1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,000 This place is unreal. 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 What was the kingdom of Kush? 3 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:10,000 Civilization that lived here for almost 3,000 years. 4 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:13,000 We don't understand, I would say, most of it. 5 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:18,000 Kush goes from being under the thumb of the Egyptians 6 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:21,000 to ruling this entire region. 7 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:24,000 What's in the third chamber? 8 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:26,000 So it should be the king. 9 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,000 It's completely flooded. 10 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:30,000 We've decided to dive it. 11 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:32,000 You interested? 12 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:40,000 This is like the most dangerous diving that you could do. 13 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:42,000 And I'll make it my way through. 14 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:45,000 All the dangers of going into an unstable, crumbling room. 15 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:47,000 Look at this place. 16 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:49,000 Are you kidding me? 17 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:51,000 I am nervous. That's not true. I'm scared. 18 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:54,000 Dive team is topside. You only got 5 minutes left. 19 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:56,000 I think I can see the slabs. 20 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:58,000 What is that? 21 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:00,000 Wait, what is this? 22 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:16,000 Okay, pop quiz. 23 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:18,000 Name a country that was once ruled by pharaohs, 24 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:20,000 has a capital on the Nile, 25 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:22,000 and is home to more pyramids than any other. 26 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:25,000 Well, if you said Egypt, then you are absolutely wrong. 27 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:28,000 The answer is their southern neighborhood. 28 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:30,000 Modern day Sudan, 29 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:33,000 which was once home to the kingdom of Kush. 30 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:35,000 A mysterious civilization so powerful, 31 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:38,000 that it once conquered the ancient Egyptians. 32 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:41,000 For centuries, the pyramids and cities of the Kushites 33 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:44,000 were buried beneath the sands of the Sahara. 34 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:47,000 Once they were rediscovered in the early 20th century, 35 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:50,000 archaeologists unearthed glittering treasures 36 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:53,000 that rivaled those of King Tut. 37 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:56,000 But they wrongly attributed the Kushites' accomplishments 38 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:58,000 to the neighboring Egyptians. 39 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:00,000 And before history could be corrected, 40 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:04,000 many of those early finds were swallowed up by the elements. 41 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:10,000 Now, a new generation of scientists 42 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:14,000 is attempting to learn the real history of the kingdom of Kush. 43 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:18,000 At a holy site deep in the desert, 44 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:21,000 explorers are unlocking the secrets of the ancient lands 45 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:23,000 of the Kushites. 46 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:25,000 And at an ancient burial ground, 47 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:28,000 a daring archaeologist is attempting something 48 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:30,000 that many would call insane. 49 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:33,000 Beneath the crumbling ruins of a Kushite pyramid, 50 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:37,000 he's planning to dive into the pitch black flooded tomb of a king, 51 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:40,000 seeking remains of his long lost mummy. 52 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:43,000 And I've been invited to join him. 53 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:50,000 This is the story of the king of Kushites. 54 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:53,000 This is, by far, the most dangerous expedition 55 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:57,000 I've ever considered, but also the most exciting. 56 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:01,000 A chance to perhaps discover a Kush king in his pyramid, 57 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:04,000 something that has never been documented before. 58 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:08,000 So join me on a quest to a real-world Wakanda, 59 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:11,000 and the greatest empire that you maybe have never heard of. 60 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:14,000 It's time to hunt for the treasures and the truth 61 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:17,000 behind the kingdom of Kush. 62 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:23,000 My name is Josh Gates. 63 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:24,000 Hello! 64 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:25,000 Explorer. 65 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:26,000 Here goes nothing. 66 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:27,000 Adventurer. 67 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:28,000 Woo-hoo-hoo! 68 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:29,000 Oh, that's a long way down. 69 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:33,000 And a guy who ends up in some very strange situations. 70 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:35,000 I'm alive for now. 71 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:39,000 With a degree in archaeology and a passion for the unexplained, 72 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:41,000 I travel to the ends of the earth, 73 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:44,000 investigating the greatest legends in history. 74 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:45,000 Ready to rock and roll. 75 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:48,000 This is Expedition Unknown. 76 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:58,000 Music 77 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:03,000 I begin my investigation into the ancient and mysterious 78 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:07,000 kingdom of Kush in the capital of modern Sudan. 79 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:09,000 Khartoum. 80 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:12,000 To us in the West, the name has an almost mythic quality, 81 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:14,000 like some fabled African city 82 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:16,000 or maybe something out of the Arabian Nights. 83 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:19,000 But in reality, this place is not an ancient treasure. 84 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:23,000 In fact, relatively speaking, Khartoum is, well, kind of new. 85 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:29,000 Established only 200 years ago, this is a bustling town. 86 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:33,000 The beating heart of a country which, after years of fierce fighting 87 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:37,000 and political upheaval, seemed to be changing for the better. 88 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:43,000 Hopes were high when a brutal civil war that devastated the country 89 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:45,000 ended in 2011. 90 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:49,000 And in just the last few years, Sudan has had a revolution, 91 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:51,000 tossed out an Islamic dictator, 92 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:55,000 and is no longer designated a U.S. state sponsor of terrorism. 93 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:57,000 So that's a good thing. 94 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:02,000 But sadly, Sudan has once again been rocked by violence, 95 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:06,000 as rival military factions battle for control. 96 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:10,000 The fighting began only weeks after my crew and I left the country. 97 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:14,000 What you're seeing are some of the last quiet moments 98 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:17,000 Khartoum would have for some time. 99 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:22,000 But while modern Sudan tries to build a peaceful future, 100 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:25,000 I'm here to delve into its past. 101 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:28,000 Right here, smack dab in the middle of Khartoum 102 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:31,000 is one of the world's great geologic features. 103 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:33,000 On my left is the white Nile, 104 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:36,000 which has been flowing north all the way from East Africa. 105 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:38,000 On my right, the blue Nile, 106 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:41,000 which flows here from Lake Tana in Ethiopia. 107 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:43,000 And this is the spot where they meet. 108 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:45,000 It's called the Confluence, 109 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:48,000 and together they form the Nile. 110 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:52,000 It's considered the longest river in the world, 111 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:57,000 and it's the life-giving force that made ancient Egypt's success possible. 112 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:00,000 But they weren't the river's only beneficiary. 113 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:02,000 Directly south of modern Egypt, 114 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:06,000 Sudan and South Sudan occupy over a million square miles 115 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:10,000 and take up nearly 10% of the African continent. 116 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:16,000 Thousands of years ago, this was the land referred to as Nubia, 117 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:19,000 a vast area that gave rise to the Kushites, 118 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:23,000 who flourished between here and Egypt's southern border. 119 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:27,000 The earliest references to people in this region 120 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:29,000 are found in Egyptian hieroglyphs, 121 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:31,000 thousands of years old, 122 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:33,000 where they are portrayed as warriors 123 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:36,000 and wrestlers. 124 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:40,000 Cartoon Stadium. 125 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:44,000 Within its walls, a crowd has gathered to watch an ancient art, 126 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:46,000 part fight, 127 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:48,000 part ritual, 128 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:51,000 part dance, 129 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:53,000 and full contact. 130 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:55,000 The Nile is now back. 131 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:07,000 Weekly matches here draw huge crowds, including my new friend, Biggie. 132 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:09,000 This is very old, this tradition, yes? 133 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:12,000 Yes, and it goes back to the ancient Nubian kingdom. 134 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:14,000 All the way back, and has it changed much? 135 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:19,000 Yes, back in the days, they used to wrestle naked. 136 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:20,000 Fully naked? 137 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:22,000 Fully naked, okay. 138 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:24,000 You want to wrestle? 139 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:25,000 Do I want to wrestle? 140 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:26,000 Yes. 141 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:27,000 You look like a big guy, man. 142 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:28,000 I am a big guy. 143 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:29,000 I know a few people that come. 144 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:30,000 Oh, you can get me a ring? 145 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:31,000 Yeah. 146 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:33,000 Unfortunately, I only wrestle naked. 147 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:35,000 I'm a traditionalist. 148 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:37,000 We get my ways. 149 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:38,000 I like to do it the old way. 150 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:39,000 I like that. 151 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:40,000 Thank you. 152 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:41,000 Thank you. 153 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:54,000 The matches end in the light of the setting sun. 154 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:57,000 This modern tradition echoes the ancient Kushites, 155 00:07:57,000 --> 00:07:59,000 who were clearly proud warriors. 156 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:04,000 But how did they take on a force as formidable as ancient Egypt? 157 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:06,000 I grabbed some shut-eye while I can, 158 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:10,000 because tomorrow I'm embarking on a major expedition 159 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:17,000 to find out. 160 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:18,000 Good morning. 161 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:19,000 It is dawn here in Khartoum, 162 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:21,000 and we are getting ready to load out. 163 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:23,000 We've got a fleet of 4x4s, a big equipment truck, 164 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:25,000 and we are going to be heading deep into the desert, 165 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:29,000 going back in time to the ancient kingdom of Kush. 166 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:31,000 All right, boys, how are we doing? 167 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:38,000 We're about to embark on a drive through Saharan Africa's 168 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:43,000 most unforgiving terrain, to the once massive city known as Kerma. 169 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:53,000 Okay, let's roll. 170 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:58,000 I pull out ahead of the convoy and out of Khartoum. 171 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:00,000 Well, out there is the Nubian Desert, 172 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:03,000 part of the larger Sahara that stretches nearly 4 million 173 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:07,000 square miles from Western Africa all the way to the Red Sea. 174 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:09,000 It is vast, it is beautiful, 175 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:12,000 and it is not the place that you want to run at a gas. 176 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:16,000 I have three-quarters of a tank, though, so we should be fine. 177 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:17,000 Probably. 178 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:18,000 Most likely. 179 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:22,000 It takes about eight hours to traverse nearly 400 miles of desert 180 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:31,000 to the mysterious place where the kingdom of Kush got its start. 181 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:33,000 I arrive at Kerma. 182 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:42,000 At first glance, the landscape looks empty. 183 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:47,000 But from above, a complicated pattern comes into view. 184 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:50,000 Joining me to explain what all of this once was 185 00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:55,000 is archaeologist and former director of Sudan's Department of Antiquities, 186 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:58,000 Abdel Rahman Ali. 187 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:02,000 Josh, welcome to Kerma, the first great city of the kingdom of Kush. 188 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:04,000 When is all of this built? 189 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:06,000 2500 BC. 190 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:08,000 Wow, so this is an old city? 191 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:11,000 Yeah, at that time, it was the largest city in Africa. 192 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:13,000 This was the largest city on the continent? 193 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:14,000 Yes, of course. 194 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:15,000 Wow. 195 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:19,000 In every direction, a blueprint to the past, 196 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:22,000 the ghostly foundations of hundreds of structures. 197 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:27,000 5,000 years ago, this was an advanced society. 198 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:30,000 This is like when they're building the pyramids in Egypt, yeah? 199 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:33,000 Yes, at that time, they are building the great pyramids in Egypt. 200 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:36,000 And in Sudan, they are building this. 201 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:37,000 Wow. 202 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:48,000 At the time, it was the largest structure in the sub-Saharan Africa. 203 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:50,000 Wow, incredible. 204 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:56,000 This mud brick temple, known as the Dufufa, stands 65 feet tall 205 00:10:56,000 --> 00:11:00,000 and was once honeycombed with an intricate network of chambers and corridors. 206 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:04,000 Wow. 207 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:08,000 And I have to say this building is so impressive. 208 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:13,000 It is so impressive that the famous American archaeologist George Reisner 209 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:16,000 came here in the 19th century. 210 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:20,000 He was convinced that it was built by the Egyptians. 211 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:23,000 Harvard-trained American archaeologist George Reisner 212 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:27,000 is considered the father of Sudanese archaeology. 213 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:31,000 From 1916 to 1923, Reisner was the first to unearth 214 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:35,000 almost every significant location in Kushite history. 215 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:38,000 His legacy, however, is more than a little complicated. 216 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:41,000 For one thing, he robbed the country blind, 217 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:46,000 shipping all of the best finds out of Sudan to Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. 218 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:49,000 And also, he got a lot wrong. 219 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:54,000 Reisner thought this is so sophisticated, this temple is so huge, 220 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:57,000 could not have been built by the people of Kush. 221 00:11:57,000 --> 00:11:58,000 Yes, of course. 222 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:02,000 Because you came with the colonial perception of the early archaeologists. 223 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:05,000 This is obviously a really successful, powerful civilization. 224 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:08,000 So what's making Kush so wealthy? 225 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:10,000 Mineral resources. 226 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:12,000 When you say mineral resources, what do you mean? 227 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:13,000 Gold. 228 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:14,000 Gold. 229 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:17,000 Because most of the Egyptian gold came from Kush. 230 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:21,000 This is incredible because when we think of ancient Egypt, 231 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:22,000 we think of gold. 232 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:25,000 We think about, you know, these glittering death masks. 233 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:28,000 But you're telling me most of that's not Egyptian. 234 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:32,000 Most of the gold of ancient Egypt came from Kush. 235 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:36,000 And if there's one thing we know about resources like gold, 236 00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:38,000 it's that many people want them. 237 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:42,000 Egypt and the Kingdom of Kush view each other as both trading partner 238 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:44,000 and military rival. 239 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:48,000 The relationship officially turns toxic in 1500 BC, 240 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:53,000 when the new Kingdom Egyptian pharaoh, Tuttmose I, invades Kush territory. 241 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:54,000 The result? 242 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:58,000 Mighty Kerma is burned to the ground. 243 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:04,000 Once the Egyptians have a foothold here, how long do they stay? 244 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:07,000 The Egyptians, they stay for about 500 years. 245 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:09,000 Oh, they really stay? 246 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:16,000 With Kerma raised, Egypt controls the Kingdom of Kush and all its resources. 247 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:19,000 The Kushites become completely Egyptianized, 248 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:22,000 adopting their neighbor's religion and traditions. 249 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:26,000 But after five centuries, something unexpected happens. 250 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:30,000 The Egyptians dealing with political turmoil at home, withdraw. 251 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:33,000 So what ends up happening? 252 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:37,000 After the Egyptians withdraw, the Kush Kingdom re-established. 253 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:40,000 And became a superpower. 254 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:43,000 It is a remarkable turn of the historical tide, 255 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:49,000 the once subjugated Kushites even the score and successfully invade Egypt. 256 00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:53,000 But instead of exacting revenge, 257 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:59,000 five successive Kush kings rule as the pharaohs of the 25th dynasty, 258 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:04,000 bringing about a renaissance in classic Egyptian arts and architecture 259 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:07,000 and rejuvenating Egyptian culture. 260 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:12,000 To find out how they pulled it off, 261 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:16,000 I need to leave Kerma and drive to the second center of Kush power, 262 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:18,000 a place known as Nuri. 263 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:22,000 The road from Kerma to Nuri will take us further south, 264 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:26,000 following the course of the Nile and deeper into the lands of Kush. 265 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:31,000 The trip takes me southeast into an even emptier expanse of the Sahara, 266 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:33,000 if that's even possible. 267 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:38,000 Finally, from behind the dunes, I see it. 268 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:47,000 Not a mirage, but almost as unbelievable. 269 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:50,000 Whoa. 270 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:56,000 This majestic city is Nuri, 271 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:59,000 the great necropolis of the Mesihara. 272 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:03,000 The great necropolis of the mysterious kingdom of Kush. 273 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:06,000 Here, in the sands of modern Sudan, 274 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:10,000 rows of grand pyramids loom over a desolate landscape. 275 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:15,000 To learn the secrets of the Kushites, 276 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:20,000 one archaeologist has been making headlines with his daring first-of-its-kind investigation 277 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:23,000 underneath one of these pyramids. 278 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:27,000 And I'm getting unprecedented access to his site, 279 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:31,000 which is why I'm so excited to meet Pierce Paul Kreisman. 280 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:33,000 I'm guessing you're Pierce Paul. 281 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:34,000 Josh? 282 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:36,000 You're going to have to give me a minute, 283 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:38,000 because I actually am kind of in a state of shock. 284 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:42,000 This is just a mind-blowing collection of ancient structures. 285 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:44,000 It's awe-inspiring to be here at Nuri. 286 00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:49,000 So here we're at the home of about two dozen kings of the second kingdom of Kush. 287 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:52,000 I think if you blindfolded a lot of people and showed them this, 288 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:54,000 they'd say, oh, I must be in Egypt. 289 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:57,000 So a little known fact, there are more pyramids in Sudan than Egypt. 290 00:15:57,000 --> 00:15:58,000 How many pyramids in Sudan total? 291 00:15:58,000 --> 00:15:59,000 Hundreds. 292 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:01,000 At this site alone, there were probably 80. 293 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:03,000 80 pyramids in one site? 294 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:09,000 For comparison, in all of ancient Egypt, we know of only 118 pyramids. 295 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:13,000 So in this respect, the Kush beat the Egyptians again. 296 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:19,000 Among the pyramids of Nuri is this one, the first pyramid built at this site. 297 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:20,000 Big pyramid over there. 298 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:23,000 So the big pyramid, the largest pyramid in Sudan. 299 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:25,000 This is the pyramid of Teharka. 300 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:31,000 King Teharka is the most celebrated of the five Kushite kings who rule over Egypt. 301 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:37,000 He reigns over a time of great prosperity and controls as much territory, if not more, 302 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:39,000 than of any Egyptian pharaoh ever. 303 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:42,000 He even gets a shout-out in the Old Testament. 304 00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:45,000 Teharka is a major player in the story of Kush. 305 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:48,000 Why does he choose to build a pyramid here? 306 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:49,000 We have no idea. 307 00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:51,000 And that's part of why we're here. 308 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:56,000 We're trying to start addressing some of these questions because they're really important to understanding the people. 309 00:16:56,000 --> 00:16:59,000 They use this place for centuries. 310 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:07,000 After Teharka, and clearly because of his stature, nearly 20 future kings will erect their pyramids here as well. 311 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:10,000 And what are the biggest mysteries about the Kingdom of Kush? 312 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:13,000 We don't understand, I would say, most of it. 313 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:15,000 It's in part because of where it is. 314 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:21,000 It's in a part of the world that has been less accessible to Western scholars at least for a very, very long time. 315 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:22,000 Yeah. 316 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:28,000 Like at Kerma, George Reisner was the first Western archaeologist to explore Nuri. 317 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:31,000 And again, he underestimated the Kushites. 318 00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:37,000 As he excavated his way through the Necropolis, Reisner credited these pyramids to the Egyptians. 319 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:39,000 Were there any of these pyramids he didn't get into? 320 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:44,000 They didn't get into more than a dozen parts of these pyramids, including one entirely. 321 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:45,000 Wow. 322 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:50,000 And so we know that at this site, for a variety of reasons, no one's worked at it for 100 years. 323 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:53,000 For us intellectually, that's a gold mine. 324 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:54,000 Yeah. 325 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:56,000 It might also be an actual gold mine. 326 00:17:56,000 --> 00:18:02,000 Since several chambers of these pyramids have never been entered, it's anyone's guess what's inside. 327 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:07,000 So easy peasy, right? You just walk into the pyramids and get a whole bunch of knowledge. 328 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:09,000 I wish it was that easy. 329 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:10,000 It's not? 330 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:11,000 No, it's not. 331 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:19,000 To see exactly how not easy it is, Pierce Paul brings me over to the tomb that he's targeted for exploration. 332 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:21,000 Pretty amazing, isn't it? 333 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:22,000 It's pretty intimidating. 334 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:28,000 Welcome to the pyramid and tomb of the King Nostasin. 335 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:33,000 Nostasin was the king of Kush from roughly 335 BC to 310 BC. 336 00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:38,000 During his reign, he was celebrated for having repelled another invasion from Egypt. 337 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:43,000 And when he died, he became the final Kushite king to be buried at Nuri. 338 00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:47,000 So from the first king to Harka to the last Nostasin. 339 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:48,000 Yes. 340 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:51,000 I can't help but notice some very murky looking water there. 341 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:53,000 I'm guessing that wasn't here 2300 years ago. 342 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:54,000 It wasn't. 343 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:58,000 So in the ancient era when they built this, they would have walked down, their feet would have been dry, 344 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:01,000 they'd have gone into a door and then it would have led to the first chamber, 345 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:06,000 had another doorway to a second chamber and another doorway to a third chamber. 346 00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:08,000 And the third chamber is where you bury the king. 347 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:12,000 When Reisner got here to excavate, what were the condition of these three chambers? 348 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:16,000 So 100 years ago, he showed up and there were bricks in front of the front door. 349 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:19,000 It was in pretty good shape and then he gets in, excavates the first chamber, 350 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:23,000 and then sees that the second chamber is just totally and utterly collapsed. 351 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:24,000 The second chamber is collapsed. 352 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:27,000 There are thousands of pounds of bedrock just crushed down. 353 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:30,000 You can't tell that there is a second chamber anymore. 354 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:34,000 Reisner was understandably wary about trying to clear the rubble. 355 00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:37,000 While excavating in another pyramid here at Nuri, 356 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:41,000 a collapse on the outer staircase took the lives of five of his crew. 357 00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:46,000 So the fallen ceiling protected Nostasen's tomb in a third chamber from Reisner, 358 00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:49,000 leaving it entirely intact. 359 00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:56,000 This is a big deal because no mummy of a king of Kush has ever been confirmed to be recovered from his own tomb. 360 00:19:56,000 --> 00:20:03,000 And Nostasen could still be in that pyramid, along with untold treasures and gold. 361 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:09,000 In the past century, though, groundwater from the Nile only a mile away has steadily risen, 362 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:13,000 and now all three chambers of the pyramid are completely flooded. 363 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:19,000 See a lot of people back there with hoses and equipment, so tell me what you've been doing here since then. 364 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:22,000 Okay, so we've decided to dive it. 365 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:23,000 What's wrong with you? 366 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:24,000 Lots of things. 367 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:27,000 I'm so afraid to ask this question. What's the visibility in that water? 368 00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:28,000 Zero. 369 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:29,000 Nothing? 370 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:30,000 Nothing. 371 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:35,000 The instant you go inside, you stir up thousands of years of dust and sediment. 372 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:38,000 You're literally in the dark, like blindfolded dark down there. 373 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:44,000 On the list of reasons why diving the tomb is a bad idea, the dark is only the beginning. 374 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:51,000 There is also the very real possibility of being trapped underwater in a stone room that could collapse at any moment. 375 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:56,000 And if you're thinking it would be safer to just pump the water out of the tomb, think again. 376 00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:59,000 The water in there is the only thing keeping the walls standing. 377 00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:03,000 But there is one very good reason for Pierce Paul to risk his life. 378 00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:05,000 What's in the third chamber? 379 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:07,000 So theoretically, it should be the king. 380 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:12,000 In the middle of the room, there is a giant slab, like a pancake flat piece of rock. 381 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:13,000 So it's work stone? 382 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:16,000 It is work stone. There is no question of it. 383 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:24,000 A slab like this could be one of two things, either a burial platform for a Nostocan's body to be laid out upon, 384 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:28,000 or the lid of a sarcophagus, inside of which he would be sealed. 385 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:35,000 But here's the rub. In this time period, kings were known to have been entombed using both methods. 386 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:39,000 So our first order of business is to try to learn the purpose of the slab. 387 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:45,000 And if it turns out to be a coffin lid, we have a chance at finding Nostocan himself. 388 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:49,000 What would it mean to find any piece of this guy? 389 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:51,000 Intellectually, this would be really powerful. 390 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:57,000 One of the big issues we run into is that there are very few of these kings who are known from anywhere else outside of this room. 391 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:02,000 Nostocan is. He's referenced in a couple of other places. 392 00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:04,000 For us, he is an historical anchor. 393 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:11,000 If we can start with him and start getting pieces of him, for example, to do DNA studies, 394 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:15,000 we can start to rebuild some of these major pieces from the history here. 395 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:18,000 Okay. Well, I wish you the best of luck. 396 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:24,000 You interested? This is no joke. I mean, if you don't have hesitations, you can't come. 397 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:27,000 Look, believe me, I would love to see what's in there. You think that's possible? 398 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:29,000 I think it's possible. You bring a suit? 399 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:32,000 Always. I have a weird job. You never know. 400 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:33,000 Come meet the team. 401 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:34,000 Let's do it. 402 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:40,000 One does not simply dive into the sunken pyramid of Nostocan. 403 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:44,000 To learn how I'm going to survive one of the most lethal environments on Earth, 404 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:50,000 Pierce Paul brings me to meet his ace technical team, Justin Schneider, Fred Fiddler, and David Dunn. 405 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:51,000 What's going on, guys? 406 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:52,000 Hey there. 407 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:55,000 I see a lot of hoses, but no scuba tanks. 408 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:59,000 We don't like tanks inside the tomb. If you bang that big steel or aluminum tank against the walls, 409 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:02,000 those walls are fragile and it could possibly cause a collapse. 410 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:04,000 So we like to use the hookah system. 411 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:07,000 Right. So hookah system, we're talking like surface supplied air. 412 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:08,000 Correct. 413 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:09,000 And that air is being pushed down. How? 414 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:14,000 Honda power generator over here that's enough to supply air for all four of us at a time. 415 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:17,000 Okay. So if this goes down, what's the contingency? What's the backup? 416 00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:24,000 We have a compressed air canister. That's basically a mini scuba tank with a built on regulator on the top that you're going to breathe from. 417 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:26,000 Got it. You ready? 418 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:27,000 No, but... 419 00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:28,000 Are you going to do it anyway? 420 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:29,000 Yeah. 421 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:30,000 Then let's get to it. 422 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:31,000 Let's get to it. Come on. 423 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:40,000 Now that I know how we're going to pull off the dive, I gear up and have to convince myself to actually do it. 424 00:23:43,000 --> 00:23:44,000 How you feeling? 425 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:49,000 Yeah. I am stressed, dude. I mean, this is... 426 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:54,000 This is like the most dangerous diving that you could do. 427 00:23:54,000 --> 00:24:04,000 I think, I mean, it's all the dangers of cave diving with all the dangers of going into an unstable crumbling ruin with no visibility in the dark. 428 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:08,000 I don't have a scuba tank. All the air is coming from the surface. 429 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:12,000 All those lines can get tangled and caught. So I am nervous. 430 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:16,000 That's not true. I'm scared. That's more accurate. 431 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:26,000 If I was going to think of an excuse to get out of this gig, that time has passed. This is it. 432 00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:33,000 We're about to dive into a flooded pyramid tomb with one mission to meet the Kush King, Nostocin. 433 00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:45,000 Okay, this just got real. 434 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:48,000 So take your last good look at daylight for a while. 435 00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:57,000 In the deserts of Sudan, I'm about to dive into a sunken, partially collapsed pyramid tomb from the ancient Kushite kingdom. 436 00:24:57,000 --> 00:25:06,000 We're going in today to examine the burial slab of the king Nostocin and determine if it's a solid platform or the lid of a royal sarcophagus. 437 00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:12,000 I'm trying to steady my nerves as I prepare for the single most dangerous dive of my career. 438 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:19,000 Okay, tell me how this is going to work. I'm assuming at the end of this passage here, there's some sort of entrance. 439 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:26,000 So you get all the way down here, get down to the wall, drop down onto your knees, and then get down onto your arms because you're going to have to army crawl through the chute. 440 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:27,000 The chute. 441 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:42,000 To enter the tomb, we must descend down the now crumbling and flooded staircase and then pass through the chute, a two foot by three foot metal sleeve designed to keep the front door from collapsing while we're inside. 442 00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:48,000 Then it's into the first chamber of the tomb, a large offering room that's easy to get lost in. 443 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:56,000 To prevent that, the team has placed a guide wire to be our lifeline to the second chamber, which has completely collapsed. 444 00:25:56,000 --> 00:26:08,000 Once at the threshold, one needs to let go of the guideline and swim forward to find a cinder block placed by the team, which leads up to a barely breathable air pocket in which to regroup. 445 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:17,000 Back at the bottom of the second chamber, another section of guideline leads over to the submerged door to chamber three, the tomb of Nostocin. 446 00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:33,000 In the center is an immense slab of stone that is either Nostocin's burial platform or the lid of his sarcophagus, three rooms that have had as many visitors as the surface of the moon, and each has the potential to be a death trap. 447 00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:36,000 Any words of wisdom for a first timer here? 448 00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:38,000 Don't let go of the light. Don't freak out. 449 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:40,000 Yep, don't panic. 450 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:42,000 Let's go dive a tomb. 451 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:51,000 So, Pierce, you're going in first? 452 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:55,000 Indeed. On the way. 453 00:26:58,000 --> 00:26:59,000 Okay. 454 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:09,000 So, as soon as I get in here, my first observation is the visibility is just gone. I can see a shade of light, but that's about it. 455 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:15,000 Yeah, you can probably see your fingers once I get about six inches from the mask, but not much more than that. 456 00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:17,000 Yeah. 457 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:20,000 Dive team, this is topside. How copy? 458 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:24,000 This is Josh. I've written you loud and clear, topside. 459 00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:26,000 Pierce, how copy? 460 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:28,000 In a firearm. Do I hear you? 461 00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:30,000 Outstanding. All comms good. 462 00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:32,000 Okay, we're headed in. 463 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:43,000 I'm inches beneath the surface, but already the silt in the water has rendered direction meaningless. My only guide is Pierce Paul's voice. 464 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:45,000 All right, I'm entering the chute. 465 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:48,000 I am working for the chute stand by. 466 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:49,000 All right. 467 00:27:53,000 --> 00:28:03,000 I'm in the chute now. It is tight. I can feel the sides and the ceiling above me. I'm just slowly pulling myself through. 468 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:10,000 I edge my way forward. I couldn't change my mind now if I wanted to. It's too narrow in here to turn around. 469 00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:16,000 Wow, this is intense. Okay, here we go. Tom, breath. 470 00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:19,000 A few more feet and I feel the tube open up. 471 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:25,000 I'm at the interior opening of chamber one. I can feel sand in front of me at the end of the chute. 472 00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:30,000 As an experiment, I decide to turn off the light on the side of my helmet. 473 00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:34,000 Oh, it is pitch black. 474 00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:46,000 At this point, I kick my light back on, but I also close my eyes, relying on my fingers to explore the open water in front of me, which is its own form of terrifying. 475 00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:49,000 Find the nylon cable. 476 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:52,000 Can we pick up to find the cave line? 477 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:55,000 Hold on. I'm trying to find it. 478 00:28:55,000 --> 00:29:03,000 Miss this line while entering chamber one and your chance of finding chamber two or your way back out are not great. 479 00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:11,000 I have it in my hand. I feel it. I feel the cave guide. 480 00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:18,000 All right, head on in. This chamber is about 15, 20 feet long. 481 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:30,000 I can reach my arms out on either side of the line, but I'm not feeling anything and nothing above. It's just a big void. It's like I'm floating in space. 482 00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:37,000 This large chamber was once used to house offerings and I'm trying desperately to avoid becoming one of them. 483 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:41,000 This rope just goes and goes. 484 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:43,000 How you doing? You still on the line? 485 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:48,000 Still on the line, but believe me, I'm not letting go of it and I'm making my way through. 486 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:52,000 Make sure to give yourself a little slack. Pull your hair hose in. 487 00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:53,000 Yep. 488 00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:59,000 I ask my air supply. If the hose gets pulled too tight, it can get yanked from my mask. 489 00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:06,000 The top side, I can feel a little bit of tension on my air supply here. I'll need a little slack. 490 00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:08,000 We'll try to get you some more slack. 491 00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:10,000 Thanks, sir. 492 00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:20,000 Okay, so this is chamber two I think I'm passing into? 493 00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:21,000 Yep. 494 00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:25,000 I cross the threshold into the second chamber. 495 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:30,000 My hand has reached the sand here. The guideline is going into the sand, it feels like. 496 00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:36,000 Yep, so go another body length in. You'll feel the majorly different temperature to the water. 497 00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:37,000 Got it. 498 00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:47,000 Now, the leap of faith. I release the cable and push forward to touch a block in the sand that will mark the entrance to the air pocket above. 499 00:30:47,000 --> 00:30:54,000 Reaching forward, I'm not feeling anything yet. It's just sand and silt. 500 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:57,000 Wait, there's something. I got it. 501 00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:02,000 Okay, I'm feeling the cinder block underneath me here. 502 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:06,000 Once you hit that cinder block, you'll find a little hill. 503 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:11,000 That hill is the collapse of the second chamber. 504 00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:16,000 And I'm going to make my way uphill into the air pocket. 505 00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:17,000 Excellent. 506 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:19,000 And I'll meet you in our cathedral here. 507 00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:20,000 Okay. 508 00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:23,000 Coming up. 509 00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:25,000 Alright. 510 00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:26,000 A surfacing. 511 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:31,000 Oh my word. 512 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:34,000 Look at this place. 513 00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:39,000 Are you kidding me? 514 00:31:39,000 --> 00:31:41,000 It's pretty intense, right? 515 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:45,000 Welcome to the collapsed second chamber of Nistassan's tomb. 516 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:57,000 Inside the flooded pyramid tomb of the Kush King Nistassan is a precious pocket of air, which archaeologist Pierce Paul Kreisman and I are visiting on our way to excavate Nistassan's burial chamber. 517 00:31:57,000 --> 00:31:59,000 Is the air breathable in here? 518 00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:00,000 Yes. 519 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:01,000 Okay. 520 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:02,000 Taking this mask off? 521 00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:07,000 Oh my word. 522 00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:09,000 This is absolutely unbelievable. 523 00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:10,000 This is insane. 524 00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:13,000 First of all, this room shouldn't be here, right? 525 00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:14,000 This is not a room. 526 00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:15,000 This is an accident. 527 00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:18,000 We are standing in an air pocket that should not be here. 528 00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:19,000 This is a room. 529 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:20,000 This is a room. 530 00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:21,000 This is a room. 531 00:32:21,000 --> 00:32:22,000 This is a room. 532 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:23,000 This is a room. 533 00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:24,000 This is a room. 534 00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:25,000 This is a room. 535 00:32:25,000 --> 00:32:28,000 We are standing in an air pocket that should not exist. 536 00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:29,000 So I'm standing on... 537 00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:30,000 Rubble. 538 00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:31,000 Rubble. 539 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:32,000 Yes. 540 00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:33,000 And directly above us? 541 00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:34,000 Pyramid. 542 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:35,000 We're under it? 543 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:36,000 Yes. 544 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:37,000 Okay. 545 00:32:37,000 --> 00:32:39,000 Now, it doesn't look overly brittle. 546 00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:41,000 Looks completely deceiving. 547 00:32:44,000 --> 00:32:46,000 Okay, it's totally brittle. 548 00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:50,000 Now, it's this third chamber where this slab is. 549 00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:51,000 That's where from here. 550 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:53,000 Yeah, so the third chamber is that way. 551 00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:55,000 So we have to answer one big question first. 552 00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:59,000 Is this slab actually sitting on top of some space? 553 00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:03,000 Is this a lid or is it just a big block in the middle of a room? 554 00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:05,000 So it could be either. 555 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:10,000 If it is hollow, then there's a chance that some part of him might still be here. 556 00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:14,000 Well, anything in there that can tell us who he was about the world he lived in, his family. 557 00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:17,000 That's, I mean, that's adding that knowledge that we need. 558 00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:18,000 Should we go deeper? 559 00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:19,000 I think we should. 560 00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:20,000 Let's do it. 561 00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:21,000 Are you ready? 562 00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:22,000 I'm ready. 563 00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:24,000 I'm going to come this far and I'm going to keep going. 564 00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:25,000 All right. 565 00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:27,000 The Tomb of Nastasin awaits. 566 00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:33,000 Now, it's time to inspect the stone structure in the chamber and see if he's still here. 567 00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:37,000 All right, top side, we're headed down and we are going into chamber three. 568 00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:40,000 Roger, you all are heading into chamber three. 569 00:33:40,000 --> 00:33:41,000 You ready? 570 00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:42,000 Pierce Paul, right behind you. 571 00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:53,000 I plunge back into darkness and find the guideline to follow Pierce Paul down another six feet. 572 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:58,000 Okay, I'm making my way toward chamber three. 573 00:33:58,000 --> 00:34:04,000 When the cable runs out, put your hands to the left and the right, and you can touch the edges of the doorway. 574 00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:06,000 Just touch them delicately. 575 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:08,000 Why is that? 576 00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:13,000 The walls in this tomb are not firm and as secure as one would hope. 577 00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:14,000 Got it. 578 00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:16,000 Careful what you grab onto down here. 579 00:34:19,000 --> 00:34:21,000 I've reached the end of the line. 580 00:34:21,000 --> 00:34:24,000 All right, so come towards the light. 581 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:26,000 Maybe use a different expression. 582 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:29,000 Okay, coming towards you. 583 00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:38,000 In moments, I'm laying inside the doorway to the tomb of King Nastasin. 584 00:34:42,000 --> 00:34:45,000 I think I can see the slab. 585 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:50,000 But this view of it will be our last. 586 00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:54,000 That silt just kicks off as soon as we come in. 587 00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:57,000 God, I can't see anything now. 588 00:34:57,000 --> 00:35:00,000 Can't see my hand in front of my face. 589 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:07,000 What I want you to do is I want you to come around this corner where I am. 590 00:35:07,000 --> 00:35:09,000 Over to the clockwise around it. 591 00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:11,000 Yeah, clockwise around it. 592 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:16,000 Let me get your left hand and put it down here on the bottom left corner of this slab. 593 00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:18,000 Oh my God. 594 00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:21,000 It just feels smooth as can be. 595 00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:30,000 But as we run our hands over the slab, Pierce Paul notices something has changed since his last visit to the tomb. 596 00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:32,000 Hold on a second. 597 00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:34,000 Give me your hand and feel this. 598 00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:37,000 Is this a crack? 599 00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:39,000 I just don't understand. 600 00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:44,000 It's not just a crack, it feels like the corner itself isn't here. 601 00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:49,000 So if you're a part of this cave in and crack the top of this slab. 602 00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:51,000 That's really what it feels like. 603 00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:53,000 This is disconcerting. 604 00:35:53,000 --> 00:36:01,000 Sometime recently a piece of the ceiling likely collapsed onto the slab with enough force to crack a large section of it off. 605 00:36:01,000 --> 00:36:05,000 On the other hand, we now have an unforeseen opportunity. 606 00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:10,000 Is it possible for you to get your hand under that slab in that cracked area? 607 00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:12,000 Let me check. 608 00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:15,000 Josh, give me your hand. Put your hand under here and feel this. 609 00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:18,000 Hold on. Okay, I'm at the corner of the crack. 610 00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:22,000 Oh my, this goes down. You can go inside of it. 611 00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:30,000 This is a hundred percent hollow. This is not just a platform on the floor. There is open space under this. 612 00:36:30,000 --> 00:36:35,000 Stop the presses. This slab is not a burial platform at all. 613 00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:40,000 It is the lid of a sarcophagus that has remained unopened for thousands of years. 614 00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:42,000 Until now. 615 00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:48,000 The downside? Well, at any moment, this entire tomb is in danger of collapse. 616 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:57,000 We decide to resurface in the air pocket of chamber two to plan our next steps. 617 00:36:57,000 --> 00:36:59,000 So, that thing's definitely hollow in there. 618 00:36:59,000 --> 00:37:04,000 This is huge. We now know that the slab is the top of a container of some kind. 619 00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:09,000 Yes, you can get your arm in there away. This is definitely material. So, what's the move now? 620 00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:12,000 So, now we need to actually get some of it out of here. 621 00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:17,000 Having reached into what appears to be a sarcophagus, Pierce Paul doesn't want to waste any time. 622 00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:22,000 Excited at the possibilities, he intends to begin excavating immediately. 623 00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:25,000 Fred just went in the water. He's got an empty bucket in hand. 624 00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:34,000 The topside team sends down plastic buckets, which Pierce Paul will fill by hand with silt from inside the sarcophagus. 625 00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:36,000 So, I'm going to fill a bucket? 626 00:37:36,000 --> 00:37:39,000 And how are those buckets getting from here out to daylight? 627 00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:41,000 This is why we need you in the tomb. 628 00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:42,000 We're doing a daisy chain? 629 00:37:42,000 --> 00:37:44,000 We're doing a daisy chain. 630 00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:47,000 We're running an old-fashioned bucket brigade. 631 00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:50,000 You know, just like when you were a kid and you're sunken pyramid back home. 632 00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:54,000 But now I'm in the third chamber. 633 00:37:54,000 --> 00:37:58,000 Okay, I'm on the line. I am in the doorway. 634 00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:03,000 Pierce Paul fills a bucket with silt from the third chamber, 635 00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:07,000 then passes it to me at the threshold of the second chamber. 636 00:38:07,000 --> 00:38:08,000 I'm holding onto the bucket. 637 00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:09,000 Take it away. 638 00:38:09,000 --> 00:38:10,000 Oh, this is heavy. 639 00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:14,000 I ferry it across chamber two to team member Justin, 640 00:38:14,000 --> 00:38:18,000 who carries it to Fred at the entrance to the first chamber. 641 00:38:18,000 --> 00:38:21,000 Then Fred brings the bucket out through the chute, 642 00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:27,000 where it's handed off and rushed to a sifting tent nearby. 643 00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:32,000 There, a team of researchers runs the silt through a screen 644 00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:35,000 to see what archaeological treasures might be inside. 645 00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:37,000 So, there's another bucket? 646 00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:38,000 I have it. 647 00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:39,000 Take away. 648 00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:40,000 Okay. 649 00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:42,000 And then, we do it all over again. 650 00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:47,000 For hours, intense work in the dark with no idea if we're finding anything. 651 00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:50,000 Well, actually, that's not quite true. 652 00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:51,000 Ooh. 653 00:38:51,000 --> 00:38:52,000 Can you find something? 654 00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:53,000 Give me your hand. 655 00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:54,000 I'm holding. 656 00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:55,000 Is that pottery? 657 00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:56,000 That is most of a pot. 658 00:38:56,000 --> 00:38:57,000 Wow. 659 00:38:57,000 --> 00:38:59,000 A 2,500-year-old piece of pottery. 660 00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:00,000 That's amazing. 661 00:39:00,000 --> 00:39:02,000 So, I'm going to put this in the bucket. 662 00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:03,000 Okay. 663 00:39:03,000 --> 00:39:05,000 All right, making my way back to him now. 664 00:39:05,000 --> 00:39:06,000 Okay. 665 00:39:06,000 --> 00:39:07,000 Hand it off. 666 00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:10,000 Special bucket? 667 00:39:10,000 --> 00:39:13,000 The bucket would be the first chamber to be filled. 668 00:39:13,000 --> 00:39:15,000 I'm going to put it in the bucket. 669 00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:16,000 Hand it off. 670 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:19,000 Special bucket? 671 00:39:19,000 --> 00:39:21,000 The bucket with the pottery heads to the tent. 672 00:39:21,000 --> 00:39:26,000 When we get a reminder that the generator pumping our air has a finite amount of fuel. 673 00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:28,000 Dive team, this is topside. 674 00:39:28,000 --> 00:39:29,000 You only got five minutes left. 675 00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:30,000 All right. 676 00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:31,000 Copy that. 677 00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:32,000 Turn it around. 678 00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:34,000 Heading back out through the chambers. 679 00:39:34,000 --> 00:39:35,000 Okay. 680 00:39:37,000 --> 00:39:39,000 I'm at the end of the line. 681 00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:40,000 I'm getting into the chute. 682 00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:41,000 All right. 683 00:39:41,000 --> 00:39:43,000 Just imagine a way forward. 684 00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:45,000 Okay. 685 00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:47,000 I'm coming out of the chute. 686 00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:51,000 We got bubbles. 687 00:39:56,000 --> 00:39:57,000 All right. 688 00:39:57,000 --> 00:39:58,000 First pulse for the river. 689 00:39:58,000 --> 00:39:59,000 Are we? 690 00:39:59,000 --> 00:40:00,000 I'm in the chute now. 691 00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:10,000 All divers out. 692 00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:11,000 All divers out. 693 00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:15,000 Dude. 694 00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:16,000 Nice. 695 00:40:16,000 --> 00:40:17,000 Unbelievable. 696 00:40:17,000 --> 00:40:18,000 Unbelievable. 697 00:40:18,000 --> 00:40:19,000 That was insane. 698 00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:21,000 Man, seriously, that was crazy. 699 00:40:21,000 --> 00:40:25,000 What an experience to be inside a pyramid. 700 00:40:25,000 --> 00:40:26,000 Under water. 701 00:40:26,000 --> 00:40:28,000 Rinse and repeat a couple hundred times. 702 00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:29,000 You got an excavation. 703 00:40:29,000 --> 00:40:31,000 Let's go see our reward on the other end. 704 00:40:31,000 --> 00:40:33,000 Yeah, see we got those buckets. 705 00:40:35,000 --> 00:40:36,000 Woo. 706 00:40:36,000 --> 00:40:37,000 Crazy. 707 00:40:38,000 --> 00:40:45,000 Pierce, Paul and I immediately head to the sifting tent to see what, if anything, we pulled up in all those buckets. 708 00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:47,000 Okay. 709 00:40:47,000 --> 00:40:48,000 Hello, hello. 710 00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:49,000 Hello, hello. 711 00:40:49,000 --> 00:40:51,000 So this is everything I couldn't see down there. 712 00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:53,000 This is what you could not see. 713 00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:54,000 Okay. 714 00:40:54,000 --> 00:40:56,000 So let's see what it all adds up to. 715 00:40:56,000 --> 00:40:57,000 Look what we got coming out here. 716 00:40:57,000 --> 00:40:58,000 Right away. 717 00:40:58,000 --> 00:40:59,000 Gold. 718 00:40:59,000 --> 00:41:00,000 Look at that. 719 00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:01,000 And here. 720 00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:02,000 That's gold. 721 00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:03,000 Man. 722 00:41:03,000 --> 00:41:05,000 Are you kidding me? 723 00:41:05,000 --> 00:41:06,000 That's astounding. 724 00:41:06,000 --> 00:41:07,000 Look at that. 725 00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:15,000 Oh, oh. 726 00:41:15,000 --> 00:41:16,000 Man. 727 00:41:16,000 --> 00:41:18,000 So what you can see here is it's all wrapped over itself. 728 00:41:18,000 --> 00:41:19,000 That's astounding. 729 00:41:19,000 --> 00:41:21,000 Look at that. 730 00:41:21,000 --> 00:41:32,000 My first dive into the flooded tomb of King Nostasen revealed a cracked sarcophagus lid that could lead to the first remains of a Kush king ever found in his own tomb. 731 00:41:33,000 --> 00:41:38,000 But as we learn in the dig sifting tent, it also revealed gold. 732 00:41:38,000 --> 00:41:46,000 This may be commonplace for you, but just the fact that we've gone into this tomb once and we're coming out and there's gold in this too. 733 00:41:46,000 --> 00:41:51,000 I just, and it shines as gold does just like it did thousands of years ago. 734 00:41:51,000 --> 00:41:57,000 At one time, this thin gold foil likely covered everything in these chambers. 735 00:41:57,000 --> 00:42:01,000 Pottery, offerings, even the huge slab in the tomb. 736 00:42:01,000 --> 00:42:06,000 In fact, the entire room may have been literally covered in gold. 737 00:42:06,000 --> 00:42:10,000 Pounds of it that will be recovered one flake at a time. 738 00:42:10,000 --> 00:42:11,000 Okay. 739 00:42:11,000 --> 00:42:12,000 Very carefully bringing this back to you. 740 00:42:12,000 --> 00:42:14,000 Look what we got coming out here. 741 00:42:14,000 --> 00:42:17,000 I felt you hand this to me and I was like, what is this? 742 00:42:17,000 --> 00:42:18,000 Incredible. 743 00:42:18,000 --> 00:42:20,000 This kind of thing makes Tracy's day. 744 00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:21,000 It does. 745 00:42:21,000 --> 00:42:23,000 This is my version of gold. 746 00:42:23,000 --> 00:42:24,000 Yes. 747 00:42:24,000 --> 00:42:28,000 This is more than 2000 year old pottery from Nostasen's tomb. 748 00:42:28,000 --> 00:42:35,000 It likely held an offering that Nostasen would have used in his afterlife, making it literally fit for a king. 749 00:42:35,000 --> 00:42:40,000 And just to think that's been sitting down there in complete darkness for thousands of years. 750 00:42:40,000 --> 00:42:41,000 Beautiful. 751 00:42:41,000 --> 00:42:42,000 Absolutely. 752 00:42:42,000 --> 00:42:45,000 This is the part of archaeology you don't see. 753 00:42:45,000 --> 00:42:49,000 The real work, the hard, meticulous, slow work. 754 00:42:49,000 --> 00:42:54,000 The sifting team will spend hours working through the buckets from our first dive. 755 00:42:54,000 --> 00:43:02,000 But the most important takeaway from today is the confirmation that the large stone slab inside the tomb is a sarcophagus lid. 756 00:43:03,000 --> 00:43:13,000 To help figure out how we're going to attack this new development and see if we can maybe even move the slab, I need to actually see the chamber. 757 00:43:16,000 --> 00:43:20,000 So my first dive into Nostasen's tomb was thrilling. 758 00:43:20,000 --> 00:43:21,000 It was terrifying. 759 00:43:21,000 --> 00:43:23,000 And frankly, it was confusing. 760 00:43:23,000 --> 00:43:28,000 That's because with no visibility, my mental picture of this place is jumbled. 761 00:43:28,000 --> 00:43:32,000 It's less of an architectural blueprint and more of a Picasso. 762 00:43:32,000 --> 00:43:36,000 So to fix that, I'm going to seek out a tomb that has a similar layout. 763 00:43:36,000 --> 00:43:45,000 And to find one, we're traveling about 250 miles south to a place known as Meroway, which was the third and final of the great cities of Kush. 764 00:43:50,000 --> 00:43:55,000 Near the entrance to the city, I meet the site's lead archaeologist, Mahmood Bashir. 765 00:43:55,000 --> 00:43:56,000 Mahmood. 766 00:43:56,000 --> 00:43:57,000 Hello. 767 00:43:57,000 --> 00:43:58,000 Hello. 768 00:43:58,000 --> 00:43:59,000 I'm Josh. Nice to meet you. 769 00:43:59,000 --> 00:44:00,000 Nice to meet you. 770 00:44:00,000 --> 00:44:01,000 Welcome to Meroway. 771 00:44:01,000 --> 00:44:02,000 Thank you very much. 772 00:44:02,000 --> 00:44:03,000 Where is Meroway? 773 00:44:03,000 --> 00:44:04,000 I see a lot of dunes. 774 00:44:04,000 --> 00:44:06,000 It's such a big site behind the mountains. 775 00:44:06,000 --> 00:44:07,000 We drive? 776 00:44:07,000 --> 00:44:09,000 No, vehicles are not allowed inside. 777 00:44:09,000 --> 00:44:10,000 I know another way. 778 00:44:10,000 --> 00:44:11,000 Another way? 779 00:44:11,000 --> 00:44:12,000 Yeah. 780 00:44:12,000 --> 00:44:13,000 Okay. 781 00:44:13,000 --> 00:44:14,000 That's for you. 782 00:44:14,000 --> 00:44:15,000 Another way. 783 00:44:20,000 --> 00:44:21,000 Camels. 784 00:44:21,000 --> 00:44:23,000 Why did it have to be camels? 785 00:44:23,000 --> 00:44:29,000 Long time viewers of Expedition Unknown will remember how little I enjoy the company of camels. 786 00:44:29,000 --> 00:44:33,000 In fairness, he hasn't bit, spit, or thrown me yet. 787 00:44:33,000 --> 00:44:36,000 Yet, I'm watching you. 788 00:44:38,000 --> 00:44:41,000 Our caravan crosses an empty expanse of desert. 789 00:44:41,000 --> 00:44:45,000 But then, I notice something ahead on the horizon. 790 00:44:49,000 --> 00:44:50,000 Josh, this is Meroway. 791 00:44:50,000 --> 00:44:51,000 Incredible. 792 00:44:53,000 --> 00:44:55,000 It's a beautiful place. 793 00:44:55,000 --> 00:44:57,000 It's a beautiful place. 794 00:44:57,000 --> 00:44:59,000 It's a beautiful place. 795 00:44:59,000 --> 00:45:01,000 It's a beautiful place. 796 00:45:01,000 --> 00:45:03,000 It's a beautiful place. 797 00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:06,000 Meroway is pure, uncut, pharmaceutical grade. 798 00:45:06,000 --> 00:45:07,000 Wow. 799 00:45:07,000 --> 00:45:13,000 I savor the ride through one of the most stunning sites I have ever beheld. 800 00:45:13,000 --> 00:45:18,000 It is the biggest collection of pyramids in the world. 801 00:45:18,000 --> 00:45:19,000 Okay, Josh. 802 00:45:19,000 --> 00:45:20,000 We are here. 803 00:45:20,000 --> 00:45:21,000 Okay, Josh. 804 00:45:21,000 --> 00:45:22,000 We are here. 805 00:45:29,000 --> 00:45:31,000 This place is unreal. 806 00:45:31,000 --> 00:45:32,000 You know, it's like a fantasy. 807 00:45:32,000 --> 00:45:37,000 You've got pyramids trapped in the dunes and like no tourists anywhere. 808 00:45:37,000 --> 00:45:39,000 Yes, you feel very alone here. 809 00:45:39,000 --> 00:45:44,000 But this place should be crawling with visitors because this is as impressive as the pyramids at Giza. 810 00:45:44,000 --> 00:45:45,000 Yes, or more. 811 00:45:45,000 --> 00:45:46,000 You're right. 812 00:45:46,000 --> 00:45:48,000 We're not completely alone. 813 00:45:48,000 --> 00:45:49,000 Who are these guys? 814 00:45:49,000 --> 00:45:50,000 Those are my team. 815 00:45:50,000 --> 00:45:53,000 They are reopening one of the pyramids. 816 00:45:53,000 --> 00:45:54,000 Oh, wow. 817 00:45:54,000 --> 00:46:01,000 The tomb being reopened is that of the Kush king, Ar-Khalamani, who ruled 100 years or so after Nistasen. 818 00:46:01,000 --> 00:46:02,000 Can we have a look? 819 00:46:02,000 --> 00:46:03,000 Yes. 820 00:46:03,000 --> 00:46:13,000 This tomb shares a common layout with Nistasens, which means what I learned here should help me navigate my next dive beneath the pyramid. 821 00:46:14,000 --> 00:46:19,000 So we would be underwater here, and at Nuri, this door is not this big. 822 00:46:19,000 --> 00:46:22,000 So we swim through a very small opening right here. 823 00:46:22,000 --> 00:46:27,000 So we come through the chute and we come into chamber one. 824 00:46:27,000 --> 00:46:28,000 It's huge. 825 00:46:28,000 --> 00:46:36,000 In Nistasen's tomb, this room is completely flooded, and there's a guide wire, a cave wire that goes all the way to the door to chamber two. 826 00:46:36,000 --> 00:46:42,000 And when you hold on to that line and you reach out, you don't feel anything. 827 00:46:42,000 --> 00:46:44,000 You let go of this cave line. 828 00:46:44,000 --> 00:46:46,000 You're just lost in this room. 829 00:46:46,000 --> 00:46:49,000 This gives me a real spatial awareness of that room. 830 00:46:49,000 --> 00:46:51,000 So it's good that we don't have this wire here. 831 00:46:51,000 --> 00:46:52,000 Yes. 832 00:46:52,000 --> 00:46:55,000 Here we don't need it because we're thankfully not underwater. 833 00:46:55,000 --> 00:46:59,000 I follow an imaginary guide wire into the second chamber. 834 00:46:59,000 --> 00:47:04,000 One notable improvement over its Nuri counterpart, we're not standing on the ceiling. 835 00:47:04,000 --> 00:47:09,000 Several posts have been constructed to keep it over our heads where it belongs. 836 00:47:09,000 --> 00:47:14,000 Without the benefit of structural supports like these, Nistasen's second chamber collapsed, 837 00:47:14,000 --> 00:47:17,000 which is kind of interesting considering how many support poles we see here. 838 00:47:17,000 --> 00:47:18,000 Exactly. 839 00:47:18,000 --> 00:47:19,000 You were worried about the same thing. 840 00:47:19,000 --> 00:47:20,000 Exactly. 841 00:47:20,000 --> 00:47:21,000 Yeah. 842 00:47:21,000 --> 00:47:28,000 But then Mahmood brings me back into the pyramid's third chamber and the tomb of King Arhalamani. 843 00:47:28,000 --> 00:47:30,000 Welcome to chamber three. 844 00:47:30,000 --> 00:47:33,000 Wow, this is beautiful. 845 00:47:33,000 --> 00:47:35,000 Look at this. 846 00:47:35,000 --> 00:47:40,000 So we have this incredibly ornate platform here. 847 00:47:40,000 --> 00:47:41,000 And the kink. 848 00:47:41,000 --> 00:47:42,000 This is our king who's very here. 849 00:47:42,000 --> 00:47:43,000 This is our king, yes. 850 00:47:43,000 --> 00:47:49,000 I don't know if this makes sense, but this room looks like chamber three feels over at Nuri, if that makes sense. 851 00:47:49,000 --> 00:47:50,000 Yes. 852 00:47:50,000 --> 00:47:54,000 So in this type of a burial, the body would be placed on the bench. 853 00:47:54,000 --> 00:47:55,000 On the bench, yes. 854 00:47:55,000 --> 00:48:01,000 One of the things that's really interesting is that this is effectively a solid piece. 855 00:48:01,000 --> 00:48:06,000 This design feels very much like what's in the third chamber in Nistasen's burial, 856 00:48:06,000 --> 00:48:09,000 but we've determined there that in fact it's two pieces. 857 00:48:09,000 --> 00:48:13,000 It's a lid sitting on top of some sort of container. 858 00:48:13,000 --> 00:48:19,000 But seeing how big this is in person, I don't think there's going to be any way we can move this thing. 859 00:48:19,000 --> 00:48:23,000 There is a crack in it, so we may have to just go under it. 860 00:48:23,000 --> 00:48:24,000 This is so helpful. 861 00:48:24,000 --> 00:48:27,000 This really is like X-ray vision. 862 00:48:27,000 --> 00:48:30,000 Should we get out of here before chamber two collapses? 863 00:48:30,000 --> 00:48:32,000 Seriously though, let's go. 864 00:48:42,000 --> 00:48:46,000 The next morning, I hop into my four by four for the journey back to Nuri. 865 00:48:49,000 --> 00:48:55,000 Now that I have a clear mental picture of the sunken tomb, I'm ready to dive back in. 866 00:48:56,000 --> 00:49:01,000 At the site, I find Pierce Paul already preparing for today's mission. 867 00:49:02,000 --> 00:49:04,000 How do we want this setting? Breatheable or not? 868 00:49:04,000 --> 00:49:05,000 I think breathable. 869 00:49:05,000 --> 00:49:06,000 Okay. 870 00:49:06,000 --> 00:49:07,000 Breatheable? 871 00:49:07,000 --> 00:49:08,000 Breatheable. 872 00:49:08,000 --> 00:49:10,000 Yeah, exactly. Just work on that. It's good. 873 00:49:13,000 --> 00:49:15,000 What's with the convoy? 874 00:49:19,000 --> 00:49:20,000 That's the ambassador. 875 00:49:21,000 --> 00:49:22,000 The what? 876 00:49:22,000 --> 00:49:24,000 The US ambassador to Sudan. 877 00:49:24,000 --> 00:49:25,000 Wait, what? 878 00:49:25,000 --> 00:49:26,000 Yeah. 879 00:49:30,000 --> 00:49:36,000 If you've ever wondered what it would be like if every item on Amazon was available in one physical place, 880 00:49:36,000 --> 00:49:38,000 may I recommend an African market? 881 00:49:40,000 --> 00:49:43,000 If you can't find it here, odds are you don't need it. 882 00:49:43,000 --> 00:49:44,000 What do we use this for? 883 00:49:44,000 --> 00:49:45,000 This is for cigarettes. 884 00:49:45,000 --> 00:49:46,000 Oh, this is an ashtray. 885 00:49:46,000 --> 00:49:47,000 Right. Beautiful. 886 00:49:47,000 --> 00:49:49,000 I am trying to scale back on smoking. 887 00:49:49,000 --> 00:49:54,000 Is this what happens when you die Easter eggs? 888 00:49:54,000 --> 00:49:56,000 Are they feeding them skittles? 889 00:49:56,000 --> 00:49:58,000 Peeps are real. 890 00:49:58,000 --> 00:50:01,000 Peeps are made out of real chickens. 891 00:50:01,000 --> 00:50:03,000 Taste the rainbow. 892 00:50:09,000 --> 00:50:15,000 I'm preparing to make my second dive under the burial pyramid of the Kush King, Nostocin. 893 00:50:15,000 --> 00:50:21,000 And it turns out archaeologist Pierce Paul Kreisman has invited a special guest to the dig today. 894 00:50:21,000 --> 00:50:22,000 That's the ambassador. 895 00:50:22,000 --> 00:50:23,000 Wait, what? 896 00:50:23,000 --> 00:50:24,000 Yeah. 897 00:50:24,000 --> 00:50:29,000 The United States ambassador to the Republic of Sudan, John T. Godfrey. 898 00:50:29,000 --> 00:50:30,000 Good morning. 899 00:50:30,000 --> 00:50:31,000 Good morning. 900 00:50:31,000 --> 00:50:32,000 How are you? 901 00:50:32,000 --> 00:50:39,000 Mr. Godfrey is a hardcore foreign service vet who has been stationed in Libya, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and now Sudan. 902 00:50:39,000 --> 00:50:44,000 He also happens to be the State Department's acting coordinator of counterterrorism. 903 00:50:44,000 --> 00:50:49,000 Accompanying the ambassador is his regional security officer, Ryan Renewart. 904 00:50:49,000 --> 00:50:51,000 Well, this place is full of surprises. 905 00:50:51,000 --> 00:50:54,000 I was not expecting to meet a U.S. ambassador today. 906 00:50:54,000 --> 00:50:56,000 What are you doing up this way? 907 00:50:56,000 --> 00:51:01,000 I'm here to check in on a $500,000 grant for community engagement conservation. 908 00:51:01,000 --> 00:51:07,000 And it is designed to help support efforts to preserve culture and history and places around the world. 909 00:51:07,000 --> 00:51:13,000 And here in Sudan, we're particularly focused on trying to help efforts to preserve remnants of the Kush civilization, 910 00:51:13,000 --> 00:51:16,000 which you all are here working on as well. 911 00:51:16,000 --> 00:51:20,000 And so we're really delighted to have a chance to come and spend a little bit of time with you here today. 912 00:51:20,000 --> 00:51:21,000 Thank you. 913 00:51:21,000 --> 00:51:26,000 Yeah, and I should warn you that I've learned firsthand that Pierce Paul will put you to work if you stay too long. 914 00:51:26,000 --> 00:51:28,000 So you've been given fair warning. 915 00:51:28,000 --> 00:51:30,000 We're happy to serve. 916 00:51:30,000 --> 00:51:31,000 Ambassador after you. 917 00:51:31,000 --> 00:51:32,000 Thank you. 918 00:51:32,000 --> 00:51:35,000 Something I never thought I'd say. 919 00:51:35,000 --> 00:51:40,000 Security officer Ryan is an experienced diver, so he'll be joining us in the tomb. 920 00:51:40,000 --> 00:51:44,000 The ambassador, ever the public servant, is eager to help as well, 921 00:51:44,000 --> 00:51:49,000 gamely volunteering to haul heavy, waterlogged buckets up to the sifting tent. 922 00:51:49,000 --> 00:51:52,000 Our mission on day two is simple. 923 00:51:52,000 --> 00:51:56,000 Excavate Nostasen's burial chamber, collect samples from his sarcophagus, 924 00:51:56,000 --> 00:52:00,000 and hopefully find some remains of a king. 925 00:52:00,000 --> 00:52:03,000 All right, gents, are we ready? 926 00:52:03,000 --> 00:52:05,000 Ready as we're going to be. 927 00:52:10,000 --> 00:52:12,000 Good hunting down there. 928 00:52:18,000 --> 00:52:24,000 Now that I've been to Maroway, my mental picture of the tomb is strong enough for me to orient myself. 929 00:52:24,000 --> 00:52:29,000 Still, in zero visibility, it's hard to stay that way. 930 00:52:29,000 --> 00:52:33,000 I feel metal, so this is the edge of the chute. 931 00:52:33,000 --> 00:52:38,000 I can feel that I'm in the chute now, and I'll make it my way through. 932 00:52:40,000 --> 00:52:43,000 Dive team, this is Dave. How's the water? 933 00:52:43,000 --> 00:52:48,000 I don't know, I'm just a murky, zero visibility, but it's a nice day at the beach. 934 00:52:48,000 --> 00:52:51,000 Yeah, pretty much black out in here. 935 00:52:51,000 --> 00:52:56,000 Okay, I am into the first chamber, looking for the guide wire now. 936 00:52:59,000 --> 00:53:03,000 Okay, going through, making my way to the second chamber. 937 00:53:04,000 --> 00:53:10,000 I carefully enter the collapsed second chamber of Nistasen's tomb. 938 00:53:10,000 --> 00:53:14,000 Somewhere ahead of me is a partially submerged block, 939 00:53:14,000 --> 00:53:19,000 marking the area I'll need to swim to reach the safety of an air pocket. 940 00:53:19,000 --> 00:53:24,000 To find it, I'm going to have to release the guide cable and take that leap of faith. 941 00:53:26,000 --> 00:53:29,000 Okay, I'm letting go. 942 00:53:29,000 --> 00:53:32,000 Moving forward. 943 00:53:34,000 --> 00:53:38,000 I am not feeling that block this time. 944 00:53:41,000 --> 00:53:46,000 That block is gone. I'm going to turn around and try to re-acquire the line. 945 00:53:50,000 --> 00:53:53,000 I'm off the line. I'm on the way out here in chamber two. 946 00:53:53,000 --> 00:53:56,000 Alright, Josh, can you repeat that you're off the line? 947 00:53:56,000 --> 00:53:59,000 I'm off the line in chamber two. 948 00:53:59,000 --> 00:54:02,000 I should be in front of you, but I cannot feel it. 949 00:54:02,000 --> 00:54:04,000 Josh is off the line. Repeat. 950 00:54:04,000 --> 00:54:08,000 I can't get my bearings. Okay, just don't panic. 951 00:54:08,000 --> 00:54:10,000 Start looking for the line. You've got to find the line. 952 00:54:10,000 --> 00:54:12,000 He's off the line. 953 00:54:12,000 --> 00:54:17,000 So he doesn't have any kind of tactile reference, so he has no idea where he is in the tomb. 954 00:54:17,000 --> 00:54:21,000 I can't see a f***ing thing. Guys, I need some help here. 955 00:54:21,000 --> 00:54:36,000 Get ready for adventure because expedition unknown is back. 956 00:54:36,000 --> 00:54:41,000 And this season, we're not just investigating the world's greatest mysteries. 957 00:54:41,000 --> 00:54:43,000 This is an endless game. 958 00:54:43,000 --> 00:54:45,000 We're solving them. 959 00:54:45,000 --> 00:54:47,000 Unbelievable. 960 00:54:47,000 --> 00:54:51,000 From a treacherous hunt for a pirate that ends in treasure 961 00:54:51,000 --> 00:54:53,000 Wow, right there. That's a coin. 962 00:54:53,000 --> 00:54:54,000 That's a beauty. 963 00:54:54,000 --> 00:54:59,000 to a historic quest across the Holy Land that unearfs a biblical bombshell. 964 00:54:59,000 --> 00:55:03,000 This is the first time the world has seen this in 1400 years. 965 00:55:03,000 --> 00:55:07,000 We're diving deep to find sunken relics from World War II 966 00:55:07,000 --> 00:55:10,000 What is it? Amazing. 967 00:55:10,000 --> 00:55:12,000 and braving the wilderness. 968 00:55:12,000 --> 00:55:14,000 Back up, back up, back up. 969 00:55:14,000 --> 00:55:17,000 A long lost temple will be found. 970 00:55:17,000 --> 00:55:19,000 We have an inscription. 971 00:55:19,000 --> 00:55:24,000 And inside a collapsing pyramid, a headline making fine. 972 00:55:24,000 --> 00:55:26,000 Wait, what is this? 973 00:55:26,000 --> 00:55:30,000 It's all part of an all new season of Expedition Unknown.