Narrator: THEY'RE WATCHING YOU.
MORE THAN 4,000 SATELLITES CIRCLE THE EARTH.
EVERY DAY, THEY UNCOVER NEW, MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA
THAT DEFY EXPLANATION.
♪♪
A SCI-FI SLAB THE SIZE OF A TOWN
WITH A LABYRINTH OF PASSAGE WAYS...
Carter: THIS BLOCK IS OVER 80,000 SQUARE FEET.
IT'S JUST A GINORMOUS BLOCK IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.
Narrator: ...A SHIP STRANDED ON THE ISLAND
THAT TIME FORGOT...
Morgan: THEIR IMMEDIATE REACTION WHEN CONFRONTED WITH ANY
AND ALL VISITORS IS THEY MURDER PEOPLE.
Narrator: ...AND THE MYSTERY UNDERSEA DISCS
THAT SCIENCE STILL CAN'T EXPLAIN.
Morgan: NOBODY'S READY TO STEP UP AND PROVIDE AN EXPLANATION
AS TO WHO IS RESPONSIBLE.
Narrator: BAFFLING PHENOMENA, MYSTERIES FROM SPACE.
WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY?
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
♪♪
JUNE 2015 --
ORBITING OVER A SMALL ISLAND IN THE ADRIATIC SEA,
THE WORLDVIEW-2 SATELLITE CAPTURES AN IMAGE,
WHICH CONTINUES TO BAFFLE SCIENTISTS.
JUST OFF THE COAST, A BRIGHT, WHITE CIRCLE ON THE SEA FLOOR.
THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT JUST HAPPENS.
IT IS EXTREMELY WEIRD.
Narrator: TO ADD TO THE MYSTERY, WHEN SATELLITE ANALYSTS
ZOOM OUT, THEY FIND THE MYSTERIOUS CIRCLE IS NOT ALONE.
THIS IS REALLY STRANGE.
IT LOOKS LIKE A LINE OF CROP CIRCLES UNDER THE OCEAN.
Narrator: THE ADRIATIC SEA LIES BETWEEN SIX COUNTRIES.
THE NEAREST MAINLAND IS CROATIA,
A COUNTRY WITH A TURBULENT AND COMPLEX HISTORY.
THE SATELLITE IMAGE IS SPOTTED BY CROATIAN MARINE SCIENTIST
HRVOJE CIZMEK.
THE SATELLITE REVEALS THE NINE UNEXPLAINED CIRCLES
ARE NEARLY IDENTICAL IN SHAPE.
THEY ARE ALSO EVENLY SPACED ALONG THE COAST.
CIZMEK TAKES A FERRY TO THE CRES-LOSINJ ARCHIPELAGO
AND TO THE TINY ISLAND OF UNIJE, WHERE THE CIRCLES ARE LOCATED.
THE REGULARITY AND NEAR-PERFECT FORM OF THE CIRCLES
SUGGESTS SOMETHING MANMADE,
BUT THERE IS NO HEAVY INDUSTRY HERE,
JUST A SMALL FISHING VILLAGE,
WHICH IS MOSTLY ABANDONED IN THE WINTER MONTHS.
CIZMEK CHARTERS A BOAT AND HEADS OUT TO THE SPOT
CAPTURED IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE.
♪♪
THE CAPTAIN KNOWS THESE WATERS WELL,
BUT HE'S ENTIRELY UNAWARE OF THE DISCS.
♪♪
FROM THE IMAGE, CIZMEK ESTIMATES THE CIRCLES
ARE ALMOST 200-FEET WIDE.
THIS SHALLOW AREA OF THE ADRIATIC
HAS UNUSUALLY HIGH LEVELS OF FRESH WATER,
FLOWING IN FROM THE SURROUNDING MOUNTAIN RANGES.
CIZMEK PREPARES TO DIVE.
♪♪
IN THE LOW-SALINE WATERS, SEAGRASS THRIVES.
BUT, STRANGELY, THE CIRCLE IS A DEAD ZONE.
CIZMEK CAN SEE NO OBVIOUS CAUSE
FOR THE LACK OF ORGANIC MATERIAL.
CIZMEK PUTS THE CALL OUT TO INTERNATIONAL NETWORKS
OF MARINE BIOLOGISTS
TO SEE IF ANYONE ELSE HAS STUDIED A SIMILAR PHENOMENON.
HE LEARNS THAT, IN 2008,
DANISH SCIENTISTS DETECT SEABED DEAD ZONES
OFF THE COAST OF NORTHERN EUROPE'S BALTIC SEA.
MARINE BIOLOGISTS PINPOINT THE CAUSE -- DEADLY TOXINS.
TESTS ON THE CIRCLES IN DENMARK
REVEALED THAT SULFIDES WERE IN THE MUD,
KILLING THE SEAGRASS.
SULFIDES ARE POISONOUS.
YOU DON'T WANT THAT IN YOUR WATER.
Nelson: SEAGRASS IS ACTUALLY QUITE SENSITIVE.
IT'S LIKE YOUR CANARY IN A COAL MINE.
IT WILL REACT TO THE SMALLEST OF POLLUTANTS
AND IT WILL BE THE FIRST INDICATORS OF A PROBLEM.
THAT'S WHY WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON HERE.
-HI, BRENDAN. -HELLO.
Narrator: TO INVESTIGATE, CIZMEK HAS CALLED IN
UNDERWATER VEHICLE OPERATOR BRENDAN COOK
AND HIS SPECIALIST R.O.V.
♪♪
I'VE COINED THIS GUY AS B.A. BARACUS.
[ CHUCKLES ]
♪♪
LET'S GET THIS GUY GOING.
I'LL JUST THROW HER OVERBOARD.
♪♪
WE'RE GETTING CLOSER TO THE BOTTOM NOW.
JUST ABOUT 10 METERS DEEP.
♪♪
YOU GET A VERY CLEAR CIRCLE.
IT'S VERY STRANGE.
I SEE THERE'S SOME GROWTH THAT'S HAPPENING CLOSE TO THE EDGE.
-YES. -AND IT'S INSIDE THE CIRCLE.
I'LL DRIVE A LITTLE CLOSER SO WE CAN TAKE A LOOK IN IT.
♪♪
Narrator: CIZMEK CAN'T DETECT THE SIGNS OF THE DISTRESS
HE'D EXPECT, LIKE BROWN LEAVES WITH BLACKENED EDGES.
THIS IS NOT THE WORK OF TOXINS.
♪♪
CIZMEK USES THE R.O.V. CAMERA
TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE DEAD ZONE DISC.
HEY, H. TAKE A LOOK AT THIS.
THE AREA ISN'T FLAT, BUT HAS A DIP IN THE MIDDLE
LIKE A SATELLITE DISH.
I JUST CAN'T GET OVER HOW -- YOU KNOW,
HOW CONCAVED IT IS DOWN IN THE MIDDLE.
THIS DEPRESSION -- IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE IT'S
A CRATER WITHIN A CRATER.
Carter: THIS DOES NOT LOOK NATURAL.
THIS LOOKS LIKE IT WAS ACTUALLY MAN-MADE,
AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE THE MYSTERY DEEPENS.
Narrator: COMING UP...
SATELLITES REVEAL A SECRET MILITARY STRONGHOLD.
I HAVE TO WONDER, WHAT ARE THE RUSSIANS DOING THERE?
Narrator: AND THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE UNDERSEA DEAD ZONES
TAKES A DARK TURN.
YOU THINK THIS COULD HAVE BEEN CAUSED
BY AN EXPLOSION, THEN?
YEP.
Morgan: IS THIS BASE CONDUCTING TESTS THAT HAS MARKED
THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA FLOOR?
♪♪
Narrator: OFF THE COAST OF A TINY CROATIAN ISLAND
IN THE ADRIATIC SEA, MARINE SCIENTIST HRVOJE CIZMEK
IS INVESTIGATING A SERIES OF REGULAR,
NEAR-PERFECT INDENTATIONS.
THEY'RE DEAD ZONES, AND THEIR CONCAVE SHAPE LEADS CIZMEK
TO BELIEVE THEY COULD BE CRATERS FROM EXPLOSIONS.
HE WONDERS IF LOCAL FISHERMEN COULD BE RESPONSIBLE.
[ EXPLOSIONS ]
YOU DROP A BOMB IN THE WATER
AND COLLECT ALL THE FISH THAT FLOAT TO THE TOP.
Nelson: IF THAT PIECE OF DYNAMITE WERE TO HIT
THE SEA FLOOR AND EXPLODE, IT COULD DISTURB THE GROUND
ENOUGH TO CREATE A PERFECT CIRCLE.
Narrator: BUT DYNAMITE FISHING CAN'T EXPLAIN
THE REGULAR PATTERN OF UNDERSEA CRATERS
SEEN IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE.
BLAST FISHING IS NOT AN EXACT ART.
YOU JUST THROW THE DYNAMITE OVER, AND IT EXPLODES,
AND THEN YOU COLLECT FISH.
SO THAT KIND OF PROCESS
WOULDN'T YIELD A REGULAR INTERVAL OF CIRCLES.
IT JUST WOULDN'T HAPPEN THAT WAY.
DO YOU THINK THE MILITARY HAD SOMETHING TO DO
WITH THESE DEPRESSIONS?
MAYBE. THE HOLES?
YEP.
Narrator: THIS REGION WAS ONCE PART OF YUGOSLAVIA,
WHICH SUFFERED TERRIBLE REPRESSION --
FIRST FROM HITLER'S NAZIS,
THEN UNDER DICTATOR JOSIP TITO'S REPRESSIVE COMMUNIST REGIME.
DESPITE SHARING THE SAME POLITICAL IDEALS,
UNDER TITO'S RULE, YUGOSLAVIA'S RELATIONSHIP
WITH THE SOVIET UNION DETERIORATES.
WHAT HE OPPOSED FROM THE SOVIETS WAS THEIR LEADERSHIP,
THEIR AUTHORITY OVER HIM.
HE DIDN'T DISAGREE WITH THE COMMUNISM OF IT ALL.
HE RAILED AGAINST THE CONTROL
THAT THEY WANTED TO EXERT ON HIM.
Narrator: THE CONFLICT BETWEEN TITO AND THE KREMLIN GETS SO BAD
THAT TITO GOES ROGUE AND TURNS THE PARADISE ISLANDS
OFF THE CROATIAN COAST
INTO A TOP-SECRET MILITARY TESTING ZONE.
JUST SOUTH OF THE MYSTERIOUS DEAD ZONE CRATERS IS VIS.
VIS MAY LOOK LIKE ANY OTHER OF THE ADRIATIC'S 1,300 ISLANDS,
BUT THIS ISLAND HIDES A SECRET.
DECLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS REVEAL IT IS TITO'S SECRET SUBMARINE BASE,
A VAST SERIES OF CAVERNS AND TUNNELS
HIDING SUBTERRANEAN WAREHOUSES AND CONTROL ROOMS.
Kourounis: IT'S REALLY INTERESTING HOW THIS STRUCTURE
COULD BE USED AS A HIDEOUT.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, IT TOTALLY REMINDS ME OF SOMETHING
THAT A JAMES BOND VILLAIN WOULD USE AS HIS SECRET LAYER.
Narrator: EXPERTS BELIEVE IN THE 1970s,
TITO USES HIS BASES TO TRY TO KEEP PACE
WITH SOVIET MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS
SUCH AS THEIR NEW WEAPON KNOWN AS A SUPER-CAVITATING TORPEDO.
DON'T JUST THINK OF A SMALL ROUND COMING OUT OF A HANDGUN.
I MEAN, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, LARGE CALIBERS
FOR A SUBMARINE --
PERHAPS LOOKING TO SHOOT AN AIRCRAFT DOWN.
OR AN AIRCRAFT, CONVERSELY,
LOOKING TO SHOOT A TARGET THAT'S UNDERWATER.
Narrator: WHAT MAKES THESE SUPERCAVITATERS
SO DEADLY IS THEIR VELOCITY.
BLASTED FROM THEIR CHAMBERS SHEATHED IN BUBBLES,
THEY'RE EFFECTIVELY TRAVELING THROUGH AIR, JUST UNDERWATER.
Baker: WHY WOULD A MILITARY WANT THIS TECHNOLOGY?
WELL, ANYTHING THAT CHANGES THE GAME,
MILITARIES AROUND THE WORLD WILL LOOK AT IT.
Narrator: IF TITO WAS DEVELOPING SUPERCAVITATING TORPEDOS
TO OUTDO THE SOVIETS,
THEN THIS SECRET BASE IS THE IDEAL PLACE TO HIDE THEM.
IS THIS BASE CONDUCTING TESTS THAT HAS MARKED THE BOTTOM
OF THE SEA FLOOR?
Narrator: TO FIND OUT, CIZMEK NEEDS TO DATE THE SEAGRASS
ON THE EDGES OF THE MYSTERIOUS CIRCULAR DEAD ZONES.
IT'S A BIG ONE. YEAH.
BIG ONE.
HE KNOWS THIS SEAGRASS SPECIES GROWS AT A STEADY RATE
OF TWO CENTIMETERS OR AN INCH A YEAR,
SO ITS HEIGHT WILL CONFIRM
THE DATE THE CIRCULAR CRATER WAS MADE.
CIZMEK HEADS BACK TO THE ISLAND.
IF, IN THE 1980s, LARGE WEAPONS
WERE BEING DEPLOYED IN THESE WATERS,
SURELY THE ISLANDERS WOULD HAVE KNOWN ABOUT IT.
♪♪
CIZMEK'S INQUIRIES ARE MET WITH A WALL OF SILENCE.
THESE STRANGE CONCAVE CIRCLES SEEN FROM SPACE
CONTINUE TO BAFFLE SCIENTISTS.
AND NOBODY'S READY TO STEP UP AND PROVIDE AN EXPLANATION
AS TO WHO IS RESPONSIBLE.
♪♪
Narrator: COMING UP...
SHIPWRECKED TERROR ON THE REAL SKULL ISLAND...
Pepper: THEY'LL BOARD YOUR BOAT, KILL WHO THEY HAVE TO,
AND THEN DEMAND A RANSOM TO RELEASE THE SURVIVORS.
Narrator: ...AND A GIANT SCI-FI STRUCTURE
IN THE MOTHERLAND OF THE MOB.
Baker: THE POINT OF THE MAFIA IS TO MAKE MONEY.
IF IT MAKES MONEY, THEY'RE INCLINED TO DO IT.
Narrator: MARCH 2017 --
ORBITING OVER THE SOUTHERN ITALIAN ISLAND OF SICILY,
THE WORLDVIEW-2 SATELLITE SPOTS
A WEIRD PATTERN IN THE LANDSCAPE.
IT'S A VERY UNUSUAL FORMATION.
Pepper: YOU HAVE THIS BIG, GRAY SQUARE
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SICILIAN HILLSIDE
WITH NO REASON WHY IT SHOULD BE THERE.
Narrator: IMAGE ANALYSIS REVEALS THE FEATURE'S SCALE.
Carter: THIS BLOCK IS OVER 80,000 SQUARE FEET.
IT'S JUST A GINORMOUS BLOCK IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.
WHEN YOU SCAN IN CLOSE, YOU CAN SEE THAT IT ALMOST
LOOKS LIKE A CANOPY OF CONCRETE COVERING THE GROUND.
Narrator: THIS IS NOT THE WORLD'S ONLY CONCRETE STRUCTURE
OF THIS SCALE AND ROUGHLY THIS SHAPE.
IN WELDON SPRINGS, MISSOURI, A HUGE CONCRETE SLAB
CAN BE FOUND AT THE SITE OF A URANIUM PROCESSING PLANT.
U.S. GOVERNMENT DUG THIS HUGE HOLE,
BURIED ALL THIS RADIOACTIVE WASTE,
AND THEN CAPPED IT WITH CONCRETE.
Narrator: THE SIMILARITY OF THE TWO SHAPES IN THE TWO
SATELLITE IMAGES IS STARK.
BUT SOMETHING'S NOT RIGHT.
WHEN INVESTIGATORS CHECK GOVERNMENT RECORDS,
THEY FIND NO OFFICIAL NUCLEAR WASTE DUMPS IN SICILY.
BUT THERE IS A NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION HERE
WITH ENOUGH POWER AND MONEY TO BUILD ONE.
♪♪
Carter: YOU HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF,
"COULD THIS BE CONNECTED TO THE SICILIAN MAFIA?"
THIS IS THEIR BIRTHPLACE.
THIS IS WHERE THEY COME FROM -- SICILY.
AND THEY'RE VERY MUCH IN CONTROL OF WHAT GOES ON HERE.
Narrator: THE VERY WORD "MAFIA" IS SICILIAN.
300 YEARS AGO, GROUPS OF SICILIANS FORMED CLANS
TO ENFORCE THEIR OWN JUSTICE
AND TO PROTECT ISLANDS FROM OFTEN HOSTILE FOREIGN OCCUPIERS.
IN THE 19th CENTURY, SOME OF THESE CLANS
BECOME PRIVATE ARMIES
WHO EXTORT PROTECTION MONEY FROM LANDOWNERS.
IN 2009, INFORMANT FRANCESCO FONTI REVEALS
THAT THE MOB IS MAKING MONEY FROM THE NUCLEAR WASTE BUSINESS.
Baker: IS IT POSSIBLE LOOKING AT THIS IMAGE
THAT IT'S A NUCLEAR WASTE DUMP MANAGED BY THE MAFIA
AND THEY JUST PILED A BIG LOAD OF CONCRETE
OVER THE TOP OF IT?
IT IS A POSSIBILITY.
Narrator: IF THE SUSPICIOUS SICILIAN STRUCTURE
IS A ROGUE RADIOACTIVE DUMP,
THERE'S NO EVIDENCE IT'S SAFE.
IF I WAS ONE OF THE LOCALS, I WOULD BE VERY CONCERNED
ABOUT RADIOACTIVE WASTE SPILLING OUT
AND CAUSING SOME TYPE OF AN ECOLOGICAL CATASTROPHE.
Narrator: THOUGH THE MOB ADMITS TO HANDLING NUCLEAR WASTE,
MAFIA SOURCES CLAIM THE WASTE WAS DUMPED AT SEA,
NOT BURIED UNDER CONCRETE.
GEOLOGIST MARTIN PEPPER CONSIDERS SICILY'S
GEOLOGICALLY ACTIVE LANDSCAPE AND WONDERS IF
THE CONCRETE STRUCTURE'S PROXIMITY TO MOUNT ETNA
COULD YIELD CLUES TO ITS PURPOSE.
MOUNT ETNA IS THE BIGGEST SUPERVOLCANO OF ALL OF EUROPE.
IF THAT GOES OFF, THAT COULD BLOW US
ALL BACK TO THE STONE AGE.
Narrator: RECORDS REVEAL THAT OVER THE LAST 50 YEARS,
ETNA ERUPTS 49 TIMES.
SICILIANS DEVELOP SURPRISING NEW WAYS
OF PROTECTING THEIR TOWNS FROM THE OVERWHELMING FORCE
OF MOLTEN LAVA FLOWS.
Chamberlain: IF YOU HAVE THE THREAT OF LAVA
COMING TO YOUR TOWN, THAT'S THE THREAT OF TOTAL DESTRUCTION.
Narrator: IN 1992, MOUNT ETNA SENDS A STREAM OF MOLTEN LAVA
TO THE TOWN OF ZAFFERANA.
ENGINEERS DROP HUGE SLABS OF CONCRETE FROM HELICOPTERS
IN AN ATTEMPT TO DIVERT ITS FLOW.
HERE WE HAVE THIS IMAGE, NOW WITH A CONCRETE BLOCK --
MAKES ME WONDER IF IT'S RELATED TO THE SAME EXPERIENCE.
Narrator: INVESTIGATORS CHECK LOCAL RECORDS TO CONFIRM
IF CONCRETE WAS USED TO HALT A LAVA FLOW HERE.
WHAT THEY UNCOVER IS AN EVEN STRANGER TRUTH.
THE CONCRETE STRUCTURE IS A KIND OF WEIRD TOMB,
UNDER WHICH THE ENTIRE TOWN OF GIBELLINA IS BURIED.
IN 1968, IT'S HIT BY A DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE.
400 PEOPLE DIE, 1,000 ARE INJURED,
AND 100,000 ARE LEFT HOMELESS.
GIBELLINA'S SURVIVORS CONSTRUCT A NEW VILLAGE SEVEN MILES AWAY.
BUT WHAT TO DO WITH THEIR BELOVED TOWN?
Krueger: THE LOCALS VIEWED THIS SITE AS SO SACRED,
SO IMPORTANT THAT THEY DIDN'T WANT TO REBUILD OVER IT.
THEY SIMPLY WANTED IT TO BE A MEMORIAL TO REMEMBER.
Narrator: IN 1984, THE TOWN MAYOR ORDERS
AN EXTRAORDINARY MEMORIAL.
THE ENTIRE HISTORIC TOWN OF GIBELLINA
IS ENCASED IN CONCRETE.
THE SIX-FOOT-WIDE LINES MAP OUT THE STREETS.
THE CONCRETE SLABS ENCASE ITS LONG-DESTROYED BUILDINGS --
A GHOSTLY STONE REMINDER OF A TOWN THAT ONCE WAS.
THIS CAN BE SEEN FROM SPACE
AND THAT IS A WONDERFUL REMINDER OF OUR HUMANITY
AND OF THE PEOPLE THAT LOST THEIR LIVES TO THIS EARTHQUAKE.
♪♪
Narrator: COMING UP...
MASS MURDER IN THE RUSSIAN FORESTS...
Moran: THIS IS HIDDEN.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THEY DON'T WANT ANYONE
TO FIND OR SEE.
Narrator: ...AND AN S.O.S. FROM THE CREW
MAROONED ON TERROR ISLAND.
HE SAID, "WILD MEN BEARING HOMEMADE WEAPONS --
ABOUT 50 OF THEM -- WERE BOARDING BOATS
AND COMING TOWARD THE SHIP."
Narrator: FEBRUARY 2017 --
ORBITING 700 MILES OFF THE WESTERN COAST OF INDIA,
AN EARTH-OBSERVATION SATELLITE PHOTOGRAPHED
THE CARCASS OF A LARGE SHIP.
IT'S MAROONED ON A REMOTE ISLAND REEF.
Pepper: THIS BOAT IS RIGHT OFF THE COAST
OF NORTH SENTINEL ISLAND.
THAT'S OVER 400 MILES FROM THE COASTLINE
OF ANY MAJOR LAND AREA,
SO THIS IS EXTREMELY REMOTE.
Narrator: THE STRANDED SHIP IS HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY
FROM KNOWN SHIPPING ROUTES.
WHAT'S MORE, THE ISLAND IT HAS RUN AGROUND ON
IS INHABITED BY ONE OF THE WORLD'S LAST UNCONTACTED TRIBES.
THE WATERS AROUND IT ARE A STRICT NO-GO ZONE.
THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT HAS SAID THAT NO ONE IS ALLOWED
TO GO WITHIN THREE MILES OF THIS ISLAND.
I CAN'T THINK OF ANY GOOD REASON
WHY THIS SHIP WOULD BE HERE.
Narrator: NORTH SENTINEL ISLAND IS LOCATED IN THE BAY OF BENGAL.
INVESTIGATORS CONSIDER IF ONE OF THE BAY'S MOST NOTORIOUS
INDUSTRIES COULD BE LINKED TO THE APPEARANCE
OF THE SKELETAL VESSEL --
SHIPBREAKING.
IN THESE BIG RECYCLING YARDS, THEY HAVE TONS OF THESE SHIPS
TIED TOGETHER, WAITING IN LINE TO BE RECYCLED.
Narrator: TO THE NORTH OF THE ABANDONED SHIP
LIES CHITTAGONG, BANGLADESH,
THE WORLD'S LARGEST SHIPBREAKING CENTER.
200,000 WORKERS STRIP OVER 200 HUGE TANKERS
FOR THEIR VALUABLE METAL FRAMES AND COMPONENTS
EVERY YEAR.
AND ALL BY HAND.
Kourounis: THEY TAKE OLD SHIPS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD,
AND THEY BREAK THEM DOWN FOR SCRAP METAL.
Narrator: INVESTIGATORS CONSIDER IF THIS COULD ACCOUNT
FOR THE APPEARANCE OF THE MYSTERY VESSEL.
SAFETY REGULATIONS HERE ARE NOTORIOUSLY LAX,
AND GHOST SHIPS ARE KNOWN TO FLOAT THOUSANDS OF MILES.
Chamberlain: THIS SHIP COULD HAVE JUST DRIFTED
AND ENDED UP BEACHED HERE.
Narrator: ANALYSIS OF THE SHIP IN THE IMAGE
SUGGESTS THAT IT'S OVER 300-FEET LONG.
SOME INVESTIGATORS DOUBT THAT THE SHIPYARD'S OWNERS
WOULD ALLOW A SHIP OF SUCH POTENTIAL VALUE TO DRIFT AWAY.
Pepper: JUST ONE SHIP CAN GO FOR MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
IF IT WENT MISSING, THEY'D SPEND A LOT OF TIME AND MONEY
TRYING TO FIND IT TO BRING IT BACK HOME.
THERE'S A LOT OF VALUABLE METALS IN THERE.
Narrator: A SEARCH OF RECENT MARITIME RECORDS REVEALS
A POSSIBLE CLUE FOR THE ORIGIN OF THE GHOST SHIP.
ONE OF THE BIG CONCERNS WITH INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING,
OF COURSE, IS PIRATES.
Narrator: TO THE SOUTHEAST OF SOUTH SENTINEL ISLAND
LIES THE STRAIT OF MALACCA.
ACCORDING TO THE UNITED NATIONS,
THESE WATERS ARE THE OCEAN'S MOST PERILOUS
WHEN IT COMES TO PIRACY,
ACCOUNTING FOR OVER 40% OF ATTACKS WORLDWIDE.
Pepper: THESE ARE RUTHLESS PEOPLE.
THEY'LL BOARD YOUR BOAT, KILL WHO THEY HAVE TO,
TAKE THE REST HOSTAGE, STEAL ALL YOUR GOODS,
AND THEN DEMAND A RANSOM TO RELEASE THE SURVIVORS.
Mosher: IF PIRATES DID CAPTURE THIS SHIP,
THEY WOULD HAVE STRIPPED IT FOR ALL THAT IT WAS WORTH
AND THEN ABANDON IT IN THE OCEAN,
PILOTLESS WITHOUT ANYBODY TO STEER IT.
THIS COULD EXPLAIN WHY IT LANDED AT THIS UNLIKELY LOCATION.
Narrator: ANALYSIS OF THE REGION'S SHIPPING RECORDS
REVEALS THAT A SHIP MATCHING THE DESCRIPTION OF THE ONE
IN THE IMAGE WAS LOST AT SEA -- THE MV PRIMROSE IN 1981.
BUT ACCORDING TO THESE RECORDS, SHE WASN'T A VICTIM OF PIRACY.
SHE WAS A CASUALTY OF AN IMMENSE TROPICAL STORM.
A CYCLONE WOULD DEFINITELY BE BIG ENOUGH
TO STEER A HUGE SHIP LIKE THIS OFF-COURSE.
Narrator: THE SUPER-STORM DRIVES THE SHIP MILES OFF-COURSE
AND MAROONS IT ON THE CORAL REEF.
WITH THE SHIP INTACT AND LAND CLOSE,
THERE APPEARS NO IMMEDIATE THREAT TO THE CREW.
YET THE CAPTAIN SENDS AN URGENT DISTRESS CALL.
HE SAID, "WILD MEN BEARING HOMEMADE WEAPONS --
ABOUT 50 OF THEM -- WERE BOARDING BOATS
AND COMING TOWARD THE SHIP."
Kourounis: TALK ABOUT BAD LUCK.
OF ALL THE ISLANDS IN THE WORLD TO RUN AGROUND ON,
THEY HAD TO HIT NORTH SENTINEL,
HOME TO THE MOST AGGRESSIVE, DANGEROUS TRIBE IN THE WORLD.
Narrator: NORTH SENTINEL ISLAND'S INHABITANTS CHOOSE
TO REMAIN ISOLATED FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD.
THEY ACCOMPLISH THIS BY REPELLING ANY VISITORS
WITH DEADLY FORCE.
THEIR IMMEDIATE REACTION, WHEN CONFRONTED WITH
ANY AND ALL VISITORS, IS THEY MURDER PEOPLE.
Narrator: LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT HOW MANY SENTINELESE
LIVE ON THE ISLAND, BUT ANTHROPOLOGISTS BELIEVE
THEY NUMBER AROUND 500
AND THEIR PEOPLE HAVE LIVED ON THE ISLAND
FOR OVER 60,000 YEARS.
THERE IS SOME EVIDENCE THAT THEY MAY BE DESCENDED
DIRECTLY FROM THE FIRST GROUP OF MODERN HUMANS
TO COME OUT OF AFRICA.
Narrator: SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THE SENTINELESE
HAVE NOT DEVELOPED AGRICULTURE AND RELY
ON LIGHTNING STRIKES TO CREATE FIRE.
ATTEMPTS TO LAND ON THE ISLAND
AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR WAY OF LIFE
HAVE OFTEN BEEN GREETED WITH SALVOS OF SPEARS AND ARROWS.
Bellinger: CLEARLY, THE INHABITANTS OF THIS ISLAND
DO NOT WANT TO BE VISITED BY OUTSIDERS FOR ANY REASON.
Narrator: AS THE CAPTAIN OF THE MV PRIMROSE SENDS OUT
DISTRESS CALLS, MORE WARRIORS ASSEMBLE ON THE BEACH.
WAR CANOES BRING ARMED MEN WHO ATTEMPT TO BOARD THE SHIP.
BUT THEY STRUGGLE TO BREACH THE STORM'S RAGING WAVES.
THIS IS SUPER-TENSE FOR THE GUYS ON BOARD
BECAUSE THE STORM HAS PUT THEM THERE,
BUT IT'S ALSO KEEPING THE NATIVES AT BAY.
Narrator: THE STORM WAVES WILL ONLY REPEL THE ATTACKERS
FOR SO LONG.
THE PRIMROSE'S CAPTAIN RADIOS FOR AN URGENT AIR DROP
OF FIREARMS SO HE AND HIS CREW CAN DEFEND THEMSELVES.
THE ONLY WEAPONS THEY HAD WOULD BE IMPROVISED --
SOME FLARE GUNS AND AXES.
THAT'S ABOUT IT.
Narrator: THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES AN AIRBORNE RESCUE.
BATTERED BY THE STORM,
THE PILOT LOWERS A WINCH TOWARDS THE STRANDED VESSEL.
BRAVING SENTINELESE SPEARS AND ARROWS,
HE MANAGES TO LIFT THE 28-STRONG CREW TO SAFETY.
YOU GOT THIS PILOT BRAVING NOT ONLY THE WEATHER,
BUT THE SPEARS AND ARROWS COMING AT HIM FROM THE ISLAND.
EVERY PERSON ON-BOARD WERE SAVED IN THE NICK OF TIME.
Narrator: THE SATELLITE IMAGE SUGGESTS THAT,
FOLLOWING THE RESCUE, THE MV PRIMROSE WAS STRIPPED
OF LARGE SECTIONS OF METAL.
INVESTIGATORS SPECULATE THAT THE SENTINELESE HAVE USED THEM
TO MAKE MORE WEAPONS,
READY TO ATTACK THE NEXT SHIP AND CREW
WHO DARE TO ENCROACH ON THEIR ISLAND'S LOST WORLD.
COMING UP...
THE RAMPAGING WARRIORS OF THE GIANT RED SNAKE...
TO BECOME A MAN, YOU HAVE TO DECAPITATE THE HEAD,
WHICH YOU WEAR AS A TROPHY ON YOUR BELT.
Narrator: ...AND SATELLITES CAPTURE A NEW THREAT
FROM RUSSIA.
THESE ARE FOLKS WHO CAN START THEIR OWN WAR AND FINISH IT.
[ GUNFIRE ]
Narrator: JULY 2016 -- ABOVE A REMOTE REGION
OF WESTERN RUSSIA'S VAST AGRICULTURAL PLAINS,
THE WORLDVIEW-1 SATELLITE SPOTS AN UNNATURAL GEOMETRIC SHAPE.
AND WITHIN IT, A SERIES OF REGIMENTED STRUCTURES.
Capps: THIS IMAGE IS FROM A REMOTE PART OF RUSSIA,
SO, OF COURSE, I'M IMMEDIATELY WONDERING WHAT IS THE FACILITY.
Moran: THIS IS HIDDEN.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THEY DON'T WANT
ANYONE TO FIND OR SEE.
Narrator: THE STRUCTURES APPEAR TO BE TOO BIG TO BE HOUSES.
THEY ONLY HAVE ONE SMALL ACCESS ROAD
AND ARE SO ISOLATED THAT ANALYSTS WONDER
IF THE FACILITY MIGHT SERVE A SINISTER PURPOSE.
I HAVE TO WONDER -- WHAT ARE THE RUSSIANS DOING THERE?
Narrator: ANALYSTS EXAMINE THE SURROUNDING AREA FOR CLUES.
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE VAST PLAIN LIES THE TOWN OF YAVAS.
HISTORICAL RECORDS REVEAL IN THE 1930s,
YAVAS IS PART OF A NETWORK OF LABOR CAMPS,
INCARCERATING 60,000 OF SOVIET DICTATOR STALIN'S
POLITICAL PRISONERS.
Capps: YOU SAY SOMETHING WRONG OR SOMEONE THINKS
YOU SAID SOMETHING WRONG,
AND THEN NOT ONLY ARE YOU DISAPPEARING,
BUT YOUR FAMILY'S DISAPPEARING, YOUR FRIENDS ARE DISAPPEARING.
Narrator: DURING STALIN'S PURGE, OR GREAT TERROR,
HIS SECRET POLICE NOT ONLY DISPATCH SUSPECTED DISSIDENTS
TO GULAGS, THEY EXECUTE THOUSANDS OF THEM EVERY DAY.
MILLIONS ARE KILLED, AND NOT JUST ORDINARY RUSSIANS.
OF THE 2,000 PARTY FAITHFUL
ATTENDING 1934'S COMMUNIST CONGRESS,
OVER HALF ARE EXECUTED.
Baker: THEY WERE BRUTAL, EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE,
VERY VIOLENT, AND VERY OPPRESSIVE,
AND THEY MAINTAINED COMPLETE CONTROL OVER SOCIETY.
Pavelec: SOME PEOPLE WOULD SAY STALIN WAS INCREDIBLY PSYCHOTIC
AND JUST DISTURBED, BUT IT'S EVEN MORE POWERFUL TO SAY
THAT HE WAS ABSOLUTELY RATIONAL AND CALCULATING,
EVEN THOUGH HE WAS INCREDIBLY PARANOID.
Narrator: ANALYSTS CONSIDER IF THE BUILDINGS
IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE ARE A PREVIOUSLY UNDOCUMENTED
SOVIET DEATH CAMP.
Munoz: FROM THE OVERHEAD PERSPECTIVE,
IT SCREAMS A DETENTION CENTER,
A PRISON FOR DETAINING EITHER POLITICAL DISSIDENTS,
SO-CALLED ENEMIES OF THE STATE.
Narrator: BUT EVEN FOR A SECRET CAMP,
HISTORIANS WOULD EXPECT TO FIND SOME RECORD OF THE DEAD
OR OF THE OFFICERS RUNNING THE CAMP.
YET, IN THIS CASE, THEY FIND NOTHING.
THE IMAGE COMES TO THE ATTENTION OF FORMER C.I.A. AGENT
LINDSAY MORAN.
SHE BELIEVES CLUES TO THE FACILITY'S PURPOSE
MAY LIE WITH THE BUILDINGS' REGIMENTED LAYOUT.
IT GIVES ME THE SENSE THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON
WITH THE MILITARY THERE.
Narrator: MORAN CONSIDERS IF THE REGULAR SPACING
BETWEEN THE BUILDINGS IS SIGNIFICANT.
YOU HAVE VOLATILE WEAPONS, POTENTIALLY EXPLOSIVE WEAPONS,
WITHIN EACH OF THE BUILDINGS.
IT WOULD MAKE SENSE TO SPACE THEM FAR APART.
I MEAN, WE'RE PROBABLY TALKING WARHEADS OR MISSILES.
Narrator: GIVEN THE FACILITY'S REMOTE LOCATION,
SOME ANALYSTS CONSIDER IF THE STRUCTURES COULD HIDE
SOME OF THE MOST POWERFUL WARHEADS KNOWN TO MAN.
WHEN WE TALK NUCLEAR WEAPONS, WE THINK OF THESE LARGE ICBMs
COMING OUT OF THE GROUND
OR THESE "DOCTOR STRANGELOVE" TYPE WEAPONS
THAT ARE ABLE TO LEVEL, YOU KNOW, WHOLE CITIES,
BUT THERE'S ALSO A SUBSET OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS
KNOWN AS TACTICAL NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
NOW, THOSE CAN BE MOVED VERY FAST.
SO IT'S PLAUSIBLE THAT IT COULD BE USED TO HOUSE
THESE SO-CALLED TACTICAL NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
Narrator: NUCLEAR WEAPONS FACILITIES REQUIRE
TOP-LEVEL SECURITY,
YET WHEN MILITARY ANALYSTS SCAN THE IMAGE
THEY FIND NO EVIDENCE OF THE GUARD POSTS
OR HIGH-TECH FENCING INSTALLED AT NUCLEAR BASES.
WHAT'S MORE, NUCLEAR WEAPONS ARE MOST COMMONLY
STORED UNDERGROUND.
INVESTIGATORS INSTEAD CONSIDER IF THE REGIMENTED BUILDINGS
COULD INDICATE THE FACILITY IS A SECRET MILITARY ENCAMPMENT.
Moran: IS THIS A PLACE WHERE, PERHAPS,
SPECIAL FORCES WOULD TRAIN?
Narrator: RUSSIA'S MOST FEARED ELITE FORCE IS THE KSO,
A 2,000-STRONG TEAM
OF HIGHLY-TRAINED COMBAT-READY TROOPS.
♪♪
Baker: THESE ARE THE BEST OPERATORS
IN THE RUSSIAN MILITARY --
EXTREMELY CAPABLE, VERY PROFESSIONAL,
AND, YOU KNOW, THEY RANK RIGHT UP THERE
WITH THE TOP SPECIAL-FORCES GROUPS AROUND THE WORLD.
Narrator: KSO OPERATIVES USUALLY WORK IN THE SHADOWS,
BUT ONE DARING MISSION IN LATE 2016
REVEALS THE TEAM'S OPERATIONAL PROWESS.
IN THE WAR-TORN CITY OF ALEPPO, SYRIA,
A BATTLE RAGES BETWEEN A CRACK KSO COMBAT TEAM
AND THE ISLAMIST INSURGENTS OF AL-NUSRA.
FOR OVER TWO DAYS, JUST 16 KSO OPERATIVES
HOLD BACK A 300-STRONG ENEMY ATTACK.
Capps: THOSE NUMBERS ARE CRAZY.
THOSE ARE POPCORN, AMERICAN-MOVIES,
EVERYTHING'S-BLOWING-UP NUMBERS, EXCEPT THESE ARE CONFIRMED.
THIS ISN'T FAKE. THIS ISN'T HOLLYWOOD.
THESE ARE FOLKS WHO CAN START THEIR OWN WAR AND FINISH IT.
Narrator: ANALYSTS CONSIDER IF THIS REMOTE FACILITY
IS A SECRET KSO BASE.
IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE KINDS OF MISSIONS AND RAIDS
THAT THESE GUYS ARE GOING TO BE CONDUCTING,
THIS HAS TO TAKE PLACE IN AN AREA
WHERE IT'S NOT GOING TO DRAW ANY UNDUE ATTENTION.
WHEN THEY'RE PRACTICING, IT'S GOING TO SOUND LIKE
A REAL RAID IS GOING DOWN.
Narrator: IF THIS STRANGE GROUP OF STRUCTURES
IS A TRAINING GROUND FOR ELITE SPECIAL FORCES,
THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT ISN'T SAYING.
WITHOUT GETTING A CLOSER LOOK AND SEEING WHAT IS EXACTLY
INSIDE THESE BUILDINGS WITHIN THE PARAMETER,
IT IS HARD TO SAY.
Narrator: ANALYSTS CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LOCATION
BY SATELLITE.
Baker: ANYTIME YOU HAVE A SITE INSIDE RUSSIA
THAT YOU'RE NOT CLEAR ABOUT WHAT ITS PURPOSE IS,
BUT IT APPEARS TO BE MILITARY...
WE'LL BE ON IT, WE'LL BE STUDYING THIS
AND UNDERSTANDING WHAT IT IS.
Narrator: COMING UP...
SEEN FROM SPACE, THE LAST LINE OF DEFENSE
AGAINST A CRAZED, MURDEROUS HORDE.
THE FIRST THING I WOULD WANT TO DO IS KEEP THEM OUT
BY BUILDING THIS GIANT 125-MILE WALL.
Narrator: OCTOBER 2011 --
PASSING OVER NORTHEASTERN IRAN,
THE GEOEYE-1 SATELLITE PHOTOGRAPHS A BIZARRE RED LINE
RUNNING FOR MILES ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE.
IT SORT OF LOOKS LIKE A SUPER-HIGHWAY,
BUT THERE ARE NO MODERN HIGHWAYS HERE.
THIS IS THE RURAL PART OF IRAN.
WHY DOES IT DOMINATE AN OTHERWISE FEATURELESS LANDSCAPE?
Narrator: A SHADOW IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE PROVIDES A CLUE.
Hoffman: WHEN IT'S LONG AND STRAIGHT LIKE THIS
AND IT'S CASTING A SHADOW, YOU HAVE TO THINK, "WALL."
Joyce: I'VE HEARD OF THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA,
I'VE HEARD OF HADRIAN'S WALL IN SCOTLAND.
BUT I'VE NEVER HEARD OF A WALL IN NORTHERN IRAN.
Narrator: WHEN INVESTIGATORS VISIT IRAN, THEY DISCOVER
THE MASSIVE STRUCTURE IS KNOWN LOCALLY AS "THE RED SNAKE."
BUT WHO BUILT IT AND WHY IS A MYSTERY.
ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAD VERY LITTLE INFORMATION ABOUT IT,
EVEN WHEN IT DATED TO.
IT'S ALMOST BEEN FORGOTTEN.
Narrator: SATELLITE PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDES INVESTIGATORS
WITH THEIR FIRST VIEW OF THE WALL'S ENTIRE LENGTH.
THIS WALL IS ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE.
FROM THE CASPIAN SEA IN THE WEST
TO THIS MOUNTAIN RANGE IN THE EAST,
I SEE IT'S OVER A HUNDRED MILES LONG.
Narrator: EXAMINING THE WALL'S DETAIL, ARCHAEOLOGISTS CALCULATE
THE STRUCTURE WEIGHS 4,500,000 TONS,
12 TIMES THE WEIGHT OF THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING.
WHOEVER BUILT IT POSSESSED CONSIDERABLE RESOURCES.
Mosher: THIS STRUCTURE WAS FORMED FROM MORE THAN
200 MILLION PERFECTLY FORMED BRICKS STACKED 30 FEET WIDE
AND, IN SOME CASES, 10 FEET HIGH.
THIS IS AN ENGINEERING MARVEL.
Narrator: INVESTIGATORS LOOK AT THE REGION'S
RICH ANCIENT HISTORY FOR CLUES.
THIS PART OF THE MIDDLE EAST IS KNOWN AS
THE FERTILE CRESCENT, AND IT'S WHERE WE SEE
THE FIRST CITIES EMERGING IN THE WORLD,
WE SEE THE FIRST WRITING SYSTEMS EMERGING,
AND GREAT CIVILIZATIONS SUCCEED ONE ANOTHER.
THE QUESTION REALLY IS, WHICH PERIOD OF TIME?
WHICH EMPIRE HAD THE SKILL, THE MONEY,
AND THE MOTIVATION TO BUILD THIS MASSIVE STRUCTURE?
Narrator: GROUND INVESTIGATION REVEALS THE REMAINS OF 38 FORTS.
RUINS AREA ALSO VISIBLE IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE.
Joyce: THE FORTS, WHICH ARE ALL ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE WALL,
SHOW THAT IT WAS SOMEBODY IN THE SOUTH
WHO WANTED TO PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM SOMEBODY IN THE NORTH.
Narrator: ANALYSTS CONSIDER SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THESE FORTS
AND THOSE FOUND AT HADRIAN'S WALL,
A ROMAN-ERA FORTIFICATION BUILT TO PREVENT MARAUDING SCOTS
FROM INVADING ENGLAND.
Altaweel: IN BOTH CASES, WE SEE ARMY BARRACKS
ALONG THESE DEFENSIVE WALLS
AND THE BARRACKS WERE ACTUALLY CONSTRUCTED
IN A VERY SIMILAR MANNER.
Narrator: ALTHOUGH THE ROMAN EMPIRE DID ENCOMPASS
THIS REGION OF IRAN, HISTORIANS FIND NO EVIDENCE
THEY HOLD A PERMANENT PRESENCE HERE.
THIS IS REALLY FRONTIER.
IT'S SO FAR AWAY FROM ROME,
IT'S LOGICAL TO DISCOUNT THE ROMANS HERE.
SO WHO DID THIS?
[ HORSE NEIGHS ]
Narrator: ANCIENT TEXTS YIELD ANOTHER POSSIBLE CLUE.
THIS PARTICULAR AREA IS ALSO QUITE FAMOUS
BECAUSE IT'S BELIEVED TO BE
WHERE ALEXANDER THE GREAT PASSED THROUGH
WHILE ATTACKING THE PERSIAN EMPIRE.
Narrator: BORN IN THE FOURTH CENTURY B.C.,
ALEXANDER ASCENDS TO THE THRONE OF THE ANCIENT GREEK KINGDOM
OF MACEDON AT THE AGE OF 20.
10 DAYS LATER, HIS VAST EMPIRE INCLUDES IRAN,
KNOWN THEN AS PERSIA.
THE PERSIANS, AT ONE POINT, INVADED AND BURNED DOWN
ATHENS AND OTHER GREEK CITIES, AND ALEXANDER TOOK REVENGE
AND CONQUERED THIS MASSIVE EMPIRE.
Narrator: TO CONFIRM IF THIS IS ALEXANDER THE GREAT'S WALL,
ARCHAEOLOGISTS CARBON-DATE CHARCOAL
FROM THE WALL'S MANY BRICK KILNS.
RESULTS DATE THE WALL
TO THE FIFTH AND SIXTH CENTURIES A.D.,
800 YEARS TOO LATE FOR ALEXANDER,
BUT THE DATE LINES UP PERFECTLY WITH ANOTHER GREAT CIVILIZATION.
THESE RADIO-CARBON DATES PLACE IT FIRMLY
WITHIN THE PERIOD OF WHAT WE KNOW AS THE SASSANIAN EMPIRE.
THE SASSANIDS ARE VERY WEALTHY,
PARTLY BECAUSE THEY'RE CONTROLLING THE SILK ROAD.
Narrator: INVESTIGATORS DISCOVER THAT, FROM THE THIRD
TO THE SEVENTH CENTURIES, THE SASSANIANS ARE THIS REGION'S
MAJOR MILITARY POWER.
THEY FIGHT AND WIN SEVERAL WARS WITH THE ROMANS,
AT ONE POINT KIDNAPPING AND SLAYING THE EMPEROR VALERIAN.
BUT THESE CAMPAIGNS TAKE PLACE ON THE WESTERN BORDER
OF THEIR EMPIRE, IN MODERN-DAY TURKEY,
HUNDREDS OF MILES FROM THE IRANIAN WALL
IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE.
Horton: THIS WALL SEEMS TO FORM THE NORTHERN FRONTIER
OF THE SASSANIAN EMPIRE.
AND WE THINK THE REASON WHY IT'S CONSTRUCTED HERE
IS TO PROVIDE A DEFENSIVE FRONTIER
TO GROUPS LIVING TO THE NORTH, ALSO KNOWN AS THE WHITE HUNS.
Narrator: THE WHITE HUN ARE BANDS OF HORSEBACK WARRIORS,
ORIGINATING FROM THE STEPPES OF MODERN-DAY KAZAKHSTAN
DURING THE FIFTH CENTURY A.D.
[ HORSE NEIGHS ]
IN A 110-YEAR CAMPAIGN OF PILLAGE AND PLUNDER,
THEY EARN A REPUTATION FOR BRUTAL BATTLEFIELD TACTICS.
Hunt: WHITE HUN VALUES ARE REALLY BRUTAL.
TO BECOME A MAN, YOU HAVE TO KILL SOMEBODY IN BATTLE.
YOU HAVE TO DECAPITATE THE HEAD,
WHICH YOU WEAR AS A TROPHY ON YOUR BELT.
Jeff: IF I WERE A PERSIAN KINGDOM, THE FIRST THING
I WOULD WANT TO DO IS KEEP THEM OUT BY BUILDING THIS GIANT,
125-MILE WALL.
Narrator: JUST HOW LONG THE SASSANIAN EMPIRE'S WALL
WITHSTANDS THE MARAUDING WHITE HUN HORDES
REMAINS A MYSTERY.
Mosher: BEHIND YOU ARE THE RICHES OF YOUR EMPIRE,
AND BEFORE YOU ARE THE WILD WHITE HUN
JUST WAITING TO ATTACK YOU.
Narrator: IRAN'S GIANT RED SNAKE,
THE LAST LINE OF DEFENSE OF A POWERFUL CIVILIZATION,
REVEALED FROM SPACE.
THE LAST LINE OF DEFENSE OF A POWERFUL CIVILIZATION,