1 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:47,420 'Lake Ohrid lies between Albania, which I've just left, 2 00:00:47,420 --> 00:00:50,500 'and Macedonia, on which I'm setting foot. 3 00:00:52,580 --> 00:00:56,460 'I shall be heading east, through Macedonia's eye-catching scenery, 4 00:00:56,460 --> 00:00:59,300 'and on to the border it shares with Bulgaria. 5 00:00:59,300 --> 00:01:03,780 'Then across Bulgaria into Turkey, and via Istanbul and Ephesus 6 00:01:03,780 --> 00:01:07,140 'to Cappadocia on the Anatolian plateau.' 7 00:01:16,140 --> 00:01:18,780 Pretty spectacular up here. Yeah? 8 00:01:18,780 --> 00:01:21,660 'With my friend Dimitar, I'm entering territory 9 00:01:21,660 --> 00:01:24,500 'where even 4x4s fear to tread. 10 00:01:24,500 --> 00:01:28,380 'The rocky foothills of the Rila Mountains in western Bulgaria. 11 00:01:32,180 --> 00:01:35,460 'Dimitar is a member of an order called The White Brotherhood, 12 00:01:35,460 --> 00:01:38,940 'who hold an annual gathering in the starkly beautiful surroundings 13 00:01:38,940 --> 00:01:41,900 'of an area they call The Seven Lakes.' 14 00:01:44,380 --> 00:01:46,460 I've just seen a lake. Yeah. 15 00:01:46,460 --> 00:01:48,060 Fantastic. First lake. 16 00:01:48,060 --> 00:01:49,780 It's beautiful. This is... 17 00:01:49,780 --> 00:01:53,540 The first of the... Seven lakes. Seven lakes. Yes. 18 00:01:53,540 --> 00:01:55,140 It's lovely. 19 00:01:55,140 --> 00:01:58,100 COW BELLS CHIME 20 00:02:06,740 --> 00:02:10,620 'It's been a long day's journey to get to this remote spot. 21 00:02:10,620 --> 00:02:12,620 'Well, as remote as a spot can be 22 00:02:12,620 --> 00:02:15,580 'when there's 1,000 other people sharing it with you.' 23 00:02:17,100 --> 00:02:18,780 This is the camp. 24 00:02:18,780 --> 00:02:21,780 It's like a... 25 00:02:21,780 --> 00:02:25,020 small city, isn't it? Oh, yeah! 26 00:02:25,020 --> 00:02:28,460 Up there, all of those tents perched very precariously. 27 00:02:37,620 --> 00:02:40,860 'I didn't sleep much last night. By the time I nodded off, 28 00:02:40,860 --> 00:02:44,140 'everyone else was getting up for the sunrise, 29 00:02:44,140 --> 00:02:47,380 'which is very important to the White Brotherhood. 30 00:02:47,380 --> 00:02:51,260 'The summer solstice is the most auspicious time of year for them. 31 00:02:51,260 --> 00:02:56,780 'And this lofty mountain top is the most auspicious place to witness it. 32 00:02:56,780 --> 00:03:00,060 LOW SINGING 33 00:03:01,340 --> 00:03:05,100 'The White Brotherhood was founded by a Bulgarian called Peter Deunov, 34 00:03:05,100 --> 00:03:10,100 'on whom the spirit of God descended on March 7th, 1897. 35 00:03:11,740 --> 00:03:14,980 'Non-smoking and vegetarian, it's a curious mix 36 00:03:14,980 --> 00:03:20,380 'of Christian and Indian mysticism, with much talk of spiritual energies, 37 00:03:20,380 --> 00:03:24,420 'which are evidently abundant in these spectacular mountains. 38 00:03:24,420 --> 00:03:28,380 SINGING CONTINUES 39 00:03:50,140 --> 00:03:53,580 'The climax of the day is what they call paneurhythmic dancing. 40 00:03:53,580 --> 00:03:56,900 'No bobble hats and anoraks here. 41 00:03:56,900 --> 00:03:59,980 'This is the White Brotherhood in all its glory.' 42 00:03:59,980 --> 00:04:05,340 THEY SING 43 00:04:14,260 --> 00:04:18,180 What is the aim of what you are doing here today? 44 00:04:18,180 --> 00:04:19,980 What is it really all about? 45 00:04:19,980 --> 00:04:22,420 It's about the peak of the summer. 46 00:04:22,420 --> 00:04:24,460 Today is the peak of the summer. 47 00:04:24,460 --> 00:04:26,460 And... 48 00:04:27,940 --> 00:04:33,780 People are gathering today because it's a celebration for the brotherhood. 49 00:04:33,780 --> 00:04:40,500 Since this day is when you can receive the most of energies 50 00:04:40,500 --> 00:04:44,740 from the sun. And... We come together, 51 00:04:44,740 --> 00:04:48,460 we dance the paneurhythmic. We have concerts. 52 00:04:48,460 --> 00:04:52,660 It makes us feel more close to each other, 53 00:04:52,660 --> 00:04:55,260 more like brothers and sisters. 54 00:04:55,260 --> 00:05:01,220 Is the paneurhythmic dancing, is that a way of achieving this harmony, this function? 55 00:05:01,220 --> 00:05:07,700 Yes. This is the best tool we have for achieving the harmony. 56 00:05:07,700 --> 00:05:11,260 Because, it's a union of three very important things. 57 00:05:11,260 --> 00:05:15,220 Number one, that is the material, the moves. 58 00:05:15,220 --> 00:05:18,540 Number two, this is the words, you know the mind. 59 00:05:18,540 --> 00:05:23,180 It's words which are words about nature, 60 00:05:23,180 --> 00:05:28,660 about love, about harmony, about the spring, the energies. 61 00:05:28,660 --> 00:05:33,340 And also, it's the third thing, it's also the heart. You know, 62 00:05:33,340 --> 00:05:38,780 people are also working with their hearts, while being in the circle. 63 00:05:38,780 --> 00:05:41,860 It's a union circle. Uniting people. 64 00:05:41,860 --> 00:05:45,700 It's the symbol of the sun. And also, 65 00:05:45,700 --> 00:05:48,540 People are also working on their spiritual level. 66 00:05:48,540 --> 00:05:53,220 It's like a prayer in movement and dance. 67 00:05:53,220 --> 00:05:55,620 Today was an extraordinary event. 68 00:05:55,620 --> 00:05:58,900 Were you pleased with the way it went? Yeah, absolutely. 69 00:05:58,900 --> 00:06:04,980 I think every year, it's becoming more and more harmonious. 70 00:06:04,980 --> 00:06:08,540 What happened to the White Brotherhood during the Communist period? 71 00:06:08,540 --> 00:06:10,700 During the Communist period, 72 00:06:10,700 --> 00:06:15,780 it was hard for all spiritual work in Bulgaria. 73 00:06:15,780 --> 00:06:20,260 Because, you know, the only spiritual thing allowed 74 00:06:20,260 --> 00:06:25,060 was worshipping the Communist ideal, 75 00:06:25,060 --> 00:06:30,060 the Communist principles, so... 76 00:06:30,060 --> 00:06:33,340 It was not only the White Brotherhood, but also all kinds of 77 00:06:33,340 --> 00:06:38,860 religious and spiritual movements were either forbidden... 78 00:06:38,860 --> 00:06:41,300 At times they were persecuted. 79 00:06:41,300 --> 00:06:42,780 And... 80 00:06:42,780 --> 00:06:45,020 Or they have to hide. 81 00:06:45,020 --> 00:06:47,940 SINGING 82 00:06:53,620 --> 00:06:57,220 What I like about the White Brotherhood is that they're not dogmatic. 83 00:06:57,220 --> 00:06:59,700 They may be excessively tolerant, 84 00:06:59,700 --> 00:07:03,380 But also this great event today, very spectacular, 85 00:07:03,380 --> 00:07:05,700 but a quiet spectacular. 86 00:07:05,700 --> 00:07:09,580 It's not been the blasted noise from PAs and loudspeaker systems 87 00:07:09,580 --> 00:07:12,380 that seem to be so important these days. 88 00:07:12,380 --> 00:07:14,180 The other thing is, they talk a lot 89 00:07:14,180 --> 00:07:16,620 about the feel of natural energy in an arena. 90 00:07:16,620 --> 00:07:20,140 I've never been sure about that. But here in the Rila mountains, 91 00:07:20,140 --> 00:07:22,580 I think it actually really does actually exist. 92 00:07:35,900 --> 00:07:39,260 'After the elevated harmonies of the White Brotherhood, 93 00:07:39,260 --> 00:07:42,140 'mundane considerations like getting off the mountain 94 00:07:42,140 --> 00:07:43,900 'bring us down to earth with a jolt. 95 00:07:46,060 --> 00:07:48,180 'Well, rather a lot of jolts, actually. 96 00:08:04,740 --> 00:08:07,300 'On the way to the capital, Sofia, 97 00:08:07,300 --> 00:08:09,300 'we detour to meet Stefan Kitanov, 98 00:08:09,300 --> 00:08:13,180 'who has, for many years, championed the work of Monty Python in Bulgaria. 99 00:08:14,820 --> 00:08:17,260 'Whether it's our fault or not, I don't know, 100 00:08:17,260 --> 00:08:21,380 'but his other great enthusiasm is the powerful local spirit rakia. 101 00:08:21,380 --> 00:08:23,540 'His father, who gave him the taste for it, 102 00:08:23,540 --> 00:08:26,900 'worked for a sports goods business, run by the state.' 103 00:08:29,020 --> 00:08:32,500 My father was deputy director then. 104 00:08:32,500 --> 00:08:36,980 It was not possible for him to be director, because he was not a member of the party. 105 00:08:36,980 --> 00:08:40,220 Oh, I see, so he never got to to the top. So, after he got retired, 106 00:08:40,220 --> 00:08:43,580 he came here, and he escaped. Yeah. 107 00:08:43,580 --> 00:08:46,780 It was very important during the socialism, 108 00:08:46,780 --> 00:08:48,940 people to have country house. Yeah. 109 00:08:48,940 --> 00:08:51,620 So it was one of the aims for them. 110 00:08:51,620 --> 00:08:55,820 He grows absolutely everything here, doesn't he? Basically, yes. 111 00:08:55,820 --> 00:09:01,540 But my father doesn't believe in trees which do not deliver fruits. 112 00:09:01,540 --> 00:09:05,380 Oh, I see! Because, from any type of fruits you can make rakia. Yeah. 113 00:09:05,380 --> 00:09:11,500 But, you see, the best rakia comes from these... These plums. 114 00:09:11,500 --> 00:09:13,900 This is your father. Yes. Hello... 115 00:09:13,900 --> 00:09:18,180 'The ripe fruit is carted off to a couple of doubty 70-year-olds 116 00:09:18,180 --> 00:09:20,220 'called Lubo and Seta. 117 00:09:22,900 --> 00:09:27,900 'In their garden shed, they produce a head-whacking double-distilled concoction. 118 00:09:29,460 --> 00:09:32,580 'Brewed in a copper still called a kazan, 119 00:09:32,580 --> 00:09:36,060 'and decanted into an attractive plastic bucket.' 120 00:09:40,340 --> 00:09:43,380 Cheers. Oh, well, cheers! Nostravia. We say "nostravia". 121 00:09:43,380 --> 00:09:47,420 Nostravia. Nostravia. Nostravia. Nostravia. Nostravia. Nostravia. Thank you. 122 00:09:47,420 --> 00:09:48,860 Oops! 123 00:09:48,860 --> 00:09:54,180 Does the government discourage moonshine rakia making like this? 124 00:09:54,180 --> 00:09:58,580 Is there any sort of disapproval of it? You know, it's a very important part 125 00:09:58,580 --> 00:10:02,460 of the life of the people. So the government doesn't want to interfere. 126 00:10:02,660 --> 00:10:04,300 Yes. 127 00:10:05,500 --> 00:10:07,740 It's a bit like opium poppies, or...! 128 00:10:07,740 --> 00:10:10,780 HE SPEAKS BULGARIAN 129 00:10:10,780 --> 00:10:15,660 Nobody knows, and everybody has kazan! Yeah! 130 00:10:26,260 --> 00:10:30,460 'Sofia is one of Eastern Europe's most intimate and walkable capitals. 131 00:10:30,460 --> 00:10:33,340 'There are one or two grand buildings, 132 00:10:33,340 --> 00:10:35,420 'like the Alexander Nevsky church, 133 00:10:35,420 --> 00:10:39,740 'a memorial to Russians who died helping their fellow Slavs fight the Turks. 134 00:10:39,740 --> 00:10:43,540 'But, by and large, her leafy streets are on a human scale. 135 00:10:55,500 --> 00:11:00,580 'If you want to get around more quickly, there is, as throughout Eastern Europe, 136 00:11:00,580 --> 00:11:05,540 'a ubiquitous tram system, which the Communists wisely kept and, indeed, actively encouraged. 137 00:11:17,180 --> 00:11:20,660 'Today, in pursuit of a wider cultural context, 138 00:11:20,660 --> 00:11:25,540 'I'm turning my back on cathedrals and churches. 139 00:11:25,540 --> 00:11:28,580 HE SINGS IN BULGARIAN 140 00:11:30,900 --> 00:11:32,020 'This is Azis. 141 00:11:32,020 --> 00:11:36,380 'And he must have come as quite a shock to some of his fellow Bulgarians! 142 00:11:44,460 --> 00:11:48,140 'In a predominantly conservative and homophobic country, 143 00:11:48,140 --> 00:11:52,540 'you couldn't be much more out of line than a gay, gypsy transvestite. 144 00:11:56,220 --> 00:11:58,820 'And as a result, he's wildly popular. 145 00:12:05,820 --> 00:12:10,820 'I meet him with Mya, a local film director, as our translator.' 146 00:12:10,820 --> 00:12:16,100 Were you encouraged by others around you, your mother or father, to become a singer? 147 00:12:16,100 --> 00:12:18,940 HE SPEAKS BULGARIAN 148 00:12:21,020 --> 00:12:24,900 His mother had some kind of sick ambitions... 149 00:12:28,700 --> 00:12:31,180 ..thinking that her child should be a mega-star. 150 00:12:33,380 --> 00:12:36,820 Something like Elizabeth Taylor in her mother. 151 00:12:44,380 --> 00:12:49,420 But, in one moment, because of his... Because he is gypsy... 152 00:12:53,140 --> 00:12:55,900 ..all of the doors were closed in front of him. 153 00:12:57,660 --> 00:12:58,620 But that was before. 154 00:12:58,620 --> 00:13:01,380 You were born and brought up a gypsy, 155 00:13:01,380 --> 00:13:05,580 Do you think the situation has changed for the gypsy community now? 156 00:13:07,500 --> 00:13:09,020 No. Actually not. 157 00:13:09,020 --> 00:13:13,220 They are still so dirty and so miserable as they were. 158 00:13:13,220 --> 00:13:17,460 When you were young, were you angry at the way you were treated as a gypsy? 159 00:13:20,700 --> 00:13:23,740 Yes. There were people who obviously did it. 160 00:13:23,740 --> 00:13:27,420 They rejected him because of his race. 161 00:13:31,060 --> 00:13:34,300 His mother took him to film castings... 162 00:13:39,420 --> 00:13:42,860 ..and nobody took him because of the colour of his skin, 163 00:13:42,860 --> 00:13:45,500 This is not a tan. It's the colour of his skin. 164 00:13:45,500 --> 00:13:47,540 He was born like that. 165 00:13:55,860 --> 00:13:59,660 'Despite his problems, Azis is one of the lucky ones. 166 00:13:59,660 --> 00:14:01,780 'Most gypsies live as close to the edge 167 00:14:01,780 --> 00:14:04,580 'as the threadbare horses they're racing for pin money 168 00:14:04,580 --> 00:14:07,220 'in Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second city. 169 00:14:07,220 --> 00:14:10,500 WHISTLING AND APPLAUSE 170 00:14:10,500 --> 00:14:14,300 'I'm here with local girl Meera Stileva.' 171 00:14:14,300 --> 00:14:17,980 They move pretty quickly! They're really fast! 172 00:14:20,420 --> 00:14:23,180 'We're enjoying ourselves, even if no-one else is!' 173 00:14:26,100 --> 00:14:28,260 What's going on? 174 00:14:36,500 --> 00:14:40,740 'The shouts and cheers belie uncomfortable facts. 175 00:14:40,740 --> 00:14:43,380 '85% of Bulgaria's gypsies are unemployed. 176 00:14:43,380 --> 00:14:46,500 'Only 10% of their children are in secondary education. 177 00:14:48,420 --> 00:14:53,460 'They live in a part of town dominated by canyons of Communist housing blocks. 178 00:14:53,460 --> 00:14:55,380 'Quietly going to seed.' 179 00:15:01,700 --> 00:15:06,940 All these blocks here are totally occupied by gypsies, or do they mix them? No, they're not mixed. 180 00:15:06,940 --> 00:15:10,180 This quarter here is for gypsies. 181 00:15:10,180 --> 00:15:12,980 Do they try to mix them ever? Yeah. 182 00:15:12,980 --> 00:15:17,300 They try. There is another quarter in the south of Plovdiv. 183 00:15:17,300 --> 00:15:22,060 And every first floor, they put the gypsies, gypsy families. 184 00:15:22,060 --> 00:15:25,820 And all of the other floors are settled Bulgarian families. Yeah. 185 00:15:25,820 --> 00:15:30,900 And... A big spy in the door, you just have a hole, 186 00:15:30,900 --> 00:15:33,980 and behind that there is a horse. A horse in the apartment? 187 00:15:33,980 --> 00:15:37,220 Yeah, a horse in the apartment, and a fire in front of the block. 188 00:15:37,220 --> 00:15:40,420 So, this didn't really work so well? Not at all. 189 00:15:40,420 --> 00:15:42,500 But it's quite funny and interesting. 190 00:15:42,500 --> 00:15:46,180 Do they like living in these blocks, or would they rather be living 191 00:15:46,180 --> 00:15:50,620 in the countryside? If you spend some hours here, they're just out of the blocks. 192 00:15:50,620 --> 00:15:53,060 They never spend much time in the blocks. 193 00:15:53,060 --> 00:15:56,340 They're gathering coal together in front of the blocks, 194 00:15:56,340 --> 00:15:59,780 doing... music, singing, chatting. 195 00:15:59,780 --> 00:16:01,580 Do ordinary...? I mean... 196 00:16:01,580 --> 00:16:04,820 Would other Bulgarians come here very often? No. 197 00:16:04,820 --> 00:16:07,460 Actually, no. 198 00:16:08,900 --> 00:16:10,180 Hey! 199 00:16:18,660 --> 00:16:22,700 'Despite the conditions, wherever there are gypsies, there will be music. 200 00:16:22,700 --> 00:16:25,260 'And where there's music, there will be a party. 201 00:16:25,260 --> 00:16:30,220 'I've been invited to sway along with the local's Women's Institute. 202 00:16:31,460 --> 00:16:33,100 'Some of them have come armed. 203 00:16:46,020 --> 00:16:48,860 'The gypsies of Plovdiv are not without friends. 204 00:16:48,860 --> 00:16:52,940 'There are groups working hard to improve conditions in ghettos like this. 205 00:16:52,940 --> 00:16:59,260 'But like gypsies all over Europe, these people cling tenaciously to their own way of life. 206 00:17:09,100 --> 00:17:12,460 'Plovdiv is the last big city this side of Turkey. 207 00:17:12,460 --> 00:17:14,540 'And outside a local transport cafe, 208 00:17:14,540 --> 00:17:18,340 'I hitch a ride aboard of one of the many trucks heading for the end of Europe.' 209 00:17:19,180 --> 00:17:22,300 Oh! 210 00:17:25,500 --> 00:17:28,100 HE SPEAKS TO THE DRIVER IN BULGARIAN 211 00:17:28,100 --> 00:17:29,620 Ah... Turkey? 212 00:17:29,620 --> 00:17:33,540 Istanbul. Istanbul. That will do me fine. Fantastic. 213 00:17:33,540 --> 00:17:34,940 Thank you. 214 00:17:55,140 --> 00:17:57,580 Istanbul turn off. 215 00:17:57,580 --> 00:18:01,220 There's a title for a novel! 216 00:18:15,340 --> 00:18:19,340 'It's a long straight drive down the E80, 217 00:18:19,340 --> 00:18:22,620 'across a flat featureless plain that will take me to the border, 218 00:18:22,620 --> 00:18:26,100 'then on to Edirne and Istanbul, before crossing the Bosphorus 219 00:18:26,100 --> 00:18:29,460 'into Asia to Ephesus, and as far east as Capadoccia. 220 00:18:41,860 --> 00:18:44,500 'I asked the driver to drop me at the border, 221 00:18:44,500 --> 00:18:47,580 'because I want to see as much as I can of European Turkey, 222 00:18:47,580 --> 00:18:49,700 'which many people tend to forget about.' 223 00:18:53,180 --> 00:18:56,140 This is the Turkish border which, of course, used to stretch 224 00:18:56,140 --> 00:19:00,580 far into Europe, as far as Vienna at one time, under the Ottoman empire. 225 00:19:00,580 --> 00:19:05,420 The empire is now long gone but modern Turkey still wants to be part of Europe. 226 00:19:10,700 --> 00:19:15,020 'I take a taxi into the nearest big town, Edirne.' 227 00:19:15,020 --> 00:19:18,380 Hello. Edirne or bust. 228 00:19:20,220 --> 00:19:23,140 'There's nothing very beautiful to see at first. 229 00:19:23,140 --> 00:19:27,860 'Just another wind-swept frontier and another interminable line of traffic.' 230 00:19:31,020 --> 00:19:35,420 Wow. People ask what the connection is 231 00:19:35,420 --> 00:19:38,940 between Turkey and the rest of Europe. Just look at all these trucks... 232 00:19:40,420 --> 00:19:42,460 for the answer. 233 00:19:42,460 --> 00:19:47,500 'There's certainly no evidence that Turkey is an under-developed nation. Quite the contrary. 234 00:19:47,500 --> 00:19:50,140 'It's the growing strength of the Turkey economy, 235 00:19:50,140 --> 00:19:52,820 'and the size of the place that worries people. 236 00:19:52,820 --> 00:19:57,020 'If Turkey joins the European Union, it won't be as a small country, 237 00:19:57,020 --> 00:20:00,020 'glad of the security, but as a giant 238 00:20:00,020 --> 00:20:02,940 'with a population bigger than any other member state. 239 00:20:05,180 --> 00:20:09,620 'I'm beginning to wonder if I've made the right decision to stop off at Edirne. 240 00:20:11,940 --> 00:20:15,300 'But a 15th century stone bridge leading into town 241 00:20:15,300 --> 00:20:18,740 'is just the first of a series of wonderful revelations. 242 00:20:24,660 --> 00:20:30,980 'Behind the mundane facade of a busy modern city, lies an impressive history. 243 00:20:30,980 --> 00:20:36,900 'My guide, Selene Corcot, born and brought up in Edirne, is keen to show it off.' 244 00:20:45,820 --> 00:20:51,460 I'm glad to have met you, because otherwise I think I would have just gone through Edirne 245 00:20:51,460 --> 00:20:54,100 and gone straight to Istanbul. That would be a shame. 246 00:20:54,100 --> 00:20:56,940 Because this city is full of so much culture and history. 247 00:20:56,940 --> 00:21:00,580 Yeah. And the landscape is beautiful. 248 00:21:00,580 --> 00:21:04,500 The collection of buildings are just extraordinary. 249 00:21:04,500 --> 00:21:10,140 And three very important mosques in walking distance and lots of bridges and rivers. 250 00:21:10,140 --> 00:21:15,140 'The man largely responsible for the glories of Edirne is Mimar Sinan, 251 00:21:15,140 --> 00:21:17,260 'whose work, more than any other, 252 00:21:17,260 --> 00:21:21,340 'expressed the might and magnificence of the Ottoman empire. 253 00:21:21,340 --> 00:21:24,140 'The Ottomans, a dynasty from eastern Turkey 254 00:21:24,140 --> 00:21:27,740 'made Edirne their capital before they took Constantinople. 255 00:21:27,740 --> 00:21:32,300 'It was here, in 1569, that Sinam, in his eighties, 256 00:21:32,300 --> 00:21:35,100 'created what many consider his finest work. 257 00:21:37,380 --> 00:21:43,460 'The Selimiye Mosque is arguably Europe's most glorious example of Islamic architecture.' 258 00:21:43,460 --> 00:21:46,300 Wow. That is such a... 259 00:21:46,300 --> 00:21:50,780 Colossal. Colossal space, isn't it? Amazing. It's almost, sort of... 260 00:21:50,780 --> 00:21:54,260 dizzying. There's nothing in the centre... Very spacious. 261 00:21:54,260 --> 00:21:56,540 It's all supported around either side. Yes. 262 00:21:56,540 --> 00:22:00,500 When Sinam built this, he was quite an old man, wasn't he 263 00:22:00,500 --> 00:22:02,340 He was 85 years old. Yeah. 264 00:22:02,340 --> 00:22:05,140 This is why it's his masterpiece. 265 00:22:05,140 --> 00:22:08,860 We are very happy that he had a long, fruitful life. 266 00:22:08,860 --> 00:22:12,300 That is why we have more than 400 art pieces from him. 267 00:22:12,300 --> 00:22:14,740 Is this considered to be one of his best? 268 00:22:14,740 --> 00:22:17,380 This is the masterpiece of Sinam. 269 00:22:17,380 --> 00:22:19,820 He achieved everything he was aiming. 270 00:22:19,820 --> 00:22:26,820 He tried to make it perfect, the dome as big as he wished. 271 00:22:26,820 --> 00:22:30,780 'If the mosque represents the religious impact of the Ottomans, 272 00:22:30,780 --> 00:22:34,660 'the 500-year-old Beyazit Kulezi shows how important science was.' 273 00:22:34,660 --> 00:22:38,340 I really wanted to show you this place. It's my favourite place in Edirne. 274 00:22:38,340 --> 00:22:40,260 It's lovely. 275 00:22:40,260 --> 00:22:45,820 It's a complex with a mosque and a hospital, and Bayezid built this complex 276 00:22:45,820 --> 00:22:50,500 so that he could give the city a nice, advanced hospital. 277 00:22:50,500 --> 00:22:52,900 'Its centrepiece, now a museum, 278 00:22:52,900 --> 00:22:56,460 'is probably the first psychiatric ward ever built. 279 00:22:56,460 --> 00:22:58,380 Running water and soothing music 280 00:22:58,380 --> 00:23:01,820 'were used to create a suitably therapeutic atmosphere.' 281 00:23:01,820 --> 00:23:04,580 Water and all that. It's a peaceful feeling 282 00:23:04,580 --> 00:23:08,140 even before you start being treated? Yes. 283 00:23:08,140 --> 00:23:09,980 And the sounds of music. 284 00:23:15,340 --> 00:23:19,460 Let me show you this patient's room, suffering from black love? 285 00:23:19,460 --> 00:23:23,580 Black love? Impossible love. Dark. Oh. 286 00:23:23,580 --> 00:23:26,220 Sort of unrequited.... Ah! 287 00:23:26,220 --> 00:23:28,860 Lovesick. Melancholy. Lovesick, yes. 288 00:23:28,860 --> 00:23:33,780 Treated very nicely with New Age therapies in this room. 289 00:23:33,780 --> 00:23:39,020 And he is... That's insane? The insane one. So, they do share a room, probably. 290 00:23:39,020 --> 00:23:42,700 He doesn't look insane, he hasn't had a letter for a few days! 291 00:23:42,700 --> 00:23:45,100 With a rose in his hand. 292 00:23:45,100 --> 00:23:48,580 Very enlightened. It is. Ahead of its time. 293 00:23:48,580 --> 00:23:51,620 In Europe, until the 18th century, it wasn't recognised, 294 00:23:51,620 --> 00:23:54,300 mental illnesses. Lock 'em up! Yeah. 295 00:23:56,380 --> 00:23:59,980 'This far-sighted alternative to the madhouse 296 00:23:59,980 --> 00:24:02,780 'failed to outlast the Ottoman empire. 297 00:24:02,780 --> 00:24:08,060 'When the Russians invaded in the 1870s, it was closed down. 298 00:24:10,220 --> 00:24:14,660 'But our tour of the splendours of Edirne is not yet over.' OK, Michael. 299 00:24:14,660 --> 00:24:16,780 That was good. Now where? 300 00:24:16,780 --> 00:24:20,900 Now I want to take you on a traditional sight-seeing trip. 301 00:24:20,900 --> 00:24:24,140 Oh! With this carriage. I hope you like it. 302 00:24:24,140 --> 00:24:26,540 It's the real thing with the horses. 303 00:24:26,540 --> 00:24:29,020 A modern way to get about. 304 00:24:29,020 --> 00:24:31,060 It doesn't mean we are getting married? 305 00:24:31,060 --> 00:24:32,660 No, no, no. 306 00:24:32,660 --> 00:24:33,860 If you want! 307 00:24:33,860 --> 00:24:36,100 SHE SPEAKS TURKISH 308 00:24:36,100 --> 00:24:38,340 Oh, wow! Lovely, isn't it? 309 00:24:44,420 --> 00:24:46,700 This is the municipality building, 310 00:24:46,700 --> 00:24:52,580 and this is the founder of the republic, Ataturk. Ataturk? Yes. It's a very new republic. 311 00:24:52,580 --> 00:24:54,180 So, they're trying to... 312 00:24:54,180 --> 00:24:56,700 keep up with his ideas, 313 00:24:56,700 --> 00:25:00,020 and not to forget, so that religion and state is kept separate, 314 00:25:00,020 --> 00:25:03,660 so that we are a modern country. 315 00:25:03,660 --> 00:25:08,420 Because he started the republic in the 1920s, after the end of the Ottoman empire. 316 00:25:08,420 --> 00:25:12,260 The end of the Ottoman empire, it was the the first world war, 317 00:25:12,260 --> 00:25:14,100 and we were defeated. 318 00:25:14,100 --> 00:25:18,340 Yes. So this part of the Edirne was taken over by Greeks. 319 00:25:18,340 --> 00:25:21,060 And then Ataturk just put up a 320 00:25:21,060 --> 00:25:24,420 big war, and tried getting back all of the land. 321 00:25:24,420 --> 00:25:29,380 And then quickly had to make the republic. 322 00:25:29,380 --> 00:25:33,860 What else did he do that was particularly significant? He did so many things. 323 00:25:33,860 --> 00:25:37,500 For example, for us Ataturk is important as a woman, 324 00:25:37,500 --> 00:25:40,300 because we have the same rights as men. 325 00:25:47,020 --> 00:25:49,580 Where are we going now? We are leaving the town. 326 00:25:49,580 --> 00:25:55,180 This is a surprise for you. There is a local wrestling, oil wrestling, right by the river. 327 00:25:55,180 --> 00:25:57,940 It has a beautiful view. What is it, oil wrestling? 328 00:25:57,940 --> 00:26:00,900 Oil wrestling. It's a very traditional Turkish sport. 329 00:26:00,900 --> 00:26:06,020 It dates back to like 640 years of history. 330 00:26:06,020 --> 00:26:08,940 And wresters are called pelivanns. 331 00:26:08,940 --> 00:26:10,620 Pelivann? Pelivann. Pelivann. 332 00:26:19,540 --> 00:26:24,180 'The prospect of grown men and young boys wrestling while covered from head to foot 333 00:26:24,180 --> 00:26:28,660 'in olive oil may raise a few smiles in the cricket-playing countries. 334 00:26:28,660 --> 00:26:31,700 'But here in Turkey, it's a very serious business. 335 00:26:33,900 --> 00:26:38,900 'As the drum and pipe band gets everyone in the mood, the olive oil is liberally dispensed. 336 00:26:47,540 --> 00:26:51,580 'It's important to get the oil everywhere, 337 00:26:51,580 --> 00:26:54,660 'both over and under the black buffalo-hide pants 338 00:26:54,660 --> 00:26:57,300 'which are all the wrestlers are allowed to wear. 339 00:27:10,740 --> 00:27:13,420 'The youngsters are particularly keen. 340 00:27:13,420 --> 00:27:17,380 'They know if they're any good, there's money to be made in the oil business! 341 00:27:23,100 --> 00:27:25,780 'As the band up the tempo and the grappling begins, 342 00:27:25,780 --> 00:27:29,260 'Selene fills me in on the rules of the game. 343 00:27:29,260 --> 00:27:34,260 'A bout is deemed to be over when one of the pair is flat on his back, belly to heaven. 344 00:27:34,260 --> 00:27:39,420 'The pants can be used to get a grip as can the buttocks inside them, 345 00:27:39,420 --> 00:27:41,860 'but wedding tackle is strictly out of bounds. 346 00:27:49,820 --> 00:27:54,780 'The referees, ever vigilant, keep a careful look out for any slippery behaviour, 347 00:27:54,780 --> 00:27:56,780 'or rather, non-slippery behaviour. 348 00:28:01,980 --> 00:28:07,100 'The pelivann are all professionals, And in the height of the season, do really well. 349 00:28:07,100 --> 00:28:10,620 'What could get you arrested at Wembley can make a fortune in Turkey! 350 00:28:19,540 --> 00:28:22,860 'Discovering Edirne has been a delightful surprise. 351 00:28:22,860 --> 00:28:25,540 'The sort of thing that gives travelling a good name. 352 00:28:28,460 --> 00:28:31,140 'But now it's time to see more of this country 353 00:28:31,140 --> 00:28:34,140 'that straddles Europe and Asia. 354 00:28:44,940 --> 00:28:50,140 'As Edirne slips away, the local train takes me on towards Istanbul. 355 00:28:53,740 --> 00:28:57,900 'It's not the most glamorous way to approach one of the great cities of the world, 356 00:28:57,900 --> 00:29:00,580 'but there is a touch of gold at the end of the rainbow. 357 00:29:05,220 --> 00:29:08,900 'Our Istanbul terminal is the very same one 358 00:29:08,900 --> 00:29:11,980 'that was built in 1883 for the world renowned train 359 00:29:11,980 --> 00:29:16,020 'that connected Turkey with the rest of Europe, the Orient Express. 360 00:29:23,260 --> 00:29:25,940 'The famous old train doesn't come here any more. 361 00:29:25,940 --> 00:29:29,620 'But ghosts of the old days still linger at Sechecy station.' 362 00:29:39,060 --> 00:29:44,140 There's something about arriving at Istanbul, it's one of the great destinations of the world. 363 00:29:44,140 --> 00:29:47,740 You know when you come here, it's a place of consequence. 364 00:29:47,740 --> 00:29:51,980 Probably been at the heart of human affairs, this city, longer than ever. 365 00:29:51,980 --> 00:29:54,620 Of course, it's the end of Europe. 366 00:29:54,620 --> 00:29:56,300 For now at any rate. 367 00:30:00,700 --> 00:30:04,500 The Bosporus, touching Asia and Europe connecting Russia 368 00:30:04,500 --> 00:30:07,860 with the Mediterranean, binds Istanbul together. 369 00:30:07,860 --> 00:30:09,940 Wherever you are, it's always there. 370 00:30:13,580 --> 00:30:15,580 I meet Rafi, an art dealer, 371 00:30:15,580 --> 00:30:19,380 who recently brought a big Picasso exhibition here. 372 00:30:19,380 --> 00:30:23,540 He reminds me that Turkey's connections with Europe are nothing new. 373 00:30:23,540 --> 00:30:29,460 Don't forget that Istanbul was the capital of the Eastern rule. 374 00:30:29,460 --> 00:30:31,780 When it was Constantinople. 375 00:30:31,780 --> 00:30:34,260 Right. 376 00:30:34,260 --> 00:30:36,220 And today, 377 00:30:36,220 --> 00:30:37,660 the people... 378 00:30:40,540 --> 00:30:47,420 ..we feel that we are in Europe, we have exhibitions in Istanbul. 379 00:30:47,420 --> 00:30:51,060 Do you think the success of your Picasso exhibition 380 00:30:51,060 --> 00:30:56,340 is an example of things changing on a wider scale in Turkey? Yes. 381 00:30:56,340 --> 00:31:00,220 Especially in the last 20 years, 382 00:31:00,220 --> 00:31:04,100 we start to change very quickly. 383 00:31:04,100 --> 00:31:07,740 So easy, the Western way. 384 00:31:07,740 --> 00:31:10,820 Do you feel frustrated at all at the attitudes 385 00:31:10,820 --> 00:31:15,260 of certain European countries towards Turkish membership? 386 00:31:17,900 --> 00:31:24,180 If you want to come, even for a simple club member, 387 00:31:24,180 --> 00:31:27,020 you have to accept the main rules. 388 00:31:28,940 --> 00:31:36,180 What we did to become a member of the European Union. 389 00:31:36,180 --> 00:31:43,700 Yes. But if the club start to create every moment different rules, 390 00:31:43,700 --> 00:31:46,940 you don't feel comfortable. 391 00:31:46,940 --> 00:31:48,420 Yeah. Yeah. 392 00:31:50,500 --> 00:31:54,660 I think if Turkey joined, do you feel it would be a good thing, a bridge? 393 00:31:54,660 --> 00:31:58,940 Yes. Exactly. Exactly. It's a very... 394 00:31:58,940 --> 00:32:02,180 More so than any other country, really. Yes. 395 00:32:03,420 --> 00:32:07,820 Judging from the young Turks I see pouring in and out of the Sabanci Museum, 396 00:32:07,820 --> 00:32:10,940 there's no lack of curiosity about things European. 397 00:32:17,420 --> 00:32:20,340 Of course, it's a two-way process, isn't it? 398 00:32:20,340 --> 00:32:23,740 You are not just talking about Turkey becoming more Westernised, 399 00:32:23,740 --> 00:32:28,580 but the West being interested in the East through Turkey? Exactly. 400 00:32:30,340 --> 00:32:37,020 Where we are here, right now, it's a very good place to explain this question. 401 00:32:37,020 --> 00:32:42,380 We have a silver brazier here. That is what it is. 402 00:32:42,380 --> 00:32:45,820 And we have a painting, an anonymous painting, 403 00:32:45,820 --> 00:32:51,620 but we think it was made by a French artist at the beginning of the 20th century. 404 00:32:51,620 --> 00:32:56,340 Western ladies being brought tea and coffee by Turkish girls? Exactly. 405 00:32:56,340 --> 00:33:01,700 It's a very good place to ask this question. 406 00:33:01,700 --> 00:33:04,140 Do you think it will happen in your lifetime? 407 00:33:04,140 --> 00:33:06,700 Yes. This Turkish membership? 408 00:33:06,700 --> 00:33:09,620 Yes. I'm sure of that. 409 00:33:09,620 --> 00:33:12,580 You are a young man. That's a pretty safe answer. 410 00:33:12,580 --> 00:33:14,540 Let's say 60 years old. 411 00:33:14,540 --> 00:33:16,260 For me, it's very young! 412 00:33:33,540 --> 00:33:38,020 Istanbul is a place of drama not just for arrival but departure. 413 00:33:38,020 --> 00:33:44,580 You can't get much more sensational than going on one of the world's very few intercontinental ferries. 414 00:33:44,580 --> 00:33:47,540 Europe to Asia. 415 00:33:47,540 --> 00:33:49,620 For about 50 pence. 416 00:33:51,660 --> 00:33:56,740 On the Asian shore, I'm to glimpse a more exotic side of Turkey. 417 00:33:56,740 --> 00:34:01,420 SHE SPEAKS TURKISH 418 00:34:07,940 --> 00:34:12,380 Tanyeli is not just one of the country's most accomplished belly dancers, 419 00:34:12,380 --> 00:34:15,220 she is also a canny businesswoman, 420 00:34:15,220 --> 00:34:21,940 taking her product away from sweaty folky evenings for tourists and turning it into a cool global brand. 421 00:34:32,300 --> 00:34:34,940 She has studios in Florida and Australia, 422 00:34:34,940 --> 00:34:40,420 has taught moves to Madonna and I'm here at her dance academy to see how she does it. 423 00:34:40,420 --> 00:34:42,380 It's a tough assignment! 424 00:34:42,380 --> 00:34:45,060 Which rather unexpectedly becomes a lot tougher. 425 00:34:45,060 --> 00:34:48,940 I need to see your belly. All right. 426 00:34:48,940 --> 00:34:51,180 I have to see your sexy belly. 427 00:34:51,180 --> 00:34:53,380 My sexy belly. 428 00:34:53,380 --> 00:34:58,700 You have to do... Come here. 429 00:34:58,700 --> 00:35:00,740 I won't be able to do this. I just know. 430 00:35:00,740 --> 00:35:03,980 I'm culturally and physically... 431 00:35:03,980 --> 00:35:07,100 SHE SPEAKS TURKISH 432 00:35:07,100 --> 00:35:11,900 When you do the belly dance, it works, breathe in and take your muscle in. 433 00:35:13,340 --> 00:35:15,140 Now you breathe out. 434 00:35:18,180 --> 00:35:20,020 She makes it roll nicely. 435 00:35:20,020 --> 00:35:22,260 No, no, no. It's not roll yet. 436 00:35:22,260 --> 00:35:24,900 It's the base step. 437 00:35:24,900 --> 00:35:28,860 Then you have to work with the muscle like this. 438 00:35:28,860 --> 00:35:33,500 Because, we have stomach here and here. Two different muscles. 439 00:35:33,500 --> 00:35:39,140 Then we start the move from start here and breathe in and out. 440 00:35:39,140 --> 00:35:45,460 But then to belly roll, you have to hold your breath here first. 441 00:35:45,460 --> 00:35:49,180 You cannot do it. I'm very nervous. 442 00:35:49,180 --> 00:35:51,940 I might have a heart attack. Ah! 443 00:35:51,940 --> 00:35:55,580 I will work on it and come back in five years. 444 00:35:55,580 --> 00:35:57,860 Five years? Oh, my God! 445 00:35:57,860 --> 00:36:01,060 Five minutes, if you like. I can do it when you are not watching. 446 00:36:01,060 --> 00:36:03,100 That's why I'm telling you that... 447 00:36:06,140 --> 00:36:09,100 Anything at all? Does that look rather rude? 448 00:36:10,820 --> 00:36:12,420 That's not a belly roll. 449 00:36:12,420 --> 00:36:14,260 It is something else. 450 00:36:14,260 --> 00:36:17,300 That is a pelvic thrust. 451 00:36:17,300 --> 00:36:19,500 Ha-ha! 452 00:36:19,500 --> 00:36:23,020 It is. That was what I was taught in Alexander technique. Thank you. 453 00:36:23,020 --> 00:36:28,060 Any Turkish girl should be able to belly dance 454 00:36:28,060 --> 00:36:29,900 because you are born to it? 455 00:36:29,900 --> 00:36:31,700 Yes. Exactly. 456 00:36:31,700 --> 00:36:35,820 Because the tango is not from my country 457 00:36:35,820 --> 00:36:39,140 and other dances are not from my country. 458 00:36:39,140 --> 00:36:46,940 For new generation and new age, we know how to do tango, we love to dance. 459 00:36:46,940 --> 00:36:50,820 Even Indian, hip-hop, R'n'B 460 00:36:50,820 --> 00:36:55,500 but belly dance is from our blood. 461 00:36:55,500 --> 00:36:59,620 Yeah. You know? It's like people ask me sometimes, "When did you start?" 462 00:36:59,620 --> 00:37:04,620 I don't remember. I think I started when I was in my mother's tummy. Yes. 463 00:37:04,620 --> 00:37:07,660 This dance is like a medicine. 464 00:37:07,660 --> 00:37:11,780 It's like a meditation but when you have stress, 465 00:37:11,780 --> 00:37:15,780 then you feel uncomfortable about something. 466 00:37:15,780 --> 00:37:17,660 You have made it internationally. 467 00:37:17,660 --> 00:37:20,260 You have your clubs all over the world. 468 00:37:20,260 --> 00:37:23,540 How have you been able to export it? Dancing means love. 469 00:37:23,540 --> 00:37:30,020 Dancing means peace. In the dance, there is no fight. 470 00:37:30,020 --> 00:37:36,300 You know, my advice from me to them 471 00:37:36,300 --> 00:37:38,780 is it's good to dance a little bit. 472 00:37:38,780 --> 00:37:42,820 Do men belly dance? Could you teach George Bush to belly dance? 473 00:37:44,460 --> 00:37:48,900 George Bush to belly dance? You know, this is like Mission Impossible. 474 00:37:48,900 --> 00:37:51,860 He'd ask for a big fee to start with! 475 00:38:00,140 --> 00:38:20,620 'Hang on, that's two steps to the left, 476 00:38:20,620 --> 00:38:24,700 'two to the right, one step forward, one step back. 477 00:38:24,700 --> 00:38:27,500 'Turn to the right, turn to the left. 478 00:38:27,500 --> 00:38:29,340 'Spin and... Yeah, yeah! 479 00:38:29,340 --> 00:38:30,740 'I think I've got it!' 480 00:38:53,700 --> 00:38:57,180 'After all of that excitement, I take my evening meal at a meyhane, 481 00:38:57,180 --> 00:39:00,580 'a simple local restaurant where I can sit quietly 482 00:39:00,580 --> 00:39:03,460 'and recover over a meze and a glass of raki. 483 00:39:05,380 --> 00:39:08,940 'But they have ways of dealing with people who want to sit quietly.' 484 00:39:13,340 --> 00:39:15,180 May I sit? 485 00:39:15,180 --> 00:39:16,660 Sure. 486 00:39:16,660 --> 00:39:20,940 'Within seconds, my meal turns into a concert. 487 00:39:20,940 --> 00:39:24,580 SHE SINGS IN TURKISH 488 00:40:09,700 --> 00:40:11,380 Very good. 489 00:40:11,380 --> 00:40:16,140 'Sheval, who has serenaded me so beautifully, explains.' 490 00:40:16,140 --> 00:40:21,100 What was it about, apart from your very passionate singing and beautiful playing? 491 00:40:21,100 --> 00:40:24,660 What was going on? Here is meyhane. 492 00:40:24,660 --> 00:40:31,060 Meyhane? Meyhane means, the exact translation, 493 00:40:31,060 --> 00:40:36,100 I should have to exactly translate means a very old-fashioned Turkish word, 494 00:40:36,100 --> 00:40:38,020 it's drink. 495 00:40:38,020 --> 00:40:40,780 Hane is the home, the house. 496 00:40:40,780 --> 00:40:42,500 A drink house. 497 00:40:42,500 --> 00:40:45,420 It's not a simple word. 498 00:40:45,420 --> 00:40:50,700 Meyhane is more poetic word in Turkish. 499 00:40:50,700 --> 00:40:54,180 This kind of music is coming from Ottoman empire. 500 00:40:54,180 --> 00:40:59,620 It's out of the academic, out of the street. 501 00:40:59,620 --> 00:41:06,420 The people express their feelings 502 00:41:06,420 --> 00:41:08,620 with this kind of music. 503 00:41:08,620 --> 00:41:13,820 The idea, really, of a place like this is to open up? 504 00:41:13,820 --> 00:41:21,300 If we see someone drink alone, like you, and we have more compassion! 505 00:41:23,860 --> 00:41:28,700 After two glasses of raki, and with this kind of music, 506 00:41:28,700 --> 00:41:31,020 you start to open your heart 507 00:41:31,020 --> 00:41:35,820 and express your feelings, your sadness. 508 00:41:35,820 --> 00:41:40,060 It takes a lot more than two drinks to unlock the Englishman! 509 00:41:40,060 --> 00:41:42,500 You are sure? Let's try. 510 00:41:56,340 --> 00:42:01,180 Throughout its long history, as a Greek, Roman and Ottoman city, 511 00:42:01,180 --> 00:42:05,660 Istanbul has managed to combine both an Eastern and Western temperament, 512 00:42:05,660 --> 00:42:07,700 which has made it unique. 513 00:42:07,700 --> 00:42:09,940 But Istanbul is not Turkey. 514 00:42:09,940 --> 00:42:12,980 If I want to understand this country better, I must move on. 515 00:42:15,460 --> 00:42:19,700 Under the stern gaze of Kamal Ataturk, founder of the republic, 516 00:42:19,700 --> 00:42:23,580 a procession is taking place to mark an extraordinary event, 517 00:42:23,580 --> 00:42:26,980 the 25th Camel Wrestling Festival. 518 00:42:32,580 --> 00:42:35,660 The event is held in an arena in Ephesus 519 00:42:35,660 --> 00:42:38,660 built on top of 2,500 years of history. 520 00:42:39,620 --> 00:42:44,620 20,000 people, mostly male, gather together to enjoy raki and kebabs 521 00:42:44,620 --> 00:42:47,300 whilst wallowing in nostalgia for the creature 522 00:42:47,300 --> 00:42:50,620 that once played such a central part in rural life. 523 00:42:52,820 --> 00:42:55,940 In modern Turkey, apart from these showpiece occasions, 524 00:42:55,940 --> 00:42:58,580 the camel is virtually redundant. 525 00:43:18,140 --> 00:43:22,180 These are specially bred, highly-trained Iranian camels, 526 00:43:22,180 --> 00:43:26,620 kept hungry and randy to ensure that bad temper will make for a better bout. 527 00:43:26,620 --> 00:43:28,860 Frothing at the mouth like angry colonels, 528 00:43:28,860 --> 00:43:32,140 they try everything to pin their opponent's heads to the ground. 529 00:43:33,300 --> 00:43:36,780 Tell me a good trick you have seen the camel play. 530 00:43:36,780 --> 00:43:42,780 To hold the other's head under the front legs. 531 00:43:42,780 --> 00:43:45,220 Hold the head under the front legs? 532 00:43:45,220 --> 00:43:49,900 And sit on it, which is very dangerous for the other one. 533 00:43:49,900 --> 00:43:54,380 And also very good for the one who can do this. 534 00:43:54,380 --> 00:43:59,420 That's like a headlock, the equivalent in wrestling, you can't get them out. Exactly. 535 00:43:59,420 --> 00:44:01,460 Exactly. 536 00:44:01,460 --> 00:44:05,700 My friend Yusuf assures me that the camels feel no pain. 537 00:44:05,700 --> 00:44:07,580 Though not being a camel himself, 538 00:44:07,580 --> 00:44:10,780 there's an element of speculation here. 539 00:44:10,780 --> 00:44:13,220 It certainly looks bloody uncomfortable to me. 540 00:44:13,220 --> 00:44:16,300 SHOUTS IN TURKISH OVER LOUDSPEAKER 541 00:44:17,940 --> 00:44:23,220 They're encouraging the more aggressive side of the camel's behaviour. 542 00:44:23,220 --> 00:44:26,820 One or two out there are just... They obviously don't want to fight. 543 00:44:26,820 --> 00:44:29,860 They look like they're really happy just having a cuddle. 544 00:44:29,860 --> 00:44:31,340 Are they gay camels? 545 00:44:31,340 --> 00:44:36,780 There are some sort of camels. Yes. 546 00:44:38,900 --> 00:44:42,980 So expensive is it to run a good fighting camel that as soon as 547 00:44:42,980 --> 00:44:46,660 victory is achieved, the contestants are instantly pulled apart. 548 00:44:48,380 --> 00:44:52,300 Changing tack slightly, do you think that 549 00:44:52,300 --> 00:44:57,940 people here today are mostly in favour of Turkey being in the European Union or not? 550 00:44:57,940 --> 00:45:00,180 Yeah, hard to say. 551 00:45:00,180 --> 00:45:05,020 I know, and I believe many Turkish people, the majority 552 00:45:05,020 --> 00:45:09,900 of Turkish people want to belong, be part of the European Union. 553 00:45:09,900 --> 00:45:12,780 But...er... 554 00:45:12,780 --> 00:45:16,700 the political things... 555 00:45:16,700 --> 00:45:20,500 seems like new difficulties 556 00:45:20,500 --> 00:45:25,540 being created by the European Community. Maybe it's our fault too. 557 00:45:25,540 --> 00:45:28,420 We must...er... 558 00:45:29,460 --> 00:45:32,260 ..explain ourselves, 559 00:45:32,260 --> 00:45:34,860 express our feelings better. 560 00:45:34,860 --> 00:45:38,540 I think we should get some camel wrestling at Wembley Stadium. 561 00:45:38,540 --> 00:45:39,980 That is the first step! 562 00:45:44,700 --> 00:45:47,100 ANNOUNCEMENT OVER TANNOY 563 00:45:55,660 --> 00:45:58,700 Well, we've come to the end of the Turkey that we know. 564 00:45:58,700 --> 00:46:03,860 But the vast majority of this country lies out to the east where the camels came from. 565 00:46:03,860 --> 00:46:05,500 And where we are going to. 566 00:46:43,940 --> 00:46:46,420 In the heart of Anatolia, 567 00:46:46,420 --> 00:46:51,860 or Asia Minor as it was known, is this hauntingly beautiful area called Capadoccia. 568 00:46:53,540 --> 00:46:58,380 Created by the aftermath of a massive volcanic eruption, the sea of lava solidified 569 00:46:58,380 --> 00:47:00,500 into a soft rock called tufa, 570 00:47:00,500 --> 00:47:05,700 which has been sculpted into these unique shapes by wind, rain and snow. 571 00:47:21,460 --> 00:47:27,620 This is the town of Goreme. I'm off to meet a couple who have turned one of these wonderfully odd structures, 572 00:47:27,620 --> 00:47:31,540 called fairy chimneys, into a very unusual guesthouse. 573 00:47:36,820 --> 00:47:42,180 Half expecting to find hobbits, I instead find myself taking a glass of tea 574 00:47:42,180 --> 00:47:46,940 with a German academic called Andus and his Turkish wife called Gulcan. 575 00:47:46,940 --> 00:47:52,500 How did you end up living in a cave in the middle of Turkey? 576 00:47:52,500 --> 00:47:55,860 Well, it's a kind of funny story actually. 577 00:47:55,860 --> 00:47:57,860 But I'm an anthropologist. 578 00:47:57,860 --> 00:48:01,940 During my studies I came to this area as a tourist actually. 579 00:48:01,940 --> 00:48:04,980 I found out it's a very interesting area. 580 00:48:04,980 --> 00:48:10,900 First of all, the funny dwellings, all of these troglodyte caves everywhere and the nice landscape. 581 00:48:10,900 --> 00:48:13,980 I thought it might be a nice scene for a thesis. 582 00:48:13,980 --> 00:48:18,420 So I started doing field research in the area. 583 00:48:18,420 --> 00:48:22,580 And well, later on, many years later, I came back. 584 00:48:22,580 --> 00:48:27,020 Gulcan, what do people think around here about a German 585 00:48:27,020 --> 00:48:32,020 moving into one of these caves that everyone else was leaving? 586 00:48:32,020 --> 00:48:32,940 They get surprise. 587 00:48:32,940 --> 00:48:36,700 They state why he is living here, 588 00:48:36,700 --> 00:48:40,540 he is a secret agent, 589 00:48:40,540 --> 00:48:42,900 007, like James Bond or something. 590 00:48:42,900 --> 00:48:45,460 He looks like James Bond! Yes. 591 00:48:45,460 --> 00:48:47,860 Probably did then. 592 00:48:47,860 --> 00:48:50,700 LAUGHTER All of the Bond girls! 593 00:48:50,700 --> 00:48:54,900 Yes. Here, this house, almost 30 or 40 years 594 00:48:54,900 --> 00:48:59,620 nobody lived in it before, because it was empty. 595 00:48:59,620 --> 00:49:01,260 The whole broken houses. 596 00:49:01,260 --> 00:49:04,660 When I was a little child, when I come to my grandparents, 597 00:49:04,660 --> 00:49:09,420 if I get naughty with my brother, they always say, 598 00:49:09,420 --> 00:49:16,860 "Don't. You have to be OK, just stop. Otherwise we are going to put you in the ghost house." 599 00:49:16,860 --> 00:49:21,540 We call this area ghost house. You call these ghost houses? Yes. 600 00:49:21,540 --> 00:49:23,860 What kind of ghosts? 601 00:49:23,860 --> 00:49:28,660 There are two different kinds of ghosts. The nice ones, they call them the fairies. 602 00:49:28,660 --> 00:49:32,380 These are the good ghosts, or fairies. 603 00:49:32,380 --> 00:49:40,620 The bad ones, the bad spirits which are gathering in the green waters. They take you into the water. 604 00:49:40,620 --> 00:49:45,140 They take you into the water and drown you and give you bad energy. 605 00:49:45,140 --> 00:49:48,900 People still believe it. 606 00:49:48,900 --> 00:49:50,940 I believe, but it's not true. 607 00:49:50,940 --> 00:49:53,060 But it's scary. 608 00:49:58,780 --> 00:50:01,980 You go first. No, after you. OK. 609 00:50:05,460 --> 00:50:06,820 It's nice today. 610 00:50:08,500 --> 00:50:11,340 OK. 611 00:50:11,340 --> 00:50:13,380 Careful down there. 612 00:50:13,380 --> 00:50:15,020 Perilous this. Yes. 613 00:50:15,020 --> 00:50:17,220 You don't have railings. 614 00:50:17,220 --> 00:50:20,900 Yes. It's still in progress. Ha-ha! 615 00:50:20,900 --> 00:50:26,380 It's sporting. The good thing is the pond down there, if it's not frozen. 616 00:50:26,380 --> 00:50:28,620 You can fall in that. 617 00:50:38,060 --> 00:50:41,620 The caves have provided refuge for many, 618 00:50:41,620 --> 00:50:45,900 none more so than early Christians who came here fleeing persecution. 619 00:50:45,900 --> 00:50:49,620 They built an estimated 1,000 rock churches in Cappadocia. 620 00:50:49,620 --> 00:50:53,580 It's an area where you have lots of churches from different periods. 621 00:50:53,580 --> 00:50:55,420 You know. Very close together. 622 00:50:55,420 --> 00:50:58,220 Was this early Christianity? 623 00:50:58,220 --> 00:51:02,260 Well, it's a very important area, especially over here, 624 00:51:02,260 --> 00:51:05,780 you have lots of different churches from different times. 625 00:51:05,780 --> 00:51:10,460 In early Christianity, the area where also the Trinity was, 626 00:51:10,460 --> 00:51:15,100 let's say, invented with the Father, God and Holy Spirit. 627 00:51:15,100 --> 00:51:18,860 That idea was...? It all kind of developed over here 628 00:51:18,860 --> 00:51:23,860 and later on became of that orthodox part in Christianity. 629 00:51:23,860 --> 00:51:28,300 How long were the Christians here for? How long were these 630 00:51:28,300 --> 00:51:30,380 sort of working churches? 631 00:51:30,380 --> 00:51:34,020 Well, you know, it started in the 6th century and would last until 632 00:51:34,020 --> 00:51:36,260 the 12th and 13th century, 633 00:51:36,260 --> 00:51:40,340 even the time when Ottomans already invaded Turkey. 634 00:51:42,780 --> 00:51:50,260 Anders tells me that human habitation goes way beyond the early years of Christianity. 635 00:51:50,260 --> 00:51:56,180 People were living here, you know, from Neolithic times onwards. 636 00:51:56,180 --> 00:52:00,220 They had some trading contacts to Mesopotamia, 637 00:52:00,220 --> 00:52:03,620 where they traded the volcanic glass, 638 00:52:03,620 --> 00:52:10,140 which they used for cutting the harvest. That's how... 639 00:52:10,140 --> 00:52:13,940 It wouldn't be the Silk Route, but it would be going across it? 640 00:52:13,940 --> 00:52:16,060 Yes, it's a very early trade line. 641 00:52:16,060 --> 00:52:19,900 Afterwards, more and more people settled down in the area. 642 00:52:19,900 --> 00:52:22,380 Cos it's rather fertile, you know. 643 00:52:29,900 --> 00:52:33,660 In some churches, there are wall paintings in stunning condition. 644 00:52:33,660 --> 00:52:39,260 Protected over the centuries from direct sunlight, though sadly not from the hand of man. 645 00:52:39,260 --> 00:52:44,060 The faces scratched out, was that... They've scratched the faces out, 646 00:52:44,060 --> 00:52:47,300 was that a deliberate policy at some time? 647 00:52:47,300 --> 00:52:50,380 Later on, when the Turks came, they were afraid of the evil eye. 648 00:52:50,380 --> 00:52:53,460 So they scratched out the faces, 649 00:52:53,460 --> 00:52:59,940 especially the eyes, cos they kept flocks and animals in the caves. 650 00:52:59,940 --> 00:53:05,420 They thought the eyes were somehow had some spirit quality? Exactly. 651 00:53:07,220 --> 00:53:13,420 Would you like to learn for your feature, I have a friend of mine. She's just living over here. 652 00:53:13,420 --> 00:53:16,660 Gulcan is more interested in the future than the past. 653 00:53:16,660 --> 00:53:22,100 She wants me to meet a neighbour who can read fortunes from looking in a cup of coffee. 654 00:53:22,100 --> 00:53:27,700 I never know if it's a good thing to know about what is going to happen. 655 00:53:27,700 --> 00:53:33,260 She says bad things and good things. Most of the time, it's coming true. 656 00:53:33,260 --> 00:53:38,540 Does your neighbour read your fortune? Yes, sometimes. 657 00:53:38,540 --> 00:53:41,620 Good things? Good things and bad things. 658 00:53:41,620 --> 00:53:44,940 You seem a happy sort of person though? Oh, yes. Yes. 659 00:53:44,940 --> 00:53:48,100 You generally think news is good for you? Yes. 660 00:53:48,100 --> 00:53:51,740 I'm interested in exciting and nice things. 661 00:53:51,740 --> 00:53:55,620 Also she says bad things, of course, I get really upset. 662 00:53:55,620 --> 00:54:01,500 I turn it upside down. Yes. Yes. 663 00:54:01,500 --> 00:54:05,740 Put it down there. And let it wait for a while. 664 00:54:05,740 --> 00:54:10,860 When it becomes cold here, it means it's ready. 665 00:54:10,860 --> 00:54:14,140 It takes time for them to dry out. 666 00:54:14,140 --> 00:54:17,420 So it's against Islamic law? Hmm. 667 00:54:17,420 --> 00:54:24,020 Yes. For Islamic things, this thing, I'm really not a good Muslim person. 668 00:54:24,020 --> 00:54:28,620 I'm not really a religious person. 669 00:54:28,620 --> 00:54:33,580 This kind of things is for Muslim people, they say never, ever do it. 670 00:54:33,580 --> 00:54:37,340 They don't accept such things, they say it's a sin. 671 00:54:37,340 --> 00:54:39,460 But we do. 672 00:54:39,460 --> 00:54:44,700 Also sometimes men, they are very interested in such things. 673 00:54:44,700 --> 00:54:49,620 But mostly maybe 80% is women that are more interested in than men. 674 00:54:49,620 --> 00:54:53,460 That's interesting. Yes, I like it very much! 675 00:54:53,460 --> 00:54:56,340 SHE SPEAKS IN HER LANGUAGE 676 00:54:58,540 --> 00:55:00,980 OK, will you meet a rich lady. 677 00:55:00,980 --> 00:55:03,860 She will make you tied here. 678 00:55:03,860 --> 00:55:05,900 You don't want to go! 679 00:55:05,900 --> 00:55:10,140 That's interesting. It's really interesting. 680 00:55:10,140 --> 00:55:14,220 There is new love for you. Well. 681 00:55:14,220 --> 00:55:17,260 You will get very good news. 682 00:55:17,260 --> 00:55:20,900 You will be happy and you will jump like a kangaroo. 683 00:55:20,900 --> 00:55:24,620 You will be very happy, she says. 684 00:55:24,620 --> 00:55:29,020 Is this to do with meeting the lady or is this separate? Ha-ha! 685 00:55:30,060 --> 00:55:35,020 TRANSLATION: Maybe. Maybe or not. 686 00:55:35,020 --> 00:55:36,740 Oh, well. 687 00:55:43,660 --> 00:55:45,980 That's really interesting. 688 00:55:45,980 --> 00:55:51,500 You are going to meet this rich lady in the internet chat. 689 00:55:51,500 --> 00:55:55,420 Like a teenager. A chatroom. 690 00:55:55,420 --> 00:55:57,460 I can't work the chatrooms! 691 00:55:59,900 --> 00:56:02,340 Arichlady.com. 692 00:56:08,300 --> 00:56:10,700 Caves and internet chatrooms?! 693 00:56:10,700 --> 00:56:13,540 It's most confusing. 694 00:56:13,540 --> 00:56:17,780 It certainly stops you making any glib judgments about big cities 695 00:56:17,780 --> 00:56:20,020 and rural backwaters. 696 00:56:22,140 --> 00:56:26,140 It feels strange, unfamiliar, and very foreign out here 697 00:56:26,140 --> 00:56:29,940 in Asian Turkey. Yet, there's much we have in common. 698 00:56:29,940 --> 00:56:32,900 Our Christian heritage survived here. 699 00:56:32,900 --> 00:56:37,460 Sons of Anatolian farmers abandon their fields to run hotels for us. 700 00:56:37,460 --> 00:56:42,780 As the young move to modern houses, anthropologists save their old ones. 701 00:56:42,780 --> 00:56:47,260 Separating East and West is a futile preoccupation. 702 00:56:47,260 --> 00:56:52,300 The future is co-operation. I know - I saw it in the coffee cup! 703 00:57:37,700 --> 00:57:42,060 Much history has been played out in this hard and mountainous land. 704 00:57:42,060 --> 00:57:47,300 As political and economic change reverberates through the region, 705 00:57:47,300 --> 00:57:50,580 it could well see its time come again. 706 00:57:50,580 --> 00:57:56,460 If Turkey is successful in joining the European Union, and many think she will be, then the new Europe 707 00:57:56,460 --> 00:58:01,380 will include not just wild and wonderful landscape like this, 708 00:58:01,380 --> 00:58:06,300 but a whole set of new neighbours, including Syria, Iraq and Iran.