Instanbul: The dramatic crossroads between Asia and Europe. For over two and half thousands years the East and met the West here in Istanbul. Michael Scott, Ancient Invisible Cities III: Instanbul, BBC 2018
Hagia Sophia: Still standing after 1,500 years … The Emperor’s seat of earthly power was built right next to the cathedral. ibid.
The water flowed in two great channels inside the aqueduct bridge. ibid.
In north-east Syria, an apparent oasis of stability and hope, recovering after eight years of civil war and trauma that have cost thousands of lives. Hevrin was part of a movement to rebuild Syria as a democracy. Aged 34, Hevrin had become the leader of the newly launched Future Syria Party, created to play a key role in spreading democracy, bringing together communities ravaged by terror and war. Our World: Who Betrayed Hevrin Khalaf? BBC 2020
On October 9th the Turkish military started their assault. Civilians fled border towns and the wounded started to fill the hospitals. And it wasn’t just Turkish regular forces. Groups of mostly Jihadi fighters, bitter enemies of the Kurds, and calling themselves the Syrian National Army, were being backed by the Turkish military to do the fighting on the ground. They were advancing deep into northern Syria. ibid.
[Jihadis] shot up their car when they were trying to ‘drive through a road block’ … Hevrin Khalaf’s body metres away … In the [bodycam] video you can make out a woman’s voice. ibid.
Al Nusra is the main Al Qaeda group in Syria: It’s been accused of torture, child abduction and summary execution … a reign of terror for three long years. ibid.
In early November 1913 in Istanbul, the capital of the Turkish Ottoman Empire, a new web was unveiled: it would spread the First World far beyond the borders of Europe … This was how the Ottoman empire would enter the First World War: not just with a declaration of war but with a declaration of jihad: Holy War. David Olusoga, The World’s War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire II: Martial Races, BBC 2014
The story of a rebel archaeologist who in 1961 made a discovery that should be as famous as Pompeii: in central Turkey James Mellaart cracked the mystery of when humanity made its first leap out of the Stone Age into the urban living we made today. What he found was the world’s oldest city. Raiders of the Lost Past with Janina Ramirez s2e3: World’s Oldest City, BBC 2021
His own reputation lies in tatters. Mellaart became engulfed in scandal, accused of forging evidence and stealing from his own sites. ibid.
Jimmy had overturned the idea that there was just one cradle of civilisation. ibid.
The call goes out for Jihad – Holy War. Germany hoped her new ally Turkey would do just what it was told. And the allies thought Turkey would be a pushover. The First World War: Jihad 1914-1916, Channel 4 2003
The Kaiser had come to see Jihad as the way to foment revolution among the millions of Muslims under British rule. ibid.
The Germans paid over five million pounds in gold securing Turkey as their ally. ibid.
The magnificent Turkish city Istanbul. This is a metropolis that is so significant, so strategic, it became a power base for massive world cultures from the ancient Romans to the Byzantines. Bettany Hughes’ Treasures of the World s1e6: Istanbul
My favourite building on earth … Hagia Sophia, or Ayasofya which means holy wisdom … The dome is still one of the biggest in the world … The interior is decorated with over a thousand years of artwork. ibid.
In 1453 this church, well the whole city, was taken over by the Muslim Ottoman Turk, Mehmet II. ibid.
An incredible feat of engineering … Constantinople’s water system was one of the most sophisticated in the world, a network of aqueducts, channels and reservoirs. ibid.
So many details have been revealed from the digs that archaeologists have managed to recreate a perfect replica of that merchant ship. ibid.
The Topkapi Palace: The jewel in the Ottoman crown. ibid.
It’s home to remarkable human stories from the private lives of an erotic dynasty to newly discovered secrets of a neglected civilisation from Roman riots to the legend of the Trojan war. I’m exploring the treasures of Turkey in the Mediterranean. Bettany Hughes’ Treasures of the World s2e4: Turkey
The Carian people were great artists, solders and seafarers. They were smart and distinctive. ibid.
A brilliant civilisation called the Lycians … their own language, alphabet and beliefs and often lived in cities overlooking these seas. ibid.
This story is an epic story and an enduring mystery – the world of Troy. ibid.
The first excavations were led in the 1870s by Heinrich Schleimann. They grabbed headlines. ibid.
One of the most spectacular archaeological wonders on Earth – welcome to Ephesus. ibid.
I’m exploring the delights of central and eastern Turkey … from the magical cave-like homes of Cappadocia to a giant mausoleum on top of the world, and recently discovered mosaics forgotten for over 1,700 years. Bettany Hughes’ Treasures of the World s2e5: Turkey
Cappadocia: This extraordinary terrain of eerie towers and cones are the eroded ash-fields of ancient volcanoes. ibid.
One of the earliest settlements ever discovered. It’s 11,400 years old … Karahan Tepi is 7,000 years older than the Great Pyramid in Egypt. ibid.
The abundance in Urfa’s bazaar comes from its location in the Fertile Crescent, a cradle of civilisation. ibid.
Under the Roman Empire, Zeugma became on of the largest and most important cities of the eastern empire. ibid.
For two decades Turkey has been ruled by one man: Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He has transformed Turkey and won widespread local support. This World: Turkey: Empire of Erdogan I, BBC 2023
But in recent years he is seen more and more as a dictator ordering brutal crackdowns on dissent. ibid.
The story of Erdogan’s rise to power is even more extraordinary when you understand where he came from, one of Istanbul’s poorest neighbourhoods. ibid.
He has a problem: his conviction disqualifies him from becoming an MP. So Erdogan comes up with an audacious plan: he will form a new party. ibid.
Under Erdogan, Turkey boomed. ibid.
Erdogan decides to confront the military. ibid.
By 2013 the economy had started to falter, and Turkey’s role in the conflict in neighbouring Syria was straining international relations. ibid.
‘It was a protest against Erdogan and the mentality that he represents, the totalitarianism, authoritarianism.’ ibid.
‘Erdogan’s handling of Gezi [protest] revealed that he had no limits.’ ibid.
He’s cast himself as a peacemaker in the war between Russia and Ukraine. This World: Turkey: Empire of Erdogan II
Since the mid-90s Erdogan has built a base of fiercely loyal supporters. ibid.
He is the first leader of modern Turkey to stand up to the military. ibid.
After ten years of Erdogan’s rule protests in Istanbul’s Gezi park result in a huge outpouring of anger against his government. ibid.
Against some poor competition and with the help of favourable media coverage Erdogan becomes the president. Until now it’s largely been a ceremonial role. But Erdogan has plans to change the office of the presidency. ibid.
‘The Kurdish problem is not a problem for only a part of the nation, but for all of it. It is also my problem. We won’t let the democratic process run backwards.’ ibid. Erdogan
Erdogan calls a snap election … This time Erdogan’s party wins an outright majority. ibid.
‘An attempted coup leading to chaos, death and instability in Turkey.’ ibid. news
‘He has a habit of turning crises into opportunities.’ ibid. woman
‘The slip in rights and liberties in Turkey since the coup is unprecedented.’ ibid. man
They will fight the next election as a coalition … Erdogan’s party and the far right together. ibid.
Five years on the economy is in deep trouble. ibid.