The Temple of the Sands

Trods besværligheder og farer er Giovanni Belzoni og hans kone Sarah blevet grebet af Ægypten. Mest af alt ønsker Belzoni at vende tilbage og udgrave det mystiske tempel i Abu Simbel - og helst før franskmændene! Projektet syntes håbløst, indtil Belzoni får den ide at bruge Nilens vand til at gøre sandet vådt og plante et læhegn af palmer omkring indgangen til templet. Og snart står han i et af de smukkeste ægyptiske templer. Herefter kan hverken besvær eller faren fra Drovettis mænd stoppe ham. I årene efter opdager og udgraver Belzoni grav efter grav, og det er også hans instinkt, der fører til opdagelsen af det, som i dag er kendt som Kongernes Dal.

The Great Belzoni, actor, strongman, and engineer, has now turned all his attentions to becoming a famous adventurer. In episode four of Egypt, Belzoni makes some of his greatest discoveries, and uncovers the entrance to The Temple Of Ramesses at Abu Simbel. Belzoni's new ambition is to be the greatest collector in history, but in the fashion of all good swashbuckling tales, he has a rival. Drovetti, the tenacious French collector, is waiting to thwart him at his every turn. Henry Salt asks Belzoni to go back to Thebes and Philae to find more artefacts for the British Museum. However, Belzoni doesn't realise that Salt is using him to furnish his own collection and sell artefacts to the highest bidder. Belzoni is only a few miles down the Nile when he runs into Drovetti's men, who are also on their way to Thebes. A race across the desert then follows as Belzoni tries to prevent Drovetti's men from stealing his precious collections at Thebes. But when he arrives, Belzoni finds he is too late and Drovetti is well advanced in the process of removing everything he can from the great temples. This setback only firms Belzoni's resolve and he finds another beautiful and colossal statue. Infuriated, Drovetti threatens Belzoni so, under the cover of darkness, he slips anchor and heads south. On reaching Abu Simbel, Belzoni has the problem of shifting the tons of sand surrounding the opening to the temple. It proves an impossible task; every time they try to dig a hole, more sand flows in to fill it. Soon, the labourers lose patience and leave. Then Belzoni has an idea. To make the sand easier to dig he wets it with water from the Nile, and then builds a palm tree fence around the opening of the temple to prevent sand from flowing in. Eventually, they break through the top of the temple's doorway and slip inside. The interior of the temple is spectacular, featuring colossal statues of Ramesses II which support the ceiling, and fabulous reliefs tel

Documental de ficción producido por la BBC que nos cuenta la historia de cómo Belzoni llevó a cabo algunos de sus descubrimientos más grandes, entre ellos el de la tumba de Seti I, la más bonita del Valle de los Reyes, y el de la entrada al templo de Ramsés en Abu Simbel.