Egypt's Treasure Guardians

NARRATOR: ANCIENT EGYPT.

HOME OF THE PYRAMIDS, TEMPLES, AND TOMBS.

BUT THE LAND OF THE PHARAOHS IS AT A CROSSROADS.

AS CHAOS FOLLOWS REVOLUTION, ITS ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES ARE IN DANGER.

THE PEOPLE ARE DIGGING ILLEGALLY EVERYWHERE IN EGYPT.

NARRATOR: ITS TREASURES ARE BEING LOOTED... AND TOURISTS ARE AT AN ALL-TIME LOW.

IBRAHIM: I TELL MY TOURISTS NOT TO BE WORRIED ABOUT ANYTHING.

EGYPT IS SAFE.

NARRATOR: BUT A NEW LEGION OF DEFENDERS NOW STANDS TO GUARD EGYPT'S HISTORICAL HERITAGE.

EGYPTOLOGIST TAREK TAWFIK, WORKING DAY AND NIGHT TO GET THE COUNTRY'S MOST AMBITIOUS PROJECT OFF THE GROUND.

WE ARE BUILDING HERE A NEW FANTASTIC LANDMARK FOR EGYPT.

NARRATOR: ARCHAEOLOGISTS MARIA AND JOHN, BATTLING AGAINST TIME TO UNEARTH NEW HIDDEN TREASURES.

THIS IS AMAZING.

WE COULD BE LOOKING AT SOMETHING THAT HASN'T BEEN OPENED OR SEEN IN OVER 3,000 YEARS.

NARRATOR: STEEL CONTRACTOR EDDY, OVERSEEING THE GRANDEST EGYPTIAN MONUMENTS BUILT SINCE THE PYRAMIDS... NO STEEL, NO CRANE, NO OPERATOR, A LOT OF OBSTACLES.

NARRATOR: ALONG WITH TEAMS OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS, ENGINEERS, EGYPTOLOGISTS, AND CONSERVATORS, THEY ARE EGYPT'S FUTURE.

THEY ARE EGYPT'S TREASURE GUARDIANS.

NARRATOR: THE GRAND MONUMENTS OF ANCIENT EGYPT HAVE DRAWN VISITORS FOR CENTURIES...

BUT NOT ANYMORE.

ONCE, EACH OF THESE MONUMENTS TEEMED WITH 25,000 VISITORS A DAY.

NOW, LOCALS OUTNUMBER TOURISTS.

RECENT POLITICAL UPHEAVALS MEAN THAT TOURISTS HAVE STOPPED COMING, AND REVENUE FROM EGYPT'S ANCIENT MONUMENTS HAS PLUMMETED BY 90%.

GUIDES LIKE IBRAHIM MORGAN, WHO DEPEND ON FOREIGN VISITORS FOR THEIR LIVELIHOOD, ARE PUTTING ON A BRAVE FACE.

I TELL THEM THAT EGYPT IS SAFE AND SECURE, AND NOW POLICE PATROL THE STREETS AND SECURE EVERYTHING.

EGYPT IS SAFE.

EGYPT IS SAFE.

NARRATOR: BUT RECENT EVENTS ARE AGAINST HIM.

IN OCTOBER 2015, A RUSSIAN PASSENGER PLANE FLYING OUT OF THE EGYPTIAN RESORT OF SHARM EL-SHEIKH WAS BLOWN OUT OF THE SKY.

THE EGYPTIAN FACTION OF THE TERROR ORGANIZATION ISIL CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY.

IT WAS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY 16 TERROR-RELATED INCIDENTS IN JUST 4 MONTHS, DEALING ANOTHER BLOW TO EGYPT'S STRUGGLING TOURIST INDUSTRY.

EGYPT NEEDS SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY TO DRAW THE VISITORS BACK... SOMETHING THEY MUST COME AND SEE... SOMETHING ICONIC... SOMETHING AS GRANDIOSE AS THE PYRAMIDS THEMSELVES.

THIS IS THE GEM, THE GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM, AN AMBITIOUS NEW MONUMENT FOR THE MODERN AGE.

[MEN SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE] COSTING AN ESTIMATED $1.1 BILLION AND WITH A WORKFORCE OF UP TO 6,000 BUILDERS, IT'S THE MOST AMBITIOUS CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IN EGYPT SINCE THE PYRAMIDS.

BUT THE GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM IS 5 YEARS DELAYED AND IS MORE THAN $100 MILLION SHORT.

IT'S NOW SCHEDULED TO OPEN IN 2018.

AND THE BUCK STOPS WITH DR. TAREK TAWFIK... A NATIVE SON.

WE ARE UNDER PRESSURE TO DELIVER THIS PROJECT.

NARRATOR: HE'S AN EGYPTOLOGIST WHO HAS TRADED AN ACADEMIC'S GOWN FOR A PROJECT MANAGER'S HARD HAT.

TAWFIK: SOMETIMES I HAVE SLEEPLESS NIGHTS.

MY FAMILY IS VERY SUPPORTIVE, YET THEY SUFFER.

I HOPE THAT ONCE THEY LIVE WITH ME THROUGH THE OPENING OF THIS PLACE, THIS WILL BE FORGIVEN.

NARRATOR: THE CENTERPIECE OF THIS AMBITIOUS PROJECT IS THE GRAND STAIRCASE...

LEADING UP TO A MAGNIFICENT VISTA OVERLOOKING THE PYRAMIDS.

THE STAIRCASE WILL BE SURROUNDED BY INVERTED PYRAMIDS IN AN ENGINEERING TRIBUTE TO THE PYRAMIDS OUTSIDE.

SO THE VISITOR IS COMING UP THROUGH A VERY IMPRESSIVE TRAVELATOR AND HAVING ON TOP OF HIM A VERY INTERESTING AND COMPLICATED CONSTRUCTION, WHICH IS A WORK OF ART IN ITSELF.

NARRATOR: IT'S A MAZE OF STEEL GIRDERS WHICH WILL BE CLAD IN BRIGHT LIMESTONE AS THE PYRAMIDS ONCE WERE.

BUT FOR THAT TO HAPPEN BY 2018, THE STEEL SKELETON MUST BE BUILT ON TIME.

THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THAT LIES WITH STEEL SUPERVISOR EDDY CANNAERTS.

HE'S A BUSY MAN.

I NEED TWO CRANES.

HERE AND ONE DOWN.

NARRATOR: HE'S PART OF THE CONTRACTING TEAM THAT RUNS THE SITE, AND HE'S CONSTANTLY TRYING TO SOLVE PROBLEMS.

THIS ROOF CANNOT START, THE ENTRANCE CANNOT START.

NO STEEL, NO CRANE, NO OPERATOR, NO SURVEY, A LOT OF OBSTACLES.

THE 4 POSTS ARE FINISHED?

THE 4 POSTS, TWO OF THEM MISSING.

YOU TELL ME AFTER ONE WEEK?

THAT'S HOW THE DAY IS STARTING.

ALWAYS PROBLEMS.

NARRATOR: EDDY'S BIGGEST PROBLEM IS KEEPING THE PYRAMIDAL WALL ON TRACK.

THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS THIS-- IS THIS 3-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURE BECAUSE IT'S VERY, VERY DIFFICULT.

YOU SEE, IT'S 3-DIMENSIONAL, IT'S GOING TO ALL THE SITES, AND NOT ONE PIECE IS THE SAME.

WE ARE ONE WEEK BEHIND SCHEDULE.

THEY HAVE TO START THIS CONCRETE ROOF ON MAY.

SO WE HAVE TO FINISH THIS END OF APRIL.

OTHERWISE THE ROOF IS GOING BEHIND, THE WALLS ARE GOING BEHIND, THE FINISHING IS GOING BEHIND.

THAT'S WHY WE HAVE TO FINISH THIS END OF APRIL.

THEY HAVE TO.

NARRATOR: WHERE THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS USED RAMPS TO GET STONE AND MATERIALS UP ONTO THE PYRAMIDS, THIS MODERN EGYPTIAN MONUMENT USES CRANES.

AND WHEN THE CRANES BREAK DOWN, WORK GRINDS TO A HALT.

THIS CRANE IS BROKEN.

THE CRANE AT THE END, THAT BROKE DOWN YESTERDAY EVENING.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S WRONG WITH IT.

MAYBE THEY CAN FIX IT, MAYBE THEY CANNOT FIX IT, BUT THIS CRANE BROKE DOWN ALREADY FOR ONE WEEK, THIS BIG CRANE, BUT WE ORDERED 160-TONS CRANE, A NEW ONE.

IT WILL ARRIVE TODAY, BUT WHEN, WE WILL SEE.

NARRATOR: FOR THE GEM TO BECOME THE JEWEL IN EGYPT'S CROWN, IT DOESN'T JUST NEED TO BE BUILT.

IT NEEDS TO HOUSE NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN ANTIQUITIES.

TEAMS OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS ARE WORKING TO MAKE NEW FINDS, OPENING NEW SITES ALL ALONG THE NILE.

HOPING TO DO JUST THAT, ARCHAEOLOGIST MARIA NILSSON AND HER HUSBAND JOHN WARD HAVE COME TO KARNAK, THE LARGEST TEMPLE COMPLEX IN EGYPT, ON A MISSION.

THEY'RE SEARCHING FOR CLUES AMONG THE MAGNIFICENT COLUMNS OF THE TEMPLE OF AMUN-RE THAT WILL HELP THEM LINK KARNAK TO THEIR OWN SITE.

THIS IS AMAZING.

134 COLUMNS OF SHEER BEAUTY AND MAGNITUDE.

IT'S JUST SPLENDID.

YOU REALLY FEEL HOW SMALL YOU ARE ON THE EARTH WHEN YOU'RE HERE.

NARRATOR: THIS IS THE PLACE WHERE THE FAMOUS PHARAOHS OF THE 18th AND 19th DYNASTIES BUILT MONUMENTS AND TEMPLES OVER A PERIOD OF ALMOST 400 YEARS.

IT'S WHERE THE BOY KING TUTANKHAMUN TORE DOWN THE SUN TEMPLES OF HIS HERETIC FATHER AKHENATEN, REPLACING THEM WITH HIS OWN, AND WHERE THE BUILDER PHARAOH RAMESSES THE GREAT ERECTED MAGNIFICENT MONUMENTS BOASTING OF FICTITIOUS VICTORIES.

JOHN AND MARIA BELIEVE THAT MOST OF THE SANDSTONE IN KARNAK COMES FROM AN ANCIENT QUARRY CALLED GEBEL EL SILSILA... 97 MILES SOUTH, WHERE THEIR OWN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE IS LOCATED.

9 YEARS AGO, THEY MET AND FELL IN LOVE ON THIS SITE AND HAVE DEDICATED THEIR LIVES TO IT EVER SINCE.

SILSILA BASICALLY GRABBED US.

IT'S AS IF SILSILA CHOSE US TO BE HER GUARDIANS.

SOMEONE HAD TO LOOK AFTER THIS PLACE, SOMEONE HAD TO TAKE IT ONBOARD, SOMEONE HAD TO UNDERSTAND IT, RECORD IT, AND DOCUMENT IT, AND FOR WHATEVER REASON, MARIA AND I WERE GIVEN THAT RESPONSIBILITY.

NARRATOR: THE EGYPTIAN AUTHORITIES GRANT SITES LIKE THIS TO FOREIGN ARCHAEOLOGISTS, HOPING THAT THEY WILL BRING IN FOREIGN MONEY TO HELP PRESERVE THEM AND MAKE NEW FINDS.

WELL, LET'S GO DOWN THIS WAY... NARRATOR: BUT JOHN AND MARIA WANT EVEN MORE FOR SILSILA.

THEY BELIEVE IT DOESN'T GET THE ATTENTION AND RECOGNITION IT DESERVES.

MADAM SILSILA, THE MOTHER OF ALL TEMPLES, HAS PROVIDED THE BLOCKS FOR SOME OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST MONUMENTS.

NARRATOR: ONE SPECTACULAR EXAMPLE OF THIS LIES HIDDEN AWAY IN A FORGOTTEN CORNER OF THEIR GIGANTIC SITE.

THIS IS WHAT WE CALL THE QUARRY OF THE FALLEN MONUMENTS.

NARRATOR: THEY'VE CALLED IT THAT BECAUSE OF THE REMARKABLE STATUES THEY'VE DISCOVERED IN THIS ANCIENT STONEMASON'S WORKSHOP.

THIS IS... ONE OF TWO CRIOSPHINXES, THE RAM-HEADED SPHINXES.

HE WAS LEFT HERE IN THE WORKSHOP, AND HE'S INTENDED TO GO IN FRONT OF KARNAK TEMPLE.

THIS IS A TESTIMONY OF HOW GREAT EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE REALLY IS.

WHAT WE HAVE IN KARNAK IS THE FINISHED PRODUCT.

HERE WE HAVE THEM STILL AWAITING THE NAME OF THE PHARAOH... YEAH.

SO IT IS QUITE POSSIBLE THAT THESE WERE THE LAST ONES MADE.

JOHN: THESE WERE MONUMENTS MADE FOR KARNAK, AND YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN GREETED BY THESE CRIOSPHINXES.

NARRATOR: AND THAT'S NOT THE ONLY THING THAT LINKS SILSILA TO KARNAK.

STONEWORKERS' QUARRY MARKS ARE ETCHED INTO THE ROCK ALL OVER KARNAK, OFTEN MATCHING THE MARKINGS ON THE STONES AT SILSILA, AND IN SOME PLACES, THE MARKS AT SILSILA ARE EVEN MORE EXPLICITLY LINKED TO KARNAK.

GOT A SYMBOL THAT LOOKS LIKE THIS AT SILSILA.

IT COMES DOWN... YEAH.

UP... DOWN, DOWN, AND ACROSS.

NARRATOR: THE MARK AT SILSILA IS CLEARLY A REPRESENTATION OF THE SHRINE THE BLOCKS WERE MEANT FOR.

THIS IS A DIRECT CONNECTION, AND IT'S WONDERFUL.

NARRATOR: IF JOHN AND MARIA CAN ESTABLISH THE LINK BETWEEN KARNAK AND SILSILA IN THE MINDS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC, THEY BELIEVE IT WILL DRAW TOURISTS TO THE SITE, AND KEEPING SILSILA IN THE PUBLIC EYE WILL HELP PROTECT IT FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

MORNING AT SILSILA, AND JOHN AND MARIA ARE PREPARING FOR A FIELD WALK.

WITH THEM ARE A TEAM THAT INCLUDES ARCHAEOLOGISTS, GEOLOGISTS, AND ROCK ART SPECIALISTS, ALONG WITH STUDENTS AND WORKERS.

GEBEL EL SILSILA IS A TRULY MASSIVE SITE, COVERING MORE THAN 11 1/2 SQUARE MILES, HALF THE SIZE OF MANHATTAN.

IT'S SO BIG THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN AREAS JOHN AND MARIA HAVE YET TO VISIT.

WE'RE GOING TO GO TO THE NORTHWEST.

IT'S AN AREA THAT HAS UNFORTUNATELY RECEIVED SOME NEW QUARRYING, ILLEGAL QUARRYING, AND--BUT THAT WAS ALL STOPPED STRAIGHTAWAY, BUT UNFORTUNATELY THEY HAVE DAMAGED ONE OF THE SANDSTONE BLUFFS THERE QUITE CONSIDERABLY.

UM, SO WE JUST WANT TO CHECK THAT AREA TO MAKE SURE THERE'S NO ARCHAEOLOGY THERE.

THAT WAY.

WATCH OUT FOR SNAKES.

NARRATOR: THE TEAM SPREADS OUT ACROSS THE AREA, LOOKING FOR ANY SURFACE SIGNS OF HISTORICAL ACTIVITY.

IT WILL GIVE THEM POINTERS AS TO WHAT DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE SITE WERE USED FOR AND WHEN.

YOU'VE GOT POTTERY.

NARRATOR: AS THE DAY GOES ON, THEY DISCOVER EVIDENCE THAT THE SITE HAS BEEN USED FROM NEOLITHIC TIMES...

AWESOME.

ROCK DRAWING, A PETROGLYPH.

NARRATOR: RIGHT UP TO THE ROMANS.

OH, NICE.

WE HAVE A ROMAN SHELTER, SO IT'S WONDERFUL.

NARRATOR: BUT WHEN THEY GET TO THE BLUFFS, THE TEAM MAKES A STARTLING DISCOVERY.

JOHN.

JOHN.

LISTEN.

I THINK WE NEED TO GO TO THE TOP.

JOHN: OH, DEAR.

NARRATOR: IT LOOKS LIKE THE QUARRYING HASN'T STOPPED AFTER ALL.

MARIA?

MARIA: YEAH.

THEY'VE TAKEN OUT THIS ENTIRE MOUNTAIN RIDGE THAT LED ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE SHORE.

UM, IT'S BEEN QUARRIED.

NARRATOR: CARVING THROUGH THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL LAYERS, EVERY TRUCKLOAD CARRIES THE PAST AWAY, DESTROYING ANY EVIDENCE THAT MAY HAVE BEEN ON THE SITE.

JOHN IMMEDIATELY GETS ON THE PHONE TO REPORT THEIR DISCOVERY TO THE LOCAL INSPECTOR.

I'M RIGHT DOWN BY-- ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE TARMAC ROAD AT THE VERY FAR WEST.

WHATEVER WAS THERE IS GONE.

I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THESE GUYS HAVE PERMISSION OR NOT.

NARRATOR: AND THAT'S WHEN HE GETS THE SECOND UNPLEASANT SURPRISE OF THE DAY.

YEAH, BUT THIS IS ASSAR, THIS IS OUR CONCESSION.

THIS IS ASSAR!

OK.

THEY HAVE PERMISSION, MARIA.

NARRATOR: THE MEN RUNNING THE QUARRY HAVE A PERMIT FROM THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES.

THEY HAVE PERMISSION TO TAKE...IT ALL.

NARRATOR: IT'S A TOUGH BLOW, BUT JOHN'S NOT GOING TO ARGUE WITH THE VERY PEOPLE WHO DECIDE WHETHER HE AND MARIA CAN CONTINUE TO DIG THEIR SITE.

JOHN: WHAT MAKES ME SAD IS NOT THE FACT THAT THEY CAN TAKE IT.

WHAT MAKES ME SAD IS THAT THERE'S-- THERE'S NO CONSULTATION.

THERE'S NO PROCESS OF CONSULTATION.

SO NO ONE COMES TO US AND SAYS, "CAN YOU JUST QUICKLY TAKE A DAY AND MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S NO ARCHAEOLOGY HERE?"

AND THEN THEY CAN COME IN AND TAKE IT.

MARIA: IT'S ALWAYS BEEN A QUARRY, SO IT MAKES SENSE FOR THE QUARRYING TO CONTINUE, BUT FOR THE HEART OF AN ARCHAEOLOGIST, IT'S--IT'S VERY HARD TO SEE DESTRUCTION.

NARRATOR: IT'S A SAD END TO THE DAY, BUT ON THE BOAT BACK TO CAMP, JOHN REALIZES TODAY WAS NO DIFFERENT TO ANY OTHER DAY IN THIS ANCIENT LAND.

YOU THINK ABOUT IT.

EGYPT ITSELF HAS BENEFITED FROM THE STONE OF SILSILA FOR THE BEST PART OF 4,000, MAYBE EVEN 5,000 YEARS, AND IT'S STILL BENEFITING TODAY.

THAT'S--THAT'S BEAUTIFUL.

NARRATOR: BUT QUARRYING IS NOT THE ONLY THING THAT THREATENS EGYPT'S HERITAGE.

ON JANUARY 28, 2011, AS THOUSANDS OF EGYPTIANS GATHERED IN TAHRIR SQUARE TO DEMAND THE REMOVAL OF THEIR DICTATOR, HOSNI MUBARAK, THEY HEARD THAT THE CAIRO MUSEUM OF ANTIQUITIES ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE SQUARE HAD BEEN LOOTED BY LAWLESS LOCALS WHO SAW IT AS A CHANCE TO MAKE MONEY.

BANDS OF PROTESTERS IMMEDIATELY FORMED A HUMAN CHAIN AROUND THE MUSEUM TO PREVENT ANY MORE OF THEIR COUNTRY'S TREASURES FROM DISAPPEARING.

HOWEVER, MOST ANCIENT SITES AREN'T SO LUCKY.

THIS IS EXCEPTIONALLY TRUE IN ASWAN, SOUTHERN EGYPT, WHERE THE MODERN METROPOLIS SITS DIRECTLY ON TOP OF AN ANCIENT CITY.

HERE, LOOTING IS SUCH A PROBLEM THAT POLICING IT IS A FULL-TIME JOB.

WE HAVE A REPORT FROM THE POLICE TOURISM, SO WE ARE GOING TO SEE WHAT THEY ARE DOING THERE.

NARRATOR: THE LOCAL INSPECTOR, DR. AHMED SALEH, THINKS IT IS LINKED WITH THE SMUGGLING OF ANCIENT ARTIFACTS.

ANYONE WHO IS SMUGGLING THE ARTIFACTS FROM EGYPT TO OUTSIDE IS BETRAYING HIS COUNTRY, BUT EVERYONE HAS A DREAM.

IF HE FINDS AN ARTIFACT, AND SELLING IT, HE WILL BE A RICH MAN.

IT'S A BIG PROBLEM IN ALL OF EGYPT.

NARRATOR: HE IS GOING TO A HOUSE IN THE OLD QUARTER OF ASWAN, BUILT ON TOP OF THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN CITY.

THE OWNER OF THE HOUSE HAS DONE SOMETHING ASTONISHING.

HE HAS DRILLED A 5-FOOT SQUARE HOLE STRAIGHT INTO HIS FLOOR AND BURROWED INTO THE ROCK, LOOKING FOR TREASURE.

THEY ARE LOOKING FOR SMALL STATUES, OR SOME, YOU KNOW, RELIEFS, WHICH IS VERY PRECIOUS.

THEY ARE--THEY ARE TRYING TO SELL IT.

THEY ARE DESTROYING THE HISTORICAL REMAINS, CRUSHING THE EVIDENCE, AND IF WE DIDN'T STOP THEM, THAT'S MEANING WE LOST OUR HISTORY, OUR IDENTITY.

NARRATOR: SUCH UNAUTHORIZED LOOTING IS ILLEGAL, AND THE OWNER OF THE HOUSE HAS BEEN TAKEN INTO CUSTODY, BUT IT'S A RISK MANY HOMEOWNERS ARE WILLING TO TAKE WHEN MONEY IS TIGHT AND TREASURES CAN EARN EXTRAORDINARY SUMS.

ESTIMATES SUGGEST THAT APPROXIMATELY $20 BILLION WORTH OF ARTIFACTS HAVE BEEN STOLEN AND SOLD ON THE BLACK MARKET IN JUST 3 YEARS.

BUT EGYPTIANS HAVE DUG FOR TREASURE UNDER THEIR MONUMENTS FOR CENTURIES.

IT'S ONE REASON WHY THE PYRAMIDS WERE BUILT.

THE PYRAMIDS WERE GREAT STONE FORTRESSES DESIGNED TO PROTECT THE TREASURES OF THE AFTERLIFE FOR THE PHARAOH WITHIN, BUT WHEN ANCIENT LOOTERS MANAGED TO BREAK INTO THE PYRAMIDS, THE RICH ELITE OF EGYPT MOVED THEIR TOMBS UNDERGROUND TO THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS WEST OF KARNAK, WHERE ALL THE PHARAOHS OF EGYPT WERE BURIED FOR SEVERAL HUNDRED YEARS, AND THE MOST FAMOUS OF ALL THESE TOMBS IS THE SPECTACULAR BURIAL SITE OF THE BOY KING TUTANKHAMUN.

TUTANKHAMUN'S UNDISTURBED CRYPT WAS DISCOVERED BY HOWARD CARTER IN 1922, CONTAINING A WEALTH OF TREASURES.

THEY ARE NOW KEPT UNDER LOCK AND KEY IN THE ONLY PART OF THE GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM THAT HAS SO FAR BEEN COMPLETED, THE CONSERVATION CENTER.

HERE WE ARE ENTERING NOW A RESTRICTED AREA.

NARRATOR: ALL THE ARTIFACTS THAT WILL ONE DAY BE DISPLAYED IN THE GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM ARE KEPT, PRESERVED, AND RESTORED HERE IN CLIMATE-CONTROLLED CONDITIONS BY OVER 150 DEDICATED SCIENTISTS WHO WORK IN 17 STATE-OF-THE-ART RESTORATION LABS.

AND IT IS HERE THAT THE HIDDEN TREASURES OF TUTANKHAMUN ARE KEPT SAFE.

TAWFIK: ALL OF THESE FANTASTIC OBJECTS FROM THE TOMB OF TUTANKHAMUN HAVE NEVER BEEN ON DISPLAY BEFORE.

NARRATOR: TUTANKHAMUN CAME TO THE THRONE AT AGE 9 AND DIED UNEXPECTEDLY 10 YEARS LATER.

HE WAS HURRIEDLY BURIED IN A TOMB LIKELY BUILT FOR SOMEONE ELSE.

IT WAS LATER COVERED OVER BY THE RUBBLE DUG OUT OF A NEIGHBORING TOMB, HIDING IT FROM ROBBERS.

UNDETECTED FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, IT WAS NEVER LOOTED.

IT'S THE BEST PRESERVED TOMB EVER UNCOVERED IN EGYPT.

THIS IS REALLY AMAZING.

THESE ARE SANDALS OF KING TUTANKHAMUN THAT HAVE BEEN IN THE TOMB FOR MORE THAN 3 1/2 THOUSAND YEARS, AND WE CAN STILL CLEARLY SEE THE FABRIC AND THE STRUCTURE OF THE MATERIAL.

NARRATOR: EQUALLY WELL-PRESERVED IS ONE OF THE 35 MODEL BOATS FOUND WITHIN THE TOMB, SO INTRICATELY MADE THAT THEY CAN TELL US HOW ANCIENT EGYPTIAN SAILING WORKED.

NESTLED AMONGST ALL THESE TREASURES IS A TOUCHING REMINDER OF THE HUMANITY OF THE 19-YEAR-OLD BOY KING.

THE MUMMIFIED FETUSES OF TWO OF HIS CHILDREN.

THIS IS A VERY TRAGIC PART OF THE LIFE OF KING TUTANKHAMUN.

WE'VE FOUND IN HIS TOMB TWO BABY GIRLS THAT DIED BEFORE BIRTH AND THEY WERE BURIED INSIDE THE TOMB OF THEIR FATHER.

NARRATOR: THEY PROBABLY DIED DUE TO THE CONGENITAL DEFECTS OF INTERBREEDING WITHIN THE PHARAOH'S FAMILY AND WERE BURIED WITH THEIR FATHER IN ACCORDANCE WITH TRADITION.

TUTANKHAMUN HIMSELF HAD SLIGHTLY DEFORMED BONES AND WALKED WITH A LIMP, WHICH EXPLAINS THE VAST NUMBER OF WALKING CANES BURIED IN HIS TOMB.

WE GO A LITTLE FURTHER AWAY FROM TUTANKHAMUN AS THE GOLDEN PHARAOH TOWARDS TUTANKHAMUN AS A HUMAN BEING, UM, AND WE START FEELING WITH HIM AND MOURNING WITH HIM FOR HIS TWO DAUGHTERS.

NARRATOR: TO DRAW THE TOURISTS BACK, THESE TREASURES WILL GO ON DISPLAY IN A DEDICATED GALLERY IN THE GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM, BUT ONLY IF IT CAN BE BUILT ON TIME.

EDDY'S MOBILE CRANE HAS JUST ARRIVED, BUT HE'S STILL NOT HAPPY.

ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU.

FIRST PROBLEM, THE INSPECTOR IS OFF TODAY WHO HAS TO INSPECT THE CRANE, SO WE HAVE TO FIND ANOTHER ONE.

NARRATOR: HAVING ARRANGED FOR ANOTHER INSPECTOR TO MEET HIM THERE, EDDY DRIVES DOWN TO THE CRANE.

I WANT--I WANT TO KNOW WHERE HE IS WORKING.

PLEASE ARRANGE A CRANE FOR HIM.

THANK YOU.

YOU'RE GOING TO THE GATE.

INSPECTION OF THE CRANE.

WHERE IS THE CRANE?

THERE IS THE CRANE.

OK, LET'S GO.

[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE] NARRATOR: THIS IS NOT EDDY'S REGULAR INSPECTOR.

WHAT--WHAT IS HE SAYING?

NARRATOR: THE MAN HAS BEEN RECOMMENDED BY THE SITE SAFETY MANAGER, BOB, AND HE'S DOING EVERYTHING BY THE BOOK.

EDDY: TELL HIM I WAS WITH BOB.

HE CAN CALL BOB.

THE CRANE HAS TO COME IN.

NARRATOR: APPARENTLY THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH THE PAPERWORK.

MAN: HE'S TELLING ME THAT HE HAS NO CALIBRATION CERTIFICATE, HE HAS NO LOAD CHART.

SO WE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE INSPECTION.

THE LOAD CHART HE NEEDS, BUT ATTEYA HAS NOT THE BOOK WITH HIM.

WE HAVE ONLY ONE PROBLEM.

TO BE UNRESTRICTED, IT HAS--HE HAS TO PUT ALL HIS COUNTERWEIGHT, THEN MAKE A LOAD TEST.

WE CAN ONLY MAKE THIS ON SITE.

NARRATOR: THE CRANE MUST PASS A SAFETY TEST BEFORE IT CAN BE ALLOWED ON SITE TO ENSURE THAT ITS COUNTERWEIGHTS ARE BALANCED PROPERLY FOR THE LOADS IT WILL BE LIFTING.

IT IS A CRUCIAL TEST.

EVEN EDDY ADMITS IT'S NECESSARY.

EDDY: 14 DAYS AGO, WE GOT A CRANE HERE, AND WE DID A LOAD TEST, AND IT WAS A WEIGHT OF... 12 TONS, AND THE COMPUTER OF THE CRANE WAS GIVING 8 TONS, SO THAT'S VERY DANGEROUS.

THAT'S VERY DANGEROUS.

NARRATOR: BUT THE EQUIPMENT TO DO THE LOAD TEST IS INSIDE THE COMPOUND AND CANNOT BE MOVED OUTSIDE, AND THE CRANE CAN'T COME INSIDE UNTIL IT HAS PASSED THE TEST.

EDDY NEEDS TO CALL THE SAFETY MANAGER TO ALLOW THE CRANE ON SITE.

YEAH, BOB, EDDY AGAIN.

NARRATOR: EDDY PUTS IN THE CALL.

YEAH, BUT I'M ONLY ASKING TO--TO TEST WITH THE COUNTERWEIGHTS, TO DO IT ON SITE, OTHERWISE WE HAVE TO CHANGE TWO TIMES.

YEAH, WE--WE HAVE A BEAM THERE OF 13 TONS, SO THAT'S--THAT'S NICE.

THAT'S NICE TO TEST THE CRANE.

ON THE SITE, OK, OK. NOW WE'LL--WE'LL START INSPECTION, OK. CAN YOU CALL THAT INSPECTOR FOR ME?

OK, DONE.

THE LOAD TEST WILL BE DOWN THERE.

OK, BRILLIANT.

THANKS.

SO WE ARE WINNING SOMETIMES.

WE CAN DO THE LOAD TEST ON ITS FINAL POSITION.

NARRATOR: IT'S A MINOR VICTORY, BUT IT WILL STILL DELAY THE CRANE FOR THE REST OF THE DAY.

BACK AT GEBEL SILSILA, MOAMEN, A MEMBER OF JOHN AND MARIA'S TEAM, IS TRACING AN ANCIENT INSCRIPTION ON ONE OF THE SITE'S SHRINES.

HE'S DISCOVERED MANY OF THE SHRINES RELATE TO GODS AT KARNAK, ANOTHER DETAIL LINKING SILSILA TO THE TEMPLES THERE.

THIS IS A SHRINE BUILT ESPECIALLY FOR PRAYING TO THE NILE GOD.

MOST OF THE GODS HERE OR THE FIGURES HERE ARE RELATED TO THE NILE, AND I'M WORKING HERE DOCUMENTING, COPYING THE INSCRIPTIONS AS PART OF MY Ph.D. AND MY STUDY.

I AM RELATED TO THIS.

I AM RELATED TO THIS INSCRIPTION.

I'M RELATED TO-- THIS IS MY CULTURE, THIS IS MY CIVILIZATION, YEAH?

IT IS STILL IN OUR BLOOD.

I'M A LUCKY MAN.

I'M A LUCKY MAN.

LUCKY, LUCKY, LUCKY MAN.

NARRATOR: ANOTHER ASPECT OF JOHN AND MARIA'S MISSION IS CATALOGUING AND RECORDING THE DIFFERENT AREAS ON THEIR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE, WHICH IS WHY JOHN IS PREPARING TO CRAWL INTO AN UNEXPLORED CAVE ON THE SITE'S NECROPOLIS BURIAL GROUND.

HE BELIEVES IT COULD BE A TOMB.

JOHN: I'M EXCITED.

I'M NERVOUS AS HELL, UM, BUT I'M PROBABLY MORE EXCITED THAN I AM NERVOUS, AND THE PRESSURE IS ON, SO I'M NOT GOING TO DELAY ANY LONGER, SO I'M JUST GOING TO GO.

OH, MY GOD.

IT IS VERY, VERY NARROW.

HAVE YOU GOT ANYTHING ON THE WALLS?

CAN YOU SEE ANY DECORATION OF--OF SORTS?

UH, THE WALLS ARE SUFFERING QUITE BADLY FROM SALT DAMAGE.

THE BONE FRAGMENTS AND THE POTTERY FRAGMENTS ARE ALL JUST LAID UPON THE SURFACE.

WE'VE GOT BEER JARS, WE'VE GOT AMPHORA, UH, WE'VE GOT FOOD JARS, WE'VE GOT BONE MATTER.

THAT'S PART OF A SKULL.

SO WE'VE GOT EVERYTHING IN HERE THAT INDICATES THIS IS A TOMB, IT WAS A BURIAL.

OH, OH!

WE HAVE ANOTHER CHAMBER!

OH, WOW!

I'M GOING TO GO OFF INTO THE DEPTHS.

OH, MY GOD.

I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M DOING THIS.

THERE'S A SQUARE APERTURE.

IT'S A VERY SMALL CHAMBER, SO IT'S A SMALL ANTECHAMBER THAT'S ACTUALLY IN THERE.

I CAN SEE DAYLIGHT.

IF I MOVE THE LIGHT AWAY, I CAN SEE DAYLIGHT COMING THROUGH FROM THE CHAMBER 13.

NARRATOR: IT'S A MANMADE STRUCTURE AND COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED.

THIS IS FANTASTIC.

WE HAVE A SECONDARY CHAMBER, WHICH ALSO HAS A BREAKTHROUGH INTO ANOTHER TOMB, WHICH IS WONDERFUL.

VERY SIMILAR TO THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS WHERE THEY BUILT TOMBS ON TOP OF TOMBS.

NARRATOR: IN 1995, A TEAM IN THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS MAPPING A TOMB FIRST DISCOVERED OVER 150 YEARS EARLIER CAME ACROSS A HIDDEN DOORWAY.

IT LED TO A TOMB COMPLEX NEVER SEEN BEFORE, COMPRISING OVER 130 ROOMS.

THOUSANDS OF VISITORS FLOCKED TO SEE THE NEWLY DISCOVERED TOMBS, AND JOHN HOPES THAT LIKE THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS, THERE MAY BE UNDISCOVERED CRYPTS HIDDEN DEEP BENEATH THE SAND IN SILSILA.

IT'S A HUGE PIECE OF A JIGSAW PUZZLE, BUT IT'S A BEAUTIFUL PIECE.

IT'S LIKE FINDING ONE OF THE CORNERS, ISN'T IT?

AND THAT'S WHAT EXCITES ME.

THIS IS A MAJOR DISCOVERY FOR SILSILA.

I AM SO HONORED TO BE HERE IN THIS POSITION, LAYING CROSS-LEGGED ON THIS SAND, SURROUNDED BY DEAD BODIES AND BROKEN POTTERY.

NARRATOR: SILSILA NEEDS A BIG DISCOVERY TO PUT IT ON THE MAP, SOMETHING THAT WILL FIRE THE IMAGINATION OF VISITORS TO EGYPT.

THE MOST SPECTACULAR FIND WOULD BE AN UNDISTURBED BURIAL, AND IN THE NECROPOLIS OF SILSILA, THE TEAM MAY HAVE JUST GOTTEN LUCKY.

AS JOHN STARTS CLEARING THE ENTRANCE, HE REALIZES THAT HE MAY HAVE DISCOVERED A MASSIVE TOMB COMPLEX JUST WAITING TO BE UNCOVERED.

DURING OUR CLEANING OF THE RAVINE, IT'S REVEALED THAT THE LANDSCAPE HERE POSSIBLY COULD HOLD FURTHER TOMBS THAT HAVE YET TO BE EXPLORED, SO HOPEFULLY WE MIGHT EVEN HAVE A FEW TOMBS THAT HAVE YET TO BE DISCOVERED.

A BURIAL THAT HASN'T BEEN TAMPERED WITH WOULD MEAN AN ENORMOUS WEALTH OF INFORMATION.

NARRATOR: AN UNDISTURBED TOMB COULD CONTAIN THE TREASURES OF ITS OCCUPANTS, AND THAT WOULD PUT GEBEL SILSILA RIGHT ON THE TOURIST TRAIL, GOOD FOR EGYPT AND THE PRESERVATION OF ITS HERITAGE.

MARIA: HAVING SILSILA ON THE TOURIST MAP WOULD GIVE SOMETHING NEW... JOHN: YEAH.

TO THE PEOPLE.

I MEAN, ESPECIALLY DURING THIS TIME, AFTER THE REVOLUTION AND THE THREAT OF TERRORISM ON A GLOBAL SCALE.

WE'VE SEEN TOURISM DECLINE OVER THE YEARS HERE IN EGYPT, AND TO OPEN UP SILSILA WOULD BE THE CROWNING GLORY.

IT WOULD--HOPEFULLY, IT WOULD DRAW THEM BACK, YOU KNOW, AND BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, EGYPT IS SAFE, AND SILSILA IS SAFE.

NARRATOR: THE GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM IS WHERE THE MOST UNIQUE TREASURES UNEARTHED IN EGYPT ULTIMATELY END UP.

AND THERE'S MORE COMING EVERY DAY... TO THE DELIGHT OF DR. TAREK TAWFIK.

THIS IS A GREAT MOMENT.

WE HAVE NOW A VERY HEAVY SARCOPHAGUS ARRIVING MADE OUT OF LIMESTONE FROM THE 26th DYNASTY.

COMING FROM GIZA, FROM THE PYRAMIDS PLATEAU, IT IS THE COFFIN OF A VERY HIGH DIGNITARY.

NARRATOR: THE 2,600-YEAR-OLD SARCOPHAGUS HAS BEEN KEPT IN STORAGE NEXT TO THE PYRAMIDS AND IS ONE OF A NUMBER OF ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN SELECTED FOR TRANSFER TO THE CONSERVATION CENTER.

WHEN IT TOUCHES THE GROUND OF THE GEM, THEN I AM SURE THAT IT ARRIVED SAFELY.

NARRATOR: BUT BEFORE THEY CAN LIFT THIS PRICELESS PIECE, THE CONSERVATORS MUST CHECK THE WEIGHT OF THE OBJECT, WHICH IS EASIER SAID THAN DONE.

SO NOW WE HAVE A LITTLE PROBLEM.

THE HOOK IS A BIT TOO SMALL.

SO MY COLLEAGUES ARE HAVING TO GET A BIGGER HOOK IN ORDER TO HAVE THE EXACT WEIGHING OF THE OBJECT.

[MEN SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE] SO NOW WE WILL BE ABLE TO SEE HOW HEAVY THE SARCOPHAGUS ACTUALLY IS.

TWO TONS, NEARLY 3 TONS.

NARRATOR: ONCE THEY ARE CERTAIN THE RIG CAN TAKE THE STRAIN, THE TRUCK IS DRIVEN AWAY.

SO NOW VERY CRUCIAL MOMENT.

FOR THE FIRST TIME, THIS PRICELESS PIECE WILL TOUCH THE GROUND OF THE GEM.

IT IS AS EXCITING AS OPENING A BIRTHDAY PRESENT, BUT WE STILL HAVE TO DO IT IN A RESPECTFUL WAY IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THE SECURITY AND THE SAFETY OF THE OBJECT.

NARRATOR: NOW IT'S UNWRAPPED, EGYPTOLOGY PROFESSOR DR. TAWFIK IS ABLE TO READ THE HIEROGLYPHS THAT COVER THE SARCOPHAGUS.

NOW FINALLY I CAN READ THE NAME INSIDE THE GEM, AND BY COINCIDENCE, IT STARTS WITH "DJEM..." EN-EF-HER-BAKH.

THIS IS FANTASTIC.

NARRATOR: ONCE, LONG AGO, THIS STONE SARCOPHAGUS HELD A MUMMY INSIDE IT WHO WENT BY THE NAME OF DJEM-EN-EF-HER-BAKH, AND EVEN TODAY, INTACT MUMMIES ARE STILL BEING DISCOVERED IN EGYPT.

IN THE GEM'S CONSERVATION CENTER, THE HEAD OF THE WOOD LAB, DR. MEDHAT ABDALLAH, IS PREPARING TO OPEN AN INTACT WOODEN SARCOPHAGUS RECOVERED FROM SAQQARA.

19 MILES SOUTH OF CAIRO, THE GREAT NECROPOLIS AT SAQQARA CONTAINS TOMBS DATING FROM THE FIRST TO THE FIFTH DYNASTIES OF EGYPT.

THE MOST FAMOUS IS THE STEP PYRAMID OF DJOSER, THE FIRST PYRAMID EVER BUILT IN EGYPT.

IN 2012, ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVERED THE FUNERAL COMPLEX OF A PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN PRINCESS FROM THE FIFTH DYNASTY.

THE SARCOPHAGI FROM THESE TOMBS ARE STORED IN THE CONSERVATION CENTER, WHERE DR. ABDALLAH AND HIS TEAM ARE ABOUT TO BEGIN WORK ON THEM.

[MAN SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE] ABDALLAH: THAT'S FANTASTIC.

THAT'S AMAZING, BECAUSE YOU--YOU-- YOU TRY TO REALIZE THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN ARTIFACTS AND STUDY THE--THE MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUES THAT HAVE BEEN USED IN ANCIENT EGYPT.

NARRATOR: THEY NEED TO TREAT THE REMAINS AND PREVENT THE MUMMY FROM FALLING APART.

ABDALLAH: NOW WE STUDY THE CONDITION OF THE MUMMY, AND ALSO WE REMOVE SOME OF THE RESIDUALS OF THE PLASTER FROM THE MUMMY.

NARRATOR: ONCE HE'S SURE THAT THE MUMMY CAN BE MOVED WITHOUT DAMAGING IT, MEDHAT AND HIS TEAM BEGIN RESTORING THE WOODEN BOX.

THEY REMOVE LOOSE FRAGMENTS FROM THE WOOD.

ABDALLAH: WE HAVE TO INTERFERE IN--IN THIS TO REMOVING THE SALTS, REMOVING DETERIORATIONS, TRY TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE ORIGINAL.

NARRATOR: THEY INJECT A CHEMICAL FILLER INTO ANY CRACKS AND REATTACH LOOSE FLAKES WITH ACRYLIC EMULSION.

ABDALLAH: WE TRY TO PRESERVE THAT FOR LONG LIFE AND KEEPING THE AUTHENTICITY OF THIS COFFIN FOR THE VISITORS.

NARRATOR: AFTER EXAMINING EVERYTHING CAREFULLY, HE IS SATISFIED THAT THE MUMMY CAN BE MOVED.

ABDALLAH: NOW WE ARE GOING TO TRY TO TRANSFER THIS MUMMY TO THE SPECIALIZED LAB FOR CONSERVATION OFOFOFOFOFOFOFOFOFOFOFO.

NARRATOR: MORE THAN 50,000 OBJECTS WILL BE RESTORED AND PRESERVED IN THE CONSERVATION LABS... READY TO GO ON DISPLAY WHEN THE GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM FINALLY OPENS... AND THAT DAY IS ONE STEP CLOSER... BECAUSE EDDY FINALLY HAS HIS CRANE.

YOU SEE THE CRANE?

I HAVE A GOOD DAY.

HEH HEH HEH!

NARRATOR: BUT HIS CHALLENGES AREN'T OVER.

HE NEEDS TO GET THE BEAMS ALIGNED PROPERLY.

THE ONLY PROBLEM WITH THIS STRUCTURE IS THERE IS TRIANGLES EVERYWHERE, SO WE HAVE ONLY 10 MILLIMETERS [INDISTINCT] SO IT'S NOT EASY TO KEEP THEM IN LINE.

THAT'S MY JOB.

YOU PUT THE COORDINATES, AND WE WILL CLEAN IT.

THE TOTAL WEIGHT IS ABOUT 1,000 TONS.

WE HAVE THE PIECE.

THEY ARE 50 TONS, AND WE HAVE THE ACE THAT'S AROUND 18 TONS OF STEEL.

WE HAVE TO BUILD 6 OTHER STRUCTURES UNTIL THEY REACH THE END.

SO I WILL BE VERY HAPPY WHEN WE REACH THE ENTRANCE.

NARRATOR: WITH THE CRANES FINALLY ONSITE, EDDY'S TEAM CAN AT LAST BEGIN TO LIFT THE STEEL INTO PLACE.

EDDY: YOU HAVE TO START EVERY SATURDAY MORNING VERY OPTIMISTIC, AND THEN SOMETIMES YOU'RE DOWN ON A THURSDAY EVENING, BUT OK, SATURDAY MORNING, YOU START AGAIN.

NARRATOR: AS THE DAY DRAWS TO A CLOSE, EDDY'S TEAM HAS FINALLY LAID THE BEAMS ON WHICH TO MOUNT THE ROOF.

SO WE MANAGED TO-- TO HAVE THE CRANE, BUT FOR TODAY IT'S FINISHED.

WE DID A LOT.

I'M NOT DISAPPOINTED, SO THINGS ARE GOING WELL, AND WE WILL SEE TOMORROW.

NARRATOR: BACK AT SILSILA, JOHN IS BUSY CLEANING THE ENTRANCE TO THE TOMB THEY'VE BEGUN EXPLORING, READY FOR AN IMPORTANT VISITOR.

SO WE'VE GOT THE IMMINENT ARRIVAL OF SALIMA IKRAM, UH, FROM CAIRO.

NARRATOR: EGYPTOLOGIST DR. SALIMA IKRAM IS AN EXPERT IN BONES.

I'M JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT THE SITE IS PREPARED AND READY FOR HER AND SHE'S ABLE TO GET IN HERE AND EXAMINE THE BONE FRAGMENTS THAT WE HAVE ON THE INSIDE OF THIS TOMB.

I'M HOPING THAT SHE'LL BE ABLE TO GIVE US SOME MORE INFORMATION ON WHO THE BONES BELONG TO, THEIR AGE, THEIR SEX, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, ARE WE LOOKING AT THE WORKERS OF THE QUARRIES?

HEY DARLING.

COME HERE, DARLING.

WELCOME TO THE NECROPOLIS OF SILSILA, SALIMA.

OH, THIS IS NICE.

NARRATOR: JOHN LOVES THE IDEA THAT THIS TOMB MAY HAVE HOUSED THE QUARRY WORKERS THEMSELVES.

ONLY PROBLEM IS MOST QUARRY WORKERS COULDN'T AFFORD TO BE BURIED IN EXTRAVAGANT ROCK-CUT TOMBS.

JOHN: SHALL I GO FIRST?

LADIES FIRST?

LADIES FIRST.

SALIMA.

YEAH.

THAT WAS VERY UNLADYLIKE.

[BOTH LAUGH] NARRATOR: JOHN'S HOPING THAT THE BONES WILL SHOW SIGNS OF HARD LABOR.

AH, THIS IS LIKE A TREASURE TROVE.

YOU'VE GOT A BIT OF A SHAFT HERE.

OOH, WE'VE GOT PART OF A LEG.

NARRATOR: BUT THE FINDS TELL A DIFFERENT STORY.

GOT A BIT OF AN ARM HERE, THE TOP OF A HUMERUS.

MATURE, BUT NOT THAT OLD.

NARRATOR: SALIMA CAN TELL FROM THE BONES WHAT AGE THE PERSON WAS WHEN THEY DIED.

I HAVE GOT A VERY SWEET FEMUR, AND THE PROXIMAL END IS UNFUSED, WHICH MEANS IT'S JUVENILE.

NARRATOR: SHE QUICKLY IDENTIFIES THE REMAINS OF SEVERAL DIFFERENT BODIES.

IT'S REALLY INTERESTING BECAUSE THEY'RE DIFFERENT AGES.

ONE OF THEM IS DEFINITELY SORT OF UNDER 18, 19, AND ONE IS MUCH OLDER, AND THEN SOMEONE ELSE WHO'S SORT OF IN-BETWEEN.

THE SEX OF THEM WE CAN'T REALLY TELL AT THIS POINT, BUT I THINK THAT THIS IS DEFINITELY AN ELITE TOMB BELONGING TO AT LEAST ONE PERSON WHICH MIGHT HAVE BEEN USED BY THEIR FAMILY.

I'D LIKE TO THINK OF THE ELITE HERE IN SILSILA AS THE QUARRY WORKERS THEMSELVES, THAT THE TOMBS WERE FOR THE WORKERS.

YOU MIGHT WANT THAT, BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN YOU GET EVERYTHING YOU WANT.

NARRATOR: THIS TOMB PROBABLY DIDN'T CONTAIN QUARRY WORKERS, BUT IT IS MOST LIKELY THE TOMB OF SOMEONE IMPORTANT, AND WHO KNOWS WHAT COULD BE BURIED UNDERNEATH THE SAND?

SALIMA: IT IS A FABULOUS TOMB, AND IT'S GOING TO, I THINK, REALLY TELL US A LOT ABOUT THE SITE AND THE POPULATION THAT LIVED HERE.

NARRATOR: AT THE GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM, DR. TAREK TAWFIK HAS ARRIVED TO SEE HOW THE BUILDING IS PROGRESSING.

EDDY'S BOSS WILFRIED DOM IS SHOWING DR. TAWFIK AROUND.

THIS WAY.

THIS IS WHERE THE PEOPLE WILL COME UP FROM THE GRAND STAIRS.

THEY WILL COME UP HERE ON THIS LANDING AREA.

THE NEW HOME OF KING TUTANKHAMUN IS TAKING SHAPE?

IT'S TAKING SHAPE, AND HALF OF IT HAS ALREADY BEEN FULLY CONCRETED.

NARRATOR: RIGHT NEXT TO IT IS A GRAND GALLERY WHERE KING TUTANKHAMUN'S TREASURES WILL BE DISPLAYED.

THE GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM WILL BE SHOWING 30,000 OBJECTS THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN ON DISPLAY BEFORE, BUT STILL, TUTANKHAMUN IS A SELLER, SO HE WILL BE THE MAIN MAGNET TO GET US THE NUMBERS OF VISITORS THAT WE'RE HOPING TO HOST AT OUR PLACE.

IT IS VERY EXCITING TO IMAGINE THAT HERE THE ANTIQUITIES OF KING TUTANKHAMUN WILL BE DISPLAYED.

NARRATOR: TO DO THAT, THEY NEED TO TRANSFER THESE PRICELESS TREASURES FROM THE CONSERVATION AREA SAFELY INTO THE MUSEUM, AND THE GEM'S ARCHITECTS HAVE DESIGNED A SECURE BRIDGE BETWEEN THE TWO FOR PRECISELY THAT PURPOSE.

SO THIS IS FANTASTIC.

SO WE HAVE NOW A SAFE PASSAGE FROM THE CONSERVATION CENTER UNTIL THE MUSEUM.

THE OBJECT DOES NOT HAVE TO SURFACE AT ALL.

IT COMES DIRECTLY INTO THE MUSEUM.

THIS IS VERY GOOD.

NARRATOR: BUT DESPITE ALL THE FABULOUS TREASURES IT WILL HOUSE, THE REAL REASON THE GEM WAS SET IN THIS SPOT IS BECAUSE OF THE PYRAMIDS.

WE'LL HAVE, REALLY, A PICTURE FRAME OF THE TWO PYRAMIDS HERE.

THIS IS GREAT.

THE PYRAMIDS BECOME ACTUALLY A STAR INSIDE THE MUSEUM.

THIS IS FANTASTIC.

IT'S REALLY SOMETHING SPECIAL.

NARRATOR: FOR DR. TAWFIK, THE GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM WILL TRULY BE THE JEWEL IN EGYPT'S CROWN.

TAWFIK: THIS PROJECT WILL ATTRACT THE WORLD, AND I'M VERY CONFIDENT AND VERY POSITIVE THAT HUGE NUMBERS OF TOURISTS WILL COME.

IT IS TIME TO TAKE EGYPT'S ANTIQUITIES INTO THE 21st CENTURY, AND WE ARE VERY CONFIDENT THAT WE WILL BE OPENING IN MAY 2018.

NARRATOR: IT IS THE END OF THE DIGGING SEASON AT SILSILA.

AFTER THIS WEEK, EVERYTHING IS PUT ON HOLD TILL THE SUMMER HEAT WAVE IS OVER, SO THE SITE IS WINDING DOWN.

WHILE JOHN AND MARIA FINISH CLEARING THE TOMB THAT SALIMA EXPLORED, MOAMEN IS WORKING ON ONE NEXT DOOR, READY TO CLOSE IT FOR THE SEASON.

THEN JOHN GETS A MESSAGE.

MOAMEN HAS FOUND SOMETHING.

DID YOU HEAR ANYTHING?

NO.

NO, I HAVEN'T.

I DIDN'T HEAR.

IT'S BEEN KEPT QUIET.

HAVE YOU GOT A SARCOPHAGUS?

PLEASE TELL ME YOU'VE GOT A SARCOPHAGUS.

LISTEN TO THIS SOUND.

[TAPPING SOUND] SEE?

MM-HMM.

SOLID BEDROCK.

THEN IF YOU HEAR HERE... [HOLLOW TAPPING] SOMETHING ELSE.

NARRATOR: MOAMEN HAS DISCOVERED A HOLLOW CAVITY IN THE FLOOR OF THE TOMB.

ITS IMPLICATIONS ARE ENORMOUS.

I MEAN, THAT'S BEEN QUARRIED.

THAT'S BEEN CUT.

YEAH.

THAT'S NOT A NATURAL FRACTURE.

NO.

SO THIS IS A LID.

YES, I-- TO--TO A CRYPT.

YES.

IT COULD BE.

THIS IS NOT-- A CLOSING...

THIS--THIS COULD BE A COMPLETELY UNOPENED CRYPT.

JOHN: MOAMEN.

YES.

[BOTH LAUGH] WELL DONE, BROTHER.

NARRATOR: NOW IT'S A RACE AGAINST TIME TO FIND OUT WHAT THEY'VE GOT BEFORE THEY HAVE TO CLOSE THE SITE DOWN.

THIS IS AMAZING.

THIS IS A--THE DREAM OF MOST EGYPTOLOGISTS AND ARCHAEOLOGISTS, TO--TO BE--TO BE THE FIRST TO BE IN HERE AT THE OPENING.

WE COULD BE LOOKING AT SOMETHING THAT HASN'T BEEN OPENED OR SEEN IN OVER 3,000 YEARS.

NARRATOR: BUT WITH TIME RUNNING OUT, JOHN AND MARIA HAVE TO FACE THE VERY REAL POSSIBILITY THAT THEY MAY NOT BE ABLE TO FULLY EXCAVATE THE CRYPT THIS SEASON.

YOU ASK ANY ARCHAEOLOGICAL MISSION, THE LAST WEEK WILL ALWAYS PRODUCE THE BEST.

JOHN: THE BEST RESULTS.

THE BEST FINDS.

YOU HAVE TO SHUT IT DOWN.

THAT--THAT IS WHAT WE'RE ALWAYS FIGHTING AGAINST.

NARRATOR: FINALLY, THE LID IS EXPOSED.

WELL, WHAT WE'VE GOT HERE IS BASICALLY THE LID... [HOLLOW TAPPING] TO A CRYPT.

SO I'M LITERALLY STANDING RIGHT NOW ON THIS DRIVEN SAND ON TOP OF THE BURIAL SPACE ITSELF.

ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS, THOUGH, IS THAT WITHIN THE AREA BETWEEN THE LID AND THE WALL, WE HAVE WHAT WE CALL "OFFERINGS."

IN THIS CASE, IT'S A POLISHED STONE.

WE'RE HOPING TO FIND SOME REMAINS IN THE CAVITY.

WE'RE HOPING THERE WILL BE SOME EVIDENCE LEFT HERE FOR US TO PIECE TOGETHER WHO THIS TOMB BELONGED TO AND WHEN IT WAS BUILT AND WHY-- AND WHO IT WAS BUILT FOR, AND HOPEFULLY THAT EVIDENCE IS LAYING BENEATH THIS LID OF THIS PARTICULAR CRYPT.

BUT WE'RE VERY EXCITED.

VERY EXCITED.

NARRATOR: WHETHER THEY ULTIMATELY DISCOVER THAT THIS PARTICULAR CRYPT IS INTACT OR NOT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER.

FOR JOHN, IT'S A GAME-CHANGER.

HE SEES IT AS PROOF THAT THEY HAVE A FULLY FLEDGED BURIAL COMPLEX ON THEIR SITE, AND THAT MEANS THE POSSIBILITY OF MORE UNOPENED TOMBS.

I'M EXCITED.

I'M EXCITED.

I WAS EXCITED WHEN I WENT IN TOMB 14, I CRAWLED ON MY BELLY, BUT THIS IS FAR MORE EXCITING.

14 SHOULD PRODUCE MANY CRYPTS, AND THE ADVENTURE IS NOW JUST BEGINNING.

YEAH, THE--THE--THIS IS A LIFE--LIFETIME JOURNEY.

IT REALLY IS.

NARRATOR: THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO DISCOVER...

SO MUCH MORE TO PROTECT...

SO MUCH MORE TO BUILD.

FOR EGYPT'S TREASURE GUARDIANS, THE JOURNEY NEVER ENDS.