Planet of Treasures
Human beings may have roamed the Earth for over 315,000 years — a mere blip in geological terms, but one with far-reaching consequences: wherever people have ventured, they’ve left behind permanent traces of their presence. In fact, we’ve changed the Earth itself. The distinguished Cambridge historian Sir Christopher Clark takes us on the ultimate world tour of man-made masterpieces, cultural achievements, and miracles of nature from the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World to over a thousand sites of incredible treasures listed by the UNESCO world heritage organisation today. A whistle-stop tour across space and through time to some of the most astonishing testaments of human ingenuity and nature’s gems. This is a glossy and gripping series tracing the rise of human civilisation and its astonishing impact on our planet.
Episodes
In this episode of “Planet of Treasures” presenter Christopher Clark travels the African continent, known as the cradle of humankind and bearing witness to this long and diverse past. His journey leads him to East Africa, which is home to a particularly diverse group of peoples and cultures. Egypt with its legacy of the pharaohs, Ethiopia with its imperial tradition and ancient Christian roots, Kenya and Tanzania with their dazzling landscapes.
On this journey presenter Christopher Clark visits highlights of the diverse and historic UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India and tries to answer the question as to what unites the 1,4 billion people on the subcontinent. His path leads him from the holy Hindu city of Varanasi to Mumbai and the caves of Elephanta Island, and on narrow rail tracks up to the Himalaya, from the legendary Taj Mahal to the monumental castles and palaces of Rajasthan. Lastly, Christopher Clark learns a lot about yoga.
“Planet of Treasures” visits famous UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Iran and Jordan. The Old World and the orient are the cradle of civilisation and the origin of many religions. Presenter Christopher Clark travels through Jordan, visits the rock-hewn city of Petra and then follows old trading routes via Persepolis to Isfahan in the Iranian highlands. He explores the cultures’ treasures following the trails of the Persians, Greeks, Romans and Nabateans.
Latin America is coined by the meeting of the Old and the New World. Here you find the legacy of pre-Columbian advanced civilizations, colonial architecture and magnificent beauty of nature. Presenter Christopher Clark follows the tracks of early advanced civilizations in Palenque and Teotihuacán, visits Spanish colonial-style structures in Havana and Quito, explores the fascinating Viñales Valley in Cuba and the Galapagos Islands’ national park with its remarkable natural treasures.
Christopher Clark’s journey to Europe's cultural sites starts in Venice, a city that has been powerful in trading for a thousand years and leads on the Way of St James to Santiago de Compostela. Afterwards he discovers castles in the beautiful Rhine Gorge, visits a German master organ builder and explores Paris with its unique architectural masterpieces like Notre Dame or the Eiffel Tower before lastly reaching the “Völklinger Hütte” as an example for the industrialisation and Kew Gardens in London.
In this episode of „Planet of Treasures” Christopher Clark explores the cultural wealth of Southeast Asia: Angkor in Cambodia, the old royal cities of Hue in Vietnam and Luang Prabang in Laos. Angkor once was the biggest city in the world, it was about the size of modern-day Berlin. Nowadays the temple city’s ruins are the largest religious monument in Southeast Asia. Ha Long Bay, the world’s biggest cave in Vietnam and Balinese rice terraces prove that nature and culture often go hand in hand.
