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The Fifth Floor

Factual: Life Stories

Global stories from the BBC’s 40 Language Services, with Faranak Amidi

Faranak Amidi presents global stories from the Fifth Floor, home to the BBC’s 40 Language Services.

Faranak Amidi presents global stories from the Fifth Floor, home to the BBC’s 40 Language Services

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The Fifth Floor: The Story of Mosul's Secret Tunnels

Assyrian carving of three women from tunnels under Mosul

07/12/2018 GMT

The Story of Mosul's Secret Tunnels

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, The Story of Mosul's Secret Tunnels

Hidden treasures and old exam papers in the tunnels under Mosul

Exploring Mosul's tunnels; Omar Victor Diop's African photographs; My Home Town Shovot; China's changing wedding lists; BBC She in Pakistan. With David Amanor.

In 2014 the so-called Islamic State blew up the Nabi Yunus mosque in Mosul, and tunneled under the remains of an ancient Assyrian palace for valuable artefacts.   When IS was expelled the tunnels were sealed off, but BBC Arabic cameraman Namak Khoshnaw, and journalist and former archaeologist Eli Melki, got permission to film inside them earlier this year.  What they found was amazing, although not everything went to plan.

Picturing Africa's forgotten history
BBC Afrique's Genevieve Sagno recently made a film about Omar Victor Diop, a well known Senegalese photographer.  He restages historical paintings of lesser known but notable African subjects to highlight Africa's contributions to world history, with himself as the model.   

My home town: Shovot
Candyfloss, dancing in the park, and a secret library: Ibrat Safo of BBC Uzbek takes us to his hometown in north-west Uzbekistan.  

From bicycles to sports cars
In December 1978, China opened up its economy to the world.  BBC Chinese journalist Suping charts the dramatic changes that followed by comparing wedding present lists over four decades. 

BBC She in Pakistan
Shumaila Jaffery of BBC Islamabad spoke to female university students from some of the most conservative places in Pakistan as part of the BBC She project to hear what women want the media to report. 

Image: Assyrian carving of three women
Credit: BBC

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