1 00:00:02,781 --> 00:00:04,661 DR MICHAEL SCOTT: The world's ancient cities 2 00:00:04,701 --> 00:00:06,861 still contain many surprises 3 00:00:06,901 --> 00:00:08,301 and treasures 4 00:00:08,341 --> 00:00:11,141 hidden from view for centuries. 5 00:00:11,181 --> 00:00:14,181 Now, with the latest scanning technology, I'm going to reveal 6 00:00:14,221 --> 00:00:18,661 the secrets of three of the most fascinating cities on Earth. 7 00:00:19,821 --> 00:00:24,021 Cairo - the gateway to Egypt's ancient wonders. 8 00:00:26,781 --> 00:00:29,821 Athens - the birthplace of democracy. 9 00:00:30,861 --> 00:00:33,421 And, in this programme... 10 00:00:33,461 --> 00:00:38,021 ...Istanbul - the dramatic crossroads between Asia and Europe. 11 00:00:38,061 --> 00:00:41,261 For over 2,500 years, 12 00:00:41,301 --> 00:00:44,421 the East has met the West, here, in Istanbul, 13 00:00:44,461 --> 00:00:45,981 the strategic mid ground 14 00:00:46,021 --> 00:00:49,461 fought over by some of the world's mightiest empires. 15 00:00:50,981 --> 00:00:54,021 Romans, Christian crusaders and Muslim Turks 16 00:00:54,061 --> 00:00:56,181 all battled to control this place. 17 00:00:57,221 --> 00:01:00,821 It was once the biggest city on Earth... 18 00:01:00,861 --> 00:01:02,101 OK. 19 00:01:02,141 --> 00:01:05,101 ...but many of its ancient treasures are invisible... 20 00:01:05,141 --> 00:01:06,141 Oh! 21 00:01:06,181 --> 00:01:09,301 ...buried deep beneath the surface of the city. 22 00:01:09,341 --> 00:01:11,021 - I imagine rats. - GUIDE: Be careful. 23 00:01:11,061 --> 00:01:12,061 Whoa! 24 00:01:13,461 --> 00:01:18,341 I'll be working with our 3D scanning team to explore palaces... 25 00:01:18,381 --> 00:01:20,021 ...fortresses... 26 00:01:20,061 --> 00:01:21,301 ...and aqueducts. 27 00:01:22,901 --> 00:01:26,741 We'll uncover the forgotten Roman chariot track... 28 00:01:26,781 --> 00:01:28,421 - This was the track right here? - Yes. 29 00:01:28,461 --> 00:01:32,821 ...reveal the genius of the city's ancient engineers... 30 00:01:34,821 --> 00:01:35,821 Incredible. 31 00:01:35,861 --> 00:01:38,461 ...and explore a masterpiece of Islamic innovation. 32 00:01:40,061 --> 00:01:45,101 And I'll be using virtual reality to see the city in a totally new way. 33 00:01:45,141 --> 00:01:47,661 Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa! 34 00:01:49,701 --> 00:01:53,861 This is Istanbul as even the locals may never have seen it before. 35 00:01:55,061 --> 00:01:58,141 Welcome to invisible Istanbul. 36 00:02:09,421 --> 00:02:10,981 Istanbul... 37 00:02:13,621 --> 00:02:16,621 ...the bridge between two continents. 38 00:02:18,741 --> 00:02:23,301 And I'm arriving on the mighty waterway that put this city on the map. 39 00:02:28,701 --> 00:02:32,261 I'm on the Bosphorus, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. 40 00:02:32,301 --> 00:02:34,941 Behind me, to the north, is the Black Sea 41 00:02:34,981 --> 00:02:36,941 and in front of me is the Mediterranean. 42 00:02:36,981 --> 00:02:40,501 On my left is Asia and on my right, Europe. 43 00:02:40,541 --> 00:02:46,061 People coming and going from every point of the compass converge here. 44 00:02:46,101 --> 00:02:50,301 And straddling this waterway is the city of Istanbul. 45 00:02:52,661 --> 00:02:54,701 Istanbul's strategic position 46 00:02:54,741 --> 00:02:58,501 made it irresistible to the great powers of the ancient world. 47 00:02:59,741 --> 00:03:04,061 2,500 years ago, it was the Greek town of Byzantium. 48 00:03:05,581 --> 00:03:10,021 The Romans transformed it into the city of Constantinople. 49 00:03:10,061 --> 00:03:15,061 Then, in 1453, it became the Islamic city of Istanbul. 50 00:03:17,221 --> 00:03:20,981 As Napoleon put it, "If the world were a single state, 51 00:03:21,021 --> 00:03:23,861 "then this city would be its capital." 52 00:03:28,861 --> 00:03:31,581 Istanbul's tempestuous history 53 00:03:31,621 --> 00:03:35,301 has created one of the most vibrant cities on the planet. 54 00:03:36,661 --> 00:03:40,941 There's evidence of that turmoil all over the city. 55 00:03:45,821 --> 00:03:50,141 Even the city's most famous places have their battle scars. 56 00:03:52,941 --> 00:03:58,541 The Hagia Sophia, or Church of the Holy Wisdom of Christ, was built by the Romans. 57 00:04:00,061 --> 00:04:04,301 For hundreds of years, it was the biggest cathedral in the world. 58 00:04:11,861 --> 00:04:15,701 Modern buildings often only last for decades. 59 00:04:15,741 --> 00:04:21,621 I'm going to find out how the Hagia Sophia is still standing after 1,500 years. 60 00:04:38,861 --> 00:04:45,101 The height of this dome, the sense of air and space is just extraordinary. 61 00:04:45,141 --> 00:04:48,581 When it was built, in the sixth century AD, 62 00:04:48,621 --> 00:04:51,061 this was the tallest dome in the world - 63 00:04:51,101 --> 00:04:54,941 55 metres above my head. 64 00:04:54,981 --> 00:04:57,261 And the people of the time talked about the way 65 00:04:57,301 --> 00:05:00,981 that it seemed to reach for the very sky itself. 66 00:05:02,021 --> 00:05:06,581 This building dominated the landscape of sixth-century Constantinople 67 00:05:06,621 --> 00:05:09,501 and left its people in awe. 68 00:05:14,861 --> 00:05:18,901 Two previous versions of the Hagia Sophia were destroyed by fire. 69 00:05:20,461 --> 00:05:23,141 So the Emperor Justinian made this one 70 00:05:23,181 --> 00:05:27,101 into a massive statement of Roman power and endurance. 71 00:05:30,181 --> 00:05:34,581 The dome of the Hagia Sophia has faced earthquakes, riots 72 00:05:34,621 --> 00:05:37,181 sieges and conquest. 73 00:05:40,821 --> 00:05:44,421 Our scanning team, led by architect Matt Shore, 74 00:05:44,461 --> 00:05:46,581 is trying to find out how it survived. 75 00:05:47,621 --> 00:05:49,461 - Matt, good to see you. - Michael. 76 00:05:49,501 --> 00:05:50,781 How are you doing? 77 00:05:50,821 --> 00:05:52,621 - This is Tom. - Hi. Tom. Nice to see you. 78 00:05:52,661 --> 00:05:54,861 Great to see the scanner is already in action. 79 00:05:54,901 --> 00:05:56,421 Yep, we've been going all morning. 80 00:05:56,461 --> 00:05:59,781 So, are we going to be able to get an answer to the question, you know, 81 00:05:59,821 --> 00:06:03,301 that always strikes me here, which is - how is this building still standing? 82 00:06:03,341 --> 00:06:05,381 Yeah, I mean, that's the plan. 83 00:06:05,421 --> 00:06:08,261 So, the scanner is firing away over a million points a second. 84 00:06:08,301 --> 00:06:10,181 We're going to create a model of this entire space 85 00:06:10,221 --> 00:06:12,301 that has over a billion points in it. 86 00:06:12,341 --> 00:06:15,101 Wow! So, we're going to be able to visualise this whole thing, 87 00:06:15,141 --> 00:06:20,141 this enormous, enormous structure, and get... Maybe unravel the mysteries? 88 00:06:20,181 --> 00:06:22,781 - That's the plan, that's... - Well, we've been talking big. 89 00:06:22,821 --> 00:06:25,061 But if I can steal you away from Tom for a second if he's in charge... 90 00:06:25,101 --> 00:06:26,461 He looks like he's got it under control. 91 00:06:26,501 --> 00:06:27,901 I've got something small to show you 92 00:06:27,941 --> 00:06:30,141 which is my favourite thing in this entire place. 93 00:06:30,181 --> 00:06:31,301 OK. Let's go. 94 00:06:33,341 --> 00:06:37,181 After 1,500 years, the history of Justinian's cathedral 95 00:06:37,221 --> 00:06:39,221 has become entangled with legend. 96 00:06:40,261 --> 00:06:42,541 Justinian spared no expense on this building, right? 97 00:06:42,581 --> 00:06:45,181 He had stuff brought in from Africa, from Asia 98 00:06:45,221 --> 00:06:48,421 and, of course, across the Mediterranean, and these are his doors. 99 00:06:48,461 --> 00:06:50,501 These are the Emperor's doors, 100 00:06:50,541 --> 00:06:54,661 and the story goes that they're actually made from bits of Noah's Ark. 101 00:06:54,701 --> 00:06:55,701 OK. 102 00:06:55,741 --> 00:06:59,061 Yeah, but, I mean, what he wanted to be was the new Solomon... 103 00:06:59,101 --> 00:07:00,101 Yeah. 104 00:07:00,141 --> 00:07:01,661 ...and builder of the first temple of Jerusalem, 105 00:07:01,701 --> 00:07:03,861 and, supposedly, the story goes that when he walked into this place, 106 00:07:03,901 --> 00:07:05,661 when it was finished, he said, you know, 107 00:07:05,701 --> 00:07:08,021 "I have outdone thee, Solomon." 108 00:07:09,581 --> 00:07:10,741 But this is what I came to show you. 109 00:07:10,781 --> 00:07:12,501 - This is the important bit. - This hole? 110 00:07:12,541 --> 00:07:14,821 - This hole, right? - OK. 111 00:07:14,861 --> 00:07:17,581 And the story goes... These are the Emperor's doors. 112 00:07:17,621 --> 00:07:20,181 - This is where the guards stood. - OK. 113 00:07:20,221 --> 00:07:22,341 And these holes in the ground are... 114 00:07:22,381 --> 00:07:24,261 - Years of footsteps. - Years and years. 115 00:07:24,301 --> 00:07:28,181 Hours and hours of the guys standing here on guard. 116 00:07:28,221 --> 00:07:32,701 So, if you want to be kind of in the shoes of the people from the past, right? 117 00:07:32,741 --> 00:07:35,261 You can't get much better than a place like this. 118 00:07:35,301 --> 00:07:38,101 It kind of reminds me of the pacing round the scanner that we do. 119 00:07:38,141 --> 00:07:40,541 - Our little circles, around and around. - (MICHAEL LAUGHS) 120 00:07:40,581 --> 00:07:42,741 On that note, I probably should let you get back to it, right? 121 00:07:42,781 --> 00:07:43,781 I probably should. 122 00:07:43,821 --> 00:07:45,741 - I'm going to head off this way. - Thank you for sharing. 123 00:07:45,781 --> 00:07:47,341 - Good to see you. - Good luck. 124 00:07:56,461 --> 00:07:59,901 In the 15th century, the Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque 125 00:07:59,941 --> 00:08:02,541 and, later, these minarets were added. 126 00:08:02,581 --> 00:08:04,381 (BIRDS SQUAWK) 127 00:08:04,421 --> 00:08:08,061 It was a church for just over 900 years, 128 00:08:08,101 --> 00:08:10,501 and it was a mosque for just under 500, 129 00:08:10,541 --> 00:08:13,621 and now, it's been a museum for just over 80. 130 00:08:15,021 --> 00:08:18,661 Its strategic position between Europe and Asia has placed it 131 00:08:18,701 --> 00:08:21,741 at the centre of a religious and political tug-of-war 132 00:08:21,781 --> 00:08:24,341 that continues to this day. 133 00:08:24,381 --> 00:08:28,301 The Hagia Sophia embodies the city's turbulent history. 134 00:08:30,061 --> 00:08:33,821 Istanbul will always be pulled between East and West, 135 00:08:33,861 --> 00:08:36,461 it will always have to make a choice 136 00:08:36,501 --> 00:08:39,781 as a result of geopolitics and internal change. 137 00:08:43,581 --> 00:08:48,101 To get evidence of how history has changed the city, 138 00:08:48,141 --> 00:08:51,141 Matt and his team are going to create a 3D map 139 00:08:51,181 --> 00:08:53,501 of the heart of Istanbul. 140 00:08:53,541 --> 00:08:56,621 MATT: We're going to employ a process called photogrammetry. 141 00:08:58,021 --> 00:09:00,701 Taking thousands and thousands of individual photographs... 142 00:09:02,341 --> 00:09:05,541 ...and we pump all of those images in and use very clever algorithms. 143 00:09:05,581 --> 00:09:09,501 Then, we're able to compute a really, really accurate 3D model of Istanbul. 144 00:09:10,981 --> 00:09:14,701 MICHAEL: The model will show us a city built, destroyed and transformed 145 00:09:14,741 --> 00:09:17,741 over the last two millennia. 146 00:09:19,661 --> 00:09:23,341 And by scanning the Hagia Sophia inside and out, 147 00:09:23,381 --> 00:09:27,301 we'll discover how it, too, has survived against the odds. 148 00:09:30,181 --> 00:09:32,741 And the first scans are coming in now. 149 00:09:35,341 --> 00:09:36,741 Matt, how are you doing? 150 00:09:36,781 --> 00:09:38,341 How are you doing, Michael? Good to see you. 151 00:09:38,381 --> 00:09:40,981 Can't wait to see Istanbul in all her glory. There she is! 152 00:09:41,021 --> 00:09:42,381 - And there we go. - (WHISPERS) Wow! 153 00:09:42,421 --> 00:09:46,421 - So, this is our photogrammetry model. - Wow! 154 00:09:46,461 --> 00:09:47,661 Unbelievable. 155 00:09:47,701 --> 00:09:50,661 And at the very centre of all of that, as well - Hagia Sophia. 156 00:09:50,701 --> 00:09:52,301 And there it is. 157 00:09:52,341 --> 00:09:56,701 And the really interesting stuff comes when we get ourselves in... 158 00:09:56,741 --> 00:09:59,741 (MICHAEL LAUGHS) We just went inside the building! 159 00:09:59,781 --> 00:10:02,821 Now that's something... I mean, you can't do that in real life, can you? 160 00:10:02,861 --> 00:10:05,261 You can't fly through a wall whenever you fancy it. 161 00:10:05,301 --> 00:10:06,701 Just incredible. 162 00:10:06,741 --> 00:10:09,461 But what do you think the scans have been able to reveal 163 00:10:09,501 --> 00:10:12,501 that we couldn't possibly have known when we were there? 164 00:10:12,541 --> 00:10:16,181 Well, I mean, even inside the scans, your eye is always drawn up to the dome here. 165 00:10:16,221 --> 00:10:18,621 And if we start to navigate our way up there, actually, 166 00:10:18,661 --> 00:10:22,741 immediately, we start to see some slightly strange inconsistencies. 167 00:10:22,781 --> 00:10:25,181 So, the dome is not circular any more. 168 00:10:25,221 --> 00:10:27,741 You get these lumps and bumps in, and what that is, 169 00:10:27,781 --> 00:10:30,701 we're seeing the effects of earthquakes over the years. 170 00:10:30,741 --> 00:10:33,261 But, I mean, it looks as clear as day on that scan, 171 00:10:33,301 --> 00:10:35,701 that there's a big bump area at the top and at the bottom, 172 00:10:35,741 --> 00:10:38,981 but that wasn't visible to us at all in... when we were there in reality. 173 00:10:39,021 --> 00:10:42,421 No, I think it's not filling in any of the gaps that you do with your eye 174 00:10:42,461 --> 00:10:45,261 and, actually, this gets more revealing 175 00:10:45,301 --> 00:10:49,341 when we start to take ourselves outside, and just skim the building here. 176 00:10:51,621 --> 00:10:56,181 So what we're left with here, is just the inner skin of the dome, 177 00:10:56,221 --> 00:10:58,821 and check out some of these lumps and bumps. 178 00:10:58,861 --> 00:11:00,621 Yeah, and they're not just flaws, as well, 179 00:11:00,661 --> 00:11:02,021 I mean, there's an amazing amount 180 00:11:02,061 --> 00:11:04,741 of ingenuity and solution that's on display here as well. 181 00:11:04,781 --> 00:11:08,061 So, you're faced with these incredible situations, 182 00:11:08,101 --> 00:11:10,541 earthquakes trying to pull this building apart. 183 00:11:10,581 --> 00:11:14,781 So, 26 years after it was first constructed, the dome collapsed. 184 00:11:14,821 --> 00:11:17,101 One of the first techniques that was used to... 185 00:11:17,141 --> 00:11:20,061 ...when they rebuilt this dome was the series of ribs 186 00:11:20,101 --> 00:11:21,581 that you can see here, 187 00:11:21,621 --> 00:11:25,141 taking the weight down to this circular beam. 188 00:11:26,421 --> 00:11:29,861 And then these crucial triangular structural pieces. 189 00:11:29,901 --> 00:11:32,181 These are called pendentives. 190 00:11:32,221 --> 00:11:37,141 And these transfer the weight from the circle at the bottom of the dome 191 00:11:37,181 --> 00:11:38,421 to four points, 192 00:11:38,461 --> 00:11:43,301 and they turn this structure from a spherical structure 193 00:11:43,341 --> 00:11:45,341 into a square structure. 194 00:11:45,381 --> 00:11:49,861 So, they take that load in four positions down to the ground here. 195 00:11:53,501 --> 00:11:56,621 And when you're there, in the building, you don't 196 00:11:56,661 --> 00:11:59,101 think about any of that, cos your eye is completely taken 197 00:11:59,141 --> 00:12:00,861 to the beautiful angels. 198 00:12:00,901 --> 00:12:04,901 It feels like the angels are literally holding up...heaven, aren't they? 199 00:12:04,941 --> 00:12:06,341 - They're holding up the roof. - Yeah. 200 00:12:06,381 --> 00:12:11,221 And if I actually just pull us back outside the building here, 201 00:12:11,261 --> 00:12:12,901 I can actually slice this building up. 202 00:12:12,941 --> 00:12:14,301 So, we have our dome here. 203 00:12:14,341 --> 00:12:17,581 We also have these two big half domes on the side here, 204 00:12:17,621 --> 00:12:21,141 and what that does is expand that space out. 205 00:12:21,181 --> 00:12:24,141 So, when you walk inside, you really feel this enormous volume. 206 00:12:24,181 --> 00:12:27,741 But even these clever structural systems weren't quite enough. 207 00:12:27,781 --> 00:12:34,101 So over the years, a series of buttresses have been added to every side. 208 00:12:34,141 --> 00:12:35,901 And they're holding it all together, right? 209 00:12:35,941 --> 00:12:38,141 Yeah. They're stopping things from splaying out. 210 00:12:38,181 --> 00:12:40,901 MICHAEL: Our scans can also give us a better idea 211 00:12:40,941 --> 00:12:42,821 of what the building looked like 212 00:12:42,861 --> 00:12:47,221 before the minarets were added in the 15th and 16th centuries. 213 00:12:48,661 --> 00:12:52,221 I mean, that makes this scanning such a fantastic tool, doesn't it, 214 00:12:52,261 --> 00:12:55,501 for historians, or architects, or engineers? 215 00:12:55,541 --> 00:12:59,301 It's giving you the life story of this building, 216 00:12:59,341 --> 00:13:01,421 with all the lumps and bumps 217 00:13:01,461 --> 00:13:02,941 and wrinkles that that brings. 218 00:13:09,021 --> 00:13:14,381 The Roman city of Constantinople was named after its founding emperor, Constantine, 219 00:13:14,421 --> 00:13:18,021 and the Hagia Sophia was its spiritual heart. 220 00:13:20,341 --> 00:13:22,501 The Emperor's seat of earthly power 221 00:13:22,541 --> 00:13:25,221 was built right next to the cathedral. 222 00:13:25,261 --> 00:13:30,061 The Great Palace - a vast, luxury complex in the heart of the city. 223 00:13:32,021 --> 00:13:37,181 This was home to Rome's Byzantine emperors for nearly 700 years. 224 00:13:45,021 --> 00:13:49,301 Today, people drive past the old palace walls without a second thought. 225 00:13:52,221 --> 00:13:55,941 But they were once one of Constantinople's glories. 226 00:13:58,141 --> 00:14:03,141 This, well, rather romantic ruin is the Palace of Boukoleon 227 00:14:03,181 --> 00:14:07,341 and it was part of the great complex of palaces here in Istanbul. 228 00:14:07,381 --> 00:14:11,141 And when it was built in the fifth century, the sea came right up here. 229 00:14:11,181 --> 00:14:13,461 So this was the summer residence, 230 00:14:13,501 --> 00:14:18,021 the seaside annexe, if you will, of the imperial family. 231 00:14:18,061 --> 00:14:20,821 And when it was built, they said that 232 00:14:20,861 --> 00:14:24,861 it was designed to evoke the admiration both of strangers 233 00:14:24,901 --> 00:14:27,541 and of their own subjects, and... I can buy that. 234 00:14:27,581 --> 00:14:32,381 This place had 500 rooms, all with gold mosaics. 235 00:14:32,421 --> 00:14:34,381 I'd be pretty gobsmacked. 236 00:14:34,421 --> 00:14:36,021 And yet, today... 237 00:14:36,061 --> 00:14:37,261 Well... 238 00:14:37,301 --> 00:14:39,821 ...that is the best bit that's left. 239 00:14:45,061 --> 00:14:49,141 I've been told I can find a way into the Boukoleon Palace through here. 240 00:14:51,701 --> 00:14:54,821 This feels like something entirely sort of dystopian. 241 00:14:54,861 --> 00:14:57,061 - There's a train line over here... - (TRAIN HORN HOOTS) 242 00:14:57,101 --> 00:14:58,621 ...I'm in somebody's garden... 243 00:15:00,261 --> 00:15:01,781 ...and here... 244 00:15:05,861 --> 00:15:07,181 ...we're back in the palace! 245 00:15:09,061 --> 00:15:13,461 This is... It's like nature has completely taken over this world. 246 00:15:13,501 --> 00:15:16,901 But we have to imagine what this place would have been like in its glory. 247 00:15:16,941 --> 00:15:22,701 This, a grand, echoing state room with marble mosaics - 248 00:15:22,741 --> 00:15:26,741 the treasures and statues beyond measure. 249 00:15:26,781 --> 00:15:30,101 And gorgeous, huge windows looking out to sea. 250 00:15:32,461 --> 00:15:35,181 It must've been quite a sight to behold. 251 00:15:46,061 --> 00:15:48,781 Our graphic gives us an idea of the grandeur 252 00:15:48,821 --> 00:15:51,021 of this magnificent building - 253 00:15:51,061 --> 00:15:54,781 just one part of the Great Palace complex. 254 00:16:04,341 --> 00:16:08,261 Everywhere you go in this part of Istanbul, you stumble upon the remains 255 00:16:08,301 --> 00:16:09,861 of the Great Palace. 256 00:16:09,901 --> 00:16:11,661 (THEY CHAT) 257 00:16:11,701 --> 00:16:15,901 Ferudun Özgümüs, professor of art history at Istanbul University, 258 00:16:15,941 --> 00:16:18,621 is taking me to see one of the most recent discoveries. 259 00:16:18,661 --> 00:16:20,701 But there are some examples of some of the old... 260 00:16:20,741 --> 00:16:23,741 I want to show you under this building in the carpet shop. 261 00:16:23,781 --> 00:16:24,821 In the carpet shop? 262 00:16:24,861 --> 00:16:26,781 - In the carpet shop, yes. - OK. 263 00:16:26,821 --> 00:16:28,741 There was an old building stood here once... 264 00:16:28,781 --> 00:16:29,781 Uh-huh. 265 00:16:29,821 --> 00:16:33,381 ...and when they demolished the old building in 2002, 266 00:16:33,421 --> 00:16:35,501 they unearthed, I don't know, by coincidence, 267 00:16:35,541 --> 00:16:38,341 one of the major discoveries of our work in Istanbul. 268 00:16:38,381 --> 00:16:40,661 Oh, OK. Down the basement. OK. 269 00:16:42,941 --> 00:16:45,101 - We've been through the carpet shop... - Yes. 270 00:16:45,141 --> 00:16:47,341 - ...and now... - And now a travel agency. 271 00:16:47,381 --> 00:16:50,781 (LAUGHING) Now a travel agency! OK! 272 00:16:50,821 --> 00:16:53,261 - And now for the kitchen section. - The kitchen, OK. Right. 273 00:16:53,301 --> 00:16:56,021 And now from the kitchen section, we're going deeper. 274 00:16:56,061 --> 00:16:58,701 OK. It feels like a weirdly domesticated 275 00:16:58,741 --> 00:17:00,901 Journey to the Centre of the Earth right now. 276 00:17:00,941 --> 00:17:02,261 Exactly. 277 00:17:02,301 --> 00:17:04,461 But I'm going to show you something very interesting. 278 00:17:04,501 --> 00:17:05,501 Ooh! 279 00:17:05,541 --> 00:17:08,661 Going down, deeper and deeper, and I want to show you... 280 00:17:08,701 --> 00:17:09,981 What's this? 281 00:17:10,021 --> 00:17:12,381 That's a very interesting mosaic floor. 282 00:17:12,421 --> 00:17:13,941 Came to light 2002. 283 00:17:15,061 --> 00:17:17,861 It was a part of a church, and the church itself was a part 284 00:17:17,901 --> 00:17:20,261 of the Great Palace of Constantine the Great. 285 00:17:22,621 --> 00:17:25,821 Our 3D map shows the position of today's carpet shop 286 00:17:25,861 --> 00:17:28,701 inside the walls of the Great Palace. 287 00:17:30,821 --> 00:17:33,421 This must have been an exquisite church. 288 00:17:35,021 --> 00:17:37,661 This is from the late seventh century - mosaic floor... 289 00:17:37,701 --> 00:17:39,941 And it's beautiful. What stunning condition! 290 00:17:39,981 --> 00:17:42,341 And not only this one, and we have something special 291 00:17:42,381 --> 00:17:46,461 that all Eastern Orthodox Churches have, which is deeper... 292 00:17:46,501 --> 00:17:48,661 - Deeper? We can go down deeper? - Yes, exactly. 293 00:17:48,701 --> 00:17:49,701 I mean, literally, 294 00:17:49,741 --> 00:17:53,341 we're going down through the layers of the past here, aren't we? Lead on! 295 00:17:53,381 --> 00:17:55,701 (DOOR RUMBLES) 296 00:17:57,181 --> 00:17:59,221 - So, we're going down. - Deeper. 297 00:17:59,261 --> 00:18:00,581 Oh, my Lord! 298 00:18:00,621 --> 00:18:02,261 (MICHAEL WHISPERS) Oh! 299 00:18:02,301 --> 00:18:05,781 So, we're underneath the seventh-century Byzantine church floor? 300 00:18:05,821 --> 00:18:06,901 Yes. 301 00:18:07,941 --> 00:18:09,461 (MICHAEL WHISPERS) Wow, what a space! 302 00:18:09,501 --> 00:18:12,661 And what I want to show you particularly is... 303 00:18:14,261 --> 00:18:16,101 So, this is what we've come all this way for? 304 00:18:16,141 --> 00:18:17,541 - Yes. - Uh! 305 00:18:17,581 --> 00:18:19,981 So, this is a, what, a freshwater spring? 306 00:18:20,021 --> 00:18:24,421 And that's Byzantine, and Byzantine springs are very rare in Istanbul. 307 00:18:24,461 --> 00:18:26,181 And that water looks so clear! 308 00:18:27,221 --> 00:18:29,061 And what's this? We've got an image here... 309 00:19:02,781 --> 00:19:06,581 How extraordinary. I mean, this makes this a very valuable... 310 00:19:19,501 --> 00:19:23,381 Our scan shows nearly nine metres of layered history 311 00:19:23,421 --> 00:19:26,541 from the ancient spring up through the Great Palace 312 00:19:26,581 --> 00:19:28,861 to the carpet shop in the modern city. 313 00:19:44,221 --> 00:19:47,061 (MAN SPEAKS IN TURKISH) 314 00:19:47,101 --> 00:19:48,301 Can I have one? 315 00:19:49,381 --> 00:19:50,381 Thank you. 316 00:19:50,421 --> 00:19:53,581 The Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire here 317 00:19:53,621 --> 00:19:55,021 in the fourth century. 318 00:19:55,061 --> 00:19:56,301 Yes! 319 00:19:56,341 --> 00:19:59,821 And he wanted to make a city to outshine Rome. 320 00:20:02,621 --> 00:20:07,741 He went on a building spree - churches, palaces, public baths and a library. 321 00:20:11,381 --> 00:20:15,021 And within a century the population soared... 322 00:20:16,181 --> 00:20:19,021 ...from 20,000 to 200,000. 323 00:20:25,141 --> 00:20:28,901 The Romans were brilliant at creating public places 324 00:20:28,941 --> 00:20:31,741 where the whole city could come together, 325 00:20:31,781 --> 00:20:33,741 everyone from the Emperor downwards. 326 00:20:33,781 --> 00:20:36,261 Think...the Colosseum in Rome. 327 00:20:36,301 --> 00:20:40,501 And here, in Constantinople, that place was the Hippodrome, 328 00:20:40,541 --> 00:20:42,461 the chariot-racing track. 329 00:20:42,501 --> 00:20:46,181 And I've come to meet someone who knows this place inside out. 330 00:20:47,141 --> 00:20:49,061 - Kerim? - Hi, Michael. 331 00:20:49,101 --> 00:20:51,181 (KERIM SPEAKS IN TURKISH) 332 00:20:51,221 --> 00:20:54,381 Shall we explore? I can't wait to find out more about this. 333 00:20:54,421 --> 00:20:55,661 KERIM: It's my pleasure. 334 00:20:57,621 --> 00:21:01,461 Only these walls remain but there's enough to see how impressive 335 00:21:01,501 --> 00:21:03,861 the Hippodrome must have been. 336 00:21:03,901 --> 00:21:05,061 Where are we now? 337 00:21:05,101 --> 00:21:08,381 We are now in front of the monumental façade 338 00:21:08,421 --> 00:21:11,141 of the Hippodrome's curved end, 339 00:21:11,181 --> 00:21:12,821 - called Sphendone. - Ah. 340 00:21:12,861 --> 00:21:16,261 Would there have been entrances this end? 341 00:21:16,301 --> 00:21:17,701 Yeah. Here, look. 342 00:21:17,741 --> 00:21:22,181 You can here see the... the vaulted archways 343 00:21:22,221 --> 00:21:24,541 forming the entrances and exits. 344 00:21:25,821 --> 00:21:27,221 Now walled up. 345 00:21:32,781 --> 00:21:36,661 The Hippodrome once dominated ancient Constantinople. 346 00:21:38,421 --> 00:21:40,901 This was the social centre of the city... 347 00:21:42,101 --> 00:21:45,821 ...holding twice as many spectators as Rome's Colosseum... 348 00:21:46,861 --> 00:21:49,661 ...and even more than today's Wembley Stadium. 349 00:21:52,261 --> 00:21:54,741 But little remains of the racetrack. 350 00:21:57,061 --> 00:22:01,421 Can we get a sense of what this place would have been like on race day? 351 00:22:01,461 --> 00:22:03,541 Where would the spectators have been sitting? 352 00:22:03,581 --> 00:22:05,661 Where would the chariots have been racing? 353 00:22:05,701 --> 00:22:08,701 So, we can estimate that... 354 00:22:08,741 --> 00:22:11,581 ...the road running around today's square 355 00:22:11,621 --> 00:22:15,501 was almost perfectly following the line of chariot-racing track. 356 00:22:15,541 --> 00:22:17,301 - This was the track right here? - Yes. 357 00:22:17,341 --> 00:22:20,981 So we have to imagine the chariots coming right at us now at full pelt! 358 00:22:22,061 --> 00:22:23,981 - Let's move out of the way, quickly. - It's fantastic... 359 00:22:24,021 --> 00:22:26,901 But that sense of, what, up to 100,000 people, something like that, 360 00:22:26,941 --> 00:22:28,621 - chanting, screaming... - Yes, you're right. 361 00:22:28,661 --> 00:22:30,461 ...kind of all cheering on their teams. 362 00:22:30,501 --> 00:22:32,261 - Yes. - Wow. 363 00:22:32,301 --> 00:22:34,781 What a place! And the Emperor watching over it all, huh? 364 00:22:34,821 --> 00:22:36,461 Yeah, he was. 365 00:22:36,501 --> 00:22:39,701 And I've got something else to show you in the underground. 366 00:22:41,621 --> 00:22:43,701 So, Kerim, where are we going? 367 00:22:43,741 --> 00:22:49,301 Yeah, you will see the substructure of the Hippodrome, Michael. 368 00:22:49,341 --> 00:22:51,781 - We're going in here? - Yes. 369 00:22:51,821 --> 00:22:54,581 I guess this is a place the public don't get very often, right? 370 00:22:54,621 --> 00:22:55,781 No. 371 00:22:55,821 --> 00:22:57,581 Come. Follow me. 372 00:22:57,621 --> 00:22:58,621 OK. 373 00:23:02,301 --> 00:23:06,741 Now I see why you told us to bring torches. 374 00:23:06,781 --> 00:23:09,541 - Yeah. - Wow. What a space! 375 00:23:09,581 --> 00:23:10,781 What do you think? 376 00:23:10,821 --> 00:23:13,141 Amazing. Where are we? 377 00:23:13,181 --> 00:23:15,181 This is the substructure of the seating. 378 00:23:15,221 --> 00:23:18,261 So underneath all those spectators cheering away? 379 00:23:18,301 --> 00:23:19,421 Yes, exactly. 380 00:23:19,461 --> 00:23:23,381 And there's tunnels - you can go this way. There's tunnels that way. 381 00:23:23,421 --> 00:23:25,661 My God, it's a rabbit warren down here. 382 00:23:25,701 --> 00:23:29,221 - Yeah, you'd better follow me. - OK. I'll definitely follow you. 383 00:23:29,261 --> 00:23:32,461 I guess we have to imagine people were getting to their seats, 384 00:23:32,501 --> 00:23:33,621 - all the services.... - Yes. 385 00:23:33,661 --> 00:23:36,021 What else happened down here, do you think? 386 00:23:36,061 --> 00:23:40,661 There's also a story about this concealed space used as a prison or for... 387 00:23:40,701 --> 00:23:42,981 - ...for the execution. - Wow. 388 00:23:43,021 --> 00:23:48,261 For instance, we know from the sources, Justinian II was tortured 389 00:23:48,301 --> 00:23:51,261 by his rebellious subjects in the seventh century. 390 00:23:51,301 --> 00:23:52,901 It happened probably here. 391 00:23:52,941 --> 00:23:58,861 To repay his despotic rule, they sliced off his nose and cut out his tongue. 392 00:23:58,901 --> 00:24:01,661 And after banishing for ten years, he returned. 393 00:24:01,701 --> 00:24:03,141 MICHAEL: He returned? 394 00:24:03,181 --> 00:24:06,821 KERIM: Having to hide behind a solid golden mask replacing his nose, 395 00:24:06,861 --> 00:24:11,941 he continued ruling over the population until his own army turned on him. 396 00:24:11,981 --> 00:24:16,621 This time, they cut off his head to make sure that he wouldn't come back. 397 00:24:16,661 --> 00:24:17,781 MICHAEL: Amazing. 398 00:24:19,581 --> 00:24:22,661 And what's through here? My God, you can go... 399 00:24:23,701 --> 00:24:26,221 There's tunnels, there's ways here, here... 400 00:24:27,541 --> 00:24:29,741 There's a doorway here, Kerim? What's...? 401 00:24:29,781 --> 00:24:31,181 Yeah. See it yourself. 402 00:24:31,221 --> 00:24:33,301 - Through here. - Go on, go ahead. 403 00:24:33,341 --> 00:24:34,941 I'll go ahead, shall I? OK. 404 00:24:38,741 --> 00:24:40,101 Wow! OK. 405 00:24:42,261 --> 00:24:44,301 Er...Kerim? 406 00:24:44,341 --> 00:24:47,221 I think we're going to need a lot more gear. 407 00:24:48,861 --> 00:24:50,221 (GRUNTS) 408 00:25:00,461 --> 00:25:02,061 Well, don't I feel good? 409 00:25:03,181 --> 00:25:06,341 To be honest, I feel like a trussed-up chicken but... 410 00:25:06,381 --> 00:25:08,861 I think I'm ready. Kerim? 411 00:25:08,901 --> 00:25:11,261 - OK, let's go. - OK, let's do this. 412 00:25:14,221 --> 00:25:18,181 Kerim is going to show me how the Hippodrome was cleverly adapted 413 00:25:18,221 --> 00:25:20,541 to help the city survive. 414 00:25:21,741 --> 00:25:23,661 I clip on... 415 00:25:30,981 --> 00:25:33,621 (SPLASHING) 416 00:25:33,661 --> 00:25:34,981 Is it cold? 417 00:25:36,261 --> 00:25:39,101 - Oh! OK. - Be careful. 418 00:25:39,141 --> 00:25:41,461 OK. Yes, the steps are slippy. 419 00:25:41,501 --> 00:25:44,781 It feels like there's quite a few rocks under our feet but... 420 00:25:44,821 --> 00:25:47,461 (TAPPING) 421 00:25:47,501 --> 00:25:49,661 Wow, this place is huge! 422 00:25:49,701 --> 00:25:51,101 KERIM: Yes. 423 00:25:51,141 --> 00:25:52,181 MICHAEL: It's extraordinary. 424 00:25:52,221 --> 00:25:55,261 But how are we suddenly in such an enormous space? 425 00:25:55,301 --> 00:26:00,701 KERIM: Yeah, because this vaulted chamber was converted into a cistern. 426 00:26:00,741 --> 00:26:03,741 Probably in the sixth century. 427 00:26:03,781 --> 00:26:07,101 So they completely just repurposed this entire... 428 00:26:07,141 --> 00:26:09,541 - Yes, exactly. - ...area? Wow. 429 00:26:11,381 --> 00:26:13,621 The city is surrounded by the sea, 430 00:26:13,661 --> 00:26:16,941 but it has very few sources of fresh water. 431 00:26:16,981 --> 00:26:19,301 Saving every drop was essential. 432 00:26:20,941 --> 00:26:24,421 So the Romans transformed the Hippodrome's passageways 433 00:26:24,461 --> 00:26:26,981 into this massive reservoir. 434 00:26:27,021 --> 00:26:31,181 This vaulted space alone could hold ten million litres 435 00:26:31,221 --> 00:26:34,421 to save the city in times of siege or drought. 436 00:26:36,581 --> 00:26:40,701 And all thanks to the Roman invention of waterproof cement. 437 00:26:41,701 --> 00:26:45,061 KERIM: This is the hydraulic plaster, the waterproof plaster. 438 00:26:45,101 --> 00:26:47,661 MICHAEL: It's good plaster! It's still here. 439 00:26:47,701 --> 00:26:49,061 KERIM: Yeah. 440 00:26:49,101 --> 00:26:50,381 MICHAEL: Amazing. 441 00:26:50,421 --> 00:26:55,541 How full do you think this place could have been of water 442 00:26:55,581 --> 00:26:57,421 when it was in use? 443 00:26:57,461 --> 00:27:03,221 So the levels of the hydraulic plaster here might indicate 444 00:27:03,261 --> 00:27:05,501 the maximum storage level for us. 445 00:27:05,541 --> 00:27:08,261 MICHAEL: So, I mean, this place could have been absolutely full of water 446 00:27:08,301 --> 00:27:09,541 right to the top? 447 00:27:09,541 --> 00:27:13,341 KERIM: It is possible, yes, and probably connected with the water supply lines 448 00:27:13,381 --> 00:27:14,421 of the city. 449 00:27:15,501 --> 00:27:21,661 This was one of the large cisterns of Constantinople. 450 00:27:21,701 --> 00:27:24,141 - This was one of the largest? - Yeah. 451 00:27:24,181 --> 00:27:30,461 Actually we have...more than 200 cisterns identified. 452 00:27:30,501 --> 00:27:34,061 These water tanks came in all shapes and sizes. 453 00:27:34,101 --> 00:27:39,461 Tiny ones for single families, and massive ones like this for whole neighbourhoods. 454 00:27:41,781 --> 00:27:44,341 MICHAEL: And so where would the water here have been going? 455 00:27:44,381 --> 00:27:49,301 KERIM: This area was the Great Palace of Constantinople. 456 00:27:49,341 --> 00:27:51,781 So this was used by the Great Palace. 457 00:27:53,821 --> 00:27:57,941 We can keep going till that wall, till it blocks our way. 458 00:27:57,981 --> 00:28:02,261 So we cannot continue any further. But the cistern continues that way. 459 00:28:02,301 --> 00:28:04,141 MICHAEL: Oh, I see. So the wall goes halfway up, 460 00:28:04,181 --> 00:28:07,101 but actually this chamber continues around on the... 461 00:28:07,141 --> 00:28:09,661 - KERIM: It continues, yes. - MICHAEL: ...on the other side. 462 00:28:09,701 --> 00:28:14,941 So, Kerim, what's this channel here going curving off to the right? 463 00:28:14,981 --> 00:28:16,261 KERIM: This might indicate 464 00:28:16,301 --> 00:28:22,461 the connection between an Ottoman fountain built in front of the façade. 465 00:28:22,501 --> 00:28:25,221 So, it was built in the 16th century. 466 00:28:25,261 --> 00:28:28,621 Then we can say that the cistern stayed in use 467 00:28:28,661 --> 00:28:31,981 at least for 1,000 years after the sixth century. 468 00:28:32,021 --> 00:28:35,261 So it's converted in... The Hippodrome's been here since, 469 00:28:35,301 --> 00:28:38,181 well, since the first centuries AD in different forms, 470 00:28:38,221 --> 00:28:40,701 converted into a cistern in the sixth century... 471 00:28:40,741 --> 00:28:41,741 Yes. 472 00:28:41,781 --> 00:28:45,421 ...and still being used as a cistern at least in the 16th century? 473 00:28:45,461 --> 00:28:46,581 Exactly. Yes. 474 00:28:46,621 --> 00:28:50,701 A thousand years here of water just kind of around us. 475 00:28:50,741 --> 00:28:56,941 So it's also proves the continuous needs of stored water in the city. 476 00:28:56,981 --> 00:28:59,181 Thank you. Thank you for showing it to me. 477 00:28:59,221 --> 00:29:00,701 You're very welcome, Michael. 478 00:29:01,861 --> 00:29:03,141 Let's go back. 479 00:29:07,061 --> 00:29:10,781 As the scan team goes to work inside the Hippodrome, 480 00:29:10,821 --> 00:29:13,221 Tom also finds it hard going. 481 00:29:13,261 --> 00:29:16,341 TOM: We're obviously carrying some extremely expensive equipment. 482 00:29:16,381 --> 00:29:19,621 The last thing we wanted to do was fall into that stagnant water 483 00:29:19,661 --> 00:29:22,501 that's clearly stood there for years. 484 00:29:22,541 --> 00:29:26,021 You do kind of worry about what wildlife could be under your feet. 485 00:29:26,061 --> 00:29:29,701 Rats. Dead birds. Guano all over everything. 486 00:29:32,821 --> 00:29:36,901 MICHAEL: Our scans show how a structure built for entertainment was transformed 487 00:29:36,941 --> 00:29:38,861 into a life-saving reservoir. 488 00:29:42,301 --> 00:29:44,741 Now it's largely forgotten... 489 00:29:44,781 --> 00:29:47,941 ...except by those who know invisible Istanbul. 490 00:29:56,061 --> 00:30:01,101 With a rapidly growing population, improvised water storage wasn't enough. 491 00:30:02,141 --> 00:30:05,661 Constantinople used Roman engineering genius 492 00:30:05,701 --> 00:30:07,301 on an even grander scale. 493 00:30:12,981 --> 00:30:16,421 There's no better place from which to witness the miracle 494 00:30:16,461 --> 00:30:21,221 of Roman hydraulic engineering than right here, having a cup of tea - 495 00:30:21,261 --> 00:30:24,061 because I am surrounded by an aqueduct. 496 00:30:26,861 --> 00:30:28,781 This is the Valens Aqueduct, 497 00:30:28,821 --> 00:30:32,341 the major route bringing fresh drinking water into the city. 498 00:30:32,381 --> 00:30:37,301 The Romans needed their aqueducts to be as straight and as efficient as possible 499 00:30:37,341 --> 00:30:40,661 and that meant conquering the very landscape. 500 00:30:40,701 --> 00:30:42,021 Here we're between two hills, 501 00:30:42,061 --> 00:30:45,581 and the Roman solution is to build a bridge between them. 502 00:30:45,621 --> 00:30:48,421 So, this thing goes 30 metres up into the air 503 00:30:48,461 --> 00:30:52,221 and over a kilometre across from one hill to the other. 504 00:30:52,261 --> 00:30:53,461 And as a result, 505 00:30:53,501 --> 00:30:58,021 even the modern metropolis of Istanbul has to bend around it. 506 00:31:02,101 --> 00:31:03,861 Hi, Jim. How are you doing? 507 00:31:05,261 --> 00:31:09,581 The man to tell us about it is Professor James Crow from Edinburgh University. 508 00:31:11,261 --> 00:31:14,101 MICHAEL: Farther than it looks from down the bottom, actually! 509 00:31:14,141 --> 00:31:16,141 JIM: Yes. It's wonderful when you get up here, don't worry. 510 00:31:16,181 --> 00:31:20,741 Jim's been mapping the ancient city's water supply system for decades. 511 00:31:20,781 --> 00:31:22,941 MICHAEL: Thank you very much! 512 00:31:24,221 --> 00:31:27,101 Oh, what a view already! And the sun! (LAUGHS) 513 00:31:27,141 --> 00:31:28,141 JIM: Welcome to... 514 00:31:28,181 --> 00:31:31,861 MICHAEL: I might leave my jacket here. This is...fabulous. What a place! 515 00:31:31,901 --> 00:31:32,941 JIM: Yep. 516 00:31:34,141 --> 00:31:39,421 Jim, I feel like I'm flying above the streets below us. 517 00:31:39,461 --> 00:31:41,621 But this is the aqueduct. Where was the water going? 518 00:31:41,661 --> 00:31:44,901 Well, within this, there are big channels. 519 00:31:44,941 --> 00:31:47,581 They are nearly as tall as you, as wide as that, 520 00:31:47,621 --> 00:31:52,021 and they carry the water from huge distances to the west of the city, 521 00:31:52,061 --> 00:31:54,501 into the city to fill its cisterns and its fountains. 522 00:31:54,541 --> 00:31:57,861 So, Jim, how have you discovered this network? 523 00:31:57,901 --> 00:32:02,461 Well, before we started, we knew there was this very long system outside of the city 524 00:32:02,501 --> 00:32:05,301 but it was over 20 years of fieldwork, 525 00:32:05,341 --> 00:32:08,621 looking at old maps, a whole range of things, and then 526 00:32:08,661 --> 00:32:12,101 talking to lots of people in villages, having lots of cups of tea, 527 00:32:12,141 --> 00:32:15,221 finding out where these structures are and the channels are, 528 00:32:15,261 --> 00:32:19,221 because it's a deeply forested area - it's like working in a jungle almost. 529 00:32:19,261 --> 00:32:20,941 And suddenly these great bridges 530 00:32:20,981 --> 00:32:24,021 will appear out in deep-sided valleys covered in trees. 531 00:32:24,061 --> 00:32:25,581 I've got an image of Indiana Jones already! 532 00:32:25,621 --> 00:32:27,461 Well, I don't know. 533 00:32:27,501 --> 00:32:32,381 It was quite fun to do. But at the same time, we were then able to map the system, 534 00:32:32,421 --> 00:32:36,421 project the whole length and assess how long this system extends 535 00:32:36,461 --> 00:32:38,461 into the countryside and away from the city. 536 00:32:38,501 --> 00:32:40,781 And are we thinking about a water system here 537 00:32:40,821 --> 00:32:42,821 as sophisticated as that of Rome? 538 00:32:42,861 --> 00:32:46,341 Certainly as sophisticated. And in some ways it surpassed Rome 539 00:32:46,381 --> 00:32:49,021 in terms of the engineering skills that were needed. 540 00:32:49,061 --> 00:32:50,861 And engineers, modern engineers, 541 00:32:50,901 --> 00:32:53,301 when we talk to them about it, are just astonished. 542 00:32:53,341 --> 00:32:56,181 They cannot understand how these guys were capable of it. 543 00:32:59,941 --> 00:33:03,781 Our scans help show how the water flowed through two great channels 544 00:33:03,821 --> 00:33:05,821 inside the aqueduct bridge. 545 00:33:08,901 --> 00:33:13,021 The water went into 209 cisterns across the city. 546 00:33:14,821 --> 00:33:17,821 Some improvised, like the one in the Hippodrome, 547 00:33:17,861 --> 00:33:19,461 some purpose-built 548 00:33:19,501 --> 00:33:21,341 and some as big as a football pitch. 549 00:33:23,141 --> 00:33:27,141 They were fed by two aqueducts coming from forest springs 550 00:33:27,181 --> 00:33:29,421 up to 200 kilometres away. 551 00:33:31,061 --> 00:33:34,581 With over 580 kilometres of channels, 552 00:33:34,621 --> 00:33:38,221 this was the longest and most sophisticated water system 553 00:33:38,261 --> 00:33:39,861 of the Roman world. 554 00:33:44,981 --> 00:33:46,981 It helped transform Constantinople 555 00:33:47,021 --> 00:33:49,181 into one of the richest cities in the world. 556 00:33:58,581 --> 00:34:01,901 But such a wealthy and strategically important city 557 00:34:01,941 --> 00:34:03,421 was vulnerable to attack. 558 00:34:04,621 --> 00:34:07,741 The Romans surrounded the city with walls 559 00:34:07,781 --> 00:34:09,901 that were said to be impenetrable. 560 00:34:11,301 --> 00:34:15,261 Attila the Hun, Arabs, Bulgars, Russians all met these walls 561 00:34:15,301 --> 00:34:18,661 in their attempts to lay siege to the city of Constantinople. 562 00:34:20,261 --> 00:34:23,341 Enemies attacking by land faced a moat, 563 00:34:23,381 --> 00:34:24,821 a wall, 564 00:34:24,861 --> 00:34:26,701 a no-man's-land 565 00:34:26,741 --> 00:34:31,221 and then a second wall - 15 feet thick and 40 feet high. 566 00:34:34,901 --> 00:34:40,021 The land walls alone stretch nearly four miles across the peninsula, 567 00:34:40,061 --> 00:34:44,141 with nine massive gates and 96 towers like these. 568 00:34:49,901 --> 00:34:51,701 They completed a ring of stone 569 00:34:51,741 --> 00:34:55,621 from the harbour inlet, known as the Golden Horn, to the sea. 570 00:34:56,981 --> 00:35:01,301 No-one managed to break through these walls for centuries. 571 00:35:03,221 --> 00:35:05,981 In fact, their most dangerous opponent over the centuries 572 00:35:06,021 --> 00:35:08,861 were the earthquakes that this area is prone to. 573 00:35:08,901 --> 00:35:10,781 Earthquakes damaged these walls time and again, 574 00:35:10,821 --> 00:35:13,701 and time and again the citizens came back 575 00:35:13,741 --> 00:35:17,181 to rebuild them bigger, better and stronger than ever before. 576 00:35:22,341 --> 00:35:24,581 But nothing lasts forever. 577 00:35:29,981 --> 00:35:32,861 So far, our scans have recorded ruins that tell the story 578 00:35:32,901 --> 00:35:36,221 of the rise of Constantinople. 579 00:35:37,341 --> 00:35:42,781 The ruins of the once-glorious Palace of Boukoleon also record its decline. 580 00:36:00,821 --> 00:36:03,661 This was once a chapel 581 00:36:03,701 --> 00:36:07,821 and it's now, according to the signs on the walls, the home of Hasan, 582 00:36:07,861 --> 00:36:10,261 who's decorated it. Well... 583 00:36:10,301 --> 00:36:13,981 ...it's kind of like my daughter would decorate it, really. 584 00:36:15,101 --> 00:36:17,221 It's a home...of sorts. 585 00:36:20,541 --> 00:36:22,021 This palace was destroyed 586 00:36:22,061 --> 00:36:24,501 when Christians turned on one another. 587 00:36:26,021 --> 00:36:29,261 There'd been religious disputes between the Roman Catholic world 588 00:36:29,301 --> 00:36:31,861 and the Byzantine Empire for hundreds of years. 589 00:36:33,861 --> 00:36:38,741 And in the end, Western crusaders found Constantinople's riches 590 00:36:38,781 --> 00:36:40,501 just too much of a temptation. 591 00:36:41,821 --> 00:36:45,381 This palace was damaged and rebuilt many times in its history. 592 00:36:45,421 --> 00:36:49,421 But its final death knell was in 1204 593 00:36:49,461 --> 00:36:53,621 when Western, European crusaders led by the city of Venice 594 00:36:53,661 --> 00:36:56,461 came here and destroyed the city 595 00:36:56,501 --> 00:36:59,821 and took this beautiful place down with them. 596 00:37:06,141 --> 00:37:11,061 The Western invaders stayed in Constantinople for over 50 years. 597 00:37:12,821 --> 00:37:15,661 They desecrated Eastern Orthodox churches, 598 00:37:15,701 --> 00:37:17,741 destroyed the ancient library 599 00:37:17,781 --> 00:37:22,061 and looted the Great Palace complex, leaving them in ruins. 600 00:37:27,621 --> 00:37:31,821 The clash between the Eastern and Western wings of Christianity 601 00:37:31,861 --> 00:37:33,901 tore Constantinople apart. 602 00:37:33,941 --> 00:37:36,541 By the 15th century, Constantinople's population 603 00:37:36,581 --> 00:37:39,381 was no more than 70,000 people. 604 00:37:39,421 --> 00:37:44,741 Its power, its glory days were behind it. It was a shell. 605 00:37:45,901 --> 00:37:48,261 And it would only get worse. 606 00:37:48,301 --> 00:37:50,941 By 1452, the city of Constantinople 607 00:37:50,981 --> 00:37:54,101 was all that was left of the Eastern Roman Empire. 608 00:37:55,661 --> 00:37:57,901 It was a tiny Christian island 609 00:37:57,941 --> 00:38:01,421 surrounded by the Muslim Turks' Ottoman Empire. 610 00:38:02,941 --> 00:38:05,621 The Turks had the city at their mercy. 611 00:38:09,101 --> 00:38:12,501 Constantinople had to find ways to survive alone. 612 00:38:15,421 --> 00:38:19,341 Packed with cisterns and with good agricultural land within the walls, 613 00:38:19,381 --> 00:38:23,221 the citizens of Constantinople were well prepared for any siege, 614 00:38:23,261 --> 00:38:26,021 and it's a tradition that still continues today 615 00:38:26,061 --> 00:38:28,541 with the gardens here around me that are using 616 00:38:28,581 --> 00:38:32,741 the old moat and even the space in between the city walls 617 00:38:32,781 --> 00:38:34,901 to cultivate their fruit and veg. 618 00:38:37,181 --> 00:38:40,341 But while the people of Constantinople grew their own food 619 00:38:40,381 --> 00:38:43,101 and rationed their precious water, 620 00:38:43,141 --> 00:38:46,181 the Ottoman Empire was tightening its grip. 621 00:38:51,061 --> 00:38:55,941 With the city surrounded, supplies could only enter by ship. 622 00:38:57,261 --> 00:39:01,261 The Turkish leader Sultan Mehmet built this fortress to stop them. 623 00:39:10,181 --> 00:39:13,301 It guarded the narrowest point on the Bosphorus, 624 00:39:13,341 --> 00:39:17,381 less than 800 metres from his fort on the Asian side. 625 00:39:21,181 --> 00:39:23,741 Today, this place is known as Rumelihisarı, 626 00:39:23,781 --> 00:39:26,181 which means "the fortress of the Romans", 627 00:39:26,221 --> 00:39:28,261 because we're on the European side, 628 00:39:28,301 --> 00:39:32,701 and when Mehmet came and built this fortress, this was Roman land. 629 00:39:32,741 --> 00:39:36,341 But its original name is Bogazkesen. 630 00:39:37,581 --> 00:39:41,821 Now, that means "the cutter of the Bogaz" - the Bosphorus, the river. 631 00:39:41,861 --> 00:39:46,261 But, in Turkish, the same word means "throat". 632 00:39:46,301 --> 00:39:51,221 This place was intended to cut the throat - of the Bosphorus 633 00:39:51,261 --> 00:39:54,421 and of the people of the city of Constantinople. 634 00:39:57,061 --> 00:40:00,021 The main tower of Rumelihisarı fortress 635 00:40:00,061 --> 00:40:03,981 was a strategic command post for Mehmet's whole operation. 636 00:40:05,461 --> 00:40:07,261 Its secrets are locked away, 637 00:40:07,301 --> 00:40:10,621 but local historian Ali Zirek is taking us to see them. 638 00:40:10,661 --> 00:40:12,861 - Amazing. Do you have the key? - Yes. 639 00:40:25,221 --> 00:40:29,861 I'm really curious to find out what this tower was used for 640 00:40:29,901 --> 00:40:32,781 and Ali's taking me up to the top to find out. 641 00:40:45,861 --> 00:40:50,141 (LAUGHS) What a room! What a space, Ali! 642 00:40:50,181 --> 00:40:51,701 What went on here? Do we know? 643 00:40:56,821 --> 00:41:02,941 So we're in a place where Mehmet may have conceived his final plans 644 00:41:02,981 --> 00:41:05,141 for taking Constantinople? 645 00:41:06,701 --> 00:41:10,901 There's the heavy smell and weight of history in this room. 646 00:41:10,941 --> 00:41:12,181 It's extraordinary. 647 00:41:18,541 --> 00:41:23,261 Our scans allow us to really get under the skin of Mehmet's HQ. 648 00:41:24,661 --> 00:41:28,381 As we rise through the tower's seven storeys, 649 00:41:28,421 --> 00:41:31,541 a war machine of ruthless efficiency is revealed. 650 00:41:34,501 --> 00:41:38,341 With walls up to seven metres thick 651 00:41:38,381 --> 00:41:40,901 that protect Mehmet's council chamber. 652 00:41:42,581 --> 00:41:45,581 Crenellated lookout positions. 653 00:41:45,621 --> 00:41:47,981 Arrow slits and firing positions. 654 00:41:49,581 --> 00:41:51,141 Toilets. 655 00:41:51,181 --> 00:41:52,701 Grain storage. 656 00:41:55,061 --> 00:41:57,861 Living quarters for up to 400 soldiers. 657 00:41:59,581 --> 00:42:01,701 Armouries bristling with their weapons. 658 00:42:02,901 --> 00:42:07,061 A chute to drop boiling oil onto an invader at the front door. 659 00:42:07,101 --> 00:42:12,261 And an unrivalled view to guard the narrowest part of the Bosphorus. 660 00:42:16,181 --> 00:42:20,461 The tower also holds an ancient remnant of Constantinople's defence. 661 00:42:21,621 --> 00:42:22,981 What is this? 662 00:42:23,021 --> 00:42:24,501 Was this...? 663 00:42:24,541 --> 00:42:27,781 Was this the chain across the...? 664 00:42:29,061 --> 00:42:30,101 For the Golden Horn? 665 00:42:30,141 --> 00:42:33,021 - ALI: Yes. - MICHAEL: The Golden Horn chain? 666 00:42:33,061 --> 00:42:34,301 Wow! 667 00:42:35,501 --> 00:42:37,141 My God, it's still so solid. 668 00:42:38,661 --> 00:42:40,581 That's incredibly heavy. 669 00:42:42,341 --> 00:42:45,461 No wonder it worked so well for so long. 670 00:42:45,501 --> 00:42:49,181 This iron chain is the stuff of legend. 671 00:42:49,221 --> 00:42:55,141 For centuries, the chain was stretched across the inlet known as the Golden Horn 672 00:42:55,181 --> 00:42:56,501 in times of danger. 673 00:42:57,861 --> 00:43:02,421 Now, it stopped Mehmet's ships from reaching the heart of the city. 674 00:43:02,461 --> 00:43:03,941 But... 675 00:43:03,981 --> 00:43:05,861 Mehmet had a genius solution. 676 00:43:05,901 --> 00:43:08,501 He ordered logs greased in olive oil 677 00:43:08,541 --> 00:43:12,181 to be laid across the landscape in a road 678 00:43:12,221 --> 00:43:17,421 that would allow his ships to be dragged across into the estuary, 679 00:43:17,461 --> 00:43:20,221 thus getting around the great chain. 680 00:43:20,261 --> 00:43:26,541 And on 22nd April, 1453, Mehmet's fleet made its way across 681 00:43:26,581 --> 00:43:30,141 to take up position to besiege the city of Constantinople. 682 00:43:33,061 --> 00:43:37,181 The Byzantine Christian forces were down to around 5,000 683 00:43:37,221 --> 00:43:39,861 against an Ottoman army of 200,000. 684 00:43:42,421 --> 00:43:44,581 The women, children, old and sick 685 00:43:44,621 --> 00:43:48,181 took refuge behind the great doors of the Hagia Sophia. 686 00:43:51,181 --> 00:43:53,861 For 53 days, Mehmet bombarded the city 687 00:43:53,901 --> 00:43:57,301 with some of the most advanced artillery in the world. 688 00:44:03,541 --> 00:44:06,421 On the 29th of May, 1453, 689 00:44:06,461 --> 00:44:10,181 the legendary walls of Constantinople were finally breached. 690 00:44:13,421 --> 00:44:16,781 The invading army closed in on the Hagia Sophia. 691 00:44:19,221 --> 00:44:20,821 They smashed down the doors. 692 00:44:22,661 --> 00:44:26,621 The cowering Christians were raped, slaughtered and enslaved. 693 00:44:26,661 --> 00:44:28,661 (SCREAMING AND SHOUTING) 694 00:44:30,781 --> 00:44:34,381 Mehmet himself lamented the devastation. 695 00:44:34,421 --> 00:44:37,861 "What a city we have given over to plunder and destruction." 696 00:44:41,341 --> 00:44:44,781 The final metamorphosis of the Roman Empire - 697 00:44:44,821 --> 00:44:46,621 the Byzantine world - 698 00:44:46,661 --> 00:44:52,341 died less than 50 years before Columbus discovered America. 699 00:44:52,381 --> 00:44:56,941 And, for the city of Constantinople, a whole new chapter in its history. 700 00:44:56,981 --> 00:45:01,621 No longer Constantinople, it was now known as Istanbul - 701 00:45:01,661 --> 00:45:06,261 an Islamic city, capital of Mehmet's Ottoman Empire. 702 00:45:06,301 --> 00:45:08,101 The East now held sway. 703 00:45:16,381 --> 00:45:20,261 The best place to see how the city changed is back at the Hagia Sophia. 704 00:45:23,141 --> 00:45:25,141 The cathedral became a mosque. 705 00:45:27,861 --> 00:45:31,261 Over time, minarets were added on each corner. 706 00:45:32,901 --> 00:45:37,621 And these enormous panels were erected to spell out the name of Allah, 707 00:45:37,661 --> 00:45:40,541 the Prophet Muhammad and his grandsons. 708 00:45:43,621 --> 00:45:45,861 There were more subtle changes, too - 709 00:45:45,901 --> 00:45:50,061 these mosaic crosses were concealed by Islamic decoration. 710 00:45:52,341 --> 00:45:56,261 But this was by far a more important change. 711 00:45:56,301 --> 00:45:57,981 This was the mihrab, 712 00:45:58,021 --> 00:46:01,741 and it sits off-centre to the apse behind it for a very good reason, 713 00:46:01,781 --> 00:46:04,381 because it points in the direction of Mecca, 714 00:46:04,421 --> 00:46:08,261 and thus gives the direction in which the Muslim faithful should pray. 715 00:46:11,141 --> 00:46:16,261 Now an integral part of the Muslim world, the whole city was reborn. 716 00:46:21,421 --> 00:46:23,941 Sultan Mehmet is still known as Fatih - the Conqueror - 717 00:46:23,981 --> 00:46:26,261 but he was also a builder. 718 00:46:27,541 --> 00:46:29,541 Mehmet rebuilt the city walls, 719 00:46:29,581 --> 00:46:33,661 repaired its water supply and kick-started the city's economy 720 00:46:33,701 --> 00:46:37,101 by establishing this place, the Grand Bazaar. 721 00:46:37,141 --> 00:46:39,261 Mmm. OK, it's not too bad. 722 00:46:39,301 --> 00:46:42,541 New people and new cultures poured into the city. 723 00:46:42,581 --> 00:46:45,021 Too strong for you? (LAUGHS) 724 00:46:45,061 --> 00:46:47,741 Istanbul was now the capital of the Ottoman Empire. 725 00:46:47,781 --> 00:46:50,741 ...turns into that. But I'm going to have a look around, 726 00:46:50,781 --> 00:46:53,261 and I'll come back. Thank you very much. 727 00:46:55,701 --> 00:46:58,261 My favourite place in the Grand Bazaar? 728 00:46:58,301 --> 00:47:00,181 The barber's. 729 00:47:00,221 --> 00:47:01,621 People often ask, 730 00:47:01,661 --> 00:47:06,381 "What was the impact of Mehmet's victory on the city of Constantinople?" 731 00:47:06,421 --> 00:47:10,901 And historians call it the worst destruction in the history of mankind. 732 00:47:12,581 --> 00:47:14,621 But, at the same time, 733 00:47:14,661 --> 00:47:17,821 this was the beginning of a new chapter for Constantinople, 734 00:47:17,861 --> 00:47:22,061 a chapter in which the city was going to be bigger and better than ever before. 735 00:47:32,141 --> 00:47:36,461 Istanbul was transformed into the bustling, energetic place 736 00:47:36,501 --> 00:47:41,301 it is today, full of Asian and European influences and tastes. 737 00:47:45,061 --> 00:47:48,021 Now this is balik ekmek. 738 00:47:48,061 --> 00:47:50,181 It's a fried fish sandwich, 739 00:47:50,221 --> 00:47:54,301 and it's the thing to eat down here at Eminönü, near Galata Bridge. 740 00:47:54,341 --> 00:47:57,861 And, for my money, there's no better place in Istanbul than here 741 00:47:57,901 --> 00:48:03,221 to feel the swirling mix of cultures that defines this city, 742 00:48:03,261 --> 00:48:05,021 that jostles strongly, 743 00:48:05,061 --> 00:48:09,581 sometimes as roughly as the waters that run through the heart of the city. 744 00:48:13,981 --> 00:48:16,221 As they developed the city further, 745 00:48:16,261 --> 00:48:20,501 the Ottoman Turks drew on the learning of both East and West. 746 00:48:23,341 --> 00:48:28,981 Our 3D map shows us one of the greatest Ottoman design innovations - 747 00:48:29,021 --> 00:48:32,261 a new mosque to outdo the Hagia Sophia. 748 00:48:33,701 --> 00:48:34,981 The Süleymaniye Mosque. 749 00:48:37,661 --> 00:48:42,061 Built for Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in 1557, 750 00:48:42,101 --> 00:48:45,781 it remains an island of peace to this day. 751 00:48:59,341 --> 00:49:03,781 People come to mosques obviously to pray, but... 752 00:49:03,821 --> 00:49:09,381 ...it's also about getting away from the hustle and bustle of the world. 753 00:49:09,421 --> 00:49:13,941 And there's something also I absolutely love about this kind of place. 754 00:49:13,981 --> 00:49:17,541 It brings together not just people going in to pray, 755 00:49:17,581 --> 00:49:19,341 but the whole community. 756 00:49:19,381 --> 00:49:22,501 Kids are running around, playing with their families, 757 00:49:22,541 --> 00:49:25,701 friends are catching up to have a walk and talk. 758 00:49:25,741 --> 00:49:31,061 This is a place to get a little respite and energy for the soul. 759 00:49:37,541 --> 00:49:41,661 The genius of the Süleymaniye Mosque is found in its grand design 760 00:49:41,701 --> 00:49:43,381 and in its smallest detail. 761 00:49:46,021 --> 00:49:50,901 Much is invisible, but not to my guide, architectural historian Olcay Aydemir. 762 00:49:52,261 --> 00:49:54,821 Oh, what a door! What an amazing... 763 00:49:57,981 --> 00:50:02,221 Oh! Olcay, this is incredible. What a space! 764 00:50:05,381 --> 00:50:06,861 - I-I feel that. - Yes, yes. 765 00:50:06,901 --> 00:50:10,021 I feel that you want to move towards the centre of the space, don't you? 766 00:50:10,061 --> 00:50:12,181 It's extraordinary. 767 00:50:12,221 --> 00:50:13,301 The sense of... 768 00:50:15,741 --> 00:50:22,061 ...of-of...just volume and-and, er... light in here is just incredible. 769 00:50:27,781 --> 00:50:31,021 And, Olcay, I've noticed that all of the lighting in here 770 00:50:31,061 --> 00:50:33,821 is very low compared to the ceiling. 771 00:50:33,861 --> 00:50:35,741 So, why? Is there a reason for that? 772 00:50:43,741 --> 00:50:48,301 So, it's designed to make us again feel more comfortable here. 773 00:50:48,341 --> 00:50:50,461 - And I keep seeing shells. - Yes. 774 00:50:50,501 --> 00:50:52,301 Ostrich eggshells? 775 00:50:53,381 --> 00:50:55,421 Are they just a decoration? 776 00:51:00,901 --> 00:51:03,461 - Ostrich shells drive away spiders? - Yes, yes. 777 00:51:03,501 --> 00:51:05,901 Brilliant! Now that is a tip for us all at home, right? 778 00:51:05,941 --> 00:51:08,301 Everyone needs an ostrich shell in their house. 779 00:51:08,341 --> 00:51:11,341 - And it's all electric now... - Yes. 780 00:51:11,381 --> 00:51:14,301 ...but when the mosque was built, this would have been candles? 781 00:51:16,501 --> 00:51:20,421 So we have to imagine, what, thousands of glittering lights, 782 00:51:20,461 --> 00:51:23,021 keeping this place alight. 783 00:51:23,061 --> 00:51:27,101 And the other thing I was thinking - if there were candles and oil lamps, 784 00:51:27,141 --> 00:51:29,661 there must've been lots of soot produced, 785 00:51:29,701 --> 00:51:33,101 and the ceiling must have been black with soot. 786 00:51:34,861 --> 00:51:38,221 And yet the walls and ceiling are pristine. 787 00:51:40,101 --> 00:51:44,581 It takes our scans to reveal the mosque's ingenious solution - 788 00:51:44,621 --> 00:51:47,861 a ventilation system hidden in the walls. 789 00:51:49,781 --> 00:51:53,061 The soot from the lamps was drawn up 790 00:51:53,101 --> 00:51:57,181 through concealed funnels into a secret room, 791 00:51:57,221 --> 00:51:59,341 where it stuck to the walls, 792 00:51:59,381 --> 00:52:03,381 and was made into ink for sacred manuscripts. 793 00:52:03,421 --> 00:52:06,341 Today, only graffiti remains. 794 00:52:11,661 --> 00:52:14,541 Another design secret lies under our feet. 795 00:52:14,581 --> 00:52:15,981 OLCAY: Ah, strong. 796 00:52:16,021 --> 00:52:17,021 MICHAEL: Wow! 797 00:52:18,381 --> 00:52:20,581 - What are these tunnels? - Channels. 798 00:52:24,901 --> 00:52:28,461 These tunnels keep the building well aired today, 799 00:52:28,501 --> 00:52:33,941 but they originally brought drinking water to the workers building the mosque. 800 00:52:35,621 --> 00:52:37,741 Ingenuity is everywhere. 801 00:52:37,781 --> 00:52:41,261 Here decoration doubles as sound baffling, 802 00:52:41,301 --> 00:52:43,861 so that everyone can hear the sermon clearly. 803 00:52:47,301 --> 00:52:51,261 The Ottomans matched the grandeur of the Hagia Sophia, 804 00:52:51,301 --> 00:52:55,541 and took its design and technology to a whole new level. 805 00:53:00,941 --> 00:53:05,021 Sultan Suleiman had great ambitions for the people of Istanbul. 806 00:53:08,341 --> 00:53:11,341 He created a complex around the mosque 807 00:53:11,381 --> 00:53:16,101 to house a hospital, six schools, Turkish baths, 808 00:53:16,141 --> 00:53:20,701 a travellers' inn, a bakery, and a medical college. 809 00:53:23,221 --> 00:53:25,461 His goal was to make the mosque 810 00:53:25,501 --> 00:53:28,621 the centre of the city's flourishing society. 811 00:53:35,981 --> 00:53:41,221 An important part of the mosque complex is the imaret, or public kitchen. 812 00:53:43,501 --> 00:53:47,981 It fed over 1,000 of the city's poor every day, 813 00:53:48,021 --> 00:53:50,341 through this tiny hole in the wall. 814 00:54:09,061 --> 00:54:11,301 Brilliant. What a brilliant system. 815 00:54:11,341 --> 00:54:14,901 So, it's a blind transfer - I don't see them, they don't see me. 816 00:54:14,941 --> 00:54:16,221 Everyone is equal. 817 00:54:17,301 --> 00:54:18,581 And can I pick it up? 818 00:54:20,181 --> 00:54:21,421 How ingenious. 819 00:54:23,341 --> 00:54:27,421 This was a Sultan's mosque meant for everyone. 820 00:54:27,461 --> 00:54:32,861 Suleiman's kitchen was designed to feed Muslims, Christians and Jews alike. 821 00:54:32,901 --> 00:54:35,261 Today, it's a commercial restaurant. 822 00:54:49,341 --> 00:54:52,621 I've seen so many aspects of ancient Istanbul 823 00:54:52,661 --> 00:54:55,621 hidden beneath the surface of the city. 824 00:54:59,821 --> 00:55:02,861 Now, I'm going to experience it through virtual reality. 825 00:55:02,901 --> 00:55:04,941 - It's all green. - It is all green, yeah. 826 00:55:04,981 --> 00:55:07,661 I recognise these. So, this is the one-way ticket to Istanbul, huh? 827 00:55:07,701 --> 00:55:09,741 MATT: This is your helicopter. In you go. 828 00:55:11,181 --> 00:55:13,381 Wow! Hello, Istanbul! 829 00:55:13,421 --> 00:55:14,421 Here we go. 830 00:55:14,461 --> 00:55:16,261 MICHAEL: So this is the view you were getting 831 00:55:16,301 --> 00:55:17,821 when you were up in the helicopter? 832 00:55:17,861 --> 00:55:20,781 MATT: Exactly. So if we start, the Hippodrome... 833 00:55:20,821 --> 00:55:23,541 MICHAEL: Ah, the back end here, isn't it? 834 00:55:23,581 --> 00:55:25,581 And there's where we went into the cistern. 835 00:55:25,621 --> 00:55:27,821 There's the staircase. 836 00:55:27,861 --> 00:55:32,501 And, wow, there we are with all that mucky, dirty, rat-filled water. 837 00:55:34,181 --> 00:55:37,181 MATT: And then... Then we stride across and... 838 00:55:37,221 --> 00:55:39,821 MICHAEL: And then... Oh, I recognise down here. This is... 839 00:55:39,861 --> 00:55:43,101 - There she is. - There she is. Hagia Sophia. 840 00:55:43,141 --> 00:55:46,301 And you can see the clear differences between the minarets, 841 00:55:46,341 --> 00:55:49,141 all constructed at different times, and then... 842 00:55:49,181 --> 00:55:53,461 (LAUGHS) ...I can hold the dome of Hagia Sophia in my hands. 843 00:55:54,861 --> 00:55:57,021 - (MICHAEL LAUGHS) - MATT: In we come. 844 00:55:57,061 --> 00:55:59,101 This is a perspective that you'll probably be 845 00:55:59,141 --> 00:56:01,261 - a little more familiar with, actually. - I am. 846 00:56:01,301 --> 00:56:04,461 And one of the wonderful things we can do here, of course, is start to rise up. 847 00:56:04,501 --> 00:56:05,741 So... 848 00:56:05,781 --> 00:56:08,381 What? Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! 849 00:56:08,421 --> 00:56:10,621 We're flying through the air! 850 00:56:10,661 --> 00:56:12,901 The detail of the roof - it's beautiful. 851 00:56:14,741 --> 00:56:16,221 Oh, my Lord. Here comes the roof. 852 00:56:16,261 --> 00:56:19,101 Oh, whoa. OK. Slow, slow down. 853 00:56:19,141 --> 00:56:21,141 - MATT: You'll be fine. - We're getting really... 854 00:56:21,181 --> 00:56:23,541 Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! 855 00:56:25,901 --> 00:56:27,141 MATT: So here we are. 856 00:56:28,901 --> 00:56:30,781 MICHAEL: And there... Oh, my God. 857 00:56:30,821 --> 00:56:33,301 We're on the top of the dome. 858 00:56:33,341 --> 00:56:37,941 MATT: You are standing on the millimetre-thick skin of the top. 859 00:56:37,981 --> 00:56:40,021 - You can just walk... (LAUGHS) - Yeah. 860 00:56:40,061 --> 00:56:42,621 I-I feel like I want to walk really gingerly... 861 00:56:42,661 --> 00:56:45,781 - Yeah, yeah. Exactly. - ...just in case I fall back through. 862 00:56:45,821 --> 00:56:48,421 MATT: And there may be some sort of edge anywhere. 863 00:56:48,461 --> 00:56:51,421 MICHAEL: And there... God, you can see the lumps and the bumps right there. 864 00:56:51,461 --> 00:56:53,301 - There's a massive lump. - Yeah. 865 00:56:56,701 --> 00:56:58,301 What? Oh, there we go! 866 00:56:58,341 --> 00:57:00,901 You've sent me flying through the air again... 867 00:57:00,941 --> 00:57:04,261 The Hagia Sophia is like this whole city - 868 00:57:04,301 --> 00:57:08,461 it's been bashed about, but it's always found a way to survive. 869 00:57:08,501 --> 00:57:10,861 MATT: ...our journey back down to ground level. 870 00:57:10,901 --> 00:57:13,621 MICHAEL: This is extraordinary. 871 00:57:13,661 --> 00:57:14,661 Hello. 872 00:57:17,541 --> 00:57:21,821 Istanbul has endured by adapting buildings like the Hippodrome 873 00:57:21,861 --> 00:57:24,821 to stay alive through droughts and war... 874 00:57:26,701 --> 00:57:31,301 ...and kept fresh water flowing to everyone through its elegant aqueducts. 875 00:57:36,181 --> 00:57:41,541 This is a city built upon layer after layer of history and culture. 876 00:57:45,061 --> 00:57:49,301 And the people of Istanbul have fought armies and earthquakes 877 00:57:49,341 --> 00:57:52,621 to preserve their home, against all the odds. 878 00:58:00,661 --> 00:58:05,301 Istanbul is a city that's been conquered, destroyed and rebuilt 879 00:58:05,341 --> 00:58:07,621 by both East and West. 880 00:58:07,661 --> 00:58:11,461 And, as a result, in both its past and its present, 881 00:58:11,501 --> 00:58:16,701 it's a uniquely cosmopolitan melting pot of cultures. 882 00:58:16,741 --> 00:58:19,661 My hope for the future is that, 883 00:58:19,701 --> 00:58:24,061 whatever grand shifts in power between East and West there may be, 884 00:58:24,101 --> 00:58:28,381 Istanbul is allowed to keep its unique personality.