(dramatic music) - [Narrator] Enigmatic landscapes have puzzled humanity for centuries.

Some have been created by man for reasons we can only guess at.

Others have been shaped out of the earth and rock for shelter and protection or ritual, while some natural phenomena of both the earth and the heavens evoked endless myth and legend.

Sometimes the earth was curative or a symbol of societies in crisis.

Civilizations rose and fell, leaving behind many legends and myths we're still trying to unravel.

(dramatic music) (ominous music) Myths and mysteries woven into landscapes reflect our profound connection with nature.

These tales help us make sense of the unknown, (waves crashing) reinforce our cultural identity, and impart valuable moral lessons.

They create a meaningful bond with the environment, transcending mere survival and delving into the spiritual, psychological, and profound mysteries of life.

Cradled between the borders of Zambia and Zimbabwe is the mighty Zambezi river.

Here lies a natural wonder.

(falls roaring) The Victoria Falls, one of the largest and most awe-inspiring falls on earth, thunder with a force that shakes the ground beneath, casting a never-ending mist that glitters in the sun and moonlight.

It is one of Africa's most remarkable natural phenomena.

And no one outside the region knew or expected it to be there until British Explorer David Livingstone was led to the falls on his travels and became the first European to witness them in 1855.

He named them after Queen Victoria.

(falls roaring) Yet the local people have a more poetic expression for this natural marvel, (birds chirping) the smoke that thunders.

Legends abound, whispering hidden spirits and unexplained phenomena that have cloaked these falls in mystery for centuries.

And intriguingly, this ethereal mist shouldn't exist at all, as it's a happy accident of geology.

The falls were created by an anomaly on the earth's surface.

On the flat, arid plains of the Zambia-Zimbabwe border, a volcanic basalt sheet of rock, nestled in a low valley, channels water towards a huge chasm in the Earth's crust caused by volcanic activity and erosion.

Through this geological breach, the water cascades over a sheer precipice, plunging 108 metres into the abyss and chasms below.

The Victoria Falls is almost twice as high and over twice as wide as Niagara Falls.

This means Victoria Falls is 15 metres taller than the Statue of Liberty and 400 metres wider than the Golden Gate Bridge.

(birds chirping) (gentle music) At the gorge's end is a place called the boiling pot, a deep pool in which waters churn and foam like it's coming to the boil.

The falls, which the Lozi people call Mosi-oa-tunya, or the smoke that thunders, produces another unusual phenomenon, the rarest of rare, the moonbow, a nighttime rainbow.

Easiest to spot after sunset, on the night of a full moon, the spray of the falls is illuminated and refracted into its rainbow colours, not by the sun, but by the full moon, whose illumination is enough to refract the light into all the colours of the spectrum.

Moonbows are much fainter than a daytime rainbow, as the intensity of the moon's reflection isn't as strong as direct sunlight.

Sometimes it can only be captured in a photograph, as humans' colour receptors aren't triggered and see it as a grey rainbow.

(falls roaring) (birds chirping) One of the keystone myths comes up river from the falls themselves.

(gentle music) The Tonga people believed in a river god, a serpent-like creature called Nyami Nyami, guarding Lake Kariba that feeds the Zambezi river.

With the body of a snake and head of a fish, they believed that any disturbance around the lake's environment would inflame the Zambezi river god's wrath.

(footsteps pattering) It was said that he protected his people and provided sustenance in tough times.

Such was the locals' reverence that in times of drought, people would pray to this river god/ They brewed beer for seven days and spent the nights playing the drums or singing songs.

According to local folklore, the river god's wife, Kitapo, lives in the Kariba gorge here on the Zambezi River.

The story goes that during the building of a local dam in the 1950s, the river god became separated from his wife.

Angry, the God Nyami Nyami struck the area with a number of recurring floods, storms, and gales, killing 11 construction workers as a result.

(dramatic music) The myths don't just end in the gorge and lake.

The presence of Nyami and other spirits can be felt closer to the falls themselves (birds chirping) (falls roaring) in the iconic Devil's pool.

The locals think that it's a portal to another world and their ancestors reside in the pool watching over the falls.

This small pool is located right at the edge of the falls, on the Zambian side, close to Livingstone Island.

This natural rock pool allows daring visitors to swim right up to the edge of the falls.

It's believed the spirit protects those who are brave enough to try to enter the pool and look over the edge to the great chasm below.

(gentle music) Other myths tell of ancient rituals where offerings were made to appease the river gods and continue the flow of the Zambezi and prosperity of surrounding lands.

Victoria Falls, a force so immense that it has inspired countless myths and legends.

Many of these, born from awe and fear that such a monumental geological rupture evokes, serves as a bridge between the natural world and the human spirit.

(gentle music) Atmospheric phenomena have also produced many myths.

To the ancients, one of the most mysterious and ethereal which still captures our imaginations today, auroras.

Rovaniemi, northern Finland, (cars rumbling) The capital of Lapland, home to the legendary Santa Claus, and one of the best places in the world to view the phenomenon known as aurora borealis, or the Northern Lights.

(gentle music) Here, the sun's radiation interacting with earth's magnetic field dances across the heavens.

They are one of nature's great naturally occurring phenomena that has inspired generations of humans, creating myths and stories bound up in this wondrous spectacle.

(dramatic music) In Finnish folklore, the lights were created by a mythical fox running across the landscape, its tail sweeping up the snow, sending sparks into the sky, creating the auroras.

While the Scandinavia vikings believed that the Northern Lights were reflections of their gods' activities.

When a Viking died in battle, it was thought that the bravest warriors were taken by female deities known as Valkyries.

These Valkyries, with their armour glinting as they rode, guided the fallen warriors to Valhalla, their version of heaven, creating these mesmerising lights in the sky.

(gentle music) Fast forward centuries, and the living indigenous Sami people of the region believe the northern lights are actually the souls of the dead, that can be communicated with and even feared.

The lights, which can also be seen in the southern hemisphere, result from earth's magnetic field repelling solar activity that arrives as invisible electrical storms.

The charged particles are directed towards both poles by earth's magnetic field.

Whether seen as a divine spectacle or a marvel of science, the aurora borealis weaves a tapestry of myths and legends that enrich their natural beauty, adding layers of wonder and mystery to the mesmerising dance of lights in the night sky, reminding us of the profound impact of nature on our imagination.

Back on earth, great natural biomes create ecosystems that often inspire folklore of many different kinds due to their unusual nature.

(upbeat music) When you think of Germany, you imagine the beer festivals, lederhosen, great car factories, and the German people as a model of efficiency and determination.

But Germany also has a long, vibrant cultural heritage.

(dramatic music) This is vividly reflected in the enchanting myths and legends of their famous Black Forests, where folklore tales come to life.

This great forested region is located in South West Germany in the state of Baden-Wurttemberg.

The Black Forest was heavily shaped by glaciation thousands of years ago.

The Romans found it thick and inaccessible and named it Silva Nigra, Black Forest in Latin.

(birds chirping) The adjective in the name derives from the dense fir and pine trees that cloak the countryside, imparting a dark, almost black appearance to the landscape.

The size and age of the forests sees its steeped in myths and legend that have passed down through generations, adding to its mysterious allure.

(gentle music) (water trickling) One legend tells a tale of its origin, that of a mysterious clockmaker who appeared in a small village where he taught the villagers the art of making a very special kind of clock, before disappearing without trace.

The clock in question, (cuckoo clock chiming) the iconic cuckoo clock.

These wooden clocks with their cuckoos calling time were first fashioned out of Black Forest wood in the 18th century, and made by farmers during winter to make some extra money.

The craze for these wooden crafted clocks saw numerous styles and sizes created by these Black Forest craftsmen, and the sound of the cuckoo, inspired by the bellow of church organs, mimics the call of the enigmatic bird emanating out of the forests.

(birds chirping) There are many darker myths also that swirl around these foreboding forests, (ominous music) involving elves, werewolves, dragons, and even witches.

One involves a malevolent witch that preys on those who strayed too far from the path.

Or another witch that used to be a benevolent healer, wronged by the locals, now haunting the forests seeking retribution.

(thunder roaring) Other apparitions occur too, like a phantom black hound, (hound wailing) or, the most famous, the headless horseman, (horseman grunting) a common European tale, which many believe originated in the Black Forest.

(horse neighing) According to myth, a ghostly rider appears on dark misty nights without a head, on a foaming-mouthed horse galloping headlong through the dark forest.

(horse neighing) (hooves clopping) Some myths say he was a soldier who perhaps lost his head in battle, or a nobleman who met a tragic end and it's an omen of doom to whoever sees it.

Its mysterious and dark spirit also inspired the children's authors and siblings, the Brothers Grimm, to write many famous Black Forest tales, including "Snow White," "Cinderella," "Hansel and Gretel," and most famously, "Little Red Riding Hood," which has scared and enchanted children well beyond these woods and region.

These great forests have lasted many millennia and are likely to continue for many more to inspire and amaze, and perhaps continue to stimulate a new generation of imaginations.

(gentle music) Ancient Celtic countries like Great Britain and Ireland have many myths and mysteries that come not so much from a living ecosystem like a forest, but from the abundance of natural stone that occurs throughout these Atlantic island nations.

(upbeat bagpipe music) Scotland, despite its position at the far edge of Europe, has a rich history of ancient secrets.

The great city of Edinburgh, built from and on bedrock, its celebrated castles sitting above the great cobbled streets of a grand Victorian city, observing the goings on of the modern day.

Stones have always been more than mere physical objects.

They're vessels of meaning, power, and enigma, revered across cultures and epochs.

Go to the outer edges of Scotland, to the far north, a smattering of small islands sitting windswept in the North Sea, and you find evidence of sophisticated iron age societies that used stone to memorialise, celebrate, and even chart the changes of the season.

Neolithic henges, ancient earthwork structures dating back to around 3,000 BC, are found here, hundreds of years before the Great Pyramids.

These circular or oval-shaped monuments typically feature a ditch surrounded by an external earth bank.

Hinges often served as ceremonial or ritual sites with some containing stone or timber circles within their boundaries, and found through the British Isles.

(sheep bleating) (uplifting music) Despite its remoteness, the Ring of Brodgar stone circle is one of the most striking examples, not just because of its size, but also its unusual location.

It's one of the most complete and impressive stone circles in Britain.

Once described as a group of stern ancient druids chanting in formation.

Originally it comprised of 60 stones, but now 27 remain standing.

Still impressive, the stone circle has a diameter of 103.6 metres and is encircled by a rock-cut ditch, the henge, 136 metres across, slightly larger than a standard football pitch.

Myths have surrounded the origin of these rough hewn stones since ancient times, including the myth that the pillars were actually giants.

The legend tells of a group of giants who came to Orkney and during a night of revelry, formed a circle and began dancing.

As the sun rose, they were caught in rays and turned to stone, forever frozen in their dancing positions.

The tale makes some astronomical sense, as it's actually perfect for watching the setting and rising of celestial objects like the sun and the moon.

(dramatic music) Some say the sun sets perfectly on the longest and shortest day, the solstice, between two of the pillars.

This ancient form of astronomy would have helped the farmers predict the seasons critical for the survival.

It probably held many religious ceremonies and ritual sacrifices.

Around 2,300 BC, roughly a millennium after construction, it's thought the site was abandoned after one particularly large sacrifice of hundreds of cattle for reasons unknown.

Similarities between this henge site and those in the south of England have intrigued archaeologists for decades.

Stonehenge in southwest England is probably the best known henge in Great Britain.

The famous outer stones are topped off with 25-ton lintels that would've been extraordinarily difficult to put into place by stone-age man.

But perhaps an even greater mystery was the exact origin of these huge stones, that is gradually being unravelled.

It's now being established that the smaller ring of blue stones at Stonehenge were transported a great distance from Wales, possibly by boat, but a very recent definitive geological analysis of the partially hidden altar stone at its heart connects this ancient artefact to a site much, much further away, Scotland, a total of 750 kilometres from Stonehenge, a staggering distance, and an important clue to where the centre of these stone-age rituals emanated from.

It's thought that the size and sophistication of all the ancient sites around the Ring of Brodgar and the rest of Orkney means it may be that the Scots were at the centre of this practise and were exporting knowledge and now stones as far away as southern England, rather than the other way round.

Rising mysteriously from the Irish Sea to meet the rugged shores of Northern Ireland, this bizarre geological formation has inspired many generations of myths.

(dramatic music) The Giant's Causeway resides on the east coast of Northern Ireland in County Antrim.

This is not a manmade formation like the neolithic henges, but is equally bound up in myth and legend.

(waves crashing) Legend has it that the unique hexagonal stone columns and blocks are the remains of a bridge or causeway built from here to Scotland by a giant.

The natural formation of the stones has a fascinating geological backstory.

Between 50 and 60 million years ago, volcanic eruptions flowed toward the coast and began to cool on contact with the sea.

As it cooled, the lava contracted and cracked, forming the distinctive basalt columns (waves crashing) over time, erosion by sea and weather further shape these columns into the unique formations you see today.

Some have four sides, some eight.

The tallest are 12 metres, the size of a four-story building that disappears into the sea.

(birds chirping) (waves crashing) The length of columns is thought to be determined by the speed the lava cooled.

The story of the giant is equally fascinating.

(gentle music) Giant Finn McCool ruled this corner of Northern Ireland.

He was a giant and a warrior of great renown.

But he had a fierce rivalry with a Scottish giant, Bendandonner.

The two would shout insults across the sea that separated them.

One day, Finn decided to prove his strength and build a causeway, a type of bridge, using giant stones across the sea.

But when he saw the size of Bendandonner as he crossed the causeway, he was afraid, and his wife dressed him as a baby.

Bendandonner, aghast at discovering a baby this large, naturally concluded that the father must be gigantic, and fled back to Scotland, destroying the causeway as he went, leaving just the columns we see today.

Across the sea, there are identical basalt columns formed by the same lava flow on the Scottish Isle of Staffa, which may have inspired the Scottish end of the giant's tale.

(dramatic music) (birds chirping) on the other side of the planet, Earth's crustal processes have fashioned another unique geological formation, one that's made not from stone, but from sand, dust, and minerals, and are equally wrapped in mystery and myth.

(dramatic music) The Kimberley region, in north Western Australia, three times larger than England, but with a population less than 40,000 of indigenous dwellers and farmers spread across the entire northwestern corner of Australia.

This is one of the world's last frontiers, with prolific wildlife, majestic canyons, outback stations, lakes, deserts, and home to some of Australia's great road trips.

Geologically, it's one of the oldest parts of the Earth's crust, with some rock formations dating back more than 1.8 billion years.

As stunning as the general sunburned landscape is, it's held a secret geological formation that was only known to the indigenous people and the sparse farming community, now located in the Purnululu National Park.

From the air, it looks like the turrets of ancient martian castles, or even miniature pyramids.

It's called the Bungle Bungles.

(uplifting music) Hundreds of dome-shaped rocks rise from the rust-brown earth like a city of enormous beehives.

It kept its sparkling secrets well hidden from the rest of the world until 1983, when a TV crew filmed it from the air after a tip off.

The stunning footage soon made its way around the world and eventually led to it being classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Bungle Bungles were produced by layers of sand being gradually deposited and compressed over time, and then erosion caused by wind and rain over millions of years sculpted the domes into their current beehive-like shapes.

The unique orange and black banding on the domes are the different layers of sandstone.

While the darker bands are formed by ancient cyanobacteria growth over 3 billion years old, the orange layers are stained with iron and manganese mineral deposits.

It's been protected by Aboriginal custodians for 40,000 years.

The name itself is probably based on the local word for the bundle bundle grass that grows in clumps in the region.

The range is known in the language of the traditional owners as Billingjal, meaning place of falling sand.

Here, four groups of river people came together to arrange marriages, trade goods, and perform ceremonies.

The beehive mounts were described to children of these four tribes in Aboriginal Dreamtime stories, their traditional way to chronicle how the world around them came to be.

The Bungle Bungles held its secrets for aeons before exploding onto the world with its eye-catching wonders and mysteries.

(gentle music) In Europe, another eye-catching landscape wasn't a well-kept secret.

In fact, it was well known and well utilised by ancient man.

Straddling Europe and Asia, Turkiye has been a crossroads of civilizations for millennia, with rich cultural history, including Byzantine, Ottoman, and Roman Empires.

Its unique architecture, influenced by both east and west, broke new ground.

But Turkiye is also known for its unique geological features that have allowed man to sculpt their own villages from the rock, taking physical control of the landscape and fashioning it to their will.

The centre of this unique construction method is Cappadocia, an ancient district of east-central Anatolia on a rugged plateau northeast of the Taurus Mountains.

Its dramatic landscape has great expanses of soft volcanic rock shaped by erosion into towers, cones, valleys, and caves.

Fairy chimneys dominate the skyline in all directions.

(soothing music) Folklore has it that fairy-like winged creatures inhabited them and they were the remnants of their hats and houses.

Peri, as they were called, were an integral part of Turkish folklore, regarded as enchanting beings known for their beauty.

Legend has it, they either helped you or hindered you.

These strange mushroom-like structures are the result of volcanic eruptions raining ash across the region.

The ash hardened into porous rock and a layer of basalt.

Then erosion over millions of years wore the softer rock away, leaving pillars of harder basalt, some as tall as 40 metres.

But this is only half the story.

Below the ground is an incredible world bound up in history, culture, and myths, like the cutting of the classical Gordian Knot and the lost city of Atlantis.

(dramatic music) Incredible underground tunnel complexes and even rock-cut churches are found in unique underground cities built during the Byzantine era to escape persecution for their faith.

The cities were initially built by the ancient Anatolian people, particularly the Hittites, or Phrygians, during the second millennium BCE, who carved their living spaces into the region's soft volcanic rock to protect themselves from Islamic raids.

The battles for supremacy between the Christians and Muslims went on for centuries.

One famous cave church is dedicated to St.

George, the patron saint of Cappadocia.

According to legend, St.

George defeated a dragon that was terrorising the village.

In all, there were about 200 cities with Derinkuyu being the best known.

The sheer complexity of this and other underground cities are immense.

Some delve eight levels underground with complete living quarters and even facilities for making grape juice along with drainage, plumbing, and stables for horses.

Today, some of these have even been turned into hotels for tourists.

(gentle music) Principally, these underground cities were forts, designed to protect their citizenry with incredibly sturdy rock doors and even holes in the ceiling to pour hot oil over any intruders.

They were even used as hideouts until the early 20th century and then completely abandoned and forgotten.

Incredibly, in 1963, a resident came across a hidden entrance inside his house, leading to the underground city being rediscovered for the world to appreciate.

Manmade structures are often intricately tied to natural phenomena in various ways.

This relationship can be seen in the way structures are designed, their locations, and the myths and rituals associated with them.

(gentle music) (birds chirping) Southern Mexico, in the valley of Oaxaca.

(trumpets blaring) Here, the Zapotec civilization, sometimes known as the cloud people, lived from 500 BC to 900 CE.

One of the oldest civilizations in the Mesoamericas.

(bird chirping) Their capital was built at Monte Alban, located on a mountaintop overlooking the valleys.

The buildings and carvings were fashioned from the native stone.

Many have a pyramid-like structure.

(gentle music) Out of all these, perhaps the most intriguing and mysterious is Building J, as it's known by archaeologists.

It has a distinctive arrowhead or star shape.

One theory is that Building J was used for astronomical observations.

Its orientation is at an angle of 45 degrees from the others, aligning with celestial events like the rising and setting of specific stars.

Astronomical readings are thought to have allowed them to predict agricultural cycles.

Hieroglyphic inscriptions also adorn the building and are believed to record important events in Zapotec history.

This leads onto one of the most notable archaeological treasures in Monte Alban.

(dramatic music) Pictorial carvings found on stone slabs, of which some 300 unknown.

Their secrets are hard to fathom.

They depict nude male figures in contorted and often unnatural poses, leading early archaeologists to believe they were dancers.

But in more modern interpretations, some of the figures look like they've been mutilated, possibly tortured enemies or prisoners of war.

It was a powerful symbol of military prowess and authority of the rulers over their enemies.

The city has a mixture of terraces, dams, temples, pyramids, and artificial mounds carved literally out of the mountain.

One site that intrigued historians is a space that is recognised now as a ball court.

It's a rectangular, sunken area flanked by two sloping walls.

These walls were thought to have been coated with lime to facilitate the movement of the ball.

(ball bouncing) Similar constructions are found in other parts of Mesoamerica too.

Some feature a hoop attached high up a wall.

Known collectively as Ullamaliztli, it was more than just a sport.

It held deep religious and ritual significance too.

The Mayans who traded with the Zapotecs thought the ball court was a portal to Xibalba, the Mayan underworld.

It's also possible it might have even had candidates for human sacrifice, a literal hunger games for the ages.

(dramatic music) These ancient civilizations even further south from Mexico and Central America, to Peru.

(upbeat music) (waves crashing) Peru is renowned for its diverse landscapes, penguins on its coastal beaches, and home to a portion of the Amazon rainforest, and the origin of the Amazon River in the Andes Mountains.

(water trickling) (engine humming) The current capital, Lima, was established on the coast in the 16th century by Spanish invaders.

However, over 500 kilometres to the east are the ruins of an extraordinary ancient civilization, (gentle music) established at least decades before the Spanish arrived.

The ancient city of Machu Picchu.

(uplifting music) Now one of the seven wonders of the world, it's an ancient city nestled high in the Andes Mountains, 2,438 metres above sea level.

32,592 hectares of mountain slopes, peaks and valleys surrounding its heart.

It was one of the last Incan strongholds until it fell to the Spanish invaders.

Built in the 15th century, it was a royal estate and sacred religious site to emperor Pachacuti.

It has more than 150 buildings ranging from baths and houses to temples and sanctuaries.

It was only encountered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham, an American archaeologist.

Once news had spread to the wider world, tourists have flocked there ever since, some following the four day Inca trek, others by bus and train.

(wind whooshing) The mountains surrounding the city were considered sacred.

They were called Lords in the local language, making the Incas closer to the gods.

Being subject to bad weather and lost crops made this observance critical to them, (dramatic music) but they also had more down-to-earth, practical solutions to guide them too.

One of the most intriguing features at Machu Picchu is the Intihuatana stone.

Translating as hitching post of the sun, or placed to tie up the sun, the carved rock slab is believed to have multiple purposes, but primarily as an astronomical calendar.

It was designed to align with the sun during the spring and autumn equinoxes.

The sun stands directly above the stone, casting no shadow to its precise inclination of 13 degrees.

Knowing when spring and autumn occurred was incredibly important to their agricultural efforts, but they hoped for supernatural influence too.

Touching the stone could open a portal to the spiritual world, offering visions.

The stone radiates energy if you put your hand above it.

But today, visitors are banned from touching it so it doesn't wear away.

Preservation of this precious site has been a constant problem.

In the 1960s, the Peruvian government was extremely concerned that the whole city would erode away as water was a constant threat to the surrounding soil.

With the help of UNESCO scientists, over decades, they have been able to preserve this site through the restoration of ancient Inca drainage systems, terrace stabilisation, and strict tourist management to prevent erosion and landslides.

Ongoing monitoring, scientific research, and sustainable tourism initiatives ensure the site's long-term protection.

(upbeat music) These efforts will ensure Machu Picchu will survive for generations to come.

(dramatic music) But Peru has one last mystery, which to this day almost defies explanation.

The Nazca Lines.

(vehicles rumbling) Giant drawings called geoglyphs are etched into the desert floor in southern Peru.

Created by the Nazca culture, who lived nearby, these lines cover an area of hundreds of square kilometres.

They include over 800 straight lines, 300 geometric shapes, and 70 designs, including human, animals, and plants.

Explanations of how the lines appeared range from religious, astronomical, and even irrigation efforts, but the mystery still remains.

These depictions are better seen from the air, a vantage point beyond ancient man's capabilities.

This is why some people think the lines were a form of communication for an alien race who may have visited our planet.

(gentle music) The Earth's natural resources have long provided nourishment and rejuvenation, going back a millennia, especially in the Middle East at the cross section of Judeo-Christian civilizations.

Jordan has been a vital crossroads for trade and religions since antiquity.

Positioned at the intersection of Asia, Africa, and Europe, it facilitated the exchange of goods and ideas along ancient trade routes.

The city of Petra emerged as a distinct Nabataean civilization between the fourth century BC and first century AD.

(birds chirping) Petra was a marvel of engineering and architecture for its time.

The city was carved in the rose-red sandstone cliffs, (donkey whining) including tombs, temples, and other structures like the famous Al-Khazneh, the treasury, and the Ad Deir, the monastery, which were chiselled out of the rock by hand.

Legends claim that the treasury hides the treasure of Pharaoh's daughter, leading many to seek its riches.

Many also claim that the facade was designed to resemble an ancient temple, further fueling the belief that great treasures lay within, yet no one has ever found them.

(uplifting music) Around Petra today are the most physical examples of another myth.

(water trickling) They are great square monuments known as Djinn blocks, built by the Nabataeans 2,000 years ago.

These large funerary monuments are thought to be inhabited by supernatural beings, the Djinn, spirits from Arabian mythology.

The Djinn were believed to guard the people and Petra itself.

It's the origin of the genie in the lamp tale.

Some myths suggest that Petra was constructed with the help of Djinn, or supernatural forces summoned by King Solomon.

It didn't help in the end, as Petra was abandoned in eighth century CE after an earthquake.

It was only discovered again in 1812 and has captivated visitors and scholars ever since.

These ancient sites weave a mesmerising tapestry of history, shrouded in mystery and myth.

(upbeat music) Beyond their captivating stories, some sites are believed to possess healing properties of rejuvenation to those who try it.

Perhaps the most famous natural wonder of Jordan lies 200 kilometres south, the Dead Sea.

It's not a sea as such, but a landlocked salt lake that lies in Jordan's Rift Valley, fed primarily by the Jordan River where Jesus was reportedly baptised.

The whole area is shrouded in many ancient religious mysteries and myths.

But it garners most attention for those seeking the healing powers of the earth.

(waves crashing) The Dead Sea is the lowest land elevation point, lying over 420 metres below sea level.

It's one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world.

Most life forms can't survive under these conditions, but the salt content allows people to effortlessly float on the surface, while the mud along the shores is rich in minerals like magnesium, potassium, and calcium, all known for their therapeutic properties.

One legend suggests that the Queen of Sheba was among the first to discover the healing powers of the Dead Sea.

Then there was Egypt's Cleopatra, who supposedly built the first spa along its shores, believing in the mud's ability to rejuvenate and beautify the skin.

The Dead Sea is also renowned for an ancient discovery in caves that continues to captivate scholars, the Dead Sea Scrolls, a remarkable collection of ancient Jewish texts dating from around the third century BCE to first century AD, found in caves at Qumran.

They have transformed our understanding of early Judaism.

Nestled on its northwestern seashore, the Qumran caves provided the perfect arid and saline conditions to preserve these invaluable texts, making them one of the 20th century's most significant historical finds.

(dramatic music) These 11 caves date from the third century BC.

15,000 fragments are the remains of about 900 scrolls.

They hold ancient secrets of Jewish life and beliefs, bridging an historical connection between these regions.

(intense music) The myths and mysteries woven into the very fabric of these places offer us a lens through which we can understand the unknown, reinforcing our cultural identities and transcending mere survival.

These stories are more than just myths.

They are the threads that bind us to our past, our environment, and each other.

They invite us to explore the spiritual, psychological, and mysterious connections we share with the world around us all.

(uplifting music)