Byzantium: A Tale of Three Cities
2013 · BBC Four · 60 min · 1 season
S01E03 · Capital of a New Empire
Fri, 20 Dec, 8:00 am
Visiting the great mosques and palaces built by the Ottoman emperors, Simon Sebag Montefiore looks at how Istanbul became the imperial capital and Islam's most powerful city.
About
Historian Simon Sebag Montefiore traces the sacred history of Istanbul. The Turkish capital was once described as the 'city of the world's desire', having been the focus of three faiths - Paganism, Christianity and Islam - and the stage for some of the fiercest political and religious conflicts over the past 2,500 years.
Episodes
- E01
From Byzantium to Constantinople
Fri, 6 Dec· 60 minSimon Sebag Montefiore looks at Istanbul's Greek roots, its transformation into the capital of a Christian empire and reveals how clashes forced eastern and western churches apart.
- E02
From Constantinople to Istanbul
Fri, 13 Dec· 60 minSimon Sebag Montefiore explores modern Istanbul in search of the last centuries of Christian Byzantium, when the once glorious city was buffeted by enemies from both east and west.
- E03
Capital of a New Empire
Fri, 20 Dec· 60 minVisiting the great mosques and palaces built by the Ottoman emperors, Simon Sebag Montefiore looks at how Istanbul became the imperial capital and Islam's most powerful city.
Cast
Simon Sebag Montefiore
Presenter