The Barrier of Fear: Portugal's Bermuda Triangle

Cape Bojador, The Barrier of Fear, was the end of the known world, beyond which was only superstition and, as the Portuguese explorers would soon discover, the footprints of unknown native peoples. This stunningly executed historical documentary-travelogue traces Portuguese seafaring exploration of the uncharted northwestern African coastline between 1415 and 1460.
The video--the first in a four-volume series--combines citations from original travel logs, rare maps and illustrations, architectural sites, interviews with historians, and vivid film footage shot both on land and at sea. Footage from both restored and modern vessels reveals areas of coastline that look the same now as they must have half a millennium ago. The video also contains spectacular inland footage of the different provisioning locales. In each of these, local historians describe the effects of Portuguese contact, tracing their communities' history from the first contact to the modern day. The result is a fascinating study of a critical era in maritime history and simultaneously an outstanding travelogue of Madeira and coastal Morocco, Western Sahara, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, and the Bijagos Islands.
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[@33Jenesis]

2 years ago I took my mother, aunt, and uncle all in their 80’s to spend 3 weeks in Portugal from north to south. It is a magical and down to earth country; so much to savor.

[@jokers7890]

did you even watch the video? this video is not about portugal and nobody cares about your trip.

[@robertmartins1712]

As someone with Portuguese heritage ( both my parents) and huge passion for history. My journey of learning history first started with the Portuguese Age of Exploration. This documentary and the ones that follow are the most precise and well told I have ever seen in English. Thank you so much for this.

[@koombaloomba]

Watched this fascinating series in 2000 on the Discovery channel and thought I would never see it again. What joy!!! Thanks for posting this series!

[@TRACKSTravelDocs]

So glad you enjoyed seeing it again! Thanks for watching! 🌍✨

[@phillippereira955]

Portugal the home of my family Viva Portugal

[@jokers7890]

did you even watch the video? this video is not about portugal ...what is wrong with you

[@oldschool8432]

The only regret I have in life is not traveling the world an see such beautiful places

[@WhuDhat]

Truly

[@gitanouruguayo7856]

what you'rewriting from the afterlife and can't travel?

[@Tippet76]

As long as you are alive and not bedridden it is still possible. It probably isn't as expensive to do as you may be thinking.

[@zequinha3423]

It's never too late...

[@abeltasman225]

Good informtv docomentry

[@manuelsilva6926]

When Portuguese discovered Madeira Islands, they didn t started to cultivate "Corn", because it didn t yet arrived to Europe from Americas, only after the first navigators on the new world brought it to Europe...

[@gitanouruguayo7856]

meu. meu. chega. in english corn means grain. any grain. grao meu grao. ok. relax meu chega

[@laurylnagode8888]

Just curious about the narrator of this series. Sounds like Michael Emerson from "Lost" and "Person of Interest." Anyone know?

[@br3menPT]

Portugal is far away of being a very dry country....Lisbon is rainier than London....There are some regions (Alentejo and Algarve) who actually are dry during the summer

[@antoniogeitoeira5439]

Dry e' a Mauritania, podemos mesmo chama-la da a'rida.

[@carlosvictor8679]

nostalgia :-)

[@carlosvictor8679]

old film,old trains,lol

[@MrJovision]

This video must be very old, Portugal is no longer like the one of the video...

[@SATMathReview1234]

Sad to see this beautiful culture receding into the past

[@MNBelgium]

The series was released in 1998 so true, Portugal has changed.

[@jokers7890]

did you even watch the video? this video is not about portugal

[@MNBelgium]

@@jokers7890 Well, we made the series in the late 90s, so yes, watched it several hundred times

[@anthonyalvarez2206]

Just asking is Portugal involve world war 1 and world war 2?

[@rabotnickaklasa]

Ww2 neutral country.

[@DiogoF.]

Portugal did not initially form part of the system of alliances involved in World War I and thus remained neutral at the start of the conflict in 1914. ... Approximately 12,000 Portuguese troops died during the course of World War I, including Africans who served in its armed forces in the colonial front. At the start of World War II in 1939, the Portuguese Government announced on 1 September that the 550-year-old Anglo-Portuguese Alliance remained intact, but since the British did not seek Portuguese assistance, Portugal was free to remain neutral in the war and would do so. 🇵🇹

[@gitanouruguayo7856]

@@rabotnickaklasa NOT NEUTRAL. played both sides. gave the british and americans bases, and also sold war material to the nazis. no to mention openly fascist. so no. not neutral

[@gitanouruguayo7856]

@alvarez yes absolutely involved and no not in a good way.

[@rabotnickaklasa]

@@gitanouruguayo7856 de facto neutral but behind the scenes total agreed with you.👋

[@antoniogeitoeira5439]

As suas conclusoes resumo nao sao exactas. Ma's, esta' de parabens. Ja' nem lembrava Gil Eanes!

[@aramaisbaghoumian863]

A good friend of mine name of Tom Hanks from the ports of Portugal he always told me the Armenian connection it’s within the seas!

[@aramaisbaghoumian863]

Please understand I had to do what I have to do to get something past for an ancient peoples from 120 years ago that represented the first Christians in the world. In fact the enormous Portuguese Spanish influence throughout the Americas how to be subsided for this to work! As you know as Armenians have traveled throughout all of the Americas all the way to Chile and indeed because we are coming from the Center of the World and we have worked for a certain amenity for our resolution to pass. For the resolution of the Armenians of the turn of the century could cause worldwide war from the First World War! Indeed we ask in humble account and we thank you indeed thoroughly we think all of Latin America for your help! Because of this factor within worldwide history a lot of things have changed . most of all it will change in a benefit for Latin America! personally Because of my own personal connections with Latin America I command all of you in disagreement in agreement in silence for that is the only way it would have ever been done!

[@aramaisbaghoumian863]

This resolution could have only been done in secret because of the ramifications as you know so well thank you for your understanding pass this on to your hierarchy for they secretly knew! Thank you from the Armenian peoples!

[@jayhuxley2559]

In the south was dry but in the north is wet as Ireland. Iberia was the only region that didnt suffer with the thousands of famines that were common in Europe. Portugal found the world because it was more developed than the rest of Europe.

[@ebybeehoney]

The explanation of why the Portuguese started maritime exploration, about 8 minutes in with the dry land, reminded me of why the Vikings went raiding... Small country with not england to support it's population.

[@gitanouruguayo7856]

ah but they did have england, dear. the treaty between britain and portugal is the oldest in the world still standing.

[@manuelsilva6926]

@@gitanouruguayo7856 but the treaty from Portugal and England, didn t helped Portuguese navigators in nothing...actually was a secret the lands they discovered...only late, we teach them to navigate

[@gitanouruguayo7856]

@@manuelsilva6926 o que meu?

[@zacharyhebert6423]

33:00 Shout out Europa Universalis

[@Iktius]

VASCO /+/

[@motajr1108]

Its an old movie nothing todo what is now

[@mrznjaci]

7:48 Greed?

[@manuelsilva6926]

thank you for explanation about Corn...allways learning

[@JoaoMartins-nb4tv]

Portugal is not dry is wrong to Say da just one region in south write!

[@MrJovision]

Dutch and British Indias Companies were who transformed slavery of Africans into a mighty industrial business nd yet they love to put that weight over Portugal, who wasnt who invented slavery, it exists since the beginning of mankind and in Africa was too much explored and culturally internal developed for many centuries and it was the Arabs who trafficked and defined all the African slaves ways, not only to North Africa but most of all to Asia! Why the British like to use Portugal as scapegoat for their mighty gigantic profitable slavery, racist business, that its har to say, afterall Britain was always the worst enemy of Portugal!

[@citizenscapital2458]

Dutch, British, Spain, Arabs, Catholic Church, Portugal were all equally involved and are all equally guilty. They owe repirations.

[@estranhokonsta]

@@citizenscapital2458 They owe reparations? To who? And who will give reparation to the Dutch, British, Spain, Arabs, Catholic Church, Portugal, etc to the damage they suffered in history? You are acting as if there are saints in the world. Worse you are acting as if you were one of them. That is what i call an absolute hypocrite.

[@citizenscapital2458]

@@estranhokonsta , ALL the countries you named, along with the catholic church, are thieves. Why should thieves be repaid for stolen property? Humanity will not be property re foundation until ALL of the named countries are finally solutioned.

[@Trecesolotienesdos]

Portugal created transatlantic slavery. Portugal created the enterprise which others followed and Portugal transported the most slaves from Africa.

[@joaosoares3861]

Not the all the africans? The egiptians, arabes, indians in Brasil? The canibalisme? The astecs, mexicans? Chinese, Japon? Deuth, Dinamarque? Franks, huns, germanics, romans? So it was all over the worls, and all the ancian time, no? Wy just acuse the portuguese? Stange bias, no?

[@gitanouruguayo7856]

delirios portugueses

[@chochola1209]

Imagine landing in a foreign land, abduction the locals and taking them thousands of miles away from their homes. Who are the savages now?

[@WhuDhat]

We are, us humans. The ones taken are no different than the ones taking

[@chochola1209]

@@WhuDhat really? I think you missed my point.

[@fredericovasconcelos5809]

You are cringe.

[@br3menPT]

poor darling....African leaders sold African slaves they were not taken from their hoem by europeans..you need to read about it

[@joaosoares3861]

Why not send a email? Or a watts up call, or video call? At list they didnt eat them, as the astecs, or the Indians, or polinesians? Just a nice ride to Europe? Not like today, no visa, no Europe!