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00:00.
00:39Raise your travel dreams to their upright and locked positions.
00:43Join us now as we discover the ins and outs of travels in Europe.
01:07Hi, I'm Rick Steves. We've covered a lot of Europe off the beaten path.
01:11Now we're at Europe's gateway to Asia, Istanbul.
01:16We've traveled Europe from west to east, and now we're in Turkey, where Europe touches Asia.
01:23Istanbul is its chief city, its cultural and commercial center.
01:30This time, we check out modern Istanbul, a city whose architectural wonders are only the beginning.
01:37We'll get lost in the Grand Bazaar.
01:41Tour the Topkapi Palace,
01:45wander through Saint Sophia,
01:48cruise the Bosporus,
01:50and feast with the locals at the Fisherman's Wharf.
01:58Istanbul is where east meets west, literally.
02:02One part of the city is in Europe, and one part in Asia, with the Bosporus Channel dividing the two.
02:09This bridge spanning the Bosporus symbolizes how modern Turkey connects Europe and Asia.
02:14In this program, we're focusing on the European side, the site of ancient Constantinople.
02:24This is our third show on Turkey.
02:27Through them all, we're traveling with the help of Turkish tour guide and friend, Melika Seval.
02:31For five years, Meli and I have been taking tour groups around Turkey.
02:40Istanbul, ancient Constantinople, has been a great city for over 1,500 years.
02:46As the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, Constantinople was considered the leading city in the Christian world.
02:52This, as the west struggled through centuries of barbarian invasions and feudal frustration.
03:02The Roman Emperor, Constantine, pictured in this beautifully preserved mosaic,
03:07moved the capital of the Roman Empire here in 324.
03:12Constantine called his capital Nia Roma, New Rome.
03:15Eventually, the city was renamed Constantinople in his honor.
03:19Basically, the west was crumbling, and Constantine figured life as an emperor would be better here,
03:24in the less chaotic east.
03:26This obelisk, a remnant from the time of a later emperor, Theodosius,
03:31still stands as a reminder of Roman rule.
03:34Seventy years after Constantine, Theodosius split the Roman Empire in half for his two sons,
03:40with the capital of the western half in Rome, and the eastern half here.
03:46In 476, Rome and the western empire fell to the invading barbarians,
03:51leaving Constantinople the leading city of the western world.
03:57The eastern Roman Empire became the Byzantine Empire, and lasted for almost a thousand years.
04:05Traces of the Roman capital can still be found.
04:07This square was a racetrack, like the Circus Maximus in Rome.
04:12It seated 60,000 fans.
04:18The great church, Hagia Sophia, is a symbol of the glory days of Byzantium in the 6th century,
04:24under Emperor Justinian.
04:28Depicted in this mosaic, Justinian reconquered much-lost territory.
04:41He codified the laws, and designed a capital for himself, meant to dazzle the world.
04:51Maya Sophia, or Saint Sophia, built by Justinian, gives us a feel for the power of his rule.
05:11Head of the church, as well as the state, divinely anointed and ordained,
05:16Justinian was considered Christ's vicar on earth, his co-ruler.
05:27Saint Sophia, the seat of the spiritual power, was completed in 537 A.D.,
05:32when Constantinople was known as the Queen of Cities.
05:38This clever dome-upon-dome construction was the biggest dome anywhere,
05:43until the Cathedral of Florence was finished during the Renaissance 900 years later.
05:48The vast interior gives the impression of a golden, weightless shell,
05:53with no suggestion of the massive overhead load,
05:56supported through masterful Roman engineering.
06:00Forty arched windows shed a soft light on the interior,
06:04showing off the original marble and glittering mosaics.
06:14But the Byzantium Empire ultimately collapsed,
06:17and Saint Sophia was turned into a mosque.
06:21Christian mosaics were plastered over,
06:23and new religious symbols replaced the old.
06:34Churches faced Jerusalem, mosques face Mecca.
06:38When Saint Sophia, originally a Christian church, became a mosque,
06:41the building couldn't be moved, but the focal point of the praying could.
06:45Notice how the prayer niche is just a bit off-center.
06:48It faces Mecca.
06:50Even today, the complex story and multi-cultured makeup of Istanbul
06:54is made clear by the trappings of this ancient house of worship.
07:00In preparation for prayer, Muslims would wash,
07:04sitting on this ionic capital,
07:06in the shadow of this column from a pre-Roman temple of Artemis,
07:10in what was for centuries the greatest Christian church on earth.
07:17St. Sophia remained a mosque until 1932,
07:20when it was closed for renovations and reopened as a museum.
07:34Ready for a little change of pace?
07:36How about a sip of Turkish history
07:38that may be a little less earth-shaking,
07:40but is much tastier?
07:43They say coffee came here from Ethiopia
07:45by way of Arabia in the 15th century.
07:50Turkish coffee, finely powdered and sweetened,
07:52is drunk unfiltered.
07:54If you don't like coffee mud in the bottom of your cup,
07:57ask for Nescafe.
08:00However you like your coffee,
08:02you can thank the Turks.
08:04Strong coffee is one of the few things
08:06Turkish to successfully invade Europe.
08:15Even if you're not a shop-till-you-drop traveler,
08:17the Grand Bazaar is a must on any tourist agenda.
08:20Do you want gold?
08:21Do you want gold?
08:22Back?
08:23Do you want gold?
08:24Come back, please.
08:25Maybe I can show you that.
08:27Turkish bazaars like this
08:28are actually a kind of medieval shopping mall.
08:31New eyes for good luck.
08:33The slick main drags are pretty touristy,
08:35but get lost in the fringes
08:37to find the more fascinating souvenirs of Turkey.
08:39From traditional shadow puppets
08:43to finely crafted ceramics
08:45and even carved bone boxes.
08:49Do you have camel bone?
08:51Camel bone.
08:51They aren't camel bone.
08:53They are only bone.
08:54People are to tell that they are camel,
08:56but it sounds orient.
08:57That's why they like to say it is camel.
08:59These are all made out of palm.
09:03The bazaar is a tote bag of Turkish delights.
09:08Replicas of antique Christian icons
09:10jostle with elaborate Turkish jewelry
09:12in a colorful competition for your money.
09:17You'll never feel unwelcome,
09:19and the sales pitches can be very entertaining.
09:48Traditions of trade and barter go back centuries here,
09:50and one gets the feeling it's been that way
09:52since the days of Marco Polo.
09:56How much does this cost?
09:57It costs 600 U.S. dollars.
10:00Special price.
10:00Bargaining is part of the fun.
10:02Assume the price is soft and haggle away.
10:05But once you've agreed on the price,
10:07you're morally obligated to buy.
10:11You're sure?
10:12That's all?
10:12Okay, $450.
10:16$450.
10:16Maribond.
10:17$450?
10:19Any rich trading center needed to be well protected.
10:30This imposing wall was part of the fortifications
10:33of the ancient city.
10:35The Byzantine capital was on an easy-to-defend peninsula
10:38created by the Bosporus
10:39and the inlet called the Golden Horn.
10:44These walls sealed off the city,
10:47protecting it where the water didn't.
10:49Dating to the 5th century,
10:51they stood strong against both Catholic Europe
10:53and the Muslim East.
11:13But finally, the Ottoman Turks,
11:15who for centuries had been on the rise
11:17and chipping away at the Byzantine Empire,
11:19broke through the wall in 1453.
11:25They established the city as the capital
11:28of their growing empire
11:29and transformed Christian Constantinople
11:31into a Muslim city that became Istanbul.
11:39Our storybook image of the Ottomans,
11:41sultans, harems, eunuchs,
11:43is best resurrected here in the Topkapi Palace.
11:51Finished in 1465, this was the center
11:54of the Ottoman Empire for almost 400 years.
12:02Its buildings form a series of courtyards.
12:06The outer being used for public functions.
12:09The further inward one goes,
12:11the more private the rooms.
12:23This was the harem.
12:25The word harem means forbidden in Arabic.
12:29It's the huge suite where the sultan lived
12:32with his wives, female slaves, and children.
12:38At one time, 700 female slaves
12:41served the sultan, his wives, and the children.
12:45So you can see how extensive
12:46these apartments had to be.
12:56Bathed in light from these exquisite
12:58stained glass windows,
12:59this is where the sultan relaxed,
13:01entertained, and enjoyed
13:04the sumptuous luxury his power provided.
13:08Some of the opulence is still on display
13:11in the museum at the palace.
13:13The dazzling Topkapi dagger wows tourists
13:16with its diamonds and golf-ball-sized emeralds.
13:21Clearly, the Ottomans in their heyday
13:23were a superpower.
13:29For generations, all of Central Europe
13:32dreaded the Turkish threat.
13:34Islam was on the march,
13:36knocking on Vienna's fortified door.
13:39A strong empire for centuries,
13:42finally it outlived its medieval organization,
13:44and corruption, intrigue,
13:46and incompetent sultans
13:47all contributed to the fall of the Ottomans.
13:53In the years leading up to World War I,
13:55the Ottoman Empire was called
13:57the Sick Man of Europe.
13:58Backing Germany, it was swept away
14:00by the events of World War I,
14:01and from its remnants arose
14:03the modern Turkish Republic.
14:05It was founded in 1923 by Ataturk.
14:09Today, Istanbul is an urban hive
14:11housing 10 million people.
14:14The Soms Palace is just around the corner,
14:17but this is the essence of Istanbul.
14:19Its people.
14:25And this is where I like to settle.
14:27We're set up in a neighborhood
14:28in the old section,
14:30close to most of the sites we're seeing.
14:35We're just kicking around
14:36with the locals.
14:39And our hotel
14:40is a comfortable Pasha's house.
14:43A Pasha was an Ottoman general,
14:45and usually a very wealthy man.
14:48Many of these stately old homes
14:49have been renovated
14:50as the old town
14:51has been gentrified.
14:57And a comfortable home base
14:59makes exploring this exotic
15:00and exhausting city enjoyable.
15:04It's tempting to just stay put
15:05in the old section,
15:07where all the great historic buildings sit.
15:09But to get a true feeling
15:10for modern Turkey,
15:12cross over the Golden Horn
15:13and visit new Istanbul.
15:17Despite the many formidable obstacles,
15:19Turkey is a modern success story
15:21with one of the fastest growing economies
15:23in Europe.
15:29The center of modern Istanbul
15:31is Taksim Square.
15:33Istanbul can be as expensive
15:35and upscale as New York and London.
15:38Its traffic and commerce
15:39remind me of many European cities.
15:42This is true in spite of the fact
15:44that 100 miles east,
15:45people may be living
15:46much as they did
15:47in the 19th century.
15:55Istanbul is full of contrasts,
15:57demonstrating the rapid changes
15:58the nation has undergone
15:59in this century.
16:06That's the father of modern Turkey,
16:08Ataturk,
16:09the man who pulled Turkey
16:10into the 20th century
16:11after World War I.
16:19This Times Square of Turkey
16:21and the nearby pedestrian boulevard
16:23called Istiklal Cedese
16:24are a fine place
16:25to experience modern workaday Istanbul.
16:36This Turkish food circus
16:37is called the flower market.
16:39In Turkey,
16:40eating out is a working-class activity
16:42and a good excuse
16:43to get out of the house.
16:51Skewered fried mussels
16:52are a must.
17:01This is my favorite thing,
17:04mussels.
17:07You have to put some salt
17:11and reach for a lemon.
17:15The more lemon you have,
17:16the tastier it is.
17:21And one big...
17:27If you like those,
17:29try kokorets.
17:30That's intestines.
17:36Actually, the fresh fruit
17:38looks awfully good.
17:42Now, let's hop a trolley
17:43back to the old section.
17:47We have a couple more
17:48must-see sites in Istanbul.
17:51First,
17:52the mosque of
17:53Suleiman the Magnificent.
18:07The Ottoman rule
18:08stretched from about
18:091300 to 1923.
18:12Its high point
18:13was the reign of
18:14Suleiman the Magnificent.
18:16The mosque that bears his name
18:18sits on one of the
18:19seven hills of Istanbul.
18:21Its beautiful simplicity
18:23and harmony remind us
18:24that it was built
18:25during an Ottoman
18:26renaissance happening
18:27at the same time
18:28as the renaissance
18:29in Florence.
18:30The Suleiman mosque
18:32is considered by many
18:33to be the finest
18:34of all Ottoman mosques.
18:36Built over a period
18:37of seven years,
18:38it was completed
18:39in 1557
18:40at the peak
18:41of Suleiman's reign.
18:47After victories
18:48at Belgrade and Budapest
18:49and in Persia and Arabia,
18:51the Sultan was on a roll.
18:53With a fierce fleet
18:54under his Admiral Barbarossa,
18:56he conquered Rhodes
18:57and controlled
18:58the Mediterranean.
19:00Part of his growing wealth
19:01was invested
19:02in this stunning building.
19:20The last of our must-see sites
19:22is the Sultanahmet Mosque,
19:23known among tourists
19:24as the Blue Mosque.
19:31As with all mosques,
19:33visitors park their shoes
19:34and women cover their heads.
19:39This leather curtain
19:40symbolizes the mosque
19:41is always open.
19:49It's called the Blue Mosque
19:51because of its blue tiles.
19:5320,000 of them
19:54decorate the walls
19:55and ceilings.
19:57This is a popular color
19:59in Turkey.
20:00It impressed
20:00early French visitors
20:01enough for them
20:02to call it
20:03the color of the Turks
20:04or turquoise.
20:11Because the sixth minaret construction
20:13mirrored the mosque at Mecca,
20:14it was controversial
20:15when it was built.
20:17But Sultanahmet
20:18averted a crisis
20:19by providing the money
20:20and the men
20:20to build a seventh minaret
20:22at Mecca.
20:32During the height
20:33of the Ottoman Empire's power,
20:34the Turks were fierce warriors
20:36but tolerant conquerors.
20:38Both Jews and Christians
20:39lived safely
20:40within the city.
20:42Judging by the remnants
20:43of its empire,
20:44it's clear that Istanbul
20:45is a synthesis
20:46of many cultures.
21:01the local cuisine
21:02is certainly multicultural.
21:12Ordecoi along the Bosporus
21:14is a good place
21:14to taste what happens
21:15when East meets West.
21:36And though we connect
21:37coffee with Turkey,
21:38the Turks probably
21:39drink more tea
21:40than coffee.
21:43Chai or tea
21:44costs only pennies
21:45and any tea house
21:47has a well-worn
21:47backgammon board
21:48for you to use.
21:49If you don't know
21:50the rules,
21:51no problem.
21:52Someone will move
21:53for you.
21:54If you think you do
21:55know the rules
21:56and make a bad move,
21:57your opponent
21:58will politely fix it
21:59for you.
22:00If she gets me,
22:02I'm going to get you.
22:03Wrong moves
22:04are simply not allowed.
22:06And while speaking
22:07Turkish isn't required,
22:09those who try
22:09have the most fun.
22:21Take some time
22:22to learn some Turkish words.
22:24Start off with
22:24the numbers
22:25and the polite words.
22:27Dort beş.
22:28Bir, iki, üç,
22:30dort, beş.
22:32Thank you in Turkish
22:33is teşekkür.
22:34More and more Turks
22:35are speaking English.
22:36Remember,
22:37some of our sounds
22:37are difficult for them
22:38like TH.
22:39I have a friend
22:40named Ruth.
22:41Ruth.
22:42Ruth.
22:43Ruth.
22:44Ruth.
22:48I knew how difficult
22:50that is.
22:51It's good.
22:52We practice
22:53our TH sounds
22:54like this.
22:55This and these
22:57are hard to say.
22:59I think about them
23:00every day.
23:02My mouth and teeth,
23:04I think, you see,
23:05they can say it easily.
23:09For me,
23:10a leisurely sit
23:11in a tea house
23:11is ideally followed
23:13by a leisurely cruise
23:14on the Bosporus.
23:17The best day trip
23:18out of Istanbul
23:19is a boat ride
23:19up this churning channel.
23:22While there are
23:23cheaper alternatives
23:24such as the public ferry,
23:26smaller tour boats
23:27give a more
23:27personalized tour.
23:33This is Sharif,
23:35our captain.
23:39That's the new
23:40Galata Bridge.
23:42Until recently,
23:43the Galata Bridge
23:44was the only bridge
23:45crossing the Golden Horn.
23:47It's still
23:48a vital link
23:49between the old
23:50and new parts
23:50of Istanbul.
23:56Passing under the bridge,
23:58we hit the Bosporus,
23:59and an exciting world
24:00of day trips
24:01presents itself.
24:10The tour boats
24:11share the Bosporus
24:12with plenty
24:13of commercial traffic.
24:14The narrow
24:15and strategic strait
24:16that separates Asia
24:17from Europe
24:18is full of shipping,
24:19including lots
24:19of Russian ships,
24:20since it's the only route
24:22from Black Sea ports
24:23to the Mediterranean.
24:29One of the most
24:30impressive sights
24:31from the water
24:32is the Domobachi Palace,
24:33home of the last
24:35Ottoman sultans.
24:40Further up the Bosporus,
24:42there's no hint
24:42of the big city.
24:44This village
24:45on the Asian side
24:46is a popular stop.
24:48It seems anyone
24:49docking here
24:50has one thing in mind,
24:51a bowl of some
24:52of the best yogurt
24:53in Asia,
24:54or Europe.
24:57And now it's back
24:58to the European side
24:59of Istanbul
25:00for dinner.
25:02We're headed
25:03for the Fisherman's Wharf
25:04at Kumkapi.
25:13Locals fill this festival
25:14of restaurants
25:15in search of a good time.
25:19They always seem
25:20to find one.
25:39Money placed
25:40on a dancer's forehead
25:41is actually a tip
25:42for the musicians.
25:53The liveliness
25:54and fun found here
25:55epitomize the charms
25:57that keep me visiting
25:58Turkey year after year.
26:00Nowhere else
26:01have I found
26:02culture shock
26:03in such an enjoyable package.
26:12This is good living.
26:14I'm Rick Steves
26:15wishing you happy travels.
26:17Hopefully we'll travel
26:18together again soon.
26:19As they say in Turkey,
26:21gule gule.
26:22That means
26:22go with a smile.
26:25Home videos
26:26of destinations
26:27in this series
26:28are available
26:28for $24.95.
26:30To order the 90-minute
26:32three-program tape
26:33on Western Turkey,
26:34Cappadocia,
26:35Ankara, and Istanbul
26:36or any other
26:37destination tape,
26:39call 1-800-866-7425.
26:42Also available,
26:44Rick's new
26:44500-page
26:45Best of Europe
26:46guidebook
26:46for $16.95.
26:48To order,
26:49please have your
26:49credit card ready
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26:511-800-866-7425.
27:22acoustic guitar plays
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