- 53 minutes ago
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:01Hey, I'm Rick Steves, back with more of the best of Europe.
00:05This time, we're relaxed, getting all cleaned up
00:08to experience the wonders of the Sultan Istanbul.
00:12Thanks for joining us.
00:30Istanbul is one of the great cities on Earth, period.
00:49For thousands of years, this place, where East meets West,
00:53has been a crossroads of civilizations.
00:56And for over 400 years, it was the capital of the Ottoman Empire.
01:01And those sultans left quite a heritage.
01:04We'll see the historic highlights of this city,
01:07explore an Ottoman palace,
01:09marvel at the sultan's treasures,
01:11be dazzled by Byzantine domes,
01:13anticipate with the Ramadan faithful the call to prayer...
01:16Allah!
01:19...and descend into an ancient Roman cistern.
01:22We'll go local in a sea of locals,
01:25sort through exotic spices,
01:27dine fine with the help of the local firewater,
01:30survive a flaming face shave,
01:33and then luxuriate in an Ottoman bath.
01:37Turkey bridges Europe and Asia.
01:39Istanbul, its largest city, straddles the Bosphorus Strait.
01:43Part of the city is in Europe and part in Asia.
01:46The Golden Horn Inlet, long a strategic harbor,
01:49is crossed by the Galata Bridge,
01:51which connects the bustling New Town and the Old Town,
01:54which fills the peninsula conveniently protected by a mighty wall.
01:58Here we'll find the venerable sights of the sultans,
02:00the ancient Hagia Sophia,
02:02the Blue Mosque,
02:03and the fabled Topkapi Palace.
02:06While today the city is a vast megapolis
02:09of over 15 million people,
02:11sprawling along both sides of the phosphorus,
02:14its oldest citizens actually remember
02:16when it had only a million people.
02:19In other words, most of the city is new,
02:22and its historic points of interest
02:23are mostly corralled into a compact old center.
02:32Over the centuries,
02:33this city has been the capital of two grand empires.
02:36During the Christian Byzantine Empire,
02:38which started in the fourth century
02:40and lasted about a thousand years.
02:42It was called Constantinople.
02:44Then, in the 15th century,
02:46the Muslim Ottomans took over
02:48and ruled what they called Istanbul
02:50until the end of World War I.
02:52Even though today's secular Turkish Republic
02:55is governed from Ankara,
02:56Istanbul remains the financial, cultural,
02:59and historic center of the country.
03:02But the story goes back even before the Byzantine Empire.
03:06As the ancient Roman Empire was falling
03:08in the fourth century,
03:10Emperor Constantine moved his capital city
03:12from Rome in the west,
03:14here, to the less chaotic east.
03:17That was around the year 324,
03:19and the new capital was named
03:21after the emperor, Constantinople.
03:25Then, in 476,
03:27Rome and its western empire finally fell.
03:30That left Constantinople, here in the east,
03:32the leading city of European civilization.
03:35Traces of the Roman capital here can still be found.
03:40This oblong square was a racetrack,
03:43still shaped like the Circus Maximus back in Rome.
03:46Built in the fourth century to seat over 40,000 fans,
03:50the Hippodrome was Constantinople's primary venue
03:53for chariot races.
03:55Its centerpiece, this 3,500-year-old Egyptian obelisk,
03:59was originally carved to honor a pharaoh.
04:02It was shipped here to ornament the racetrack
04:04back in the fourth century.
04:06What we see today is only the upper third
04:09of the original massive stone column.
04:12It's easy to overlook that in the year 600,
04:15Istanbul, with half a million people,
04:17was the largest city in all of Europe.
04:20One good way to fathom that
04:22is to descend into one of its massive cisterns,
04:26as the ancient city had an impressive water system.
04:29This cistern was built 1,500 years ago
04:32by Emperor Justinian,
04:34who built many of the city's grandest buildings.
04:37Some of these columns were scavenged
04:39from ancient temples,
04:41giving the cistern a few artistic surprises.
04:45It was a huge underground reservoir,
04:48one of many that brought water to the city's residents.
04:51This one was the biggest,
04:53as it served the emperor's palace.
04:55For nearly 1,000 years,
04:57fresh water from 10 miles away
04:59was channeled here through pipes
05:01and across aqueducts.
05:04And part of the legacy of that original water system
05:07are the city's venerable public baths.
05:10Hi, welcome, sir.
05:12Merhaba.
05:14In this city of experiences,
05:16one of the most memorable
05:18is enjoying a Turkish bath,
05:20a ritual that goes back 2,000 years.
05:23And today, these baths welcome tourists.
05:27You leave absolutely everything in the changing room,
05:31slip into your slippers,
05:33and shuffle into the steamy calderium.
05:37It's all about relaxation.
05:40Turks brought the steam bath with them
05:42from Central Asia,
05:44blended it with the Roman bath culture they found here,
05:47and created this, the Turkish bath.
05:53Moving on, you continue relaxing and softening up
05:57under cascades of hot water.
06:00Savor the experience,
06:02achieving maximum sweating and pampering.
06:13Then it's on to the big marble slab,
06:17where your masseuse works you over,
06:19scrubbing vigorously with rough Brillo-Pad-type mitts,
06:23under Ottoman skylights,
06:27blanketed in bubbles.
06:31Then, more scrubbing,
06:33as I imagine this ancient luxury
06:35working its magic over so many centuries.
06:40More bubbles,
06:42more massage,
06:45more massage,
06:46and finally,
06:47rinsing.
06:49Refreshed and cleaner than you can remember ever been,
06:53you venture back into the clamor of the city,
06:56ready for more Turkish history, art, and life.
07:01As a city which is over 90% Muslim,
07:06Istanbul offers a good opportunity
07:08to better understand Islam.
07:10Visitors are welcome to visit mosques,
07:12and in doing so,
07:13better understand a religion
07:15that about two billion people practice.
07:20The Blue Mosque was the 17th century triumph
07:22of Sultan Ahmet I.
07:24Architecturally, with its six minarets,
07:27it rivaled the Great Mosque in Mecca,
07:29the holiest in all of Islam.
07:33Its grand courtyard welcomes the crowd
07:35that gathers for worship.
07:43As with all mosques,
07:44you park your shoes at the door,
07:46and women cover their heads.
07:48If you don't have a scarf,
07:49you'll find loners at the door.
07:53Countless beautiful tiles fill the interior
07:56with exquisite floral and jeans
07:58and geometric motifs.
08:00It's nicknamed the Blue Mosque
08:02because of its blue tiles.
08:04Blue is a popular color in Turkey.
08:07It impressed early French visitors
08:09enough for them to call it
08:10the color of the Turks, or turquoise.
08:14While churches portray people like this,
08:17Muslims believe the portrayal of people
08:19in places of worship draws attention
08:21away from worshiping Allah as the one God.
08:25In mosques, rather than saints and prophets,
08:29you'll see geometrical designs and calligraphy.
08:33This explains why, historically,
08:35the Muslim world excelled at non-figurative art,
08:39while artists from Christian Europe
08:41focused on painting and sculpting the human form.
08:44Artful Arabic calligraphy generally shows excerpts
08:48from the Quran and quotes from Muhammad.
08:51As a church would have Jesus and God front and center,
08:54in a mosque, elaborate medallions
08:57high above the prayer niche read Muhammad and Allah.
09:03Large ceremonial candles flank the mirab.
09:07That's the niche that points from here to Mecca,
09:09in Saudi Arabia, where Muslims face when they worship.
09:14Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar.
09:22Like churches have bell towers, mosques have minarets.
09:26According to Muslim tradition,
09:28the imam, or prayer leader, would climb to the top of the minaret
09:32to call the faithful to prayer.
09:34These days, the prayer leader still performs the call
09:38to prayer live.
09:40But rather than climbing the minaret,
09:42it's amplified by loudspeakers.
09:59Five times a day, the message is always the same.
10:02Allah Akbar, God is great.
10:05Witness, there's only one God.
10:07Muhammad is his prophet.
10:09Come join the prayer.
10:11Come join the salvation.
10:14When this happens, practicing Muslims drop into a mosque,
10:17face Mecca, and pray.
10:23Then, after a short service praising God,
10:26work-a-day life resumes.
10:29To better understand this rich and complex culture,
10:41I'm joined by my friend and the co-author of my Istanbul guidebook,
10:45Lali Sermon Aran.
10:47So what does the call to prayer mean to you?
10:49It's a personal thing.
10:51Most people are Muslims, but it's a secular country, and it's in our constitution.
10:57What we say is that you never know who has got the money or the faith.
11:01The real virtue is not to show it off.
11:03I see.
11:05But there's nothing modest about the religious architecture in this city.
11:09In fact, the best way to appreciate the magnificence of ancient Constantinople
11:13is to visit a church-turned mosque that's considered one of the greatest houses of worship
11:18in both the Christian and Muslim worlds,
11:22Hagia Sophia, the great church of Constantinople.
11:26Originally built as a church by the Byzantine emperor Justinian
11:30in the early 6th century on the grandest scale possible,
11:33it was later converted into a mosque by the conquering Ottomans.
11:38Hagia Sophia, which marks the high point of Byzantine architecture,
11:42is the pinnacle of that society's glory days.
11:48This magnificent church was completed in 537,
11:51just about when Europe was falling into the Middle Ages.
11:54And for four centuries after that,
11:56people in Europe looked to Constantinople
11:58as the leading city in Christendom.
12:00And this was the leading church.
12:03This clever dome-upon-dome construction
12:06was the biggest dome anywhere
12:08until the Cathedral of Florence was built
12:10during the Renaissance 900 years later.
12:13The vast interior gives the impression
12:16of a golden weightless shell,
12:19gracefully disguising the massive overhead load
12:22supported by ingenious Byzantine engineering.
12:27Arched windows shed a soft light on the interior,
12:31showing off the church's original marble
12:35and glittering mosaic work.
12:38But the Byzantine Empire collapsed in the 15th century,
12:42and Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque.
12:46Christian mosaics were plastered over,
12:48and new religious symbols replaced the old.
12:52So it's a church turned into a mosque?
12:55Yes, and churches are built to face Jerusalem,
12:58mosques Mecca.
12:59Since they could not move the building,
13:01they moved the focal point of prayer towards Mecca.
13:04See the niche?
13:05It's off the center towards right.
13:07Facing Mecca.
13:08Facing Mecca.
13:09Very economic.
13:14Today, while Hagia Sophia remains
13:16an important place of worship,
13:18tourists are welcomed up to the mezzanine level
13:21to marvel at the art,
13:23to ponder the tangled history of this venerable spot,
13:27and perhaps to give yourself the opportunity
13:32to be inspired by one of the most esteemed places in Islam.
13:38While considered a must-see by visitors,
13:41it's important for tourists to remember
13:44that Hagia Sophia remains a functioning mosque.
13:50My favorite souvenir in my travels
13:52is bringing home a broader perspective.
13:55When it comes to faiths different than mine,
13:57I like to learn without judging.
13:59We happened to be in Istanbul
14:00during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
14:06Here, gathered in a park between two beloved mosques,
14:09people reflect on the meaning of Ramadan
14:12as they wait to break their fast.
14:16Fasting daily for a month each year during Ramadan
14:19is one of the five pillars of Islam,
14:21from sunup to sundown for 30 days.
14:24No eating, drinking, or smoking.
14:27It's all about self-control.
14:29Muhammad taught that loosening ties to the material world
14:32makes it easier to enter into eternity,
14:35as if unchained.
14:39It's an opportunity to share a sacred moment
14:41with family and community.
14:43They're primed, meals ready,
14:45awaiting the call to prayer
14:47initiated by the setting of the sun.
14:50Allahu Akbar, Allah!
14:57It's scenes like this,
14:59so similar to family holidays of my own,
15:02that remind me why I travel,
15:05to experience cultures different than my own,
15:08only to find out how similar we are.
15:19For me, another dimension of teeming and vibrant Istanbul
15:23is to simply enjoy its busy streets.
15:26Mix it up.
15:27There are quiet back streets
15:29and market streets teeming with shoppers.
15:32Sometimes I just let myself flow with the crowds,
15:35as if in an endless river of humanity.
15:38You may find yourself in the dowry market,
15:41like a department store without a roof.
15:44It's the place where brides and their loved ones
15:47shop before a wedding.
15:49And the characters you'll meet.
15:52Seeing our camera,
15:54this fun-loving gentleman wanted all of America
15:57to know that if all the snowflakes in the skies were women,
16:01his wife is the one he'd choose.
16:08And you can pop into a barber shop
16:10for a shave you'll never forget.
16:13Lather up for a good old-fashioned razor shave.
16:19And it's finished with a flaming torch,
16:23to be sure all those extra little hairs are gone.
16:29A bit painful,
16:32but it's part of an experience
16:34that leaves you with the closest shave of your life
16:37and an impossible-to-forget memory.
16:44The venerable and thriving spice market
16:47sells an exotic range of tasty treats.
16:50You'll find everything a sultan could want.
16:52Saffron and cinnamon,
16:54dried vegetables and fruits,
16:56pistachios and hazelnuts,
16:59and a fragrant cornucopia of sweets.
17:07This thriving market recalls the long Silk Road
17:10and Spice Road tradition of Turkey being an important crossroads.
17:15This was where exotic and treasured goods from the Far East landed
17:19to then be traded with merchants from all over Europe.
17:23I can imagine, under each of its uniform arches,
17:27an importer busy wholesaling his goods to merchants
17:30at this gateway to Europe.
17:32But, of course, today's trade is more touristy.
17:37This great Turkish delight.
17:39That's right, a Turkish delight,
17:41ancestor of the gummy bear.
17:42Which flavor do you like?
17:44The pistachio one, right at the center.
17:46Pistachio.
17:51Good, thank you.
17:52But it's dinner time, and I'm in the mood to splurge
17:59for some modern Turkish cuisine.
18:04Chef Omar Bozyap's all about giving traditional ingredients
18:08a contemporary twist.
18:11And we'll be washing it down with the national drink, raki.
18:15In Turkey, this local firewater,
18:17like brandy infused with licorice-flavored aniseed,
18:20is mixed with water and ice,
18:23and is enjoyed throughout the meal,
18:25before, during, and after.
18:32Our first course, the cold plates, or meze,
18:35a fancy green bean salad,
18:38rolled grape leaves with rice, onion, and pine nuts
18:41with local cheese,
18:43and lamb's tongue,
18:45paired nicely with raki.
18:48Next, the hot meze,
18:50zucchini with tomato sauce
18:52on a bed of yogurt with oyster mushrooms.
18:55Pastrami with thin-sliced tomato and peppers.
18:59It soaks up the butter
19:01and makes a fine little sandwich.
19:06Lamb testicles with bulgur,
19:08and lamb brain with hummus.
19:10Here in Turkey, you could say snout to tail,
19:13is brain to testicle,
19:15with, of course, more raki.
19:19That's why we have raki from the beginning just yet.
19:21It is.
19:22To swallow the brains.
19:23How does it taste, then?
19:25Well, it tastes, um...
19:28I prefer testicles.
19:31It's a brain testicle.
19:34Our main course is layers of phyllo,
19:39with mincemeat, garlic yogurt, and chili peppers.
19:44Everything's laced together with raki.
19:49And now that he's done cooking,
19:51Chef Omar joins us,
19:53adding to the conviviality,
19:55and, of course, more raki.
20:06Istanbul's been a busy trading center from the start,
20:09so it needed to be well protected.
20:12This imposing wall helped fortify
20:14the ancient Byzantine capital.
20:16The wall sealed off the city,
20:18protecting it on the one side where the water didn't.
20:23Dating from the 5th century,
20:25these ramparts stood strong
20:27against both Catholic Europe from the west
20:29and the Muslim forces from the east,
20:32until 1453.
20:37That's when the Ottoman Turks,
20:39that aggressive tribe from the east,
20:41finally broke through the walls
20:42and established this city
20:44as the capital of their growing empire.
20:47Again, that's when they transformed
20:49Christian Constantinople into a Muslim city.
20:52Istanbul.
20:54The Topkapi Palace is where we find
20:56the storybook image of the Ottomans,
20:59you know, sultans, eunuchs, and harems.
21:03The palace, built in the late 1400s,
21:06was the power center of the Ottoman Empire
21:08for almost 400 years.
21:11Its buildings form a series of courtyards,
21:14the outer being used for public functions,
21:17and the farther in you go,
21:19the more private the rooms.
21:22Among the most private rooms was the harem.
21:25The word harem means forbidden in Arabic.
21:29It's the sprawling suite where the sultan lived
21:32with his wives, female slaves, and children.
21:39What a room, huh?
21:40This was the imperial hall of the harem.
21:44This was the divan that the sultan used, his throne.
21:47The divans by the window were used by the queen mother
21:50and the wives of the sultan,
21:52and the musicians used the balcony up above.
21:55So this was like the living room for the king.
21:57Exactly.
21:59And, of course, the sultan enjoyed
22:02a state-of-the-art bathroom,
22:04which came complete with hot and cold running water.
22:08Bathed in light from these exquisite stained-glass windows,
22:12this is where the sultan relaxed, entertained,
22:15and savored the sumptuous luxury
22:18that came with his power.
22:21Now, when we say harem,
22:23we usually think like a playboy mansion
22:25with a lot of girls.
22:26No, no, no.
22:27No, it wasn't like that.
22:28Harem was an institution.
22:30The idea was to provide the continuation of the dynasty,
22:34to provide a future heir to the throne.
22:37It was the queen mother who was the boss in the harem.
22:41It had rules, very strict rules.
22:43The sultan was never above these rules.
22:46It's impressive.
22:48Ottoman Empire lasted for 600 years,
22:50only one family, one dynasty,
22:53never changed hands.
22:55Some of the sultan's opulence
22:57is still on display in the palace museum.
23:01The exquisite top copy dagger wows tourists
23:04with its dazzling diamonds
23:06and golf-ball-sized emeralds.
23:09Clearly, the Ottomans in their heyday
23:11were a wealthy power.
23:13The palace is also a holy spot for Muslims,
23:17containing relics of Muhammad and other prophets,
23:20some of whom are revered in both the Quran and the Bible.
23:24This contains what's believed to be the arm
23:26of Saint John the Baptist.
23:28And here's John's skull, inside a jeweled case.
23:32For Muslims, the most precious relics are those of Muhammad.
23:36His bow and sword?
23:39Exquisite cases containing his tooth, some hair,
23:43and his holy seal.
23:45And in the adjacent room, an afiz.
23:48That's someone who's memorized all 6,000 verses of the Quran,
23:52is part of a team that sings verses from the Muslim holy book
23:5624 hours a day, 7 days a week.
24:00Subhanallah amma shikouni.
24:12It's just one more thread
24:14in the fascinating tapestry of a great city,
24:17a city enriched by its culture, history,
24:20and the diversity of the people you'll meet in the streets.
24:24Istanbul remains a crossroads of humanity.
24:29And according to the Turkish proverb,
24:31every guest is a gift from God.
24:39Istanbul bridges east and west.
24:42With a complex weave of traditional Muslim faith,
24:45Western secularism, and modern affluence,
24:48it's a dynamic city,
24:50a city that sultans would hardly recognize.
24:53Thanks for joining us.
24:55I'm Rick Steves.
24:56Until next time,
24:57keep on traveling.
25:00As a city which is over night...
25:02I'm rolling.
25:12My favorite...
25:13Yes.
25:14Wow.
25:15Wow.
25:16Yeah.
25:17Okay, a little bit more.
25:18I'll get it back.
25:19Okay.
25:20Whoa.
25:21Whoa.
25:22Whoa.
25:25Whoa.
25:26Whoa.
25:27Bye.
25:28Whoa.
25:30Whoa.
25:31Like...
25:32Whoa.
25:33Whoa.
25:34Huh.
Be the first to comment