Original subtitles

Turkey's golden coastline stretches 5,000 miles,

attracting 40 million tourists every year.

But a few miles inland is a whole different world,

one that is intoxicating, mysterious

and steeped in history.

This is such an incredible building.

It was the largest church in the world for a thousand years.

The land where one of the most formidable empires,

lasting six centuries and spanning continents, was founded.

Tesekkur ederim.

I'm Alice Roberts, and I'm travelling hundreds of miles

by train through Turkey and Eastern Europe.

Oh, wow, look at that.

Lovely.

I want to discover the fascinating story of the Ottoman Empire.

This is the mausoleum of Osman himself,

the sultan who started the Ottoman dynasty.

Through its distinctive architecture...

Beautiful courtyard.

..its historic leaders...

The early Ottoman sultans had their eye on this prize, Constantinople.

..and the remnants of its turbulent past.

What a horrific monument.

Today I'm heading to Ankara, the capital of modern Turkey

and home to the tomb of Ataturk,

who became leader after the Ottoman Empire collapsed.

This is so impressive. It is, yeah.

It's probably the most monumental thing you'll ever see.

I'll also be heading west to Bursa, the very first capital city

of the Ottoman Empire - before Constantinople was conquered.

The first Ottoman coins were struck here in Bursa.

Two contrasting cities and two historic leaders

who book end 600 years of Ottoman rule -

as I discover the Ottoman Empire by train.

The journey from Konya to Ankara is my chance to try out

Turkey's brand-new high speed rail service.

I'm travelling the same distance as the train from Adana to Konya,

which took over six hours.

This journey is one hour, 45 minutes.

Ankara has been an important administrative capital in Anatolia

going back to ancient times, even if it was never quite as important

as Constantinople, modern Istanbul.

Constantinople, also known as Byzantium, was the capital

of the Eastern Roman Empire, later to be known as the Byzantine Empire.

I'm just approaching Ankara, the capital of modern Turkey.

It's been an important city in this part of the world

for thousands and thousands of years, and it was tossled over

by the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic caliphates, and then,

of course, became part of the Ottoman Empire.

It was Osman's son, Orhan, that captured it back

in the 14th century.

But then the capital of the Ottoman Empire became Constantinople.

It was only when the Ottoman Empire fell, and was replaced by the public

of Turkey, that Ankara became the capital - under the leadership

of Mustafa Kemal, who is known everywhere today as Ataturk,

the father of the Turks.

In Ankara, I want to find out more about Ataturk himself,

how he transformed the country after 600 years of Ottoman rule,

and to find out why he is still so adored today.

I'm on my way to Ataturk's mausoleum.

Built on a hill, it is visible from almost everywhere in the city,

and it's one of the most prominent monuments in the country.

People come from all over Turkey to make the pilgrimage to his tomb

and pay their respects to the father of the nation.

On the 75th anniversary of Ataturk's death, in 2013,

over a million visitors came here in just one day.

These guards are considered to be the military elite.

They are carefully selected.

They must have no tattoos,

and they are put through a rigorous training regime.

When on duty, each guard must remain motionless for an hour.

The architectural style seems to predate the Ottoman period.

I get a sense of other great empires from the past, Greek and Egyptian.

I'm meeting Aslian Gunhan,

an architect with a special interest in history.

Aslian. Hi! Hi, Alice. Marhaba. Marhaba.

Nice to meet you. Welcome. Nice to meet you, too.

This is so impressive. It is, yeah.

It's probably the most monumental thing you'll ever see.

It's huge, isn't it? It is, yeah. Why?

And I think, you know, walking up those steps there, you almost

feel like you're walking into a temple. Yeah.

It's got that kind of feel to it. Yeah.

Well, before we start walking down there, what about these sculptures?

What do they represent?

These three men, they're a student, a soldier and a labourer -

a worker or a farmer - representing, you know, what the modern ideas

of the citizenship are. Yeah.

And here are three women, they are holding the symbols

of fertility and wellness.

And the woman at the back is crying - that's for, you know,

Ataturk's death, and it's mourning for his loss. Right, yeah.

They're kind of representing the population of Turkey... Exactly.

..but also the fertility of Turkey and the loss of Ataturk. Yes.

The processional way leading up to the mausoleum

is called the Lion's Road.

As we walk along its 260m, we pass between pairs of stone lions.

They're based on Bronze Age archaeological finds

from the region.

There are 24, one for each of the original Turkic tribes.

They're designed to reflect Ataturk's vision to unite the people

and acknowledge Turkey's rich and varied roots.

Ataturk died in 1938, aged 57.

His body was kept on a separate site while this was built.

15 years later, it was brought here

and the mausoleum was opened to the public.

It's such an incredible space.

I mean, the formality of it and the...

..and the scale of it is enormous, isn't it? Yes.

And it certainly puts you in mind of those kind of

temple complexes in Egypt, for instance. Yes.

I know it's inspired by Turkish archaeology,

but it has that kind of monumentality to it.

You know, you see traces of the Parthenon, the classical Greece.

Yeah, yeah.

You see exactly, like, colours that remind you of Egyptian monuments.

It's huge in terms of scale.

It's for public to gather and remember.

It's a very unique building. Yeah.

And it's still used today for ceremonies, is it? Yes, yes.

And what do you think it intended to say about Turkish identity?

If there was one word to explain Ataturk,

he would be called a modernist, right?

And all modernists have a vision.

It's about their vision of nationhood and identity

and citizenship.

He was a big supporter of modern science, technology.

Terminologies that we call Western civilisations.

And it's absolutely thronged with tourists,

and my impression is that most of them are Turkish.

Maybe for international tourists, the attraction is the monumentality

and architecture. Yeah.

For local tourists, it's about remembering Ataturk,

it's about memorialising,

it's about the ceremonial coming together,

this idea of publicity and citizenship.

So, I think there might be different ideas... Yeah, yeah.

..or aims for both of these populations.

But, you know, this is a huge, nice open area,

where, you know, everyone can be together.

I think it's always very difficult to draw a line between pilgrimage

and tourism, and I suspect there's a bit of both going on here.

LAUGHING: Exactly, yes, yes.

I think it might be time to ascend these steps

and go into the mausoleum itself. Yes.

The steps are framed by two war scenes - this one on the left

shows Turkish forces fighting the Greeks in the Greco-Turkish War

of 1919 to 1922.

Ataturk was originally a soldier, who worked his way up through

the ranks and led his troops to victory in those battles.

These were key events in Ataturk's military career

before he became the first leader of the Republic of Turkey.

The mausoleum walls are inscribed with words from Ataturk's speeches,

marking the grandest of entrances.

It is enormous, Aslian. It is.

It makes you look about. It kind of, you know, directs your head up.

We see some more traditional motifs up there, and that's actually

a really interesting contrast with the abstract, monumental

architecture of the mausoleum.

Yeah, yeah, it is, isn't it?

Yeah, it's very plain, very plain, very plain...

And suddenly you have those sparkles. ..and then, suddenly,

you've got glittering mosaics up there. Yes.

Wow.

So many people!

It's really crowded. Yeah.

Is that the actual tomb? Is that the actual sarcophagus?

That is not the actual sarcophagus.

The actual sarcophagus is seven metres below. Right, OK.

In a separate room. Yeah.

This is just symbolising the sarcophagus. Yeah, yeah.

But with the reverse light over there, and with the colonnades,

it's framed in such a nice way.

It works well, doesn't it? Cos it's quite a dark space. It is.

And then you've got that... Suddenly you have the light.

..big window with the sarcophagus under it.

And more mosaic above it. Yeah.

Yes, it's interesting, architecturally, isn't it?

Because, you know, obviously this is the focus of the room,

that sarcophagus, that tomb.

But then you're looking through to the outside again, as well.

You're looking through, you're looking out to Turkey.

It seems the crowds are being held back from the tomb

in preparation for some sort of ceremony.

What does it say on that wreath?

The chamber of veterinary...

..erm, doctors.

And that cellphone adds a really interesting bodily gesture

to the whole procession. Yeah! I know.

Can you ask them what it is they're celebrating?

Sure.

THEY SPEAK TURKISH

So...

So, this is to the World...

The World Veterinary Doctors Day today. Oh, right.

So that's why they are here. Yeah.

THEY SPEAK TURKISH

So, this is the last Saturday of April,

is the World Veterinary Doctors Day, so... Yeah.

BUGLE CALL PLAYS

With the vets now dispersed, I can get closer to the tomb.

Even though Ataturk's body isn't in it, the stone sarcophagus

provides an important focus.

And everything about this room is designed to inspire awe.

Ataturk came to national prominence as a leader over 100 years ago,

and today there's still such clear evidence of immense

respect towards him.

With one more day in Ankara, I'll go in search of

the city's few Ottoman relics,

and I'll take a train to the first Ottoman capital, Bursa.

I'm in the Turkish capital, Ankara, exploring its Ottoman past.

I've got one more day here before I take the train west

and head to the old capital, Bursa.

Ankara is a densely populated, hard working city.

It's the seat of the Turkish government,

and its streets are thriving with cafes and markets.

The city has been widely modernised, and there is very little left

in its architecture from those Ottoman centuries.

But there are some buildings that can help to tell

the Ottoman story - if you know where to look.

So, at this statue of Ataturk, I'm meeting Ceren Katipoglu,

an expert in Ottoman architecture.

Hello. Merhaba.

Hi! Ceren. I'm Alice.

Nice to meet you, Alice.

So, you're going to take me on a tour of Ottoman Ankara?

Yes.

Starting here at the end of the Ottoman Empire.

This is a monument to Ataturk.

Yes, it's a very important monument.

We called it Victory Monument.

This is the representation of republican Ankara.

And you see father of Turks, Ataturk, at the top. Yeah.

He stands on his horse.

And on the lower part we have two soldiers ready to fight.

Yeah, yeah.

And, also, at the back we have a woman figure here,

showing the part of the women in Turkish independence war.

I mean, it's unashamedly militaristic, isn't it? Yes.

Turkish Republic, established in 1923,

it's a very important change.

Ataturk wanted to break from Istanbul heritage.

So, a complete break with that Ottoman past? Yes.

And you can still see Ottoman architecture in the city?

Yes, let's go there. OK.

Across the road from the statue is a former government building,

from 1920, designed to reflect the early Ottoman style.

This was the first seat of government for the new

Republic of Turkey - today it's a museum.

We see some Ottoman elements here.

It's a very simple, plain facade.

We have these Ottoman arches, with that pointed arches again.

Yes, it's quite subtle, isn't it? Just that slight point at the top.

Yes, very, very subtle.

And then, we have these large eaves.

It's a kind of style in that 19th century period.

And we have these special stones, it's that Ankara stone.

So, this is quite an elegant style. I like that.

That's the first national style, or Ottoman revivalism, we can say.

In some ways, it's curious that the first government building

for the brand-new republic would hark back to the past in this way.

I suspect it was a phase, as the city developed confidence

as Turkey's new capital.

And what about this one? That looks like it has an Ottoman...

Yes, it's also from the Ottoman period, from 19th century.

And here you see some details from that period,

with that blue mosaics just over the arches here.

So, that Turkish bank, that's republican period, is it?

These two buildings from republican period.

So, you see both European and Ottoman references.

Built just ten years apart, these two buildings reveal a turning point

in post-Ottoman Turkey.

One, built as a bank, incorporates elements of the Ottoman style,

looking back to the past.

The other, the university building, is quite stark, even brutalist.

It's a powerful statement of moving on into a new future.

You've got two buildings there that are only separated by a decade,

and they're so different in style. Yes.

And the later one, I'm surprised it's 1930s.

It looks even more modern than that, doesn't it? Yes.

Towards 1930s, all of a sudden, specific...

the architectural meaning changes.

Yeah. And the Ottoman style is gone.

Of course. Yeah.

It's fascinating to see how changing politics are clearly reflected

in the style of the buildings.

Just a couple of minutes off the high street,

and we've reached an area called Altindag.

Up on the top of the hill is a cluster of buildings

which predate those we've just seen by hundreds of years,

one of them by a couple of thousand years.

It's a temple dating to around 25 BCE.

But to reach it, you have to use a bit of modern engineering.

An escalator! That saves our legs for a bit, anyway.

THEY LAUGH

I can see that minaret gradually coming into view.

Yeah, that's a nice idea, right? Yeah.

You are seeing it step by step, and then all of a sudden...

..ta-da! There it is!

The terrace captures three phases of historic architecture,

all beautifully preserved.

Oh, that's fantastic.

So, that's the old Roman temple there. Yes.

We have, as you see here, from the first century structure.

Then, near to it we have a 15th century structure. Amazing.

And then, we have some additional buildings here from 17th century.

You can see all of them together on the same spot.

Yeah, yeah.

Right next to the mosque is a building which predates

the Ottoman era.

These are the remains of a 2,000 year old Roman temple.

But even before this, there was another temple here

built by the ancient Phrygians.

The Romans replaced it and dedicated the new one to their leader,

the very first Roman Emperor, Augustus.

The core of the temple is still standing,

and this wall provides important information.

Inscribed on the stones in neat lines of text

is the story of Augustus.

It reminds me of the speeches of Ataturk inscribed

on his mausoleum.

That's just incredible.

So, this is this inscription, which is essentially a biography of

Augustus, then, that he wanted to be set in stone throughout the empire.

Yes, you're right.

This is what he accomplished during the Roman Empire.

Yeah, yeah.

There's a pattern - great leaders forge their legacies

in monumental architecture, ensuring their stories are written in stone,

part of the fabric of the buildings.

One of the most historic buildings in Ankara sits on another hill,

defending the heart of the city.

It's believed that the castle was originally built by the Hittites

around 1600 BCE.

Then it was occupied by the Romans, Byzantines and the Ottomans.

Ankara Castle, or citadel, is more than just a defensive fort.

Today there are shops, art studios, a mosque,

and over 600 houses contained within its walls.

And this is where I'm meeting historian Nil Tekgul.

Nil! Hello. Marhaba.

Hello. Marhaba. Hello!

We're inside the citadel. Yeah... It's really splendid.

Yeah.

So, this is an important city for the Romans,

and then for the Byzantine Empire.

And then the Seljukids and, of course, for the Ottomans as well.

It was on the trade routes, main Silk Road trade, actually,

from Constantinople to Tabriz,

and also to Aleppo and Damascus. Yeah, yeah.

It was, like, in the middle of those main roads.

So, a political seat of power, but also a commercial hub.

Yes, exactly. Yeah.

The trade routes crossing through Ankara from all angles

boosted its status, which was further enhanced

by a unique product.

In the Middle Ages, the city produced quantities of the textile

known as mohair, or Angora wool,

made from the pure white Ankara goats.

So, Angora, it is Ankara - the same word, really?

Yes, the same word, yeah.

And there are many theories about this Angora goat

that we still don't know, it's kind of puzzling.

Some historians think that, you know, it's a species

indigenous for Anatolia. Yeah.

Something that, you know, the Turks brought it from Central Asia

in the 12th or 13th century.

That sounds like one of those puzzles that my geneticist friends

would be able to solve. Yeah, I hope so.

To protect their lucrative monopoly on Angora wool,

the Ottomans created a law which ensured that the goats

could not be removed from the region.

Wow, look at that view!

Great view of Ankara from here. Yeah.

It is enormous. It's really huge.

It is.

Now it's more than eight million, probably, the population.

By 16th century, it was... it's approximately 25,000.

Yeah.

But still a relatively big city of the period. Yeah, exactly.

It was, like, the third biggest city in the Anatolia,

after Constantinople and Bursa, of course.

So, quite cosmopolitan, a lot of different cultures and religions?

Yeah. Yeah.

I always try to, you know, think about and reconstruct the past.

And I think of Ankara, both the castle and the neighbourhoods

down below, as people living together,

whatever their faith are. Yeah.

So, it was a very good idea, of course, for Ankara

becoming the capital of Turkey. Yeah, yeah.

After the break-up of the Ottoman Empire, the father of the new

Republic of Turkey, Ataturk, chose Ankara as his capital -

a city safely located in the middle of the country,

surrounded by mountains.

Now, can you see the Ataturk mausoleum from here?

Yeah, sure.

Let me see...

There it is.

There!

He made a lasting mark on this nation and this city.

That's an important monument in Turkey's modern history.

Exactly, yeah. Yeah.

As the day comes to an end, so does my time in Ankara.

I'm heading west, inching ever closer to Istanbul.

But before then, I have a very important place to visit.

I need to go to the city of Bursa to understand better

how the Ottomans first began to create their empire.

My destination on this train is Bozuyuk, the closest town

to Bursa on the rail network.

I've left the modern capital, Ankara, behind me,

having explored that history from the Emperor Augustus

all the way through to Ataturk.

Now I'm headed for the original capital

of the Ottoman Empire, Bursa - and it's the resting place

of the first Ottoman sultans, including Osman himself.

I'm travelling at a speed of around 120mph,

and the journey takes two hours.

It's just enough time to get to know my neighbours.

I've ended up sitting next to, erm, a sports team, I think,

and it's a very particular sport, arm wrestling.

The sport of arm wrestling has been very popular in Turkey

since 1991, when a member of the Turkish team won gold

in the World Championships.

That's you?

Oh, look at that.

It seems that the Turkish Arm Wrestling Championships

were held today in Ankara.

Let's see what happens when Team GB takes on the medallist.

OK. All right...

Go.

ALICE LAUGHS

No...!

She's not letting me do it...!

ALICE STRAINS

THEY LAUGH

I haven't got a chance. Winner.

Oh, thank you!

Tesekkur.

I came second against the champion - does that mean I get the silver?

The rail tracks stop short of Bursa because it's surrounded

by mountains, which also means it would have been a tough place

for Osman to wrestle free of the Byzantine Empire.

In the morning, I'll take a taxi into Bursa, where I hope to

learn more about Osman and his dream of starting an empire.

I'm on my adventure travelling through Turkey and up into

Eastern Europe to learn about the rise and fall of the Ottoman Empire,

and I've just arrived in Bursa.

Bursa might not be the first place that comes to mind when you

think of Turkey, but it's growing in popularity as a tourist destination.

It has a youthful feel, and a large collection of galleries and museums

of contemporary art, history and culture.

The population is just over two million today,

and the city is steeped in Byzantine and Ottoman history.

Walking around Turkish cities, it's not unusual to see a statue,

but the vast majority of them are Ataturk.

So this is quite a refreshing change.

That is Osman, the originator of the Ottoman Empire.

My first port of call is Bursa Castle.

These walls once circled this inner part of the city,

an area still known as Hisar, or fortress.

At one time, the castle walls had 67 towers and five main gates.

The very first walls were built here over 2,000 years ago,

and they've been restored and modified many times by the Romans,

the Byzantines and the Ottomans.

By the end of the 13th century, raids by Turkish tribes

into Byzantine territory were gathering momentum

and developing into an invasion.

In 1302, Osman secured a key victory - he took the ancient Byzantine

capital of Nicaea, modern Iznik.

And then, he had his sights set on this,

the walled citadel of Bursa.

He laid siege to it.

But, in fact, it went on for so many years that he would die,

and it would be his son, Orhan, who would finally take the city,

making it his capital

and establishing the first Ottoman mint here.

The first Ottoman coins were struck here in Bursa.

In contrast to Ankara, modern day Bursa cherishes and celebrates

the mosques and mausoleums of its Ottoman past.

The city has been carefully crafted around them,

and the many parks here give it a calm and refreshing feel.

I'm heading towards the tomb of Osman.

And just as I arrive, there is an Ottoman display

right at the entrance.

This is the changing of the guard, which happens on the hour,

every hour, every day.

The men dressed as medieval soldiers are local police officers.

This is a sacred national monument, after all.

When they're done, I'm going to try to get inside quickly.

There are a lot of other tourists here.

Well, they've changed the guards. I think I can go in now.

Unlike Ataturk's vast tomb complex, this is on a much more modest scale.

But it still has a quiet aura of power.

This is the mausoleum of Osman himself.

The sultan who started the Ottoman dynasty, the Ottoman Empire.

And that must be his tomb in the centre there.

It's the biggest one, covered with a beautiful embroidered drape,

with a turban at the end.

And I presume these other smaller ones are all his family.

Osman's precise date of death is unknown.

Although the city was eventually taken by his son, Orhan,

some say Osman lived just long enough to hear about the victory

on his deathbed.

What we do know is that Osman's descendants inherited

his ambition for empire building.

Another prominent tourist attraction is down here by the river.

The Nilufer River runs through Bursa, just as it did when Osman

and his son, Orhan, fought here in the 13th century.

In the southern part of the city,

the river has a rather special crossing point.

The Irgandi Bridge was commissioned by a wealthy merchant during

the reign of a sultan, called Murad II, in the 15th century.

It is a rare example of a bridge containing a bazaar,

with shops selling bracelets, artwork and ornaments, and cafes.

There are even traditional crafts happening right here on the bridge.

It's been badly damaged twice, first by an earthquake in 1855,

and in 1922 it was bombed by the retreating Greek army

in the Greco-Turkish War that would eventually

bring about the Ataturk era.

In 1949, it was carefully reconstructed,

and has remained almost untouched ever since.

The Irgandi Bridge feels like a suitable place to pause

and reflect on my Ottoman adventure so far.

I've seen the connection between the beginning and the end.

After the empire broke up, the Republic of Turkey was founded,

in 1923, by Ataturk, a soldier turned politician turned leader,

whose body rests in a mausoleum which is now

a national place of remembrance.

As is also the case, on a somewhat smaller scale,

for the founder of the empire, Osman.

Osman was also a warrior and a leader who inspired

those around him to start the process of building an empire.

My relatively short journey from Ankara to Bursa has spanned

the entire 600 years of Ottoman rule.

I've got one more place to visit here

before I take the train to Istanbul.

Later today I'll be taking a train to Istanbul.

But I want to make the most of my time here in Turkey's

most verdant city, Bursa, often called "Green Bursa".

The city is crammed with parks and gardens,

and surrounded by a large forest.

From here, you can see how the city sits in a low plain

ringed by mountains.

Bursa has eight Unesco World Heritage Sites,

and I'm going to see one of them next.

This is the Green Tomb, which is where I've arranged

to meet Begum Yildizeli, from the local university.

Begum! Alice! Hello.

Welcome to Bursa. Thank you so much.

It's lovely to meet you. Yes, so lovely to see you here.

And at this historic place. I mean, this is absolutely beautiful.

This is the tomb of the fifth sultan?

Yes, exactly. Yeah.

His name is Mehmed, Mehmed I. Yeah.

He lived in the 15th century. Yeah.

And this tomb was built for his funeral,

and for his sons, for his daughters.

It's such a gorgeous colour. Yeah!

I know it's called the Green Tomb, but it looks blue to me.

It's actually called turkuaz.

Yeah. It's a Turkish blue, kind of a Turkish blue.

Oh! So, turquoise...

Turquoise means Turkish? Exactly, exactly.

Do you know, I'd never realised that. I feel really stupid.

THEY LAUGH

That's OK. Don't worry, don't worry. Turquoise is Turkish.

The Green Tomb was made for the fifth Ottoman sultan, Mehmed.

He's known as the founder of the Second Ottoman Empire.

Can we go in? Yeah, sure. Can we see his tomb inside?

Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Mehmed and his brothers fought each other in an all-consuming civil war.

And then, with an attack from Mongols in the east,

this was a period of total conflict that almost put an end

to the whole empire.

Mehmed battled and won full control,

not just reviving the Ottoman Empire,

but expanding it up into the Balkans.

So, this one is Mehmed Celebi, Sultan Mehmed I.

Yeah.

And these are the sons.

Two sons, four daughters.

So, their bodies are not in these sarcophagi?

No, they are just symbols. Yeah.

They are just symbolic. Ah.

There are rooms underground.

It's a little bit like with the tomb of Ataturk,

with the mausoleum of Ataturk. Exactly.

That has a symbolic sarcophagus. Yes, yes, very symbolic.

But, actually, he's buried under the floor. Yes, yes, you're right.

Yeah. Yeah.

And there's this... what's the name of that niche

that's the same as you have in mosques? Niche...

Yeah, we call it mimbash in Turkish. Yeah.

Some of them, they are not original,

because there was an earthquake in the 19th century. Right, OK.

So, they replaced the...

Yeah.

So, part of it is probably original. Yeah, part of it original.

Original 15th century. Yes, yes. Yeah.

They say the world is not the place to live.

The main place is afterlife.

So, as well, it's fitting for a tomb, isn't it,

to have verses about the afterlife? Yes. Yeah. Yeah.

Mehmed's tomb lies within a traditional Ottoman complex.

There's a school, or madrasa,

a library, a mosque,

and, of course, a bazaar.

This is an architectural model that the Ottomans repeated again

and again across their entire empire.

So, that complex, that forms the nucleus of the city?

Yeah. At the time, yes. Yeah.

But the calm environment of the Green Tomb doesn't reflect

the unsettling time in the empire when Mehmed fought the brutal

civil war against his brothers, a conflict that lasted 11 years.

So, there's four brothers fighting it out for control

of the Ottoman Empire. Yes, yes. For control, like Game of Thrones.

Yeah, yeah. At the time.

And he was succeeding, uniting the empire.

That's why he was called as the second founder

of the Ottoman Empire.

Because Osman I was the founder of the empire. Yeah.

So, that's why he was that precious for the Ottoman people.

He's an important sultan, his tomb is here.

At that time, was Bursa the capital of the Ottoman Empire then?

Yes, yes.

It has a special meaning, because the Ottomans always targeted

to take Constantinople from Byzantine Empire.

Right from the beginning? Right from the beginning.

So, they keep attacking Byzantine towns and areas, and...

You know, in the middle of 15th century, they were succeeding

taking Constantinople. Yeah.

Mehmed's great-great-grandfather, Osman, is said to have been

inspired by a dream.

According to the dream, a tree came out his bosom

and expands into whole world.

So, that means Osman will have an empire, you know,

govern the people, and so on.

So, this is kind of a foundation for the state of affairs and,

as I said, you know, imagination of the people, maybe. Yeah, yeah.

It's fascinating, isn't it? Cos I think, you know, a dream like that,

where you imagine a tree growing out of your chest... Yes.

..and that tree then covers the whole empire. Yes, yes.

And that's thinking about where the empire goes in the future.

Also, it gives some authority.

Exactly.

It provides almost a kind of divine authority to what you're doing.

Indeed, indeed. If it's true or not.

If it's true or... It worked. Yeah, yeah.

I think it's really fascinating coming here to look at this tomb,

having come to Bursa from Ankara,

where I saw the mausoleum of Ataturk.

I know he started something different, you know,

he initiated the Turkish Republic. Mm-hm.

But there's something in that kind of creation of a mausoleum

and the ideas that it encapsulates, as well. Mm-hm.

It does seem to hark back to these very early days

of the Ottoman Empire. Yeah.

You touch a very nice point. I think so.

Because, as you said, he was the founder of the new Turkey,

modern Turkey. So, yeah, maybe it's kind of a tradition for us...

Yeah. ..to begin like that.

Parallel, as you said. Yeah.

Parallel to Ottomans and the new republic.

My time in Bursa has come to an end.

After the bustle of Ankara, this city - with its layers of history

and green spaces - has felt like an oasis.

My next stop is the greatest city in Turkey, Istanbul,

the old Constantinople - where the Ottomans gained their

biggest victory, and from where they would go on to rule

over three continents for centuries.

I've left Bursa behind, and I'm on my way now to Istanbul,

and this moves along the story of the Ottoman Empire, as well.

As Begum told me, the early Ottoman sultans had their eye on this prize,

Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire.

And it was Mehmed I's grandson - who was also called Mehmed, Mehmed II -

who would finally capture the city.

And when he did, he announced himself to be Kayser-i Rum,

the new Roman Emperor.

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