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-I'm Darius Arya,
and I'm off to explore

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three of the most amazing cities
on the planet --

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Cairo, the gateway
to Egypt's ancient wonders;

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Athens, the cradle of democracy;

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and, in this program, Istanbul,

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a boisterous treasure trove
of architectural genius.

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For over 2,000 years,

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East has met West
here in Istanbul,

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the strategic middle ground
fought over and contested

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by some of the world's
mightiest empires.

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But many of its secret treasures
are hidden...

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Oh!

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...out of sight

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or underground.

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How deep is it?
[ Chuckles ]

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-Be careful.

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-Using the latest
3-D imaging technology,

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our scanning team will help us
see the city

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as no human eye ever could...

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diving through layers of history
to show how the city

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has had to reinvent itself
over and over.

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As a professor of Roman history,

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I'm floored by
the Hagia Sophia Cathedral...

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and the drama
of its Roman racetrack.

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♪♪

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I'll be using virtual reality...

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I'm going through the dome.

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...to get to the heart
of the city's hidden wonders.

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This is Istanbul

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as even the locals
may never have seen it.

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Welcome to "Invisible Istanbul."

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♪♪

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-Istanbul, Turkey --

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the meeting place
of East and West.

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The bridge between
Europe and Asia.

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And I'm arriving
on the mighty waterway

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that put this city on the map.

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♪♪

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This is the Bosphorus.

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It runs north to the Black Sea,
down south to the Mediterranean.

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Asia is on this side.

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Europe is on this side.

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Everything comes into focus
right here.

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Now, over 2,500 years ago,

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this was a Greek town,
Byzantium.

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Then it was renamed
Constantinople,

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capital of the Roman Empire.

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Many considered it
the center of the world.

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Perhaps Napoleon said it best --

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"If the world
were a single state,

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then Constantinople
would be its capital."

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I love how the city's
tempestuous past

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has created one of the most
vibrant cities on Earth.

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This place has been
built by Romans,

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rocked by earthquakes,

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sacked by Crusaders,
and besieged by Ottomans,

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and you can see evidence of
all of that all over the city,

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but there's also
an invisible world

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hidden under the surface
of modern Istanbul,

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and that's where the key to
understanding this ancient city

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can be found.

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Even the most famous places
have their surprises.

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The Hagia Sophia is Istanbul's
most iconic building.

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It embodies the history
of the entire city.

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♪♪

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It began life as a Christian
cathedral built by the Romans.

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It was then converted into
a mosque in the 15th century.

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And now it's a secular museum.

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Called "Ayasofya" in Turkish
and "Hagia Sophia" in Greek,

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it means the Church
of the Holy Wisdom of God.

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In its day, it was
the largest religious building

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in the Christian world.

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♪♪

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♪♪

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Your eyes are drawn up
to the beauty

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and the size
of the great dome.

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This is absolutely massive.

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It's 110 feet across.

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It's 180 feet
above the marble pavement.

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It was the highest dome
of the world.

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Can you imagine

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to be a person living
in 6th century Constantinople,

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how overwhelming
that experience would've been,

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how its massive size
dominated the entire city?

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I'm blown away by this place.

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This 10th century gold mosaic
shows the two Roman emperors

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responsible for the existence
of the Hagia Sophia.

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This is Constantine the Great.

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He moved the imperial capital
here from Rome in 324

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when the empire was in turmoil.

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Thanks to his conversion
to Christianity,

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it soon became the official
religion of the entire empire.

93
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But it was this emperor,
Justinian I,

94
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who built this cathedral
in the 6th century.

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♪♪

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Its size and open spaces

97
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make it an astonishing
piece of engineering

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for the time --
and even today.

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Our scan team is using
laser technology

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to reveal the genius
of Justinian's engineers.

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By recording each location
as data,

102
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we can analyze how it was built
and changed over time,

103
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and this place has survived

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1,500 years of earthquakes,
riots, and wars.

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Hey, Matt.
-Darius.

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-Hey, man.
-Good to see you. You okay?

107
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-Nice to see you.
Yeah, good, man.

108
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-This is Tom.
-Hi. Nice to meet you.

109
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-So, how's work?
How's scanning?

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-Yup, scanning away.

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The laser is firing out

112
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over a million times
a second now.

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-God.

114
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Now, I've got
a question for you.

115
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I've always wondered
why this structure's

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actually still standing

117
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despite all the different
things, like earthquakes.

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Do you think the scan can
tell us some of those answers?

119
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-That's the plan.

120
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So, we'll scan
from multiple positions

121
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around the whole building.

122
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By the time we finish that,
we'll have over a billion points

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all tied together in this
millimeter-perfect 3-D model.

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-Unbelievable.
Now, I'm going to be going to,

125
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like, a lot of other sites
throughout Istanbul.

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You guys are going to be
doing the same thing?

127
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-Yep. We will scan
every location

128
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with exactly
the same technology,

129
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so we'll get all of these
individual sites

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down to that level
of millimeter-precision.

131
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-Unbelievable.
Well, I can't wait to see

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the big thing,
but if you don't mind,

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if I steal you away
for just a minute,

134
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I'll show you something
really on a micro scale --

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real gem of a detail.

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-Okay. Fantastic.
-Right over here.

137
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You know, Justinian
spared no expense

138
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when he built this church,

139
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and, I mean, he had 10,000 guys
working to build it

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day-in and day-out.

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00:07:45,566 --> 00:07:49,100
For example, maybe he used
up to 40,000 pounds of silver

142
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to decorate it, to say nothing
of the gold and the marble.

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-Yeah. The most expensive
building in the world, I hear.

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-Absolutely, and this thing --

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he said that this was
more magnificent

146
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than Solomon's Temple
in Jerusalem.

147
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And we have a lot of stories,

148
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but here, let me show you
a piece of history.

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I can step right down into it.
-Okay.

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-And there's this weird little
groove that you can see here.

151
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-Yeah?
-What made this?

152
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Well, this is
the emperor's gate.

153
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So, one story that's told
is that actually,

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from all the years
and all the centuries

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of all the guards
that stood here

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wore this groove.

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That's the neat thing --

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the mystery that we still have
with this history.

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It's up to us to unravel it.

160
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-So, speaking of mysteries,
I need to go and solve some.

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Let's get the scanning done.
-All right, take it easy.

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See you later.
-See you later. Take care.

163
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-All right,

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ciao.

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♪♪

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I've always thought of
the Hagia Sophia as a symbol

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of the city's ability
to adapt and to survive.

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For me, it's a powerful
pivot point, still today,

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between East and West --
religion and politics.

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I mean, it's been a church,
a mosque.

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Today, it's a museum.

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It's an important mixture
that embodies

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all of the great history
of this city.

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To reveal the secrets
of Istanbul's past,

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our scan team is creating
a 3-D map of the Old City.

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-We're going to employ a process
called photogrammetry --

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taking thousands and thousands
of individual photographs,

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and we pump
all of those images in,

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and these are
very clever algorithms,

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and then we're able to compute

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a really, really accurate
3-D model of Istanbul.

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-When they add in the scans,
we'll have a complete picture

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of how Constantinople was built
and how it survived.

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♪♪

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I can't wait to see what the
Hagia Sophia scans will show us.

186
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Hey.
-Darius, hi.

187
00:10:00,066 --> 00:10:01,000
-How's it going, Matt?

188
00:10:01,033 --> 00:10:01,900
-Very good.
How are you doing?

189
00:10:01,933 --> 00:10:03,200
-Good to see you.
All right.

190
00:10:03,233 --> 00:10:05,400
-Take a seat.
-Oh! This is the show.

191
00:10:05,433 --> 00:10:07,100
-Yeah, this is
our photogrammetry.

192
00:10:07,133 --> 00:10:09,366
-Phew!
-We have this 3-D map

193
00:10:09,400 --> 00:10:11,766
of the extent of Constantinople,
I guess.

194
00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:15,233
And, obviously, at the core
of that is Hagia Sophia.

195
00:10:15,266 --> 00:10:16,833
-Beautiful.
-So, here it is.

196
00:10:16,866 --> 00:10:19,933
Just think of everything on
the screen here as digital dust.

197
00:10:19,966 --> 00:10:22,300
It's millions and millions
of individual points,

198
00:10:22,333 --> 00:10:23,966
and that means
the laws of physics

199
00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:25,500
have kind of stopped
applying for us.

200
00:10:25,533 --> 00:10:30,833
So, we can just zoom on in here
straight through the ceiling...

201
00:10:30,866 --> 00:10:32,300
-Wow.
-...and we're inside.

202
00:10:32,333 --> 00:10:33,333
-Incredible.

203
00:10:33,366 --> 00:10:34,666
You can get
any perspective you want,

204
00:10:34,700 --> 00:10:36,700
even from beneath
the surface of the floor.

205
00:10:36,733 --> 00:10:39,100
-Exactly. Yeah.
-Huh.

206
00:10:39,133 --> 00:10:41,633
-Our eyes are always drawn up
to the central feature

207
00:10:41,666 --> 00:10:43,433
of this space,
which is, of course, the dome.

208
00:10:43,466 --> 00:10:44,433
-Yeah.

209
00:10:44,466 --> 00:10:45,900
-So, there it is.

210
00:10:45,933 --> 00:10:47,633
And it's here
that we started to notice

211
00:10:47,666 --> 00:10:49,500
the first kind of
slightly strange things

212
00:10:49,533 --> 00:10:51,000
that we weren't picking up on.

213
00:10:51,033 --> 00:10:56,266
So, this dome -- this seemingly
perfect spherical structure

214
00:10:56,300 --> 00:10:58,666
actually is not a perfect circle
down at the bottom here.

215
00:10:58,700 --> 00:11:01,233
So, you see, as you take this
circle around the edge here,

216
00:11:01,266 --> 00:11:04,033
it's got quite a lot
of deformations.

217
00:11:04,066 --> 00:11:05,166
-Yeah.
-Quite a lot of kinks.

218
00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:06,466
There's a flattening off.

219
00:11:06,500 --> 00:11:08,766
There's this really
quite substantial dink

220
00:11:08,800 --> 00:11:10,000
into the side of it here.

221
00:11:10,033 --> 00:11:11,866
And there's one place where

222
00:11:11,900 --> 00:11:14,233
these anomalies are actually
really, really quite clear.

223
00:11:14,266 --> 00:11:15,366
-Mm-hmm.

224
00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:17,233
-I'm just going to strip off
the outside.

225
00:11:17,266 --> 00:11:22,233
♪♪

226
00:11:22,266 --> 00:11:24,533
So, what we're left with
here is...

227
00:11:24,566 --> 00:11:26,466
I mean, look at that alone.
-That is quite deformed.

228
00:11:26,500 --> 00:11:29,333
My God.
That is incredible.

229
00:11:29,366 --> 00:11:30,466
Because you can't do that
in real life.

230
00:11:30,500 --> 00:11:32,400
You can't --
We don't have X-ray vision.

231
00:11:32,433 --> 00:11:33,800
-Yeah. No.
-Incredible.

232
00:11:33,833 --> 00:11:35,700
-I mean, we've literally
skinned the building here.

233
00:11:35,733 --> 00:11:37,900
We're just left
with this inside surface.

234
00:11:37,933 --> 00:11:40,733
And that is a major lump.

235
00:11:40,766 --> 00:11:43,700
-It's like it's gotten bashed
in a bad fight or something.

236
00:11:43,733 --> 00:11:44,966
-Yeah. Well, you say a fight.

237
00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:46,966
I mean, it's this earthquake
shaking this thing,

238
00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:49,333
and, you know,
this dome first collapsed

239
00:11:49,366 --> 00:11:51,700
26 years after it was completed.
-Right.

240
00:11:51,733 --> 00:11:55,966
-Rebuilt, repaired,
patched up over the centuries.

241
00:11:56,000 --> 00:11:58,333
-Of course, there's just got
to be so much weight, right,

242
00:11:58,366 --> 00:12:00,866
from the dome all the way down,
being transferred?

243
00:12:00,900 --> 00:12:04,500
-Yeah. Those ribs
are transferring the load

244
00:12:04,533 --> 00:12:07,500
from that dome
down past these windows

245
00:12:07,533 --> 00:12:09,666
onto this circular area here.

246
00:12:09,700 --> 00:12:11,600
-Mm-hmm.
-But that's not where it ends.

247
00:12:11,633 --> 00:12:15,433
That then comes down
to these triangular features.

248
00:12:15,466 --> 00:12:18,733
There's four of these,
and they are the pendentives.

249
00:12:18,766 --> 00:12:22,100
These pendentives take the load
from a circular position

250
00:12:22,133 --> 00:12:23,933
down into a square.

251
00:12:23,966 --> 00:12:26,433
So, each pendentive leads
to an enormous column

252
00:12:26,466 --> 00:12:29,533
that transfers the load
down to the ground.

253
00:12:29,566 --> 00:12:30,933
-And each one
has an angel on it,

254
00:12:30,966 --> 00:12:33,000
so that's like the angels
are supporting

255
00:12:33,033 --> 00:12:34,733
the dome of Heaven up above.

256
00:12:34,766 --> 00:12:38,800
-Yeah, exactly.

257
00:12:38,833 --> 00:12:40,433
So, I'm just going
to put us a slice

258
00:12:40,466 --> 00:12:42,000
right the way
through the middle...

259
00:12:42,033 --> 00:12:46,233
-Ah, nice.
-...of the building there.

260
00:12:46,266 --> 00:12:48,200
There's still
this enormous pressure

261
00:12:48,233 --> 00:12:50,433
pushing down and outwards,

262
00:12:50,466 --> 00:12:52,333
so we can start to see
some of the solutions

263
00:12:52,366 --> 00:12:55,000
that stop the building
from splaying out there.

264
00:12:55,033 --> 00:12:57,166
And that's this
whole series of buttresses

265
00:12:57,200 --> 00:13:00,333
that turn this
almost into a mountain.

266
00:13:00,366 --> 00:13:04,733
-It really has revealed why the
Hagia Sophia is still standing,

267
00:13:04,766 --> 00:13:07,033
sometimes rebuilt
and buttressed,

268
00:13:07,066 --> 00:13:11,000
changed and adapted over time
to survive.

269
00:13:11,033 --> 00:13:17,133
♪♪

270
00:13:17,166 --> 00:13:19,466
Good morning.
-Oh, welcome.

271
00:13:19,500 --> 00:13:20,466
-Hi.

272
00:13:20,500 --> 00:13:22,933
When Emperor Constantine
built this city,

273
00:13:22,966 --> 00:13:25,533
he wanted to outdo Rome itself.

274
00:13:25,566 --> 00:13:26,533
Thank you.

275
00:13:26,566 --> 00:13:29,100
He built public baths,
aqueducts,

276
00:13:29,133 --> 00:13:31,933
a library, marketplaces,
and palaces.

277
00:13:31,966 --> 00:13:33,833
-Thank you.
-Okay. Bye-bye.

278
00:13:37,500 --> 00:13:43,733
The population soared
from 20,000 to 200,000.

279
00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:50,800
The emperor also had big plans
for the city's racetrack,

280
00:13:50,833 --> 00:13:52,933
the Hippodrome.

281
00:13:52,966 --> 00:13:57,433
Great public places were ways
to attract rich and poor alike,

282
00:13:57,466 --> 00:13:58,900
and back in the day,

283
00:13:58,933 --> 00:14:03,033
this was the most popular
attraction in the entire city.

284
00:14:03,066 --> 00:14:06,366
Today, this space is
a park and a school,

285
00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:08,300
but our graphic shows
how the Hippodrome

286
00:14:08,333 --> 00:14:11,733
once dominated the heart
of ancient Constantinople.

287
00:14:14,666 --> 00:14:17,600
This immense structure
held twice as many spectators

288
00:14:17,633 --> 00:14:20,966
as Rome's Colosseum
or Yankee Stadium.

289
00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:27,566
♪♪

290
00:14:27,600 --> 00:14:28,966
Hello, Kerim.
How are you?

291
00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:30,200
-Hi, Darius.
-Nice to see you.

292
00:14:30,233 --> 00:14:31,366
-Nice to see you, too.

293
00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:32,866
-Professor Kerim Altug

294
00:14:32,900 --> 00:14:34,200
is an expert on the Hippodrome.

295
00:14:34,233 --> 00:14:35,466
-It will be fantastic.

296
00:14:35,500 --> 00:14:37,966
-So, if the starting block's
over there,

297
00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:39,900
where's the actual racetrack?

298
00:14:39,933 --> 00:14:44,766
-The racing track was the road
running around today's square.

299
00:14:44,800 --> 00:14:47,800
It perfectly follows the line
of chariot-racing track.

300
00:14:47,833 --> 00:14:49,133
-Perfect.
That's amazing.

301
00:14:49,166 --> 00:14:51,633
So if we go back in time,
we're right in the line of fire.

302
00:14:51,666 --> 00:14:52,866
That's not where you want to be.

303
00:14:52,900 --> 00:14:55,166
And then screaming fans
are up in the stands.

304
00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:56,166
How many?

305
00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:57,733
-Some say
the hundred thousands.

306
00:14:57,766 --> 00:15:00,766
-So, that's a big part
of the population here

307
00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:03,466
watching the chariot races,
watching someone race to victory

308
00:15:03,500 --> 00:15:05,233
or crash and burn and die.

309
00:15:05,266 --> 00:15:06,933
So, there's a lot of drama
that's here,

310
00:15:06,966 --> 00:15:08,266
people that are pushing
in the stands.

311
00:15:08,300 --> 00:15:09,900
It's just like any Roman city --

312
00:15:09,933 --> 00:15:11,566
like Rome,
like the Circus Maximus.

313
00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:13,333
-Exactly.
-It's intense.

314
00:15:13,366 --> 00:15:17,333
-Exactly, and now, I've got
something even cooler

315
00:15:17,366 --> 00:15:19,033
to show you in the underground.

316
00:15:19,066 --> 00:15:20,666
-Oh. Lead the way.
That sounds great.

317
00:15:20,700 --> 00:15:22,266
-Yeah. Let's go.

318
00:15:22,300 --> 00:15:28,633
♪♪

319
00:15:28,666 --> 00:15:32,166
-Amazing.
This is just so enormous.

320
00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:35,733
-Yes.

321
00:15:35,766 --> 00:15:40,200
I'm going to show you
the archways

322
00:15:40,233 --> 00:15:45,033
forming the entrance and exits
of the Hippodrome,

323
00:15:45,066 --> 00:15:46,333
now walled-up.

324
00:15:46,366 --> 00:15:48,700
-Oh, yeah.

325
00:15:48,733 --> 00:15:51,533
-And now, we are going
to the foundations.

326
00:15:51,566 --> 00:15:59,733
♪♪

327
00:15:59,766 --> 00:16:02,900
-Ah, that's a little door.
-Yeah.

328
00:16:02,933 --> 00:16:05,866
We have a lock here.

329
00:16:05,900 --> 00:16:07,833
-Doesn't look like
it's too frequently visited.

330
00:16:09,866 --> 00:16:11,033
No, no.

331
00:16:13,133 --> 00:16:15,900
Wow.

332
00:16:15,933 --> 00:16:18,166
Now, this is
really interesting.

333
00:16:20,633 --> 00:16:23,733
You've got all these
massive foundations.

334
00:16:23,766 --> 00:16:25,033
What was this place?

335
00:16:25,066 --> 00:16:28,366
-This is the substructure
of the seating.

336
00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:29,766
-Ah. Okay.

337
00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:30,966
So the Hippodrome is above,

338
00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:33,666
and this is what's supporting
all those stands.

339
00:16:33,700 --> 00:16:36,900
Now, what about -- I see some
other holes and passageways.

340
00:16:36,933 --> 00:16:37,966
What about over there?

341
00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:39,133
-Yeah, there are a lot of them,

342
00:16:39,166 --> 00:16:41,166
but I don't want you
to get lost down there...

343
00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:43,133
-Okay.
-...so you'd better follow me.

344
00:16:43,166 --> 00:16:46,333
-All right.
You're the boss.

345
00:16:46,366 --> 00:16:48,333
What was this place right here?

346
00:16:48,366 --> 00:16:50,166
-These are the passageways,

347
00:16:50,200 --> 00:16:54,233
but some say these
also used as a prison...

348
00:16:54,266 --> 00:16:57,100
-Hmm.
-...or for the executions.

349
00:16:57,133 --> 00:16:58,866
-What about down here?
Does it continue?

350
00:16:58,900 --> 00:17:00,666
What is it?

351
00:17:00,700 --> 00:17:03,066
-Let's take a look inside.
-Should I go?

352
00:17:03,100 --> 00:17:04,066
-Go on. Why not?

353
00:17:04,099 --> 00:17:05,533
-All right.

354
00:17:05,566 --> 00:17:09,066
♪♪

355
00:17:09,099 --> 00:17:12,333
Ooo-kay.

356
00:17:12,366 --> 00:17:15,666
I think we're going to need
a little more equipment.

357
00:17:15,700 --> 00:17:17,800
I think we're going to need
some better lights.

358
00:17:21,466 --> 00:17:24,233
Slipping into something
a little more comfortable.

359
00:17:24,266 --> 00:17:26,133
Shimmy, shimmy, shimmy.

360
00:17:26,166 --> 00:17:28,933
Not exactly what I expected
I was going to do today.

361
00:17:33,333 --> 00:17:35,300
All right, Kerim,
I'm ready to go.

362
00:17:35,333 --> 00:17:36,666
-All right.
-Let's do this.

363
00:17:36,700 --> 00:17:38,700
-All right.
Good.

364
00:17:38,733 --> 00:17:48,266
♪♪

365
00:17:48,300 --> 00:17:50,500
-Wow, this is...

366
00:17:50,533 --> 00:17:52,400
Incredible staircase here.

367
00:17:52,433 --> 00:17:57,833
♪♪

368
00:17:57,866 --> 00:17:59,100
How deep is it?

369
00:17:59,133 --> 00:18:01,166
[ Chuckles ]

370
00:18:01,200 --> 00:18:04,000
-Be careful.

371
00:18:04,033 --> 00:18:08,433
-Whoa.
This place is huge.

372
00:18:08,466 --> 00:18:13,400
-This vault chamber
converted into cistern,

373
00:18:13,433 --> 00:18:16,433
probably in the 6th century.

374
00:18:16,466 --> 00:18:20,100
-This improvised water tank
is over 30 feet high

375
00:18:20,133 --> 00:18:25,166
and could hold over
2 1/2 million gallons of water.

376
00:18:25,200 --> 00:18:27,900
-So, this is one
of the largest

377
00:18:27,933 --> 00:18:33,166
covered cisterns
of Constantinople there is.

378
00:18:33,200 --> 00:18:36,700
-And I actually -- I'm getting
stuck in mud and water...

379
00:18:36,733 --> 00:18:39,000
-Yeah, be careful.
-...which is -- Thank you.

380
00:18:39,033 --> 00:18:41,333
It still holds the water,
that's for sure.

381
00:18:41,366 --> 00:18:42,933
-Yeah.
-What about over there?

382
00:18:42,966 --> 00:18:44,633
Can we -- Ugh!
Can we check that out?

383
00:18:44,666 --> 00:18:46,466
-Be careful.
-Yeah.

384
00:18:46,500 --> 00:18:50,700
-So, you can see
how the walls are plastered

385
00:18:50,733 --> 00:18:53,066
with waterproof
hydraulic mortar.

386
00:18:53,100 --> 00:18:54,066
-Yeah, amazing.

387
00:18:54,100 --> 00:18:56,966
-Clearly shows us
this a cistern.

388
00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:01,033
-And obviously it still works,

389
00:19:01,066 --> 00:19:04,400
because we're walking in a place
that's filled with water and mud

390
00:19:04,433 --> 00:19:06,033
and God knows what else.

391
00:19:06,066 --> 00:19:11,233
-Yes. You can also see how
the hydraulic plaster ends.

392
00:19:11,266 --> 00:19:16,466
This indicates the maximum
storage level of the cistern.

393
00:19:16,500 --> 00:19:19,566
-Pretty big capacity here.
Pretty impressive.

394
00:19:19,600 --> 00:19:24,600
Constantinople had few
natural sources of fresh water.

395
00:19:24,633 --> 00:19:26,966
Concealed beneath
the Hippodrome's seating,

396
00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:28,600
these abandoned passageways

397
00:19:28,633 --> 00:19:31,933
were converted
into water-storage tanks.

398
00:19:31,966 --> 00:19:34,766
Ingenious.

399
00:19:34,800 --> 00:19:39,033
For over 1,000 years,
this was the city's insurance

400
00:19:39,066 --> 00:19:43,166
against drought,
fire, and siege.

401
00:19:43,200 --> 00:19:46,200
So, this one really
impressive cistern.

402
00:19:46,233 --> 00:19:48,633
It surely couldn't be
the only one, though.

403
00:19:48,666 --> 00:19:53,333
-We were able to identify
more than 200 cisterns

404
00:19:53,366 --> 00:19:56,333
in the historical peninsula.

405
00:19:56,366 --> 00:19:58,333
-This place is simply amazing.

406
00:19:58,366 --> 00:19:59,800
You know, thanks so much
for bringing me here,

407
00:19:59,833 --> 00:20:01,533
because I can't believe
that something

408
00:20:01,566 --> 00:20:05,500
that was created as a hippodrome
in the 4th century --

409
00:20:05,533 --> 00:20:08,066
you showed me that it's been
converted into a cistern

410
00:20:08,100 --> 00:20:09,566
in the 6th century,

411
00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:11,266
and then we're standing
right here today,

412
00:20:11,300 --> 00:20:13,666
in the 21st century.

413
00:20:13,700 --> 00:20:18,833
-Yes. This is one of the hidden
treasures of the city.

414
00:20:18,866 --> 00:20:20,466
-Thanks to our scan team,

415
00:20:20,500 --> 00:20:22,800
we can now see how
the Hippodrome was adapted

416
00:20:22,833 --> 00:20:25,033
to the changing needs
of the city.

417
00:20:27,433 --> 00:20:29,600
This vast structure entertained

418
00:20:29,633 --> 00:20:32,200
the first citizens
of Constantinople,

419
00:20:32,233 --> 00:20:34,133
and, later, as a cistern,

420
00:20:34,166 --> 00:20:39,833
it kept them alive by storing
precious water for 1,000 years.

421
00:20:39,866 --> 00:20:43,166
Now, this reservoir
is all but forgotten,

422
00:20:43,200 --> 00:20:46,933
except to those who know
invisible Istanbul.

423
00:20:50,500 --> 00:20:52,366
The Bosphorus
has always provided

424
00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:54,666
unrivaled transport
and trade routes

425
00:20:54,700 --> 00:20:57,333
that allowed
this city to thrive,

426
00:20:57,366 --> 00:21:01,333
but finding fresh water
has always been a problem.

427
00:21:03,666 --> 00:21:05,266
-Was in 2012...

428
00:21:05,300 --> 00:21:08,666
-Professor of Art History
at Istanbul University

429
00:21:08,700 --> 00:21:09,900
Ferudun Ozgumus,

430
00:21:09,933 --> 00:21:12,300
has promised to show me
how fresh water

431
00:21:12,333 --> 00:21:15,200
took on a sacred significance
in the ancient city.

432
00:21:15,233 --> 00:21:16,800
-Something important
in this carpet shop.

433
00:21:16,833 --> 00:21:17,633
-All right.

434
00:21:17,666 --> 00:21:18,833
I'm intrigued to find

435
00:21:18,866 --> 00:21:21,466
that our journey begins
in this carpet shop.

436
00:21:32,566 --> 00:21:34,233
So it's, like,
a recent discovery.

437
00:21:34,266 --> 00:21:36,500
I mean, that's just like
the other day.

438
00:21:36,533 --> 00:21:37,800
Yeah, yeah.

439
00:21:37,833 --> 00:21:39,566
We're going down pretty deep
here in the basement.

440
00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:40,933
-Yes.

441
00:21:50,833 --> 00:21:53,466
♪♪

442
00:21:53,500 --> 00:21:56,133
-Oh, and it just keeps
on continuing down.

443
00:21:56,166 --> 00:21:58,533
Oh, this is getting pretty deep.

444
00:21:58,566 --> 00:21:59,400
Right.

445
00:21:59,433 --> 00:22:00,866
Oh, thanks.

446
00:22:00,900 --> 00:22:05,600
♪♪

447
00:22:05,633 --> 00:22:07,266
All right.
So, what is this?

448
00:22:07,300 --> 00:22:08,866
Is this it?

449
00:22:08,900 --> 00:22:12,633
Ah, very impressive.

450
00:22:12,666 --> 00:22:14,633
Yeah, a big portion of it, too.

451
00:22:14,666 --> 00:22:17,000
Now, what is this part of?
What was it?

452
00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:28,266
♪♪

453
00:22:28,300 --> 00:22:32,400
Our photogrammetry shows
a layer cake of civilizations,

454
00:22:32,433 --> 00:22:35,033
with today's carpet shop
sitting right above

455
00:22:35,066 --> 00:22:39,266
the Great Palace
of Constantinople.

456
00:22:39,300 --> 00:22:42,366
And there's another
hidden level below that.

457
00:22:48,566 --> 00:22:50,800
Okay.

458
00:22:50,833 --> 00:22:52,100
Okay.

459
00:22:52,133 --> 00:22:53,633
Ah, and we're going to
go down further for this?

460
00:22:53,666 --> 00:22:55,100
-Yes. Yes.
-Amazing.

461
00:22:56,833 --> 00:22:57,833
[ Key jingles ]

462
00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:08,733
Wow. Now, this --
this is impressive.

463
00:23:08,766 --> 00:23:11,066
Actually lower than
the level of the church.

464
00:23:11,100 --> 00:23:12,200
-Yes.

465
00:23:12,233 --> 00:23:15,100
♪♪

466
00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:26,200
-All right, something else.

467
00:23:29,166 --> 00:23:30,800
Ah!

468
00:23:32,666 --> 00:23:33,666
Yeah.

469
00:23:38,266 --> 00:23:39,766
But this is a spring?

470
00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:42,566
That, I would not expect
underneath a church.

471
00:23:54,733 --> 00:23:56,933
Oh, yeah, right down there.
What is that there?

472
00:23:58,700 --> 00:23:59,733
Okay.

473
00:24:06,366 --> 00:24:08,400
But it looks like Greek.

474
00:24:08,433 --> 00:24:09,433
Okay.

475
00:24:11,766 --> 00:24:12,766
Mm-hmm.

476
00:24:25,333 --> 00:24:27,100
So, for a very long time, then,

477
00:24:27,133 --> 00:24:28,800
people are coming
to this church,

478
00:24:28,833 --> 00:24:30,633
coming down below here,

479
00:24:30,666 --> 00:24:34,200
and they were able to
potentially purify themselves...

480
00:24:34,233 --> 00:24:35,233
-Yes.
-...before their...

481
00:24:44,266 --> 00:24:47,066
That's fascinating, because
this was a precious commodity.

482
00:24:47,100 --> 00:24:48,566
This was not a city of water.

483
00:24:48,600 --> 00:24:49,866
So, this is a real rarity

484
00:24:49,900 --> 00:24:52,566
to have a spring
that still flows even today.

485
00:25:02,866 --> 00:25:05,300
Our scans show
how Istanbul is built

486
00:25:05,333 --> 00:25:07,933
on layer upon layer of history,

487
00:25:07,966 --> 00:25:10,833
with only a tiny trickle
of fresh water

488
00:25:10,866 --> 00:25:13,166
deep in the foundations
of the city.

489
00:25:15,166 --> 00:25:17,633
But if Constantinople
was to grow,

490
00:25:17,666 --> 00:25:20,133
its people would need
the miracle

491
00:25:20,166 --> 00:25:22,666
of Roman hydraulic engineering.

492
00:25:22,700 --> 00:25:30,900
♪♪

493
00:25:30,933 --> 00:25:32,466
One of the most
magnificent places

494
00:25:32,500 --> 00:25:35,200
to observe some of
that hydraulic engineering

495
00:25:35,233 --> 00:25:36,733
is

496
00:25:36,733 --> 00:25:36,766
not

497
00:25:36,766 --> 00:25:38,966
but rather
while just sitting here,

498
00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:41,400
sipping a tea, or chai,
as they call it,

499
00:25:41,433 --> 00:25:43,133
if you're underneath
an aqueduct.

500
00:25:43,166 --> 00:25:47,933
♪♪

501
00:25:47,966 --> 00:25:50,133
This is the Valens Aqueduct.

502
00:25:50,166 --> 00:25:53,633
It's the city's major
water supply in Roman times.

503
00:25:53,666 --> 00:25:57,300
It's over 100 feet high
and over half a mile long,

504
00:25:57,333 --> 00:26:00,933
and the water channel descends
on top into the city.

505
00:26:00,966 --> 00:26:03,000
It was a masterful
engineering feat,

506
00:26:03,033 --> 00:26:05,966
and today it still dominates
the city landscape.

507
00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:12,600
Our scanning team
is already at work

508
00:26:12,633 --> 00:26:15,100
on this mighty aqueduct bridge.

509
00:26:18,500 --> 00:26:20,700
It was completed
by Emperor Valens

510
00:26:20,733 --> 00:26:22,466
in the late 4th century.

511
00:26:25,333 --> 00:26:28,700
The Western half of
the Roman Empire was in decline,

512
00:26:28,733 --> 00:26:33,700
but Constantinople was still
on a building spree.

513
00:26:33,733 --> 00:26:36,233
This is just one
of 30 such bridges,

514
00:26:36,266 --> 00:26:39,733
part of a vast and complex
system of water channels

515
00:26:39,766 --> 00:26:40,900
and underground piping

516
00:26:40,933 --> 00:26:43,133
bringing water
to the heart of the city.

517
00:26:43,166 --> 00:26:46,233
I think it's one of the greatest
engineering and surveying feats

518
00:26:46,266 --> 00:26:49,333
of the entire ancient world.

519
00:26:49,366 --> 00:26:51,833
-Hi, Darius. Come on up.
-All right.

520
00:26:51,866 --> 00:26:54,633
The man to tell us about it
is Professor James Crow

521
00:26:54,666 --> 00:26:56,800
from Edinburgh University.

522
00:26:56,833 --> 00:26:58,566
It's a big ladder, man.

523
00:26:58,600 --> 00:27:01,033
-Yep, just keep on holding.
-Oof. Yeah.

524
00:27:01,066 --> 00:27:02,100
He's doing a research project

525
00:27:02,133 --> 00:27:03,400
to map that
water-supply system...

526
00:27:03,433 --> 00:27:05,000
All right, don't let go.

527
00:27:05,033 --> 00:27:07,533
...the crucial structure
in keeping the city alive.

528
00:27:07,566 --> 00:27:09,233
Whew! Nice!

529
00:27:09,266 --> 00:27:12,166
Great view.
And sunny.

530
00:27:12,200 --> 00:27:13,366
-Yep.

531
00:27:13,400 --> 00:27:16,466
-So, Jim, how did you
and your team figure out

532
00:27:16,500 --> 00:27:18,566
all of this complicated system?

533
00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:21,000
-Well, we knew -- it was known

534
00:27:21,033 --> 00:27:22,366
there were sources
outside of the city,

535
00:27:22,400 --> 00:27:24,466
but they'd never been
properly mapped before,

536
00:27:24,500 --> 00:27:26,766
so we set about
sort of creating maps,

537
00:27:26,800 --> 00:27:28,066
finding out more evidence

538
00:27:28,100 --> 00:27:29,866
for where the bridges
and channels were.

539
00:27:29,900 --> 00:27:31,300
It's a deeply forested area,

540
00:27:31,333 --> 00:27:33,700
so it's not laid out
in front of you,

541
00:27:33,733 --> 00:27:35,233
so you really have to work hard.

542
00:27:35,266 --> 00:27:37,766
You have to find from traces
and then join the dots

543
00:27:37,800 --> 00:27:41,133
in many instances.

544
00:27:41,166 --> 00:27:43,633
-So much of Constantinople
is colossal --

545
00:27:43,666 --> 00:27:46,933
I mean, the Hagia Sophia,
the Hippodrome, and now this.

546
00:27:46,966 --> 00:27:48,933
This must've carried
a lot of water.

547
00:27:48,966 --> 00:27:52,200
-Yes, this huge bridge,
nearly a kilometer long,

548
00:27:52,233 --> 00:27:54,200
has two channels in it.
-Unbelievable.

549
00:27:54,233 --> 00:27:57,700
-One we know about is probably
as tall as you and this wide,

550
00:27:57,733 --> 00:28:00,633
and this brought water
for over 150 kilometers

551
00:28:00,666 --> 00:28:01,966
in a direct line
with the spring,

552
00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:04,866
but in total length, probably
exceeding 300 kilometers.

553
00:28:04,900 --> 00:28:05,766
-Amazing.

554
00:28:05,800 --> 00:28:07,700
I'm a Roman guy,
so don't tell me,

555
00:28:07,733 --> 00:28:09,433
"It's better than Rome."

556
00:28:09,466 --> 00:28:12,200
-It's different to Rome,
but in some ways,

557
00:28:12,233 --> 00:28:15,666
it exceeds Rome in terms
of the length of the channels

558
00:28:15,700 --> 00:28:17,300
and the way that the channels

559
00:28:17,333 --> 00:28:19,333
tend to cut through
really difficult countryside.

560
00:28:19,366 --> 00:28:21,766
So, it's a real engineering
achievement in the way --

561
00:28:21,800 --> 00:28:22,800
much more than Rome is.

562
00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:28,666
-Our scans reveal
that the water flowed

563
00:28:28,700 --> 00:28:32,033
through two great channels
inside the aqueduct bridge.

564
00:28:34,166 --> 00:28:36,300
Jim's research confirms
that the water

565
00:28:36,333 --> 00:28:39,666
was then directed into
cisterns across the city --

566
00:28:39,700 --> 00:28:41,400
209 of them --

567
00:28:41,433 --> 00:28:45,033
some small, some improvised,
like the one in the Hippodrome,

568
00:28:45,066 --> 00:28:49,033
and some purpose-built
and as big as a football field.

569
00:28:49,066 --> 00:28:50,900
They were fed
by two supply lines

570
00:28:50,933 --> 00:28:53,266
coming all the way
from forest springs

571
00:28:53,300 --> 00:28:58,066
up to 125 miles away.

572
00:28:58,100 --> 00:29:02,566
Altogether, there were
over 360 miles of channels

573
00:29:02,600 --> 00:29:05,633
in the longest and most
sophisticated water system

574
00:29:05,666 --> 00:29:09,833
of the ancient world.

575
00:29:09,866 --> 00:29:14,366
♪♪

576
00:29:14,400 --> 00:29:16,733
Aqueduct bridges like this
were essential

577
00:29:16,766 --> 00:29:18,566
to Constantinople's growth

578
00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:21,466
into one of the greatest
cities in history.

579
00:29:21,500 --> 00:29:27,466
♪♪

580
00:29:27,500 --> 00:29:33,466
♪♪

581
00:29:33,500 --> 00:29:40,166
The city's success inevitably
attracted envy...and enemies.

582
00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:42,900
Today, people drive
past walls like this

583
00:29:42,933 --> 00:29:45,233
and think nothing of it,

584
00:29:45,266 --> 00:29:47,833
but it was once
a beautiful palace.

585
00:29:49,833 --> 00:29:52,900
This overgrown mess
is the Palace Boukoleon.

586
00:29:52,933 --> 00:29:57,400
It was once part of the great
Palace of Constantinople.

587
00:29:57,433 --> 00:29:58,900
Now, when it was built
in the 5th century,

588
00:29:58,933 --> 00:30:02,633
the sea came right up
and crashed against these walls.

589
00:30:02,666 --> 00:30:06,900
We're told that there were 500
rooms covered in gold mosaics,

590
00:30:06,933 --> 00:30:09,533
but all that's left
of its faded glory

591
00:30:09,566 --> 00:30:12,233
are these few
marble window frames.

592
00:30:12,266 --> 00:30:19,000
♪♪

593
00:30:19,033 --> 00:30:22,566
I've been told that you can get
into the palace through here.

594
00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:28,200
What a garden.

595
00:30:28,233 --> 00:30:31,400
When this palace was built,
Constantinople was said

596
00:30:31,433 --> 00:30:35,300
to possess two-thirds
of the world's wealth.

597
00:30:35,333 --> 00:30:37,866
The remains
of the Boukoleon Palace

598
00:30:37,900 --> 00:30:42,466
are a melancholy reminder
of the city's lost glory.

599
00:30:42,500 --> 00:30:44,900
This is major architecture.

600
00:30:44,933 --> 00:30:46,900
The scale is huge,
and, of course,

601
00:30:46,933 --> 00:30:49,333
this must have been
some sort of estate room.

602
00:30:49,366 --> 00:30:52,233
The walls would have been
lined with marble.

603
00:30:52,266 --> 00:30:55,833
You could imagine mosaic floors,
painted vaults,

604
00:30:55,866 --> 00:31:00,133
and, of course, in antiquity,
it's right on the water's edge.

605
00:31:00,166 --> 00:31:02,400
What a spectacular view
you would have had.

606
00:31:02,433 --> 00:31:04,900
Still pretty spectacular today.

607
00:31:04,933 --> 00:31:11,766
♪♪

608
00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:18,600
♪♪

609
00:31:18,633 --> 00:31:21,200
Our graphic gives us
just an idea

610
00:31:21,233 --> 00:31:27,033
of the grandeur and scale
of this magnificent palace.

611
00:31:27,066 --> 00:31:31,300
So far, our scan team
has recorded ruins

612
00:31:31,333 --> 00:31:34,633
that tell the story
of the rise of Constantinople.

613
00:31:37,833 --> 00:31:40,433
Here, the ruins tell us
about its decline.

614
00:31:43,033 --> 00:31:45,433
And the people who caused
the destruction here

615
00:31:45,466 --> 00:31:47,666
were Western Christians.

616
00:31:47,700 --> 00:31:51,900
♪♪

617
00:31:51,933 --> 00:31:55,166
Rome and Constantinople were
at the center of a dispute

618
00:31:55,200 --> 00:31:58,500
over religious doctrine in 1054.

619
00:32:00,633 --> 00:32:02,800
From that point,
Crusaders from the West

620
00:32:02,833 --> 00:32:07,900
saw the people here
as Eastern heretics.

621
00:32:07,933 --> 00:32:14,400
This was once a chapel covered
in gleaming, resplendent marble,

622
00:32:14,433 --> 00:32:18,366
but it's all charred black
from fire.

623
00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:22,966
Today, this is a refuge
for the homeless,

624
00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:27,100
but the real destruction
took place over 800 years ago,

625
00:32:27,133 --> 00:32:30,233
when, in 1204,
this city was sacked

626
00:32:30,266 --> 00:32:34,633
by Western European Crusaders.

627
00:32:34,666 --> 00:32:35,933
They pillaged.

628
00:32:35,966 --> 00:32:39,300
They trashed this palace
and this city.

629
00:32:39,333 --> 00:32:42,333
Constantinople was on the ropes.

630
00:32:42,366 --> 00:32:47,233
♪♪

631
00:32:47,266 --> 00:32:53,233
The Western invaders occupied
Constantinople for 57 years.

632
00:32:53,266 --> 00:32:56,200
They desecrated
Eastern Orthodox churches,

633
00:32:56,233 --> 00:33:01,733
burned down the library,
and looted the palaces.

634
00:33:01,766 --> 00:33:05,900
By the 15th century,
the population of Constantinople

635
00:33:05,933 --> 00:33:11,600
had plummeted like a stone
down to 70,000, tops.

636
00:33:11,633 --> 00:33:15,733
The Roman Empire, the greatest
power the world had ever seen,

637
00:33:15,766 --> 00:33:20,166
had now shrunk
to this single city.

638
00:33:20,200 --> 00:33:25,333
Those who remained soldiered on,
growing their own food,

639
00:33:25,366 --> 00:33:28,100
surviving the best they could.

640
00:33:28,133 --> 00:33:30,666
With the city's cisterns
for collecting water

641
00:33:30,700 --> 00:33:31,866
and agricultural land

642
00:33:31,900 --> 00:33:34,000
for raising crops
within the city walls,

643
00:33:34,033 --> 00:33:35,900
the city was virtually
self-sufficient

644
00:33:35,933 --> 00:33:37,600
within a ring of stone.

645
00:33:37,633 --> 00:33:39,433
The tradition continues today.

646
00:33:39,466 --> 00:33:42,366
The people of Istanbul
still raise vegetable crops

647
00:33:42,400 --> 00:33:45,333
in the moat and in the area
between the city walls.

648
00:33:48,800 --> 00:33:53,200
Constantinople stood alone...

649
00:33:53,233 --> 00:33:55,366
and the East was rising.

650
00:33:59,033 --> 00:34:00,800
The Muslim Ottoman Empire

651
00:34:00,833 --> 00:34:04,300
had the Christian city
completely surrounded.

652
00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:10,733
By 1453, the only way
supplies could reach the city

653
00:34:10,766 --> 00:34:14,133
was by ship,

654
00:34:14,166 --> 00:34:16,666
and the Ottoman leader,
Sultan Mehmed,

655
00:34:16,699 --> 00:34:19,466
was about to increase
the pressure.

656
00:34:19,500 --> 00:34:23,633
He built this huge fortress
to lay siege to the city.

657
00:34:23,666 --> 00:34:29,233
♪♪

658
00:34:29,266 --> 00:34:31,366
It's on the European side
of the Bosphorus

659
00:34:31,400 --> 00:34:34,699
at its narrowest point,

660
00:34:34,733 --> 00:34:38,500
less than 800 yards from
Mehmed's fort on the Asian side.

661
00:34:38,533 --> 00:34:43,466
♪♪

662
00:34:43,500 --> 00:34:47,633
The name of this stronghold,
Rumelihisari,

663
00:34:47,666 --> 00:34:50,666
literally means
"fortress of the Romans."

664
00:34:50,699 --> 00:34:52,000
Now, let's think about that
for a second,

665
00:34:52,033 --> 00:34:54,400
because the year was 1453.

666
00:34:54,433 --> 00:34:57,400
I mean, 50 years later,
Columbus discovered America,

667
00:34:57,433 --> 00:35:01,600
and still Constantinople was
the capital of the Roman Empire.

668
00:35:01,633 --> 00:35:03,666
The original name
is even better --

669
00:35:03,700 --> 00:35:06,900
Bogazkesen Castle,
literally "throat cutter,"

670
00:35:06,933 --> 00:35:08,800
because we're at the choke point
here at the Bosphorus,

671
00:35:08,833 --> 00:35:11,866
and it was meant to cut
the throat of the Bosphorus.

672
00:35:11,900 --> 00:35:14,700
And it worked.

673
00:35:14,733 --> 00:35:16,966
When a Venetian ship
sailed right out front

674
00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:19,300
and ignored the warnings
from the fort,

675
00:35:19,333 --> 00:35:21,600
a single cannon was fired
from one of the towers,

676
00:35:21,633 --> 00:35:22,900
hitting the ship.

677
00:35:22,933 --> 00:35:25,933
The crew was taken off
and beheaded,

678
00:35:25,966 --> 00:35:29,000
and the captain,
well, he was impaled,

679
00:35:29,033 --> 00:35:31,966
and his cadaver was hung
out front like a scarecrow

680
00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:34,033
as a warning to all others.

681
00:35:34,066 --> 00:35:37,700
Mehmed didn't want any
assistance to get to the city.

682
00:35:39,433 --> 00:35:43,366
But Constantinople had
a final line of defense --

683
00:35:43,400 --> 00:35:46,466
an iron chain laid
across its harbor inlet,

684
00:35:46,500 --> 00:35:49,233
the Golden Horn.

685
00:35:49,266 --> 00:35:52,800
Mehmed's ships couldn't
get past it to attack.

686
00:35:54,933 --> 00:35:57,433
But Mehmed had
a brilliant solution.

687
00:35:57,466 --> 00:36:00,533
He ordered the construction
of a road made of logs,

688
00:36:00,566 --> 00:36:04,333
heavily greased,
around the chain barrier.

689
00:36:04,366 --> 00:36:08,000
Then, on April 22, 1453,
he orders his troops

690
00:36:08,033 --> 00:36:12,066
to drag the ships
off the water, on the road,

691
00:36:12,100 --> 00:36:14,833
around the chain barrier,
and into the estuary.

692
00:36:14,866 --> 00:36:18,500
Now the city's 5,000 defenders
were entirely surrounded

693
00:36:18,533 --> 00:36:22,233
and trapped in a siege
of bombardment and starvation.

694
00:36:22,266 --> 00:36:24,200
Despite this --
despite being surrounded

695
00:36:24,233 --> 00:36:28,633
by 200,000 enemy troops --
Constantinople still resisted.

696
00:36:31,366 --> 00:36:34,366
The main tower
of the Rumelihisari fortress

697
00:36:34,400 --> 00:36:38,966
was a strategic command post
for Mehmed's whole operation.

698
00:36:39,000 --> 00:36:40,900
Its secrets are locked away,

699
00:36:40,933 --> 00:36:42,833
but we're getting
to see them...

700
00:36:42,866 --> 00:36:45,033
Shall we take a look?
-Yes.

701
00:36:45,066 --> 00:36:47,700
-...with local historian
Ali Zirek.

702
00:36:47,733 --> 00:36:52,866
♪♪

703
00:36:52,900 --> 00:36:55,433
It's kind of dark and spooky.
-Yeah.

704
00:36:55,466 --> 00:36:56,933
-Wasn't expecting to find

705
00:36:56,966 --> 00:36:58,633
one of the most
important artifacts

706
00:36:58,666 --> 00:37:03,066
in the history of the city
just lying on the floor.

707
00:37:03,100 --> 00:37:04,900
Is this the chain

708
00:37:04,933 --> 00:37:08,066
that Constantinople used
to stop Mehmed?

709
00:37:08,100 --> 00:37:09,833
-Yes.

710
00:37:09,866 --> 00:37:12,900
-That's incredible.
I mean, this is the real chain?

711
00:37:12,933 --> 00:37:14,100
It's the real thing?

712
00:37:14,133 --> 00:37:15,000
-Very strong.

713
00:37:15,033 --> 00:37:16,566
-Very strong, and it's rusty,

714
00:37:16,600 --> 00:37:19,466
but, I mean, it's hundreds
of years old and still intact.

715
00:37:21,166 --> 00:37:23,200
[ Grunts ]

716
00:37:23,233 --> 00:37:24,600
It's very heavy.

717
00:37:29,366 --> 00:37:34,100
I'm really curious to find out
what else Ali wants to show me,

718
00:37:34,133 --> 00:37:37,266
and he's taking me up
all the way to the top floor.

719
00:37:47,133 --> 00:37:49,333
Wow.

720
00:37:51,533 --> 00:37:54,400
This is an amazing space.

721
00:37:54,433 --> 00:37:56,633
What happened here?

722
00:38:01,600 --> 00:38:04,600
Oh, so it's, like,
a council chamber.

723
00:38:04,633 --> 00:38:06,000
It's unbelievable.

724
00:38:06,033 --> 00:38:09,033
I'm thinking about the decisions
that he made in this castle,

725
00:38:09,066 --> 00:38:11,166
maybe even in this very room.

726
00:38:11,200 --> 00:38:13,933
I mean, this is where
history happened.

727
00:38:13,966 --> 00:38:17,700
I think it really --
kind of get a sense of that,

728
00:38:17,733 --> 00:38:19,166
can almost smell it.

729
00:38:19,200 --> 00:38:23,966
♪♪

730
00:38:24,000 --> 00:38:27,666
Mehmed's fortresses were among
the most advanced of their time.

731
00:38:30,233 --> 00:38:34,433
Our scans allow us to really get
under the skin of this tower.

732
00:38:34,466 --> 00:38:37,766
♪♪

733
00:38:37,800 --> 00:38:43,533
They reveal a seven-story weapon
of ruthless efficiency,

734
00:38:43,566 --> 00:38:45,933
with walls up to 23-feet thick

735
00:38:45,966 --> 00:38:50,966
that protect
Mehmed's council chamber...

736
00:38:51,000 --> 00:38:54,433
crenellated lookout positions,

737
00:38:54,466 --> 00:38:59,366
arrow slits
and firing positions,

738
00:38:59,400 --> 00:39:03,866
toilets, grain storage,

739
00:39:03,900 --> 00:39:08,366
living quarters
for 400 soldiers,

740
00:39:08,400 --> 00:39:11,400
a water cistern, of course,

741
00:39:11,433 --> 00:39:13,300
a chute to drop boiling oil

742
00:39:13,333 --> 00:39:16,233
onto an invader
at the front door,

743
00:39:16,266 --> 00:39:17,933
and an unrivaled view

744
00:39:17,966 --> 00:39:21,300
to guard the narrowest part
of the Bosphorus.

745
00:39:23,333 --> 00:39:26,733
On April 6, 1453,

746
00:39:26,766 --> 00:39:32,633
the sultan launched a 53-day
siege of constant bombardment,

747
00:39:32,666 --> 00:39:37,366
and he was using the
biggest cannons in the world.

748
00:39:37,400 --> 00:39:40,700
Mehmed concentrated his efforts
on a section of old wall

749
00:39:40,733 --> 00:39:43,033
in the northwestern part
of the city,

750
00:39:43,066 --> 00:39:45,900
and he hammered with his cannons
that section relentlessly

751
00:39:45,933 --> 00:39:49,366
until eventually
a part of the wall collapsed.

752
00:39:49,400 --> 00:39:52,400
Now, the defenders
defended themselves valiantly,

753
00:39:52,433 --> 00:39:55,500
but they were no match
for the sultan's elite troops,

754
00:39:55,533 --> 00:39:56,933
the Janissaries,

755
00:39:56,966 --> 00:39:59,766
and with the prospect of
the horrors that would follow,

756
00:39:59,800 --> 00:40:03,200
many of the city's inhabitants
decided to commit suicide,

757
00:40:03,233 --> 00:40:05,433
jumping from the city walls.

758
00:40:09,100 --> 00:40:13,666
The pillaging and looting
went on for three days.

759
00:40:13,700 --> 00:40:14,900
The legend goes that

760
00:40:14,933 --> 00:40:17,133
instead of letting
their enemies get the loot,

761
00:40:17,166 --> 00:40:18,566
the people of Constantinople

762
00:40:18,600 --> 00:40:22,000
threw so much of their wealth
into the Golden Horn

763
00:40:22,033 --> 00:40:24,533
that the waters
sparkled with gold.

764
00:40:24,566 --> 00:40:27,933
♪♪

765
00:40:27,966 --> 00:40:32,466
The invaders closed in
on the Hagia Sophia.

766
00:40:32,500 --> 00:40:34,666
They smashed down the door
and burst in

767
00:40:34,700 --> 00:40:38,700
on the city's women,
children, old, and injured.

768
00:40:38,733 --> 00:40:41,466
The last citizens of
Constantinople were raped,

769
00:40:41,500 --> 00:40:44,233
slaughtered, and enslaved.

770
00:40:44,266 --> 00:40:47,366
Mehmed himself lamented
the devastation he had caused,

771
00:40:47,400 --> 00:40:50,433
saying, "What a city
we have given over

772
00:40:50,466 --> 00:40:52,633
to plunder and destruction."

773
00:40:55,133 --> 00:40:58,900
This was the final fall
of the Roman Empire.

774
00:40:58,933 --> 00:41:02,366
The people we know as
the Byzantines were finished.

775
00:41:02,400 --> 00:41:06,233
Constantinople was no longer
a Christian capital.

776
00:41:06,266 --> 00:41:08,866
It became Muslim Istanbul,

777
00:41:08,900 --> 00:41:12,100
Mehmed's capital
of the Ottoman Empire.

778
00:41:12,133 --> 00:41:14,366
The East now held sway.

779
00:41:16,666 --> 00:41:20,800
♪♪

780
00:41:20,833 --> 00:41:22,966
The best place to see
how the city changed

781
00:41:23,000 --> 00:41:25,233
is back at the Hagia Sophia.

782
00:41:29,166 --> 00:41:32,700
From that day,
the cathedral became a mosque.

783
00:41:36,000 --> 00:41:39,233
Over time,
the four minarets were added,

784
00:41:39,266 --> 00:41:42,633
and the mosaic crosses
were decorated to disguise them.

785
00:41:45,366 --> 00:41:48,266
Eight enormous panels
were erected much later,

786
00:41:48,300 --> 00:41:51,400
spelling out the name of Allah,
the Prophet Muhammad,

787
00:41:51,433 --> 00:41:54,200
his grandsons,
and the four caliphs.

788
00:41:54,233 --> 00:41:57,933
To this day, they are the
largest in the Muslim world.

789
00:41:57,966 --> 00:41:59,866
There are lots
of Islamic additions.

790
00:41:59,900 --> 00:42:02,733
Case in point is this
recessed niche right here.

791
00:42:02,766 --> 00:42:04,100
It's off-center from the apse,

792
00:42:04,133 --> 00:42:05,966
off-center
from the whole church.

793
00:42:06,000 --> 00:42:07,166
There's a reason for that.

794
00:42:07,200 --> 00:42:10,466
It's the mihrab,
and it indicates Mecca,

795
00:42:10,500 --> 00:42:13,233
and that is the direction
that Muslims pray.

796
00:42:13,266 --> 00:42:22,133
♪♪

797
00:42:22,166 --> 00:42:27,366
Sultan Mehmed became known
at Fatih, "the Conqueror."

798
00:42:27,400 --> 00:42:30,700
But he was also a builder.

799
00:42:30,733 --> 00:42:36,933
He repaired the water supply,
rebuilt the city walls,

800
00:42:36,966 --> 00:42:39,133
and established
one of the greatest

801
00:42:39,166 --> 00:42:41,666
economic centers of its time --

802
00:42:41,700 --> 00:42:43,366
the Grand Bazaar.

803
00:42:43,400 --> 00:42:48,766
♪♪

804
00:42:48,800 --> 00:42:54,166
♪♪

805
00:42:54,200 --> 00:42:55,533
Hi.
-Hi, sir.

806
00:42:55,566 --> 00:42:56,766
-How you doing?
-Fine. You?

807
00:42:56,800 --> 00:42:58,133
-Good.
-These look okay?

808
00:42:58,166 --> 00:42:59,466
-Yeah, these are very nice.

809
00:42:59,500 --> 00:43:01,066
Within two centuries,

810
00:43:01,100 --> 00:43:05,600
the population rebounded
from 70,000 to 700,000.

811
00:43:05,633 --> 00:43:08,066
Okay. Thank you.
-You're welcome, sir.

812
00:43:08,100 --> 00:43:14,200
♪♪

813
00:43:14,233 --> 00:43:19,066
-As the Ottoman Empire grew,
so did the bazaar.

814
00:43:19,100 --> 00:43:24,433
Today, it has over 4,000 shops
on 61 covered streets,

815
00:43:24,466 --> 00:43:29,533
visited by up to 400,000
shoppers in a single day.

816
00:43:29,566 --> 00:43:33,633
The Grand Bazaar became
the center of Istanbul's wealth,

817
00:43:33,666 --> 00:43:37,033
and Istanbul became the center
of the Ottoman Empire.

818
00:43:40,400 --> 00:43:43,600
It must have felt like
the center of the world.

819
00:43:45,566 --> 00:43:47,200
-Thank you.
-Thank you.

820
00:43:47,233 --> 00:43:49,066
-[ Speaking native language ]
-Oh, thank you.

821
00:43:49,100 --> 00:43:50,133
Thank you.

822
00:43:50,166 --> 00:43:57,433
♪♪

823
00:43:57,466 --> 00:44:00,033
Islamic and Turkish cultures
certainly have added

824
00:44:00,066 --> 00:44:03,733
to what the Romans and
the Christians had established.

825
00:44:03,766 --> 00:44:08,266
Turkish cuisine is famous for
a rich variety of ingredients,

826
00:44:08,300 --> 00:44:11,633
but sometimes you just
want something simple.

827
00:44:11,666 --> 00:44:14,300
You want a balik ekmek,
a fish sandwich,

828
00:44:14,333 --> 00:44:16,266
and the best place
to have it in Istanbul

829
00:44:16,300 --> 00:44:19,666
is in Eminonu, right here
at the Galata Bridge.

830
00:44:19,700 --> 00:44:23,600
And certainly, eating this
at the Golden Horn

831
00:44:23,633 --> 00:44:26,966
amidst all of this history
adds to the flavor.

832
00:44:27,000 --> 00:44:34,033
♪♪

833
00:44:34,066 --> 00:44:41,100
♪♪

834
00:44:41,133 --> 00:44:44,233
But not everywhere in Istanbul
is so hectic.

835
00:44:46,600 --> 00:44:50,200
Islands of peace can still
be found in the Old City,

836
00:44:50,233 --> 00:44:53,600
like this mosque,
just north of the Grand Bazaar.

837
00:44:53,633 --> 00:45:02,033
♪♪

838
00:45:02,066 --> 00:45:10,433
♪♪

839
00:45:10,466 --> 00:45:15,033
This is so peaceful.

840
00:45:15,066 --> 00:45:17,133
It's hard to believe that
I'm in the midst

841
00:45:17,166 --> 00:45:20,966
of a teeming city of 15 million,

842
00:45:21,000 --> 00:45:26,200
but this place gives you
a sense of calm, tranquility.

843
00:45:26,233 --> 00:45:28,433
I see community.

844
00:45:28,466 --> 00:45:30,100
It's about being with yourself.

845
00:45:30,133 --> 00:45:31,833
It's about having opportunity

846
00:45:31,866 --> 00:45:35,666
to meditate on many things
before going forward to prayer,

847
00:45:35,700 --> 00:45:37,966
and this is
an amazing opportunity

848
00:45:38,000 --> 00:45:40,200
to start that reflection.

849
00:45:40,233 --> 00:45:45,466
♪♪

850
00:45:45,500 --> 00:45:48,466
A century after Sultan Mehmed,
his successor,

851
00:45:48,500 --> 00:45:53,300
Suleyman the Magnificent,
had a new mosque built in 1557

852
00:45:53,333 --> 00:45:56,566
to outdo anything
that had come before it --

853
00:45:56,600 --> 00:45:59,933
the Suleymaniye Mosque.

854
00:45:59,966 --> 00:46:03,300
Inspired by the grandeur
of the Hagia Sophia,

855
00:46:03,333 --> 00:46:07,966
this mosque is the epitome of
the Ottoman Empire's golden age.

856
00:46:11,733 --> 00:46:14,933
The genius of the mosque
is found in its grand design

857
00:46:14,966 --> 00:46:17,600
and its smallest details.

858
00:46:17,633 --> 00:46:20,466
Much is invisible,
but not to my guide --

859
00:46:20,500 --> 00:46:23,533
architectural historian
Olcay Aydemir.

860
00:46:23,566 --> 00:46:27,866
♪♪

861
00:46:27,900 --> 00:46:30,066
Wow.

862
00:46:30,100 --> 00:46:32,700
Amazing.
This is spectacular.

863
00:46:32,733 --> 00:46:35,466
-Yes.
-I mean, there's so much light.

864
00:46:35,500 --> 00:46:37,433
There's so much space.

865
00:46:37,466 --> 00:46:40,033
Just an incredible volume.

866
00:46:40,066 --> 00:46:42,366
It's just so massive.
It's so tall.

867
00:46:51,833 --> 00:46:52,833
Absolutely.

868
00:46:56,733 --> 00:46:59,100
Though inspired
by the Hagia Sophia,

869
00:46:59,133 --> 00:47:02,100
Suleyman'S mosque
had innovations of its own.

870
00:47:04,766 --> 00:47:06,733
So, I'm looking at
the illumination here,

871
00:47:06,766 --> 00:47:09,066
and, of course,
I mean, this is electric,

872
00:47:09,100 --> 00:47:12,366
but what was it like
in the 16th century?

873
00:47:14,333 --> 00:47:15,700
Okay.

874
00:47:15,733 --> 00:47:17,100
Now, I see,
you know, interspersed

875
00:47:17,133 --> 00:47:18,233
between these electric lights,

876
00:47:18,266 --> 00:47:20,766
I mean, there's some sort
of suspended ball

877
00:47:20,800 --> 00:47:22,000
or egg-like thing.

878
00:47:22,033 --> 00:47:23,200
What is that?

879
00:47:23,233 --> 00:47:24,666
Ostrich shells, okay.
-Yes.

880
00:47:24,700 --> 00:47:26,000
-And is that intentional
as well,

881
00:47:26,033 --> 00:47:27,200
or is that something from --

882
00:47:32,433 --> 00:47:35,800
Okay. It's very beautiful
and eco-friendly.

883
00:47:35,833 --> 00:47:38,300
-Yes.
-So, technology,

884
00:47:38,333 --> 00:47:40,600
sustainability,
incredible architecture,

885
00:47:40,633 --> 00:47:41,733
incredible design.

886
00:47:41,766 --> 00:47:43,300
-Yes. It was genius.
-It's so impressive.

887
00:47:43,333 --> 00:47:45,200
-Yes.

888
00:47:45,233 --> 00:47:48,066
-But there's more.

889
00:47:48,100 --> 00:47:51,200
Our scans reveal
an invisible ventilation system

890
00:47:51,233 --> 00:47:54,133
hidden in the walls.

891
00:47:54,166 --> 00:47:57,133
It drew up the soot from the
lamps through hidden funnels

892
00:47:57,166 --> 00:48:01,366
leading into a secret room.

893
00:48:01,400 --> 00:48:03,133
The soot was
scraped off the walls

894
00:48:03,166 --> 00:48:06,066
to make black ink
for precious manuscripts.

895
00:48:06,100 --> 00:48:08,600
Today, only graffiti remains.

896
00:48:08,633 --> 00:48:13,933
♪♪

897
00:48:13,966 --> 00:48:15,966
Sultan Suleyman
wanted his mosque

898
00:48:16,000 --> 00:48:19,233
to be a social-welfare complex.

899
00:48:19,266 --> 00:48:24,333
A hospital was built,
six schools, Turkish baths,

900
00:48:24,366 --> 00:48:28,700
a travelers' inn,
a bakery, a medical college,

901
00:48:28,733 --> 00:48:32,300
and a public kitchen
for the poor.

902
00:48:32,333 --> 00:48:33,466
In the 19th century,

903
00:48:33,500 --> 00:48:36,633
there was even a place
called Addicts Alley

904
00:48:36,666 --> 00:48:39,366
where cafés sold
hashish and opium,

905
00:48:39,400 --> 00:48:42,433
though I doubt if

906
00:48:42,433 --> 00:48:45,533
that
was part of Suleyman's plan.

907
00:48:45,533 --> 00:48:48,600
-So, as we go through...here,
there are lots of monuments,

908
00:48:48,633 --> 00:48:50,400
and they're all over the empire.

909
00:48:50,433 --> 00:48:54,833
-This is the mosque's
public kitchen, or imaret.

910
00:48:54,866 --> 00:48:57,866
It fed over 1,000 of
the city's poor every day

911
00:48:57,900 --> 00:49:00,966
in a way that allowed people
to keep their anonymity

912
00:49:01,000 --> 00:49:03,200
and their dignity.

913
00:49:12,466 --> 00:49:14,666
Very nice. So, I can take this
anonymously, as well?

914
00:49:14,700 --> 00:49:17,366
-Yes, of course, please.
-Thank you.

915
00:49:17,366 --> 00:49:17,400
Buon appetito.

916
00:49:17,400 --> 00:49:23,066
This was a sultan's mosque
meant for everyone.

917
00:49:23,100 --> 00:49:25,666
Suleyman's kitchen was designed
to feed Muslims,

918
00:49:25,700 --> 00:49:28,966
Christians, and Jews alike.

919
00:49:29,000 --> 00:49:32,666
Today, it's a commercial
restaurant in this modern city.

920
00:49:32,700 --> 00:49:41,433
♪♪

921
00:49:41,466 --> 00:49:45,533
I've been invited by Matt
to go back to the Old City,

922
00:49:45,566 --> 00:49:46,966
but this time,

923
00:49:47,000 --> 00:49:49,633
I'm going to experience it
in a whole-new way.

924
00:49:53,333 --> 00:49:54,733
The scan team are eager
to show me

925
00:49:54,766 --> 00:49:57,366
how the city comes alive
in virtual reality.

926
00:49:57,400 --> 00:49:59,166
Cool. I've never seen --
-It doesn't look like much now,

927
00:49:59,200 --> 00:50:02,900
but this little backdrop here,
together with this headset,

928
00:50:02,933 --> 00:50:06,866
this is your portal into
our digital model of Istanbul.

929
00:50:06,900 --> 00:50:07,933
There you go.

930
00:50:07,966 --> 00:50:11,000
-Wow.
This is amazing.

931
00:50:11,033 --> 00:50:14,366
-So this is the whole peninsula.
-Beautiful.

932
00:50:14,400 --> 00:50:17,066
And right down there, that's
the curve of the Hippodrome.

933
00:50:17,100 --> 00:50:19,500
That's right where we went
into the cisterns.

934
00:50:19,533 --> 00:50:22,233
Oh, that's right
where we entered, ha,

935
00:50:22,266 --> 00:50:24,466
and down the stairs.

936
00:50:24,500 --> 00:50:26,666
Oh, look at that corridor.
[ Chuckles ]

937
00:50:26,700 --> 00:50:28,266
You just can't smell it,

938
00:50:28,300 --> 00:50:32,166
but otherwise,
it's like I'm there.

939
00:50:32,200 --> 00:50:35,600
I can get underneath it too.
-Yep, worm's-eye view.

940
00:50:35,633 --> 00:50:39,200
-Ah, man. And now, I mean,
I'm just walking right over top

941
00:50:39,233 --> 00:50:43,066
the entire Hippodrome
towards the Hagia Sophia.

942
00:50:43,100 --> 00:50:45,833
-So, you're free to drop
your head inside.

943
00:50:45,866 --> 00:50:49,400
-Whoa.
There's everything inside.

944
00:50:49,433 --> 00:50:51,066
Oof.

945
00:50:51,100 --> 00:50:53,200
Space is incredible here.

946
00:50:53,233 --> 00:50:55,366
I see all these
little outlines of people --

947
00:50:55,400 --> 00:50:57,633
children, adults,
just in motion.

948
00:50:57,666 --> 00:50:59,300
-These are the ghosts
of the tourists

949
00:50:59,333 --> 00:51:01,366
that were there on that day.

950
00:51:01,400 --> 00:51:02,933
They're all moving around
a little bit quicker

951
00:51:02,966 --> 00:51:05,633
than we can scan them.
-Okay.

952
00:51:05,666 --> 00:51:07,600
-And we can actually start
to go and inspect this building

953
00:51:07,633 --> 00:51:08,633
a little more thoroughly.

954
00:51:08,666 --> 00:51:10,033
-Okay.
Oof, going up the elevator.

955
00:51:10,066 --> 00:51:11,300
Oh, slow down.

956
00:51:11,333 --> 00:51:13,566
Yeah, you get
a little vertigo here.

957
00:51:13,600 --> 00:51:16,600
Wow.

958
00:51:16,633 --> 00:51:19,466
Really fast.

959
00:51:19,500 --> 00:51:21,733
Wait. Okay.
Going through the dome?

960
00:51:21,766 --> 00:51:23,333
All right. Okay.

961
00:51:23,366 --> 00:51:25,933
Whoa.

962
00:51:25,966 --> 00:51:27,333
-So, here we are.

963
00:51:27,366 --> 00:51:29,633
-Wow.

964
00:51:29,666 --> 00:51:30,833
I'm going to need
to take your hand here.

965
00:51:30,866 --> 00:51:32,000
-[ Chuckles ]

966
00:51:32,033 --> 00:51:33,700
-It's really disorienting,
though.

967
00:51:33,733 --> 00:51:35,600
You feel like you could just
fall right through.

968
00:51:35,633 --> 00:51:38,766
-And check out -- I mean, the
lumps that we saw previously,

969
00:51:38,800 --> 00:51:43,066
they've become this kind of
golf course of mounds around us.

970
00:51:43,100 --> 00:51:45,700
-Oh, my God. Yeah.

971
00:51:45,733 --> 00:51:48,200
Oh, back down again?
Okay. Whoa.

972
00:51:48,233 --> 00:51:50,166
The VR makes me
really appreciate

973
00:51:50,200 --> 00:51:53,733
what an extraordinary feat of
engineering the Hagia Sophia is.

974
00:51:53,766 --> 00:51:56,000
Oh, coming down.

975
00:51:56,033 --> 00:51:59,066
It's like this whole city
and its people --

976
00:51:59,100 --> 00:52:00,433
They've been knocked around,

977
00:52:00,466 --> 00:52:02,866
but they've always
found ways to survive.

978
00:52:02,900 --> 00:52:08,400
♪♪

979
00:52:08,433 --> 00:52:10,366
They've adapted buildings
like the Hippodrome

980
00:52:10,400 --> 00:52:12,800
to stay alive
through drought and war...

981
00:52:12,833 --> 00:52:16,733
♪♪

982
00:52:16,766 --> 00:52:18,800
...and kept fresh water
flowing to everyone

983
00:52:18,833 --> 00:52:21,000
through their elegant aqueducts.

984
00:52:21,033 --> 00:52:26,666
♪♪

985
00:52:26,700 --> 00:52:28,866
This is a city that has
built upon its layers

986
00:52:28,900 --> 00:52:31,700
of history and culture.

987
00:52:33,733 --> 00:52:36,933
As the battered dome of
the Hagia Sophia reminds us,

988
00:52:36,966 --> 00:52:38,133
the people of Istanbul

989
00:52:38,166 --> 00:52:40,433
have fought both armies
and earthquakes

990
00:52:40,466 --> 00:52:44,533
to preserve their city
against all the odds.

991
00:52:44,566 --> 00:52:50,433
♪♪

992
00:52:50,466 --> 00:52:53,400
This ancient city has been
the fulcrum of the world

993
00:52:53,433 --> 00:52:55,900
for two millennia.

994
00:52:55,933 --> 00:52:57,633
And in the 21st century,

995
00:52:57,666 --> 00:53:00,466
the tug-of-war
between East and West

996
00:53:00,500 --> 00:53:02,700
remains as intense as ever.

997
00:53:05,133 --> 00:53:08,666
Turkey is rising in prominence
in international politics

998
00:53:08,700 --> 00:53:11,466
and looking to strengthen
its Islamic ties,

999
00:53:11,500 --> 00:53:13,800
looking to the past,
the Ottoman Empire,

1000
00:53:13,833 --> 00:53:15,033
for inspiration.

1001
00:53:18,166 --> 00:53:20,633
All eyes are focusing once again

1002
00:53:20,666 --> 00:53:23,500
on the city
at the center of the world.

1003
00:53:25,066 --> 00:53:27,666
-Wow.

1004
00:53:27,700 --> 00:53:29,533
And if you'd like
to explore the Hagia Sophia

1005
00:53:29,566 --> 00:53:31,366
for yourself in 3-D,

1006
00:53:31,400 --> 00:53:35,500
visit pbs.org/
ancientinvisiblecities.

1007
00:53:36,966 --> 00:53:40,666
♪♪

1008
00:53:40,700 --> 00:53:44,100
-"Ancient Invisible Cities"
is

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available on DVD.

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To order, visit Shop PBS

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or call 1-800-PLAY-PBS.

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This program is also available
on

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Amazon Prime Video.

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♪♪

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♪♪