Sacred Wonders

At Angkor Wat in Cambodia, a man who believes the temples are home to his ancestral spirits risks his life to save them from the jungle. At al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, a young Muslim paramedic battles his own hunger and exhaustion to help other fasting worshippers during Ramadan. And at the Shaolin Temple in China, a Buddhist warrior monk faces a test that will change the course of his life forever. Discover just what people do for faith in some of the most stunning sacred places on Earth.

In Mali, a young Muslim helps to renovate Djenne’s Great Mosque, in the hope of earning a place in paradise. At the sacred Nachi waterfalls in Japan, a Shinto devotee undertakes a gruelling challenge to ensure the wellbeing of his country for another year. And at the Cathedral of St John the Divine in New York, an Anglican priest performs an astonishing ceremony to bring people, and their animals, closer to God.

When a miracle happens at the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, an orthodox Christian must deliver the holy flame into the hands of his bishop. In Nepal, at the Buddanath, a Buddhist painter battles the elements in honour of Buddha’s birthday. And in Lalish in Iraq a young Yazedi woman goes in search of salvation after being traumatised in the recent conflict. Discover what people do for faith in some of the most sacred places on the planet.