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Rick Steves' Europe - Season 13 Episode 8 -
Istanbul: Capital of Emperors and Sultans
Istanbul: Capital of Emperors and Sultans
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00:00This time, we're relaxed, getting all cleaned up to experience the wonders of the Sultan of Istanbul.
00:07Thanks for joining us.
00:30Istanbul is one of the great cities on Earth, period.
00:44For thousands of years, this place, where east meets west, has been a crossroads of civilizations.
00:51And for over 400 years, it was the capital of the Ottoman Empire.
00:56And those sultans left quite a heritage.
00:59We'll see the historic highlights of this city, explore an Ottoman palace, marvel at the sultan's treasures,
01:05be dazzled by Byzantine domes, anticipate with the Ramadan faithful the call to prayer,
01:11and descend into an ancient Roman cistern.
01:17We'll go local in a sea of locals, sort through exotic spices, dine fine with the help of the local firewater,
01:24survive a flaming face shave, and then luxuriate in an Ottoman bath.
01:32Turkey bridges Europe and Asia.
01:34Istanbul, its largest city, straddles the Bosphorus Strait.
01:38Part of the city is in Europe and part in Asia.
01:41The Golden Horn Inlet, long a strategic harbor, is crossed by the Galata Bridge,
01:46which connects the bustling new town and the old town, which fills the peninsula conveniently protected by a mighty wall.
01:53Here we'll find the venerable sights of the sultans, the ancient Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and the fabled Topkapi Palace.
02:00While today the city is a vast megalopolis of over 15 million people, sprawling along both sides of the Bosphorus,
02:08its oldest citizens actually remember when it had only a million people.
02:14In other words, most of the city is new, and its historic points of interest are mostly corralled into a compact old center.
02:21Over the centuries, this city has been the capital of two grand empires.
02:31During the Christian Byzantine Empire, which started in the 4th century and lasted about a thousand years,
02:37it was called Constantinople.
02:39Then, in the 15th century, the Muslim Ottomans took over and ruled what they called Istanbul until the end of World War I.
02:47Even though today's secular Turkish Republic is governed from Ankara,
02:52Istanbul remains the financial, cultural, and historic center of the country.
02:57But the story goes back even before the Byzantine Empire.
03:01As the ancient Roman Empire was falling in the 4th century,
03:05Emperor Constantine moved his capital city from Rome in the west, here, to the less chaotic east.
03:11That was around the year 324, and the new capital was named after the emperor, Constantinople.
03:20Then, in 476, Rome and its western empire finally fell.
03:25That left Constantinople, here in the east, the leading city of European civilization.
03:31Traces of the Roman capital here can still be found.
03:35This oblong square was a racetrack, still shaped like the Circus Maximus back in Rome.
03:41Built in the 4th century to seat over 40,000 fans,
03:45the Hippodrome was Constantinople's primary venue for chariot races.
03:51Its centerpiece, this 3,500-year-old Egyptian obelisk, was originally carved to honor a pharaoh.
03:57It was shipped here to ornament the racetrack back in the 4th century.
04:01What we see today is only the upper third of the original massive stone column.
04:07It's easy to overlook that in the year 600, Istanbul, with half a million people,
04:12was the largest city in all of Europe.
04:15One good way to fathom that is to descend into one of its massive cisterns,
04:21as the ancient city had an impressive water system.
04:24This cistern was built 1,500 years ago by Emperor Justinian,
04:29who built many of the city's grandest buildings.
04:31Some of these columns were scavenged from ancient temples,
04:36giving the cistern a few artistic surprises.
04:41It was a huge underground reservoir,
04:43one of many that brought water to the city's residents.
04:46This one was the biggest, as it served the emperor's palace.
04:50For nearly a thousand years, fresh water from 10 miles away
04:54was channeled here through pipes and across aqueducts.
04:58And part of the legacy of that original water system
05:02are the city's venerable public baths.
05:06Hi, welcome, sir.
05:07Merhaba.
05:07Merhaba.
05:08In this city of experiences,
05:11one of the most memorable is enjoying a Turkish bath,
05:15a ritual that goes back 2,000 years.
05:19And today, these baths welcome tourists.
05:22You leave absolutely everything in the changing room.
05:26Slip into your slippers
05:27and shuffle into the steamy calderium.
05:32It's all about relaxation.
05:35Turks brought the steam bath with them from Central Asia,
05:38blended it with the Roman bath culture they found here,
05:41and created this, the Turkish bath.
05:48Moving on, you continue relaxing
05:50and softening up under cascades of hot water.
05:55Savor the experience,
05:57achieving maximum sweating and pampering.
06:07Then it's on to the big marble slab,
06:11where your masseuse works you over,
06:14scrubbing vigorously with rough, brillo-pad-type mints,
06:18under Ottoman skylights,
06:21blanketed in bubbles.
06:25Then, more scrubbing,
06:28as I imagine this ancient luxury
06:30working its magic over so many centuries.
06:33More bubbles,
06:36more massaging,
06:39and finally, rinsing.
06:44Refreshed and cleaner
06:46than you can remember ever been,
06:48you venture back into the clamor of the city,
06:51ready for more Turkish history,
06:54art, and life.
06:55As a city which is over 90% Muslim,
07:01Istanbul offers a good opportunity
07:03to better understand Islam.
07:05Visitors are welcome to visit mosques,
07:07and in doing so,
07:08better understand a religion
07:10that about 2 billion people practice.
07:14The Blue Mosque
07:15was the 17th-century triumph
07:17of Sultan Ahmet I.
07:19Architecturally, with its six minarets,
07:22it rivaled the Great Mosque in Mecca,
07:24the holiest in all of Islam.
07:28Its grand courtyard welcomes the crowd
07:31that gathers for worship.
07:38As with all mosques,
07:40you park your shoes at the door,
07:41and women cover their heads.
07:43If you don't have a scarf,
07:45you'll find loners at the door.
07:49Countless beautiful tiles
07:51fill the interior with exquisite floral
07:53and geometric motifs.
07:56It's nicknamed the Blue Mosque
07:57because of its blue tiles.
07:59Blue is a popular color in Turkey.
08:02It impressed early French visitors
08:04enough for them to call it
08:06the color of the Turks,
08:07or turquoise.
08:09While churches portray people like this,
08:13Muslims believe the portrayal of people
08:15in places of worship
08:16draws attention away from worshiping Allah
08:18as the one God.
08:21In mosques, rather than saints and prophets,
08:24you'll see geometrical designs
08:26and calligraphy.
08:28This explains why, historically,
08:30the Muslim world excelled at non-figurative art,
08:34while artists from Christian Europe
08:36focused on painting and sculpting the human form.
08:39Artful Arabic calligraphy
08:41generally shows excerpts from the Quran
08:43and quotes from Muhammad.
08:46As a church would have Jesus and God front and center,
08:49in a mosque,
08:51elaborate medallions high above the prayer niche
08:53read Muhammad and Allah.
08:58Large ceremonial candles flank the mirab.
09:02That's the niche that points from here to Mecca
09:04in Saudi Arabia,
09:06where Muslims face when they worship.
09:16Like churches have bell towers,
09:19mosques have minarets.
09:21According to Muslim tradition,
09:23the imam, or prayer leader,
09:24would climb to the top of the minaret
09:26to call the faithful to prayer.
09:30These days, the prayer leader
09:32still performs the call to prayer live,
09:35but rather than climbing the minaret,
09:37it's amplified by loudspeakers.
09:54Five times a day,
09:55the message is always the same.
09:57Allah Akbar.
09:59God is great.
10:00Witness, there's only one God.
10:02Muhammad is his prophet.
10:04Come join the prayer.
10:06Come join the salvation.
10:09When this happens,
10:10practicing Muslims drop into a mosque,
10:13face Mecca, and pray.
10:18Then, after a short service praising God,
10:21work-a-day life resumes.
10:23To better understand this rich and complex culture,
10:35I'm joined by my friend and the co-author
10:38of my Istanbul guidebook,
10:40Lali Sermon-Aran.
10:42So what does the call to prayer mean to you?
10:44It's a personal thing.
10:46Most people are Muslims,
10:48but it's a secular country,
10:50and it's in our constitution.
10:52What we say is that you never know
10:54who has got the money or the faith.
10:56The real virtue is not to show it off.
10:58I see.
11:00But there's nothing modest
11:01about the religious architecture in this city.
11:04In fact, the best way to appreciate
11:06the magnificence of ancient Constantinople
11:08is to visit a church-turned mosque
11:11that's considered one of the greatest houses of worship
11:13in both the Christian and Muslim worlds,
11:17Hagia Sophia,
11:18the great church of Constantinople.
11:21Originally built as a church
11:23by the Byzantine emperor Justinian
11:25in the early 6th century,
11:26on the grandest scale possible,
11:28it was later converted into a mosque
11:31by the conquering Ottomans.
11:33Hagia Sophia,
11:34which marks the high point of Byzantine architecture,
11:36is the pinnacle of that society's glory days.
11:42This magnificent church was completed in 537,
11:46just about when Europe was falling into the Middle Ages.
11:49And for four centuries after that,
11:51people in Europe looked to Constantinople
11:53as the leading city in Christendom,
11:55and this was the leading church.
11:58This clever dome-upon-dome construction
12:01was the biggest dome anywhere
12:03until the Cathedral of Florence was built
12:05during the Renaissance 900 years later.
12:09The vast interior gives the impression
12:11of a golden weightless shell,
12:13gracefully disguising the massive overhead load
12:16supported by ingenious Byzantine engineering.
12:21Arched windows shed a soft light on the interior,
12:26showing off the church's original marble
12:29and glittering mosaic work.
12:32But the Byzantine Empire collapsed in the 15th century,
12:37and Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque.
12:41Christian mosaics were plastered over,
12:43and new religious symbols replaced the old.
12:47So it's a church turned into a mosque.
12:49Yes, and churches are built to face Jerusalem,
12:53mosques, Mecca.
12:54Since they could not move the building,
12:56they moved the focal point of prayer towards Mecca.
13:00See the niche?
13:00It's off the center towards right.
13:02Facing Mecca.
13:03Facing Mecca.
13:04Very economic.
13:09Today, while Hagia Sophia remains
13:12an important place of worship,
13:14tourists are welcomed up to the mezzanine level
13:16to marvel at the art,
13:19to ponder the tangled history of this venerable spot,
13:22and perhaps to give yourself the opportunity
13:26to be inspired by one of the most esteemed places in Islam.
13:33While considered a must-see by visitors,
13:36it's important for tourists to remember
13:38that Hagia Sophia remains a functioning mosque.
13:42My favorite souvenir in my travels
13:47is bringing home a broader perspective.
13:49When it comes to faiths different than mine,
13:51I like to learn without judging.
13:54We happened to be in Istanbul
13:55during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
14:01Here, gathered in a park between two beloved mosques,
14:04people reflect on the meaning of Ramadan
14:06as they wait to break their fast.
14:09Fasting daily for a month each year during Ramadan
14:13is one of the five pillars of Islam.
14:16From sunup to sundown for 30 days,
14:19no eating, drinking, or smoking.
14:21It's all about self-control.
14:24Mohammed taught that loosening ties to the material world
14:28makes it easier to enter into eternity,
14:30as if unchained.
14:31It's an opportunity to share a sacred moment
14:36with family and community.
14:39They're primed, meals ready,
14:41awaiting the call to prayer
14:42initiated by the setting of the sun.
14:44Allahu Akbar, Allah!
14:52It's scenes like this,
14:54so similar to family holidays of my own,
14:57that remind me why I travel.
14:59To experience cultures different than my own,
15:03only to find out how similar we are.
15:14For me, another dimension of teeming and vibrant Istanbul
15:18is to simply enjoy its busy streets.
15:21Mix it up.
15:22There are quiet back streets
15:24and market streets teeming with shoppers.
15:27Sometimes, I just let myself flow with the crowds,
15:31as if in an endless river of humanity.
15:34You may find yourself in the dowry market,
15:37like a department store without a roof.
15:39It's the place where brides and their loved ones
15:42shop before a wedding.
15:44And the characters you'll meet.
15:48Seeing our camera,
15:48this fun-loving gentleman wanted all of America
15:52to know that if all the snowflakes in the skies were women,
15:57his wife is the one he'd choose.
16:03And you can pop into a barber shop
16:05for a shave you'll never forget.
16:08Lather up for a good old-fashioned razor shave.
16:11And it's finished with a flaming torch
16:17to be sure all those extra little hairs are gone.
16:24A bit painful,
16:26but it's part of an experience
16:29that leaves you with the closest shave of your life
16:32and an impossible-to-forget memory.
16:35The venerable and thriving spice market
16:41sells an exotic range of tasty treats.
16:45You'll find everything a sultan could want.
16:47Saffron and cinnamon,
16:49dried vegetables and fruits,
16:52pistachios and hazelnuts,
16:54and a fragrant cornucopia of sweets.
17:02This thriving market recalls
17:04the long Silk Road and Spice Road tradition
17:07of Turkey being an important crossroads.
17:11This was where exotic and treasured goods
17:13from the Far East landed
17:14to then be traded with merchants
17:16from all over Europe.
17:19I can imagine,
17:20under each of its uniform arches,
17:22an importer busy wholesaling his goods
17:25to merchants at this gateway to Europe.
17:28But, of course,
17:29today's trade is more touristy.
17:32It's great to history life.
17:34But try it, Turkish delight,
17:35ancestor of the gummy bear.
17:37Which flavor do you like?
17:39The pistachio one, right at the center.
17:41Pistachio.
17:46Good, thank you.
17:46But it's dinner time,
17:52and I'm in the mood to splurge
17:54for some modern Turkish cuisine.
17:58Chef Omar Bozyap's all about
18:01giving traditional ingredients
18:03a contemporary twist.
18:05And we'll be washing it down
18:07with the national drink, rocky.
18:10In Turkey, this local firewater,
18:12like brandy infused with licorice-flavored aniseed,
18:15is mixed with water and ice
18:17and is enjoyed throughout the meal,
18:20before, during, and after.
18:26Our first course,
18:28the cold plates, or meze,
18:30a fancy green bean salad,
18:33rolled grape leaves
18:34with rice, onion, and pine nuts
18:36with local cheese.
18:38And lamb's tongue,
18:40paired nicely with rocky.
18:43Next, the hot meze,
18:45zucchini with tomato sauce
18:47on a bed of yogurt
18:48with oyster mushrooms.
18:51Pastrami with thin-sliced tomato and peppers.
18:54It soaks up the butter
18:56and makes a fine little sandwich.
19:00Lamb testicles with bulgur
19:02and lamb brain with hummus.
19:05Here in Turkey,
19:07you could say snout to tail
19:08is brain to testicle,
19:11with, of course, more rocky.
19:14That's why we have rocky
19:15from the beginning just yet.
19:16To swallow the brains.
19:19How does it taste, then?
19:20Well, it tastes...
19:22I prefer testicles.
19:26Oh, it's full of this.
19:27It's a brain just took it.
19:28It's a...
19:29Our main course
19:32is layers of phyllo
19:33with mincemeat,
19:35garlic yogurt,
19:36and chili peppers.
19:39Everything's laced together
19:40with rocky.
19:44And now that he's done cooking,
19:46Chef Omar joins us
19:48adding to the conviviality
19:49and, of course,
19:51more rocky.
19:56Istanbul's been a busy trading center
20:03from the start,
20:04so it needed to be well protected.
20:06This imposing wall
20:08helped fortify
20:09the ancient Byzantine capital.
20:11The wall sealed off the city,
20:13protecting it on the one side
20:15where the water didn't.
20:18Dating from the 5th century,
20:20these ramparts stood strong
20:22against both Catholic Europe
20:23from the west
20:24and the Muslim forces
20:26from the east
20:27until 1453.
20:32That's when the Ottoman Turks,
20:34that aggressive tribe
20:35from the east,
20:36finally broke through the walls
20:37and established this city
20:39as the capital
20:40of their growing empire.
20:42Again,
20:43that's when they transformed
20:44Christian Constantinople
20:46into a Muslim city,
20:48Istanbul.
20:49The Topkapi Palace
20:50is where we find
20:51the storybook image
20:53of the Ottomans,
20:54you know,
20:55sultans,
20:56eunuchs,
20:57and harems.
20:58The palace,
20:59built in the late 1400s,
21:01was the power center
21:02of the Ottoman Empire
21:03for almost 400 years.
21:06Its buildings
21:07form a series of courtyards,
21:09the outer being used
21:10for public functions,
21:12and the farther in you go,
21:14the more private the rooms.
21:16Among the most private rooms
21:19was the harem.
21:20The word harem
21:21means forbidden in Arabic.
21:25It's the sprawling suite
21:26where the sultan lived
21:27with his wives,
21:29female slaves,
21:30and children.
21:33What a room, huh?
21:35This was the imperial hall
21:37of the harem.
21:39This was the divan
21:40that the sultan used,
21:41his throne.
21:42The divans by the window
21:43were used by the queen mother
21:45and the wives of the sultan,
21:46and the musicians
21:48used the balcony up above.
21:50So this was like
21:51the living room for the king.
21:52Exactly.
21:54And, of course,
21:56the sultan enjoyed
21:57a state-of-the-art bathroom,
21:58which came complete
21:59with hot and cold
22:01running water.
22:03Bathed in light
22:04from these exquisite
22:05stained-glass windows,
22:07this is where the sultan
22:08relaxed, entertained,
22:10and savored
22:11the sumptuous luxury
22:13that came with his power.
22:16Now, when we say harem,
22:18we usually think
22:19like a playboy mansion
22:20with a lot of girls.
22:21No, no, no.
22:22No, it wasn't like that.
22:23Harem was an institution.
22:25The idea was to provide
22:26the continuation
22:27of the dynasty,
22:29to provide a future heir
22:31to the throne.
22:32It was the queen mother
22:33who was the boss
22:35in the harem.
22:36It had rules,
22:37very strict rules.
22:38The sultan was never
22:39above these rules.
22:41It's impressive.
22:42Ottoman Empire
22:43lasted for 600 years.
22:45Only one family,
22:47one dynasty,
22:48never changed hands.
22:51Some of the sultan's opulence
22:52is still on display
22:54in the palace museum.
22:56The exquisite
22:57top-copy dagger
22:58wows tourists
22:59with its dazzling diamonds
23:01and golf-ball-sized
23:03emeralds.
23:04Clearly, the Ottomans
23:05in their heyday
23:06were a wealthy power.
23:09The palace is also
23:11a holy spot for Muslims
23:12containing relics
23:13of Muhammad
23:14and other prophets,
23:15some of whom are revered
23:17in both the Quran
23:18and the Bible.
23:19This contains
23:20what's believed
23:21to be the arm
23:22of St. John the Baptist.
23:23And here's John's skull
23:25inside a jeweled case.
23:28For Muslims,
23:28the most precious relics
23:30are those of Muhammad.
23:32His bow
23:32and sword
23:33exquisite cases
23:35containing his tooth,
23:37some hair,
23:38and his holy seal.
23:40And in the adjacent room,
23:42an afiz.
23:43That's someone
23:44who's memorized
23:45all 6,000 verses
23:46of the Quran
23:47is part of a team
23:49that sings verses
23:50from the Muslim holy book
23:5124 hours a day,
23:53seven days a week.
23:54SubhanAllahi
23:58amma shikouni.
24:07It's just one more thread
24:09in the fascinating tapestry
24:11of a great city,
24:12a city enriched
24:13by its culture,
24:14history,
24:15and the diversity
24:16of the people
24:17you'll meet
24:17in the streets.
24:18Istanbul remains
24:21at crossroads
24:22of humanity.
24:24And according
24:25to the Turkish proverb,
24:27every guest
24:27is a gift
24:28from God.
24:34Istanbul
24:35bridges
24:36east and west.
24:37With a complex weave
24:38of traditional
24:39Muslim faith,
24:41Western secularism,
24:42and modern affluence,
24:43it's a dynamic city,
24:45a city that sultans
24:46would hardly recognize.
24:48Thanks for joining us.
24:50I'm Rick Steves.
24:51Until next time,
24:52keep on traveling.
24:56As a city
24:57which is overnight...
25:04I'm rolling.
25:07My favorite...
25:09Yes.
25:09I'm going a little bit more.
25:14I get it back.
25:21Whoa.
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