Knights Templar

S1 E1: The Knights Templar defended the Holy Land through bloodshed and prayer. Founded in the 12th century these Christian warrior monks reigned supreme for nearly 200 years before suffering a spectacular fall from grace. Tried for heresy they were accused of practicing strange rituals such as spitting on the cross and worshipping a severed human head as well as perverse sexual acts. They were disbanded...and their Grand Master burned at the stake. Today books like the Da Vinci Code embellish the myth of the Templars...and claims persist that they were guardians of the most sacred object in Christendom - the Holy Grail. Behind the legend we search for the Lost World of the Templars. The program will recreate the city the Knights knew as Tortosa -- now hidden among modern homes in the Syrian city of Tartus. We will reveal the secrets of their headquarters at Temple Mount in Jerusalem, with their magnificent underground vaults that could stable 1000 horses. And we reveal the extraordinary circular church in London, England, built to resemble the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and the site of the Templars' mysterious initiation rites. We bring to life the hilltop fortress that Lawrence of Arabia called "the finest castle in the world": Krak des Chevaliers. We will also return to the walled Mediterranean island where the Templars made their last stand against Moslem enemies. Using cutting edge graphics, our team of experts will reveal for the first time in 800 years the Lost World of the Knights Templar.