Treasures with Bettany Hughes

-I'm traveling the world exploring secrets and wonders...

This is really tight!

[ Chuckles ] ...and adventure by land and sea to the most fascinating places.

This is absolutely incredible.

I've been given special access to significant and surprising treasures...

It's so tiny and absolutely unique.

...buried in ancient sites, extraordinary buildings, and glorious works of art... that help to explain the story of us.

Come with me to discover how the past shapes our lives.

This time, the magnificent Turkish city Istanbul.

This is a metropolis that is so significant, so strategic.

It became a power base for massively influential world cultures, from the ancient Romans to the Byzantines to the Ottomans, to the Turks... and a fair few others in between.

Istanbul's story is unique.

It's somewhere to understand history from all points of the compass.

I've been coming here for 30 years, and every time I discover something new.

Oh, look at this!

Packed in this great city are treasures that give us brilliant clues to individual lives and imperial power.

This is a rich story of continuity and collaboration.

This is a city that's a melting pot of aspirations and inspiration.

It's a city that can teach us about the story of the world and about ourselves.

Geography makes history here.

That's the Old City, ranging across that promontory of land between the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus.

And for centuries, it was described as a diamond between emeralds and sapphires, a city garlanded by waters.

Istanbul is a vital crossroads between the continents of Asia and Europe... and across the Black Sea to what is now Russia... down through the Mediterranean to Africa.

Thank you.

Bye.

Bye.

[ Indistinct conversations ] It's not just a city that's witnessed the rise and fall of civilizations.

It's somewhere that's nourished civilization itself.

I'm in the heart of Istanbul's Old City, somewhere that's reinvented itself over the centuries with every wave of culture that's crashed in.

My first treasure is my favorite building on Earth.

It changed architecture forever, and it's the home to a rather inspiring story.

It still dominates the skyline of Istanbul today.

Hagia Sophia, or Ayasofya, which means Holy Wisdom.

Completed in 537 C.E., for 1,000 years, Ayasofya was the biggest church in the world, a beacon for the Byzantine Empire, Christian Eastern Roman Empire, whose headquarters were in Istanbul, then called Constantinople, for over a millennium from the 4th century to the 15th.

It's one of the wonders of the medieval world created by one of the city's legendary power couples -- Justinian and his wife, Theodora.

Now, Emperor Justinian rose from pretty modest beginnings, and Theodora was right at the bottom of the pile, but they ended up controlling an empire that spanned a million square miles.

The Byzantine emperor Justinian had been born into a peasant family, and his wife, Theodora, was the daughter of a bear keeper... but there was no holding them back.

They kick-started a series of progressive social reforms and a huge building program to improve the city, and Ayasofya was at its heart.

In 1453, this church -- well, this whole city -- was taken over by the Muslim Ottoman Turk Mehmet II.

Constantinople would become Istanbul, and this place would become a mosque... as it is again today.

The dome is still one of the biggest in the world.

Surviving over 1,000 earthquakes, it was a revolution in architecture.

Hidden columns support the impossibly huge central space.

When it was built, people said the dome was suspended by golden chains from heaven.

It's a place I completely adore.

The interior is decorated with over a thousand years' worth of artworks.

Theodora and Justinian left their mark.

That's their initials carved into these capitals -- an incredible statement for a woman at this time.

And their grand project was built in record time -- just five years, ten months, and four days.

Ayasofya has secrets... and I'm granted special permission to enter its upper galleries.

Ramped cobbled paths built wide enough so high-ranking officials could ascend on horseback lead to the second floor.

It's great to get access up here because it's not normally open, but it's actually strangely appropriate because for centuries this was the only place that women could come in the church.

In fact, this was the domain of the Empress herself.

And this is her view from the gallery.

Still spectacular.

No expense was spared here.

Marble was imported from the eastern deserts of Egypt and the southern shores of Greece, little tiny islands in the Sea of Marmara.

There was building material from the borders of what is now Syria and Lebanon, and the whole church was decorated with bronze and silver and gold and precious gems, all glittering in the light of a thousand lamps.

I think it's Justinian and Theodora saying, "Look.

The meek really can inherit the earth."

This green disk marks the very spot where the Empress herself would have stood.

And being here, isn't it amazing to think that I am physically inhabiting history?

And she'd have stood here to look out over the rites and mysteries and sacred rituals in her great church down below.

Don't you think this place just sings of promise and ambition and a world on the cusp of change?

This is Justinian and Theodora determined to impress.

They made another grand impression just outside Ayasofya in Constantinople's Hippodrome.

Almost a third of a mile long, this is a worthy playground for the city that also called itself "The New Rome."

Which meant there was a senate and a forum and animal hunts and chariot racing.

So you should imagine massive tiered stone benches here that could seat well over 30,000... and all along the middle what was basically a grand outdoor museum boasting the best and most beautiful sculptures from across the ancient world, including that obelisk from ancient Egypt.

Now, we know that Justinian loved coming here, and he built himself a special viewing platform, an imperial box called the Kathisma, from which he could watch all the sporting drama down below.

But there was trouble ahead, and the original wooden church of Ayasofya would suffer.

In 532, things turned sour.

The city's population, furious at rising taxes, rioted, baying for blood, torching everything in sight.

Justinian was ready to flee, but Theodora came up with an amazing speech.

She said, "Okay.

You can go.

There's money ready and ships waiting.

But I intend to stay an empress.

I say the royal purple makes a good funeral shroud."

In one day, close on 50,000 unarmed rioters were killed -- 10% of the city's population.

Constantinople was all but burned to the ground, and that earlier wooden Ayasofya was one of the casualties.

But Theodora's words had persuaded Justinian to stay, and the two of them set about rebuilding the city with a new Ayasofya built of stone and brick -- their pride and joy.

Just as the showgirl had reinvented herself as an empress, so the mother church had risen from the ashes of conflict.

Ayasofya is a treasure because it's an incarnation of the power and ambition of the new Byzantine social order, a culture that allowed even women, like Theodora, to achieve greatness.

I'm in Istanbul in Turkey, where, for centuries, cultures, religions, and civilizations have collided, creating some of the world's most remarkable wonders.

My next treasure is an incredible feat of engineering that ensured this burgeoning city could survive in good times and in bad.

Constantinople's water system was one of the most sophisticated in the world -- a network of aqueducts, channels, and reservoirs that carried water over hundreds of miles.

I'm incredibly lucky to be in Istanbul when the mother of all historic underground water reservoirs, the magnificent Basilica Cistern, is being drained of water for restoration.

While it's closed to the public, the conservation team has kindly allowed me to visit.

This is a unique opportunity to explore a world-class engineering marvel without visitors and without water.

I can't believe I've been allowed in here!

This underground system was built during the reign of Emperor Justinian and his empress, Theodora.

It took 14 years of hard labor to dig out the tons of earth and rocks beneath the city.

But it's not just a 100,000-square-foot tank.

It's canopied by a fabulous vaulted ceiling supported by 336 marble columns, each one 27 feet tall.

It is such a remarkable place.

And when I first came here, I have to say, over 35 years ago, there was mud right the way up -- I don't know if you can see that brown mark on the columns.

And then there's been water down here.

So the water's been drained.

So I'm treading on Byzantine tiles!

It's so exciting!

So these are tiles from the 6th century A.D. And you just get a sense of the extraordinary scale of this place.

So you could fit over 30 Olympic-size swimming pools here.

And it's, like, the most majestic, extraordinary cathedral of engineering.

Water was scarce here, often brought in through secret passageways so the city's population could endure sieges and enemy attack.

This is incredible... For cistern expert Professor Ferudun Ozgumus, this is a stellar example.

It's so huge, the scale.

-The scale is amazing.

-Why is it so exciting?

Why do you love it?

-Because I've been to this cistern thousands of times, but today is my first time without the water, and it's more beautiful.

All of the column capitals and the columns themselves were all in the water, so it was not possible to see the column capitals.

-Just to be able to see them like this without the water is amazing.

-Yes.

I'm very happy.

-[ Laughs ] -Really.

I'm very happy.

I'm taking photographs.

-There's very little water here in Constantinople.

So where does the water come from?

-Water was coming from Thrace, or "Tracheia" in Ancient Greek.

-How many years' worth of water have you got here?

This could keep the city safe for, what, one year, two years?

-Almost two years.

And it was a long time for invaders.

When they besieged the city, they couldn't continue.

So those systems gave a long life to Constantinople.

And this one, Basilica Cistern, is the best example among those underground systems.

-Beyond useful, it's beautiful, built with marble columns and carvings recycled from ancient temples and Byzantine palaces.

And with the water drained, it's a thrilling chance for me to inspect one spectacular feature up close that I've always found intriguing.

How incredible is this?

So, this is the head of the monstress Medusa, the goddess who was so powerful, her stare would literally petrify men.

They would turn them to stone.

And she had snakes for hair.

And you can see these incredible serpents crawling around her face.

And it's obviously an older carving that was used from the earlier city.

And there's lots of stories about it.

Some people say that she's had her head turned upside down to kind of get rid of her pagan power, or that she's used in this way just so that there's a nice, convenient flat surface to balance this column on.

But I just think there's something else going on.

I think she was thought to be so powerful, she was being used down here to scare people off, to say, "Don't you dare touch our precious water supply."

The Basilica Cistern is a treasure for me because it celebrates human ingenuity and engineering and resilience... and simply one of the most beautiful things in life, water.

With a history reaching back beyond antiquity and attracting settlers from across continents.

The Basilica Cistern is just one of Istanbul's surprising underground wonders.

Istanbul is a bit like a kind of historical layer cake, but because it's a thriving modern city, too, there's lots of construction here, and pretty much every time there's a new development, an amazing bit of archaeology is discovered.

Besiktas, on the European shore of the Bosphorus, is one of Istanbul's oldest districts.

I've got a tip-off that there's some incredible stuff coming out of here.

So, this is the metro station that's being expanded.

This is looking very promising!

When workers discovered ancient human remains, they called in a team of archaeologists.

Hi.

Is it okay for me to go in?

-[ Speaking native language ] -Yeah?

Thank you.

Thanks.

Oh.

After -- Oh.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Great.

Thanks.

And they've invited me to see their work in progress.

Oh, it's huge.

Oh, my goodness.

So, you've got Ottoman period stuff at the top, and then Byzantine... then Roman...then Greek.

Very careful where I tread.

And then Bronze Age, which is extremely exciting because we've never really understood who the first people were.

It's discoveries like this that are filling in the gaps about the first settlers of this great city.

These round kurgan burials suggest they were from Central Asia or Thrace.

The people here are totally lovely.

They've invited me up to have a look at some of the other things that they've found.

How amazing.

Oh, my goodness.

Talk about a fine sense.

So, these beautiful storage jars, those will be Byzantine.

So they're kind of medieval period.

And this is all going to be early Bronze Age and Iron Age.

So back to the time of the cemeteries.

So you have the cremations and then the burials.

Okay.

So, this is what -- I've heard about this.

There's this very distinctive marking on the pottery here, which tells us that the people who were first here were nomads who traveled down from across the Black Sea, down through the Balkans, down the Bosphorus and into Anatolia.

And it's almost like a mark they left in the clay as if it was being stitched, so it's a kind of imprint.

So that tells us that these early inhabitants were those nomads who came and made their life here.

Oh.

So this is... 5,000 years old.

Not too shabby, eh?

Not too shabby.

It's meticulous work as the team sift through every inch of this ancient site.

And just as I'm about to leave, there's an exciting new find.

The guys on the excavation here just found a coin.

They've just pulled it out, and they've let me hold it.

Oh.

Can I see what it is?

It needs cleaning.

The coin's marked with the image of Theodora's husband, Emperor Justinian -- a relic of the city's role in a vast network of trade spanning Europe, Asia, and Africa.

...tell me.

Look at that!

Look at that!

There's treasure coming out of the earth while I'm here!

When boats set sail from the ports here, sailors would toss gold coins into the sea for good luck.

And because that little Justinian coin was found in a well, I know it's a bit fanciful, but I would love to think that somebody had put that in there to bring them joy in their day.

And it has certainly brought me huge joy and a lot of luck, because I'm here on a beautiful archaeological site, and real archaeology was being discovered in front of me.

Amazing.

Another truly incredible discovery in 2004 made waves right across the world.

Now, I've seen a lot of treasures in my life, but this next one just knocks me sideways.

When Asia was being joined to Europe by the Bosphorus Tunnel, 40 feet beneath the surface, a thrilling mystery was discovered.

It was the remains of a late Roman harbor 1,600 years old that was the hub of the medieval world.

At Yenikapi, on the European side of the city, archaeologists discovered the port of Theodosius.

It boasted an astonishing 37 shipwrecks, was one of the biggest archaeological digs in the world, and startling evidence for the busiest port in the Eastern Mediterranean from the 4th century to the beginning of the 12th.

At Istanbul University's labs, hundreds of fragments of those ships were preserved in water tanks and scientifically analyzed.

-Hi.

-[ Speaking native language ] -In charge of the process is Professor Ufuk Kocabas.

Hello.

Hello.

-You are very welcome.

-Professor, it is such an honor to be in this lab because this is the most incredible project.

I know it's one of the biggest archaeological projects in the world.

-Yes, yes.

We found a Byzantine harbor and more than 30 shipwrecks.

So it was amazing excavation.

-You've got goldfish in some of the tanks.

Why?

Why have you got goldfish there?

-We are using goldfish against larvae of mosquito.

-Mm!

-[ Laughs ] And first two goldfish belong to my son.

-So they're kind of lab assistants and pets here.

-Yeah.

Exactly.

-It will take the team, even with the help of the goldfish, 50 years to work through the archaeological finds -- tens of thousands of crates' worth from the massive port... ...a huge commercial hub and the beating heart of the Byzantine Empire.

Can you just explain to me what -- exactly what it is, what amazing thing it is that we're looking at here?

-These planks belong to a galley, a warship, small warship.

They are light and fast ships.

-But I know you've also found fishing boats and merchant vessels.

-Right, right.

-And there's one I was -- I have to say, I was lucky enough to be there when you were excavating it.

-This is a floor timber of the shipwreck.

We finished its conservation with a freeze-drying technique.

So, if you want, you can hold, you know.

[ Laughs ] -Oh, my gosh.

-Ninth century.

-I can't quite believe you're letting me hold this.

This is so incredible.

This boat was excavated, packed with amphorae.

50 or so amphorae jars.

-Yes.

And also we found a brazier, a jug, a casserole bowl, a beaker, bulk of olive seeds, and also cherry stones inside the reed basket.

It's a real time capsule.

-A reed basket with cherry stones in -- that those sailors would have been munching on.

I mean, you know, 1,100 years ago.

And you found them!

That is just staggering.

It's mind-blowing.

-The captain most probably liked eating cherries.

[ Laughs ] -Obviously he did.

I actually don't want to give it back to you, but I better put it down.

-Okay.

-Oh.

That's -- That's an extra-special treat.

What a treasure of a thing.

And I must ask you.

All of these finds are just incredible.

They have amazing details about history that they can share.

But they also do tell us how important Constantinople was at this time, that this is really a city on the move, it's hyper-connected.

-Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

In that time, Constantinople was the center of Mediterranean, most probably center of the world.

-Thank you for your work.

Honestly.

You're illuminating a whole world.

And I know it's really -- -Thank you.

-It's really tricky managing all of this.

So it's just splendid.

-Thank you, Bettany.

Thank you very much.

-Some tantalizing glimpses of the golden era of this port are now stored at the Sadberk Hanim Museum.

So, these are the kinds of goods and personal possessions that would be traded through the Theodosian harbor and then used by the inhabitants of Constantinople.

Ah.

And it is just such a table of treasures.

I don't know where to start.

But for instance, you've got an oil lamp.

And if you think of the oil lamps from the classical world, very typically they were decorated with pagan gods and goddesses.

But because Constantinople is a Christian city, there's a cross on this one.

These beautiful, fabulous ceramics show the influence of the east of the Islamic world.

This one's decorated with a rabbit and a dragon.

And I love this little thing.

It's a kind of little rod that would have held a candle at the end, and that's very appropriate because contemporaries described Byzantium as being this city of light, with candles and oil lamps burning everywhere.

Intrepid traders would have traveled thousands of miles into the ports of Constantinople to buy and sell precious goods just like these.

But of all the amazing things here, I've got to say this little tiny one is probably my favorite.

It's a beautiful earring that was possibly lost by a Byzantine woman.

Oh, gosh.

That is just fantastic.

So, this is uber-precious.

So it's decorated with emeralds and rubies and pearls.

And you can just imagine a woman from the period proudly wearing it.

Just being up close to this, it short-circuits you into the life of those women and men from the medieval times.

It's just such a treat.

So many details have been revealed from the digs that archaeologists have managed to re-create a perfect replica of that merchant ship -- so the bit of wood that I was holding.

It's really touching being close to it because you can just imagine those sailors cooking their meals, eating cherries, sailing out across thousands of miles' worth of sea.

And -- And it makes you think how brave they were, 'cause it's a small boat, this.

But this ship is completely seaworthy, and in the right conditions, it still sails around the waters that cross Istanbul.

The new archaeological discoveries here in Istanbul are to be treasured because they prove that this place has been a linchpin across cultures, from the ancient to the medieval worlds.

And they also show that, as a species, we're driven to connect across land and sea, to travel, to explore, and to have the opportunity to be part of a wider world.

Strategically positioned at the crossroads between Asia and Europe, Constantinople, the "Queen of Cities," was the ultimate prize for international powers.

After years of circling the city by land and sea, the Ottoman Turks took Constantinople in 1453.

Islam had arrived.

Great mosques and palaces were raised.

It was the dawn of a new era... including the creation of an entire world within a world -- a huge citadel protected by 3 miles of solid stone wall overlooking the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus, and the Sea of Marmara.

This is the Topkapi Palace.

It was a jewel in the Ottoman Empire, and it still dominates the historic skyline here in Istanbul today.

And it is one of the most magnificent palaces in the world.

This 7,500-square-foot palace was an administrative and artistic central hub of the Ottoman Empire for close on 400 years.

You can imagine ambassadors approaching this place with real trepidation because it's where big affairs of state were decided, including military decisions.

And, actually, this whole council hall is designed to look like a military campaign tent.

The Sultan wasn't actually here in person, but people were told he was listening in to every decision through a grille above the hall.

The Sultan was the premier figure of the palace, supported by his Imperial Council.

Formal, lavishly decorated... Topkapi was a theater of power.

It showcased nature, too.

Ottomans welcomed the natural world into their cities.

The palace was home to exotic plants and even a world-famous zoo.

The beautiful gardens of Topkapi reveal how the famously powerful Ottoman Empire reveled in nature.

The first three courtyards were laid out like walled parks with animals roaming free.

So here, there would have been gazelles and peacocks and even little tortoises.

Today the gazelles are long gone, but the gardens retain a sense of serenity and majesty.

But the palace was also a semi-sacred space, designed around gardens that represented a kind of earthly paradise and the bounty and unified cosmology of Allah's creation.

Designed for contemplation, gardens became a crucial part of Islamic Istanbul.

The Ottomans celebrated their love of the garden in many art forms.

Much Ottoman poetry idolized gardens as a sanctuary far away from worldly cares, where you could live a leisurely life and contemplate the beauty of things.

So there are lines that describe sweet, heavenly scents and crimson roses.

But then there's also melancholic verse that says that just like a rose, happiness can never last forever.

The Topkapi Gardens, an incarnation of some of the ideals of the Ottoman Empire, became the model for palace grounds and provincial courts all over the empire.

We know that both male and female gardeners worked here, breeding tulip flowers that were then disseminated right across Europe.

The Ottomans believed that their planting shouldn't try to better the natural world, but embellish it.

One sultan ordered 50,000 tulip bulbs, 100,000 hyacinth bulbs, and 40 tons of rose bushes, almost certainly for this garden.

But it's not just the flowers that make this place so special.

Geometrical pools, fountains, and garden pavilions adorn what some described as an earthly paradise.

These beautiful Iznik tiles are the decoration of choice here at Topkapi.

And, of course, they're still absolutely stunning today, but in their own day, they were revolutionary.

And this white glaze was made of quartz, which really shines out.

And there was a kind of secret recipe for the colors, which is still a mystery today.

But one thing we do know is that it could take up to 70 days to make a single tile.

Geometric and floral motifs, rosettes, stylized tulips, roses, carnations, and hyacinths were drawn on paper, perforated by needle, and transferred onto the tile.

When the tiles were glazed, the vibrant colors turquoise, cobalt, malachite, and coral emerged.

Their symmetry represents purity.

The flowers, fertility.

Some of the very finest Iznik tiles ever produced decorate these fabulous kiosks.

The Sultan had this built to commemorate the dead, and it's decorated with reeds and a meadow of blue and white flowers.

Inspired by the opulent tents Ottoman commanders used on military campaign, kiosks were installed so the Sultan could appreciate his natural surroundings and to host visiting dignitaries.

This kiosk celebrates victory after a 40-day siege to capture Baghdad in 1638.

The hall where the imperial princes were circumcised is also beautifully tiled... ...its sumptuous symmetry designed to celebrate the Sultan's power, faith, and appreciation of nature's purity.

After one circumcision ceremony, a French diplomat reported that the Sultan impressed with birds of prey and lions and giraffes and even two elephants.

The sultans who established these gardens described them as a place of beauty and pleasure, happiness and enjoyment.

The Topkapi Palace, overlooking the sapphires that surround this diamond of a city -- the Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus, and the Golden Horn -- is packed with treasures.

But it's also wonderful because it's a citadel that celebrates the value of nature.

And even though it was built by mighty Ottoman warriors, it respects the beauty of the natural world.

My next treasure is a short boat ride away across the Sea of Marmara.

A string of nine islands -- called the Princes' Islands because the Byzantine emperors would on occasion exile here princes who threatened their power.

For most, the islands have provided a welcome relief.

The Princes' Islands are where people from Istanbul would come to escape the heat of the city, often bringing a picnic.

I'm heading to Buyukada, the "Big Island" in Turkish, the largest and most popular of the Princes' Islands.

6,000 live here, with a massive summer population bump to 40,000.

During the 19th century, it was the place to leave families over the summer as the money-spinners commuted by ferry to Istanbul.

City homes were swapped for fabulous summer houses called "yazlik," with gardens overlooking the Marmara Sea.

But before I explore, I'm going to start my day the Ottoman way.

You know how they say you should breakfast like a king?

Well, the Ottomans certainly did that in style.

So, this is a really typical Ottoman breakfast.

And it's interesting because you've got influences that are both local and from far and wide.

So there are dates from Mecca and Medina, halloumi from Cyprus, borek from across the Black Sea, and these fantastic little doughnuts that come from the Greek islands.

Probably the most local thing and, oh, possibly the most delicious thing on the table, too, is this jam.

So, jam here is made of plum and lavender and often of rose petals.

Walking down the bougainvillea-lined streets in dappled light, there's another rhythm to life here, a real contrast to the bustle of Istanbul.

Oh.

Hi again.

[ Laughs ] Nice to see you.

By the 20th century, Buyukada became a luxurious resort.

Celebrities, royalty, and politicians the likes of Maria Callas, Edward VII and Wallis Simpson, and President Ataturk came here to relax in fabulous hotels, including the splendid Palace Hotel.

A Turkish entrepreneur built the hotel in 1908 for the bourgeoisie.

With its marbled staircases, '30s furniture, and fine rooms, it combines both continental and Turkish styles.

It's a symbol of the multi-ethnic, multicultural makeup of the historic melting pot of Istanbul and her neighboring islands.

There's a bit of a tradition here to go and buy -- Hi.

[ Speaks native language ] To buy this sorbet.

So, this is a family that's been making ice cream here for at least a century.

And the different brothers sell the sorbets on -- Hi.

On the different islands.

Um -- Oh, beautiful!

Every time I come, I try to resist it, and it's impossible.

Amazing.

Thank you.

Bye.

Take care.

Bye.

Bye.

-Bye-bye.

-One of the world's most famous revolutionaries also found sanctuary on this island and called it home.

This garden is so overgrown, I can't actually get in, but I could not walk past and not show you this.

So, this is where Trotsky was exiled for four years after he was forced to leave Russia, and it's where he wrote his autobiography.

And people described him being here as happy as a child.

And I'm not surprised -- 'cause he had massive gardens and a lobster pool and a sea view.

So it might have been exile, but, um, this is exile in paradise, isn't it?

The island provided a brief respite for Trotsky before Stalin's agents eventually caught up with him in Mexico.

And it's not the only ruin on Buyukada with an extraordinary history.

Hidden up here in the pine forests right at the top of the island, there's something really special.

A mysterious building constructed in 1898 by a French Ottoman architect.

It was originally meant to be the Prinkipo Palace, a kind of super-luxury hotel and casino owned by the same people who owned the Pera Palace in Istanbul where Agatha Christie was supposed to be inspired to write "Murder on the Orient Express."

And it is the biggest wooden building in Europe.

But a curious chain of events meant the building was completely repurposed.

But it wasn't given its gambling license.

So a wealthy Greek widow, with the help of 146 pieces of gold donated by the Sultan, took this building over and turned it into an orphanage.

For over 60 years, this vast space, all 206 rooms across 200,000 square feet, with a library, a primary school, and vocational workshops became home for Greek orphans.

The Sultan donated a daily ration of meat.

The imperial kitchens baked their bread.

A thousand children at a time could be looked after here.

And as the years went on, it wasn't just orphans, but girls and boys whose parents needed help.

And often they left behind these incredibly touching little remnants like this pair of shoes.

There is a kind of haunting beauty to this place, isn't there?

And it also feels very appropriate for an island, because islands can be places of refuge or sanctuary... but also of exile.

The Princes' Islands are treasures for me because they provided a refuge for many, from the poorest to the richest, from the princes of the Byzantine age to the political refugees of the 20th century.

A place of sanctuary and opportunity.

Like Istanbul itself, a city with a special dynamism driven by its waterways, seas, and rivers... a city that's witnessed history and made it one of my favorite places on Earth.

For me, Istanbul is cosmopolitan in the true sense of the word.

It's a city for citizens of the world, somewhere that you can understand history in the round from all points of the compass.

It's been described as the Queen of Cities, the fortunate city, the greatest city on Earth... and right here, right now, who can argue with that?