• 2009
  • 1h
The Frankincense Trail

Summary Kate Humble makes an epic two thousand mile journey across the Middle East, following the ancient frankincense trade route of Arabia which first connected the Arab world with the West. View more details

  • 2009
  • 1h

The Frankincense Trail

Directed : Unknown

Written : Unknown

Stars : Kate Humble

All cast & crew

8.1

Details

Genres : Documentary

Release date : Aug 26, 2009

Countries of origin : United Kingdom

Official sites : BBC

Language : English

Production companies : Diverse Productions

Summary Kate Humble makes an epic two thousand mile journey across the Middle East, following the ancient frankincense trade route of Arabia which first connected the Arab world with the West. View more details

Details

Genres : Documentary

Release date : Aug 26, 2009

Countries of origin : United Kingdom

Official sites : BBC

Language : English

Production companies : Diverse Productions

Episodes

View All Seasons
Episode 1 • Aug 26, 2009
Oman, Yemen and Saudi Arabia
Series in which intrepid presenter Kate Humble follows the ancient frankincense trade route of Arabia across the amazing modern world of the Middle East. Kate's journey along the 2,000-mile trail that first connected the Arab world with the West takes her on a quest that's steeped in history, searing with desert heat, and full of characters and adventure. For 3,000 years before the birth of Christ, frankincense was more valuable than gold. Its sweet smelling aromatic smoke was treasured by Pharaohs and Caesars, and their insatiable demand for frankincense created a trade route from the southern coast of Oman to the Holy Lands. Vast camel caravans carried thousands of tons of frankincense over tribal lands constituting the modern-day Middle East. Following the trail, Kate finds modernity coexisting with ancient traditions as she discovers what it means to be a Western woman in Arabia. Kate begins her epic journey following high in the hills of southern Oman. With her own supply of the precious resin, she walks with the Al Mahri tribe - the descendants of the ancient traders - and their 300 camels along the original trail through the scorching Empty Quarter desert. Crossing into Yemen, Kate arrives at the world's first skyscraper city, where her frankincense is used at the ritual blessing of a newborn baby. From the modern frankincense trade capital of Aden to an incredible camel-jumping contest, Kate journeys north and enters the mysterious Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Episode 2 • Sep 02, 2009
Saudi Arabia
Kate Humble follows the path of the ancient frankincense trade route through one of the most enigmatic nations on Earth - the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. With unprecedented access, Kate enters the world of the nation's richest man, meets a remote mountain tribe whose ancestors once guarded the trade routes and who live at the fringe of Saudi society today, and explores the treasures of an untouched shipwreck that once carried frankincense on the crystal-clear waters of the Red Sea. Travelling by camel, glider and boat, she traces the 1,000-mile trail through the Kingdom and discovers the modern nation and its people.
Episode 3 • Sep 09, 2009
Egypt
The Frankincense Trail is a documentary series that traces the ancient frankincense trade route of Arabia across the modern world of the Middle East. Intrepid presenter Kate Humble follows the 2,000-mile trail that first connected the Arab world with the West on a quest that is steeped in history, searing with desert heat, and full of characters and adventure. For 3,000 years before the birth of Christ, frankincense was more valuable than gold. Its sweet-smelling aromatic smoke was treasured by Pharaohs and Caesars. Their insatiable demand for frankincense created a trade route from the southern coast of Oman to the Holy Lands. Along its path, men waged war and civilizations thrived and crumbled. The treacherous 2,000-mile journey from the Arabian Sea to the shores of the Mediterranean was undertaken by masterful desert traders. Vast camel caravans carried thousands of tonnes of frankincense across tribal lands constituting the modern-day Middle East. Following the trail, Kate explores ancient skyscraper cities, temples to long-forgotten gods, grand palaces and magical ruins buried in sand yet alive with legend. This episode, Kate Humble crosses the Red Sea from Saudi Arabia to Egypt following the frankincense trail of the Pharaohs. Traveling the length of the Nile, Kate enters Karnak, the world's largest religious site. She looks at the mummy of the once beautiful Queen of the Pharaohs, reveals the death rituals of the Pharaohs in the vast tomb of the Pyramids of Giza, jostles with thousands of ecstatic Christians, and in an extraordinary ceremony in the Sinai desert, she is cleansed of evil spirits.
Episode 4 • Sep 15, 2009
Jordan and Israel
The Frankincense Trail is a documentary series that traces the ancient frankincense trade route of Arabia across the modern world of the Middle East. Intrepid presenter Kate Humble follows the 2,000-mile trail that first connected the Arab world with the West on a quest that is steeped in history, searing with desert heat, and full of characters and adventure. For 3,000 years before the birth of Christ, frankincense was more valuable than gold. Its sweet-smelling aromatic smoke was treasured by Pharaohs and Caesars. Their insatiable demand for frankincense created a trade route from the southern coast of Oman to the Holy Lands. Along its path, men waged war and civilizations thrived and crumbled. The treacherous 2,000-mile journey from the Arabian Sea to the shores of the Mediterranean was undertaken by masterful desert traders. Vast camel caravans carried thousands of tonnes of frankincense across tribal lands constituting the modern-day Middle East. Following the trail, Kate explores ancient skyscraper cities, temples to long-forgotten gods, grand palaces and magical ruins buried in sand yet alive with legend. In this final episode, Kate Humble concludes her remarkable frankincense trail from Oman, across seven nations to Jordan, and on to Israel. She reveals the secrets behind the ancient Jordanian stone city of Petra, flies with a daredevil female pilot over the Sinai desert, travels to the sacred city Jerusalem, and finds out why a small plot of land is the most contested site in the world. Kate ends her extraordinary journey following in the footsteps of the Three Wise Men to Bethlehem.
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