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Episode 2

Mediterranean with Simon Reeve Series 1
Episode 2 of 4

Setting off from a snowy mountain ski resort in Cyprus, Simon Reeve finds an island and a capital city still deeply divided between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots.

Simon Reeve embarks on the second leg of his epic four-part journey around the Mediterranean. Setting off from a snowy mountain ski resort in Cyprus, Simon finds an island and a capital city still deeply divided between Turkish Cypriots in the north and Greek Cypriots in the south. Simon joins the UN troops who patrol the line that separates the two sides - one of the world's longest-running peacekeeping missions. From Cyprus, Simon heads to the Middle East, a region of the Mediterranean that's also no stranger to conflict and division.

In Lebanon, Simon explores a country of breathtaking landscapes, with spectacular coastline, soaring mountains and a sacred valley known as the Qadisha, a holy site for Lebanese Christians. Staying overnight in an abandoned monastery carved into the rock face, Simon learns that in a Muslim-dominated Middle East, Christians are facing persecution and their numbers are collapsing.

As Simon travels south, his next stop is Israel, a country that perhaps more than any other depends on the Mediterranean for its survival. With few friends in the region, Israel has to transport most of its goods by sea. Simon joins the Israeli Navy who patrol the coast and protect the country's offshore oil reserves using the latest military weaponry and technology, including unmanned, combat-ready drone boats.

From Israel, Simon crosses one of the world's most heavily fortified borders to reach the Gaza Strip. Palestinians and Israelis have endured a seemingly endless cycle of violence, and in Gaza, the result has been devastating destruction. Many building materials are restricted by an Israeli blockade on Gaza, but Simon meets an inspiring young woman who has helped reconstruction efforts by inventing an ingenious method of making bricks from ash. It's a rare ray of hope in one of the most troubled regions of the Mediterranean.

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59 minutes

Last on

Tue 8 Aug 2023 19:00
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Clips

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Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:03

    King Creosote

    Surface

  • 00:18

    Syriana

    Al Araby

  • 00:21

    Amidinine

    Oh My Friend, Oh My Friend

  • 00:25

    Jocelyn Pook

    Upon This Rock

  • 00:26

    Speed Caravan

    Aissa Wah

  • 00:27

    Marty Irwin

    Hand of Terror

  • 00:28

    Speed Caravan

    Qat Market

  • 00:32

    Jóhann Jóhannsson

    The Rocket Builder (Io Pan!)

  • 00:38

    Kraak & Smaak

    Danse Macabre

  • 00:50

    Speed Caravan

    Kalashnik Love

  • 00:53

    The Musicians of the Nile

    Eb'at Djawaben

  • 00:57

    Jóhann Jóhannsson

    The Great God Pan Is Dead

Credits

Presenter Simon Reeve
Director Freddie Martin
Series Producer Christopher Mitchell
Executive Producer Sam Bagnall

Broadcasts