"Treasures
of the World - Heritage of Mankind" is a TV series which portrays those
sites, monuments and national parks which have been appointed "World
Heritage Sites" by UNESCO. The "Treasures" are artistic cineastic essays
of 15 minutes length shot on 35mm film using elaborate techniques like
craning and travelling camera. The series is produced by the Südwestrundfunk
(SWR) for broadcast on a number of stations. In the course of the series
the project under the patronage of the UNESCO targets to portray most
of the World Heritage sites.
Music composed by Stefan Eichinger and Steffen Neuert www.achtspur.com
KAIROUAN
- Holy City of the Maghreb, Tunesia
 The
ancient Arab medina of Kairouan in the hinterland of Tunesia remains
an intact architectural and social ensemble until today. Its Sidi Oqba
mosque was the first mosque on African soil. Kairouan was the first
Arab settlement in North Africa and the starting point of the islamization
of the entire Maghreb. It is considered the fourth holy site of Islam
after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem.
BUKHARA
- Gem on the Silk Road, Uzbekistan
 Of
all the trading posts along the Silk Road it was one of the richest
and most famous. Bukhara in today's Uzbekistan, with its numerous mosques,
mausoleums and medresas, was also a centre of religion and scholarship.
From here Islam spread all over Central Asia.
GHADAMES
- The "Subterranean" Oasis, Libya
 The
famous oasis on the northern rim of the Sahara, where five caravan routes
meet, was once a centre of cross desert trade. From here dynastic trader
families controlled many of the big caravans. Ghadames has a unique
architecture, a highly defensive, compact cluster of multi-storey clay-houses.
Bridging the narrow alleys, these are pitch-dark. Ghadames appears almost
subterraneous.
LEPTIS
MAGNA- Roman Metropolis in Africa, Libya
 In
ancient times olive oil and wheat from the Roman province "Africa" was
shipped in vast quantities through its large harbour. Leptis Magna was
a key trade centre of the Roman Empire, a rich metropolis on the African
coast of the Mediterranean Sea - with broad avenues, opulent markets,
splendid palaces, temples and baths. Leptis in today's Libya is rarely
visited, but one of the most magnificent Roman sites.
KATHAMANDU
- Himalayan Pantheon, Nepal
 It
is a place of gods and legends, situated in the fertile valley between
Tibet and India. For centuries trade routes and pilgrim tracks crossed
in the Kathmandu valley. Here Buddhism and Hinduism formed a unique
synthesis. Until today thousands of stupas, temples and pagodas bear
witness to the great culture of the valley's three most important settlements:
the royal towns of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan.
LUANG
PRABANG: Royal City on the Mekong, Laos
 Deep
in the mountains of Laos lies Luang Prabang, blending into the green
of the jungle, on the banks of the Mekong. Luang Prabang was the capital
of Lane Xang, the mighty kingdom of a million elephants and the seat
of the kings of Laos. To this day Luang Prabang is the centre of Laotian
Buddhism. Religion still defines the rhythm of the city. The pagodas
are the pulse of the community and every morning, before sunrise, the
monks and novices make their way to ask the faithful to donate for their
daily food.
HALONG
BAY- Bizarre Island World, Vietnam
 Halong
Bay in northern Vietnam: 2.000 islands, deep ravines, rough rocks and
many caves. Numerous legends revolve around this bizarre and twisted
landscape, the most prominent of which is about Ha-Long, the "Descending
Dragon". According to the tradition, he was sent by the gods to defend
the Vietnamese from their enemies. The film portrays one of the remaining
300 families living in floating houses and travelling troughout the
bay to fish. There are more than 1.000 kinds of fish and 160 coral types.
However, this diversity is endangered. Important shipping lines lead
right through this island world, industrial centres line the shores
of Halong Bay. The rapidly increasing tourism also brings along dangers.
HUE,:
Where Sorrow Smiles and Joy Weeps ...
 Vietnam's
Imperial City Hué in Central Vietnam is situated beautifully between
hillocks and rice fields by a bend in the Perfume River. The almost
square citadel-city is surrounded by an eleven-kilometre wall, which
contains the "Imperial City". Inside of this - once again walled in
- one finds the "Forbidden Purple City" reserved for the emperor. For
143 years 13 emperors of the Nguyen dynasty ruled from here with a feudal
court of Chinese influence. At first they reigned in glory and then
in decadence and submission under the French colonial power. The emperors
were great lovers and supporters of the fine arts; poetry especially.
To this day, there is a certain state of rapture, a poetic air and melancholy
mood over the city.
"The
Tears of the Gods": THE INCENSE TRADE IN DHOFAR, Sultanate of Oman
 The
aromatic resin of the boswellia sacra was considered one of the most
precious trading goods of the Ancient World. Incense was lit in Egypt
as well as at the courts of Indian Maharajas. In Rome it was worth its
weight in gold. It was traded over thousands of kilometres, along the
"Incense Road". In the Dhofar region in the south of the Sultanate of
Oman, incense is still produced. In the arid valleys the Bedouins cut
the gnarled trees to sap the resin a few days later. Now only ruins
are left of the golden age of the incense trade: Ports and caravan stops
along the Omani Incense Road, which was now declared a World Heritage
Site.
VIGAN
- Colonial Heritage in the Philippines"
 In
1572 the Spanish landed in Vigan, a coastal city in the north-west of
the island Luzon. They converted the population to Christianity and
developed the small trading post into a town, following a pattern often
tested in Mexico. The Chinese, who had settled in Vigan before the Spaniards,
controlled the trade. Thus, in Vigan developed a unique cultural mix
of Spanish, Mexican, Chinese and Philippine elements. The old town centre
of Vigan with its cathedral, episcopal palace and feudal commercial
buildings is still very much alive today.
"Stairway
to Heaven": The rice terraces of the IFUAGO, Philippines
 For
2.000 years irrigated rice has been cultivated in the rough mountainous
terrain of the northern Philippines. To this day the rice terraces,
clay dams and complex irrigation ditches are considered one of the wonders
of the world. How long will they survive? Growing rice is no longer
profitable, the young leave the villages and the terraces slowly go
to ruin. The cultivation of rice was once regarded as a bond between
the gods and the people, now it is slowly losing its significance in
the northern Philippines.
ZANZIBAR
- The Stonetown,Tanzania
 Zanzibar.
Ships from all over the world have harboured in the wide bay of the
island capital off the East African coast. Ivory, slaves and spices
from Black Africa were brought to market here. Zanzibar developed into
one of the most important trading centres of the Indian Ocean. Arab
and Indian traders settled here and controlled busines. The architecture
of Zanzibar's old town centre, the "Stonetown", to this day reflects
this synthesis of Arabian, Indian and Black African influences; it is
just as multicultural as its population. Mosques, churches and Hindu
temples, African markets and British trading houses, Omani palaces and
magnificently carved doors, that is Zanzibar's Swahili culture.
ACCRA; Where Gold and People Were Shipped/Ghana
 European
fortresses with battlements and canons interspersed between the rows
of corrugated-iron shacks line the beaches of Ghana. These alien seeming
stone constructions are testament to the 500-year-old trade between
Europe and West Africa. Portuguese, Dutch, English, French, Swedish,
Danish and Prussian merchants wanted to profit from commerce in West
Africa and erected bulwarks. Today the bastions are monsoon-weathered
and threatened by decay, but one can still imagine how lucrative business
once was. Even though the region received the moniker "Gold Coast",
the main source of income was the slave trade. Nobody knows exact numbers,
but an estimated 2,000,000 Africans were deported from the coastal forts
of the Europeans as slaves.
The Chief, the Gold and the King; ASHANTILAND/Ghana
 In
the 18th century in the woodlands of West Africa there blossomed the
empire of the Ashanti. They were famous for their gold, the art of government
and the art of war. Feared by the British colonial forces, it took 70
years and seven wars to submit the proud people in the hinterland of
the former Gold Coast. In today's Ghana the Ashanti are a tribe amongst
many others, but the legendary kingdom still lives on. It is a traditional
and spiritual institution, led by the King of the Ashantis. Their traditional
clay buildings with grass roofs and rich relief ornaments, among them
the palaces, were destroyed in the colonial wars. Only ten village temples
survived. The UNESCO has declared these a World Cultural Heritage: a
mark of distinction for the pre-colonial culture of the Ashanti.
Ramadan in the MEDINA OF TUNIS, Tunesia
 Once
it was one of the wealthiest towns of the Islamic world. Today the Medina
of Tunis is the largest old town in Northern Africa. The film shows
the course of one day in the month of Ramadan. During daytime life goes
slow, the narrow lanes are nearly empty, a good time to study the Medina’s
architecture. But when the sun goes down and fasting ends, people come
out of their houses to stroll over the bazaar of the Medina and to meet
in the cafés around the Zitouna mosque.
SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan
 A
city out 1001 Arabian Nights, it owes its heyday to the campaigns of
a despotic ruler extending his reign from the Ganges to the Mediterranean.
Samarkand was the center of this world empire, the residential capital
for Timur Lenk, or Timur the Lame. During his campaigns to Europe and
India Timur and his horde devastated towns and massacred the people.
The finest craftsmen and artists however were abducted to Samarkand.
Here they created that breathtaking architecture in the 14th century
that gained Samarkand the reputation of being the “most beautiful
city in the world”.
Ancient HOI AN, Vietnam
 Luckily
the Vietnam War left this old riverside town in central Vietnam undamaged.
More than 2,000 years old, it once was a station of the maritime Silk
Road. In its heyday (16th until 19th centuries) Japanese and Chinese
seafarers settled here to trade silk and porcelain. Dutch, Portuguese,
Siamese, Chinese and other trading vessels called at this legendary
port until the Thu Bon-river which links Hoi An with the sea silted
up and became impassable. Hoi An became a Sleeping Beauty. Its hibernation
endured the war and the hard times of socialism and lasted until the
wake up-call of tourism brought a new era to this ancient town. (Today
Hoi An is a picturesque showpiece of Vietnamese and Colonial architecture
that retains a sense of history.)
AMALFI COAST/ Italy – Just Like a Picture
Book
 A
40 kilometre coastal landscape in southern Italy: wild and jagged, steep
cliffs and tight coves, picturesque villages with great history. For
centuries forgotten by the rest of the world. Only in 1857 the isolation
of the region came to an end with the expansion of the „Amalfitana“,
a dream-road lodged between the sky and the sea. Quickly the Amalfi
coast became famous and painters, poets and authors from all over Europe
settled here to found the reputation that feeds the coastline to this
day. For 20 years Giulio Cantarella has been driving buses along the
Amalfitana. The film joins him for a ride along a coastline that still
creates a sense of desire.
Pilgrimage to Turkistan
QUOZA AKHMED YASAUI MAUSOLEUM, Kazakhstan
 At
the edge of the vast steppe of Kazakhstan stands in splendid isolation
the mausoleum of Qozha Akhmed Yasaui. The ascetic 12th century Sufi
teacher and Turkic mystical man once made Islam accessible to the nomadic
horseback peoples of the Eurasian steppe. The first great Turkic Muslim
holy man taught most of his life in Turkistan, dying there in 1146.
In the late 14th century
Timur ordered to build a huge majestic mausoleum (in his honour), with
impressive domes and exquisite blue and turquoise tiling (on the outer
walls). Until this day Qozha Akhmed Yasaui is revered as the holy man
of the simple people and the founder of Sufism in Central Asia. His
mausoleum is the most important site of pilgrimage in the entire region.
Fierce and Fighting for All Eternity. - KOGURYO
Tombs, North Korea
 Cairn
frescos tell stories of one of the mightiest empires of East Asia, reigning
from 37 B.C. until 668 A.D. and considered the cradle of Korean culture:
the Koguryo. The images depict trade and cultural exchange with other
East Asian empires, but most of all they show the bellicose and expansive
nature of this empire.
VICTORIA TERMINUS in Mumbai
Transit for Millions / India
 After
ten years of construction, it was completed in 1888. Monumental in size
and at the same time lavishly ornamented the building combines Victorian
Gothic Revival architecture with traditional elements of Indian palace
architecture. 1,100 trains and almost three million passengers per day
make Victoria Terminus the busiest railway station in the world. The
film shows one day, 24 hours, in VT, a station that hardly ever sleeps.
STONES, STUPAS, CITIES, Orchon Valley, Mongolia
 A
holy river. Little explored and steeped in myths. Orchon River fords
the heart of Mongolia. From time immemorial its valleys are nomads’
land. In the Orchon Valley the Uigurs built Karabalgas, a town of clay
for more than 10.000 habitants that became an early centre of the trade
on the Silkroad. In 1235 Genghis Khan chose the place as Mongolian capitol
and gave order to build a gorgeous complex of paved streets and luxurious
halls. The palace of the Great Khan is not yet located. An international
research team is looking for it.
MERV, TURKMENISTAN – Town in ruins on the Silkroad
Turkmenistan
 Deep
in the Karakum desert the Murghab River is giving life to an oasis.
In the 6th century a metropolis started to evolve there, that numbered
hundred thousands of habitants in the Middle Ages: Merv. Being an important
junction on the Silkroad the oasis town became tremendously rich and
grew to an intellectual centre of the Islamic World. In the 11th and
12th century Merv was the eastern capitol of the Seljuq Empire – and
on the top of its glory. A short time later the town perished. But parts
of the architecture have resisted the extreme desert climate until today:
the massive town walls, palaces, library buildings, water reservoirs
and a mausoleum that is visited by pilgrims even today.
MACAO, CHINA - Island of luck
 The
peninsula of Macao in the South China Sea is in the shape of a prawn.
In Chinese symbolism, this clearly indicates good luck. As long as Macao
existed, people have put their life and fortune on stake here. In the
past seamen and adventurers, missionaries and businessmen, today the
gamblers. The roulette wheel never stands still in Macao, the city is
considered the Las Vegas of Asia. The gambling industry, that was legalised
as early as 1847, contributed to preserve the prestigious past, the
heritage of the seafarer’s empire Portugal: splendid houses of traders,
magnificent ornate churches, an occidental culture and lifestyle.
Where sand meets the sea – ESSAOUIRA, MOROCCO
 In
1765 sultan Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah gives order to build a town on
the Moroccan coast of the Atlantic. The place is well chosen, the surrounding
area has been populated for more than 2000 years. The fertile backcountry,
cultivated by Berbers, guarantees supplies. Essaouira that was called
Mogador until 1956 had been a cosmopolitan city, the most industrious
harbour of Morocco. Up till it got outstripped by Casablanca. However,
the Medinian architecture, a blend of Islamic, Hispanic and European
style, remained – in beauty as well as in danger.
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