:50,123 --> 01:44:54,125
this series is also available
for download from itunes.