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 1,000 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...

Go!

..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!

For the third leg of my Ottoman journey, I travelled to Istanbul,

where I find out how the Ottomans finally conquered the most coveted

city in the 15th century.

But having got the troops over, they've still got to...

Oh, they still have.

..they've still got to break through? Absolutely.

I discover an astonishing church that thrived

under Islamic Ottoman rule.

This is the church of the Patriarchate,

the head of the Orthodox Church.

So it's the equivalent of the Vatican in Rome.

And I try my hand at bartering in the famous Grand Bazaar.

Look at that.

So many colours and so many designs, that's amazing.

Beautiful one, eh?

I'm going to have to go away and have a cup of tea.

I'm going to have to do it, I'm not going to...

I'm not going to do this deal ceiling right now...

..as I travel the Ottoman Empire by train.

TRAIN ANNOUNCEMENT IN TURKISH

I've arrived in the beating heart of modern Turkey,

the vibrant city of Istanbul.

Istanbul was known as Constantinople until it became part

of the Ottoman Empire.

Originally Byzantium, it was renamed after the Roman Emperor Constantine

in the fourth century and remained as the capital of the Eastern

Roman or Byzantine Empire.

And once the Ottomans claimed it, it was the jewel in their crown.

And their legacy is still celebrated,

even in this railway station underpass.

It's kind of Europeanised.

This is Osman Ottoman.

This is Orhan.

Amazing.

And Constantinople as it was.

Constantinople, or Istanbul represents a fascinating chapter

in the story of the Ottoman Empire and the last stop

on the Turkish leg of my journey.

I started near the Syrian border in Adana, then headed north inland

to Konya, the Turkish capital Ankara, and then on to the ancient

city of Bursa before finally arriving here in Istanbul.

The city is literally where east meets west.

Across the mighty Bosphorus strait, with Asia on one side and Europe

on the other.

I'll be focusing my Ottoman exploration of Istanbul

on this European side, home to its historic sites

and where the 14th century Galata Tower looms on the north shore

of an inlet of the Bosphorus known as the Golden Horn.

And here I found a cafe with a view across the Golden Horn

to what would have been the well-fortified Byzantine

capital city of Constantinople.

In 1453, the city was the golden prize,

the ruling Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, wanted at all costs

to bring down the Byzantine Empire.

So Mehmed wants to capture Constantinople.

He's already in power over here in Asia.

He already is in power over here in Europe.

He wanted to become the new Byzantine emperor,

the new Roman emperor.

Constantinople is an island that is threatened on all sides.

But it's fairly impregnable.

It's on this peninsula, so it's surrounded by water

on three sides and then it has...

..a boundary here, which is very well defended.

So Mehmed has a fleet here in the Bosphorus,

but he cannot go up the Golden Horn because there is a chain...

..across the opening of the Golden Horn,

a great iron chain that is towed across by ships

and apparently had logs to keep it afloat on the surface of the water.

And he just could not break through it to go up the Golden Horn

and get to the side of Constantinople here,

the northern side.

So he does an extraordinary thing, takes his ships that are here

in the Bosphorus and under cover of night, drags them out of the water

and drags them up and over the hill here and around Galata,

and then back into the water here.

And then they can sail across the Golden Horn, which is quite narrow,

I can see it just in front of me here.

And in the morning, the people of Constantinople wake up

with the Ottomans on their doorstep.

And that was the beginning of the end.

Constantinople would soon fall to Mehmed II and his Ottoman troops.

It really was an incredible feat.

But Mehmed had a good reason for his obsession.

The Bosphorus is a natural strait that runs for 20 miles,

connecting the Black Sea in the north to the Sea of Marmara

in the south, which in turn leads into the Mediterranean.

Even to this day, the Bosphorus is of huge strategic importance,

commercial and military.

And what better way to explore Istanbul's colourful Ottoman

past and its historic sites than by taking to the majestic waters

of the Bosphorus.

My guide on this nautical journey is historian, Alexis Wick.

What's that Mosque there?

That is the, um, Topkapi Palace.

Which was built after the capture of Cons...conquest of Constantinople

by Mehmed the Conqueror, Mehmed II.

So that was Mehmed's original palace, is it?

Yes, indeed, well, it was built...

It wasn't the first palace that he lived in, but it's the palace

he built and established his court in.

And it remained the main palace, Ottoman palace,

for many generations.

Yeah. Sultans.

And then when he takes Constantinople, that's effectively

the end of the Byzantine Empire?

The Byzantine and therefore the Roman Empire, which had obviously

lasted numerous centuries.

And of course, the Ottomans themselves seized that legacy

and that tradition, including the title Caesar,

so sometimes they would also mobilise

the title of Caesar from that Roman tradition, in addition to Sultan

and other titles from other traditions.

They saw themselves as the inheritors?

Saw themselves as the continuators and inheritors

of the Roman imperial tradition.

So that is the Asian side or Anatolian side,

and this is the European or Rumelian side.

Rumelian, what does that mean?

Rumelia, it refers, in fact, it's the province of Rome.

It comes ultimately from the from the Roman tradition, a reference

to the space that's associated with the Romans.

So it keeps being this kind of harking back

to the Roman Empire?

I mean the sultans of rum over in Anatolia?

Absolutely, and indeed the parts of the Mediterranean

were called the Roman seas.

Right.

Bahri rum. Yeah.

And the area itself as a both the Balkans and Anatolia

is often referred to both in the Arabic tradition and the Ottoman

tradition as the Land of the Romans.

Did the Ottomans ever have an ambition to push further west,

do you think? They did. Did they?

Absolutely, Mehmed himself promised to take Rome.

Really?

Yes, well, promised, I don't know, threatened.

Had an ambition? Had an ambition to take Rome.

And they landed in, the Italian peninsula.

But that failed.

What it would have looked like is another question, of course.

Yeah.

The Ottomans had dominated Eastern Europe and the Balkans

for many centuries, but it didn't lead to mass conversion or anything.

I think that's really interesting, there were all

these different religions.

Absolutely, throughout the Ottoman. Centuries.

The empire nominally Islamic... So the dynasty is Islam,

correct, so the Dynasty is Islamic.

Many of the inspiration for the norms and the laws

that the Sultan follows and imposes are Islamic.

But for a long time, in fact, the population

remained majority Christian.

And so you see, here is where the Byzantine chain would have closed

access to the Golden Horn that would prevent boats from cutting

across and entering into the Golden Horn, as we are doing now.

So Mehmed the Conqueror got his fleet from the Bosphorus,

up the hill where the Galata Tower stands, and they would have

put them back into the Golden Horn.

So they did this overnight?

They did this overnight and then surprised the Byzantines.

But having got the troops over...

..to the walls of Constantinople, they've still got to.

Oh, they still have to... They've still got to break through?

Absolutely. Take the city? And the walls were notoriously

difficult to penetrate.

So, of course, the Ottomans had been besieging the city

for a while, and eventually it fell.

Uh, oh. Marking the end of the Roman Empire.

Yeah, yeah.

It is fascinating because, you know, we talk about the fall

of the Roman Empire, but it had continued as the Byzantine

Empire... Precisely, in the East, precisely, indeed.

Capturing Constantinople was a huge coup for the Ottomans.

And tomorrow I want to discover how they stamped

their mark on the city.

There are many sides to Istanbul, I'm learning,

as I explore this historic city on my Ottoman adventure.

In the centre of modern Istanbul, on the north shore

of the Golden Horn, is the sweeping Taksim Square, where the city's

Republic monument stands proud, commemorating the country's

independence in 1923.

This is the historic area of Pera, but today it has a lively art scene

and nightlife with restaurants, bars and clubs.

It's also where, paradoxically, the tram runs along its famous

pedestrianised shopping street, Istiklal Avenue.

As well as its old style trams, Istanbul still retains

an historic 19th century underground cable line.

This is the funicular railway in Pera.

Can't help thinking I should have used it to go up the hill though.

The funicular Tunnel was opened in 1875 and will take me down

from Pera, past the Galata Tower to the north shore of the Golden Horn.

It's a very short trip, because this goes all the way

to the bottom and back to the top in just five minutes.

It was the brainchild of French engineer Eugene-Henri Gavand,

who came to Istanbul as a tourist and saw people struggling

with the hill.

I'm heading now towards the heart of Istanbul's historic walled city.

I'm looking for the famous Grand Bazaar.

And it is simply enormous.

It has 64 lanes with over 4,000 shops in an area just a bit bigger

than four football pitches, all filled with an abundance of goods.

It's among the world's most visited tourist attractions,

with more than 400,000 visitors coming here every day.

And it has to be one of the Ottoman's most famous legacies.

Political historian Seda Altug is meeting me here to tell me

the story behind it.

Seda. Hi. Hello. Hi.

Oh, my goodness, I nearly got lost in the Grand Bazaar.

It's enormous.

It is enormous and it's very crowded.

It's like a labyrinth in there, it's incredible.

It is, it looks like a labyrinth.

But there is actually a plan and a, you know, an architectural

design into it, so once you know that, you just don't get lost.

But, I mean, this is your first time in the Grand Bazaar, isn't it?

It is, it is, and it's fantastic. Yeah, it is.

How long has there been a bazaar here?

It started to be built in 1454, immediately after the Ottoman

conquest of Istanbul, which was the first conqueror of Istanbul.

His name is Mehmed II. Yeah.

He basically ordered the building of a commercial centre and it took

over 200 years to give it a final shape,

and up until the 19th century it was the biggest bazaar

all over the globe, actually.

Really? Yeah. It's biggest market in the world?

Yeah, yeah, the biggest market in the world.

And it still is the biggest covered market in the world.

Is it? Yeah. Yeah.

So it's no wonder I nearly got lost in it? Yeah, yeah.

However, its significance starts to decline starting from

the 19th century, and the commercial hub of the city starts to shift

more towards the west of the sea of the Bosphorus.

The other side of the Golden Horn?

Absolutely. Yeah.

Mainly because most of the trade with Europe was made from there.

And most of the what we call Levantine non-Ottoman foreign,

mainly Western Venetian, Italian, etc. Yeah.

Merchants used to reside there and it became the modern

site facet of the city.

So that main commercial centre is moved to Pera on the other

side of the Golden Horn.

In the 19th century, as most of the stuff is being, you know,

textiles is being brought from Manchester

and the UK basically... After the effects

of the Industrial Revolution?

Yeah, the effects of the Industrial Revolution has a direct affect

on this, on the Grand Bazaar. Yeah.

But the current form of the Grand Bazaar is more a product

of the last 30 years, especially after 1990.

There's increasing commercialisation of certain products, like rugs

or like jewellery, things that are considered

to be peculiar to Turkey.

And therefore, you know, there's again, a reversal of interests

and attention of tourists towards the Grand Bazaar.

So a bit of a resurgence for the bazaar.

Yes, absolutely, yeah. Yeah.

If I was here in the 16th century when Constantinople

had just become part of the Ottoman Empire... Right.

..what might I have been able to buy in the Grand Bazaar?

What was coming into this market?

Think silver, there's a market for carpets,

there's a market for textiles, for gold.

Yeah, they are the first...

Locally made products, but presumably exotic products

coming in from the wider empire as well?

Yeah, I mean, if you were here in the beginning of 1600s,

then you would definitely find stuff from, you know, from Damascus,

from Baghdad, from all around the empire.

So, I mean, the Ottoman Empire, the position of it, it's essentially

controlling the flow of goods from Asia into Europe, is that right?

Yeah, that is absolutely right.

Yeah. And also the sea trade from the Indian Ocean

towards to the Mediterranean.

So all kinds of products basically found their way up in the capital.

It used to be the capital of Istanbul basically.

Yeah. Yeah, for 600 years.

The Sultans must have been incredibly wealthy?

The Sultans' personal wealth, yeah.

Thank you. Thank you.

There is something particularly intoxicating about the Grand Bazaar

and the vast array of goods on offer.

I've got my eye on one thing in particular, and I've decided

it would be wrong to go home without one of Turkey's famous

artisan rugs to serve as a memorable reminder of my Ottoman journey.

Now, I know the shopkeepers are exceedingly good salesmen,

so I'm not sure how this is going to go.

Look at this.

Look at that.

So many colours and so many designs, that's amazing.

Beautiful one eh?

These kind of, uh... Designs.

Very blocky, geometric shapes.

Yes. It's really interesting.

What type of carpet do you have back home?

Like, what do you use on the floors?

I don't have any carpets at home. Really? I want a carpet.

You are very lucky then you are here.

Yeah. Exactly. I just have bare floorboards.

Aha, this is carpet.

Bare floors that are crying out for a carpet.

Look at this one in here.

Oh, that's lovely, isn't it?

Make sure this one more than 100 years old.

A little bit tired piece.

Do you not want a tired piece, a little bit worn out?

Yeah. You see?

Yeah. But still beautiful, though.

Still gorgeous.

Looks pretty new to me.

This one in here.

Amazing work, look at that.

Oh, that's lovely. It's beautiful.

OK, how much is this one?

Sure, let me tell you the price on this.

Really like that.

I will do this one for you in USD 1,400.

OK. Yeah, this is so...

Will have a little think about that one, because I do rather like that.

I love these colours. You do?

Unusual. There is one in here like, think about this one in here.

But if you don't like... Beautiful.

..more this one, this is actually less money.

For example, this one is 450.

That's pretty. Yes.

Yeah. Beautiful.

Yeah. This is 450.

But, you know no comparison with the others.

But it's not as...no, exactly.

No comparison. It's not as pretty as the more expensive one.

Here, actually, look at it.

How beautiful is this?

Look at that.

I quite like that, but it's not my favourite.

Not your favourite?

It's very strange, you kind of want to find THE one.

THE one! There must be the one here for me.

What do you think about that actually?

That's quite nice. That is interesting.

It's quite interesting. Look at the way the red,

kind of like the orange red.

You do like it?

But I like, do you know I like the details on this one.

I like these, I like these... The indigo blue?

And also the, you know, these little floral patterns

which are different, you know, they're all different.

That's lovely, I think...

Do you know what I'm going to have to do?

I'm going to have to go away, have a sit down, have a cup of tea.

Yes. And have a big think about this.

Yeah. Istanbul in Grand Bazaar.

Yeah. Main problem is customer when they get here, you know,

so many shops.

I know! They do want something from me.

They go away and they do something, different carpet

from other shop. Well, there's another shop just over there.

Yeah, look at this... There's another one just down there.

They do confuse. Yeah.

That reason we try to... You're going to Keep me here?

We close the deal. You're going to keep me here? We close the...

..like we try to shake the hand and close the deal.

Yeah, yeah. One more thing I will do it for you.

I know which one you do like it.

I'm going to take away actually, these two.

OK. OK. He's so good at this.

Yes, I'm going to take it away.

Very good at this.

Actually, this one can we still say maybe?

He's an excellent salesman. Like this?

No, let's... Let's take it away.

Let's take that away. OK.

What do you think for this?

Uh...

Let's keep it in the mix.

Sure, let's say maybe, yeah, maybe?

And this one, can I take it away?

Take that one away. Too big?

That one is my favourite of these two.

Exactly, this is beautiful.

Is this a ridiculously expensive carpet, though...

This is actually... ..that I've settled on?

Yeah, I haven't settled on it, but I'm looking at it.

Do you know how much I will do with this for you, ma'am?

How much can you do that for me?

I'm going to make it one great offer.

If, you say yes, you're going to have it.

If not, we are still good friends.

OK, good. No worries.

Cause I don't want to fall out.

Yeah. Good.

We'll not be enemies.

I will do 1,300, this for you.

1,300? 1,300.

OK. Yeah, you can have this beautiful rug.

Really, it's a good one.

Can I have to go away and have a cup of tea? Sure.

I'm going to have to do it, I'm not going to...

I'm not going to do this deal ceiling right now.

I love it. Yes.

How much was that one?

1850. That's...yeah.

It's more expensive for you.

Yeah, yeah, right, I've got this carpet in my mind.

Yes. I will come back and tell you.

Yeah. Thank you.

Can I give you my card? I know where you are.

I'll come back, yeah, yeah.

It's a beautiful carpet, but it's a lot of money.

It's a lot of money, and I can feel myself getting sucked in

and thinking, "But I need this carpet."

He's such a good salesman.

But look, there's another carpet shop over there.

I'm in Istanbul, discovering the pivotal role it played

in the rise of the almighty Ottoman Empire.

But I'm experiencing its modern metamorphosis, too.

This is the splendid Golden Horn Metro Bridge that links

the Istanbul Metro system between the north and south shores

of the Bosphorus Inlet.

The bridge is half a mile long and was opened just over

ten years ago, amid some controversy that it spoilt

the city's historic skyline.

Over a million passengers are carried across the bridge every

day and it even has its own train station.

This is where I'm catching the train that will take me into old Istanbul.

Modern Istanbul has grown at such a pace,

it now spans around 2,000 square miles,

making it the largest city in Europe.

Always busy in Istanbul, this is a city of nearly

20 million people.

The metropolis had to adopt a modern transport system

to move its citizens around, and opened the first line

of its Metro system in 1989.

I'm heading back into what was the ancient walled city of Istanbul

that is now a designated Unesco World Heritage Site.

And it's just a three minute journey to its underground station.

I've just got off here, and now I need to walk up this street

here to get to the Suleymaniye Mosque.

And that's where I'm meeting historian Berke Torunoglu.

The station is in the Fatih district.

It encompasses the peninsula of Old Istanbul, and not

surprisingly, there are no shortages of mosques here.

One in particular that I've wanted to see up close

is the iconic Hagia Sophia.

This is such an incredible building.

The core of it is sixth century.

It was built during the time of the Emperor Justinian,

and it was the grandest, the largest church in the world

for a thousand years.

It was the religious heart of Constantinople, which itself

was the heart of the Byzantine Empire.

So in 1453, when Mehmed II...

..the Ottoman Sultan, arrived here and took Constantinople...

..this church, the Hagia Sofia, the Church of Holy Wisdom,

becomes a mosque And you can see those additions.

You can see the way that it's been added to over the centuries,

and of course, the additions of the minarets.

And then it remained a mosque all the way through into the 1930s.

Then it became a museum.

And in the last three years it's become a mosque again.

Inside this former Byzantine church,

you can clearly see evidence of its Christian past.

Unlike the stark interiors of the Ottomans' grand mosques,

this place of worship is still adorned

with elaborately carved cornices,

columns of the finest marble and beautiful mosaics.

These works of art are distinctly Byzantine,

depicting icon-like images of the Virgin Mary, Jesus and the saints.

These artworks were plastered over when the church was converted

to a mosque in the 15th century

and lay hidden for many years

until they were restored in the 1930s.

The Hagia Sophia truly is a marvel,

but the Ottomans also built their own impressive monuments

and there's one in particular I'm really keen to see.

With commanding views over the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn,

the imposing Suleymaniye Mosque was built to honour

one of the Ottomans' finest leaders,

and Berke Torunoglu is going to tell me

all about this grand sultan's legacy.

Berke. Hi, Alice.

Hello. How are you?

Lovely to meet you. Likewise.

This is such a magnificent mosque, isn't it? Yeah, it is.

Built by a magnificent man.

It is, it is... Built by Suleiman the Magnificent.

For his family, so his wife, his mother,

some of his sons are all buried here in the complex.

Yeah, so this is 16th century?

16th century.

The heyday, the climax, the golden age. Yeah.

Whatever you want to say. The golden age of the Ottoman Empire.

So what was special about this particular site?

It was the site of the old Byzantine palace,

then the palace of Mehmed II.

Yeah. It is scenic.

It's incredibly scenic, isn't it?

Looking out over the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn.

Suleiman the Magnificent ruled the Ottoman Empire at its peak

in the mid-16th century

when it expanded to encompass Eastern Europe.

As a very wealthy sultan,

he demanded a mosque that had to eclipse any that came before it.

Beautiful courtyard.

This stunning porticoed enclosure

is a trademark of the chief imperial architect, Mimar Sinan,

who designed this grand mosque for Suleiman.

Sinan is credited with creating the distinctive

Ottoman architectural style.

Towering columns of marble and granite

create a breathtaking sense of grandeur,

and the four minarets are a mark of a mosque commissioned by a sultan.

This is the emperor who is saying, "This is my legacy." Yeah.

For Turks, Suleiman is the second big honcho

in Ottoman dynasty.

The first is Fatih the Conqueror.

Mehmed II?

Mehmed II. Yeah, yeah.

He is... People don't even call him

King Mehmed, Mehmed II.

He is Fatih. Fatih means Conqueror.

OK.

So Fatih is Mehmed II.

Yes, and we have the Fatih complex over there,

which this whole complex was built to overshadow it

and also pay homage at the same time.

Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

And what about the relationship between the Ottoman Empire

and the Christian West,

the rest of Europe?

So, by 19th century, of course, modernity made its way

to Ottoman Empire as well.

It was always part of European markets,

European way of doing things. Mm.

And this sense of time shifted to the disfavour of the Ottomans.

And they tended to accept the... at least the material superiority

of the Westerners when we come to 19th century.

So they were looking west, very definitely. Looking west.

And is Istanbul a Turkish version of Constantinople?

There are two theories. Yeah.

One, it's a mispronunciation of a Greek word called Stanpoli.

Yeah, Stanpoli, yeah.

To the city.

And the other one is more of a teleological construction.

It is Islambol, Istanbul.

Islambol means plenty of Islam.

Yeah. Of course, it has no historical proof

whatsoever behind that.

But also Istanbul does sound as though

it could just be a contraction of Constantinople.

And that too. Right. Yeah, yeah.

The Suleymaniye Mosque is open 24 hours a day.

It attracts millions of visitors a year

and can hold up to 27,000 worshippers at one time.

I'm going to take my shoes off over here.

Oh, I've got to put my scarf on as well.

As you enter this vast place of worship, you're confronted

by both its grandeur and simplicity.

The chandeliers hang low to deliberately emphasise the space.

The ceiling's large dome, flanked by half-domes,

is a trademark of Sinan's designs,

as are the decorative arches over the windows to the north and south.

The distinctive tiles in blue, turquoise and pale red,

from the pottery town of Iznik near Bursa,

were a favourite of early Ottoman designers.

What's the relationship between Ottoman mosque architecture

like this and Byzantine churches?

Again, two theories.

Almost all mosques is a...are... how can I say,

a copy, a homage to the original mosque of Prophet Muhammad.

And the style is almost the same in all mosques,

of course, with some variations. Yeah.

But, of course, when Islam spread to what was

Eastern Roman Empire, the architects, the masons,

those who knew how to build buildings to endure

were Romans, Persians,

and they did what they know best. Yeah.

Did Byzantine-like domes, arches. Yeah.

So it is not, how can I say, a direct continuation,

but a generational style that was iterated.

This is Muhammad.

This is Allah.

These are all four caliphs.

And this is Osman, where the name Ottoman Empire comes from.

Where's Osman?

Osman.

Osman. Right.

The Ottomans invested vast fortunes

in expressions of Islamic faith like this.

But, tomorrow, I learn how tolerant the empire could be of other faiths.

This leg of my Ottoman journey in the cosmopolitan city of Istanbul

and the country that gave birth to the powerful dynasty

is almost over.

But there's one place in this multicultural city

that I'd like to see.

It's a Christian place of worship that was allowed to flourish

in Ottoman Istanbul where all faiths were tolerated.

The Greek Orthodox Cathedral Church of Saint George.

Although the church dates back to the 1600s,

it has undergone numerous renovations over the centuries

after being damaged by earthquakes and fires.

Its final reconstruction took place in the late 18th century,

resulting in this neoclassical marble facade

with distinctive ornate window and door frames.

But this monochrome exterior is a sharp contrast

to what you find inside.

Lavishly decorated in deep red and gold,

the interior is a feast for the eyes,

dripping with the typical opulence of an Orthodox church.

You can't fail to be drawn to the dominating iconostasis,

or screen of icons, ornately carved in wood and gilded.

So this is the church of the Patriarchate,

the head of the Orthodox Church.

So it's the equivalent of the Vatican in Rome.

It's an incredibly important place for the Eastern Orthodox

branch of Christianity.

And it's fascinating to come and look in here,

at the architecture, but particularly the decoration,

and look at how different that is

compared with the mosques I've been exploring.

It's a really important reminder that it wasn't just Muslims

in the Ottoman Empire.

There were many, many Christians, many Jews, people of other faiths,

and that, when the Ottoman Empire came to control Constantinople,

it also came to control

the centre of the Orthodox Church,

and this is it.

This is the Church of Saint George and we see his image everywhere.

There's a lovely painting of him just there, where you can see him

on his horse, slaying the dragon that he's very famous for doing.

Saint George was a Christian martyr, born around 270 CE

in the ancient region of Cappadocia in what's now central Turkey.

George was a high-ranking Roman officer

who refused to renounce his Christian faith, even under torture,

which he miraculously survived.

There's a lot of floral decoration, leafy decoration,

as you see in mosques.

But, of course, the big difference here is that you see

images of people

which you never have in a mosque.

This small icon of the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus

is a real treasure dating from the 11th century.

The patriarchal throne is extremely ornate,

made of walnut and inlaid with ivory and mother of pearl

and thought to date back to the days of the Byzantine Empire.

The smaller seats are reserved for visiting dignitaries.

Despite their strong adherence to the Muslim faith,

the Ottomans were tolerant of other religions,

as long as their subjects remained loyal to the empire.

And this would certainly have been the case

for those who lived under Ottoman rule

in my next destination, Bulgaria,

where Eastern Orthodox Christianity was and is the main religion.

It's time for me to leave magical Istanbul,

and I've come to the outskirts of the city

to the station of Halkali to take the overnight sleeper train

from Istanbul and travel 354 miles

west to the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia.

The Istanbul-Sofia Express is the only major railway link

between Turkey and mainland Europe.

There's just one departure a day and it's a journey of 9-10 hours.

And I have a reservation in a sleeper compartment all to myself.

OK, this is nice.

Compact and bijou little abode for the evening.

For the night.

Nice little sink.

Looks like a light just there.

And there's, uh...

Oh, there's a fridge in here.

What's in there?

Got some water, got some juice

and some biscuits.

Who keeps biscuits in a fridge?

Weird.

OK.

And...I presume these turn into beds.

Bed up there.

There's one bed. Ooh.

OK. SHE STRAINS

And then there's... I think this is another bed down here.

I think these seats magically transform into a bed

because I saw that toggle.

Look at that!

I think that's where I'm going to be sleeping this evening.

It's quite early.

I'm not sure how good a night's sleep I'm going to get

because I know that, somewhere along the journey,

I'm going to be woken up for a passport check.

Uh, but I love a... I love a sleeper train

so, in between that, I will get some good sleep.

So here we go, then.

Leaving Turkey, leaving Istanbul.

I've loved Istanbul.

When I wake up in the morning, I'll be in Sofia,

where I'll be continuing my exploration

of the Ottoman Empire by train.

My time in Istanbul has been fascinating,

from seeing first-hand where Mehmed the Conqueror defied all the odds

to claim Constantinople,

visiting the splendid 16th-century mosque

built for the magnificent Sultan Suleiman...

..to honing my haggling skills in the iconic Grand Bazaar

where I went back and sealed the deal.

I'm going to give you one nice bag for you.

You can make this in carry-on.

Lovely, thank you very much. There you go.

Now I'd better pay you for it, hadn't I? Yes.

Next time, I'll be searching for the Ottomans in Eastern Europe.

I think what's fascinating is the relationship

between state and religion,

that they are... they're completely intertwined.

Absolutely.

I spend the evening by the glorious river Danube.

Belgrade and its fortress really are protecting this gateway

to the rest of Europe.

But my journey goes slightly off the rails.

I've been thwarted.

It's now Ottoman Empire mostly by train.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media