0:00:04 > 0:00:07I'm on a journey around Turkey...
0:00:07 > 0:00:09HE CHEERS
0:00:09 > 0:00:11..a land of beauty and extremes...
0:00:14 > 0:00:17This is terrifying and awesome all at the same time.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21Look at the size of that!
0:00:23 > 0:00:26..a nation torn by conflict and division...
0:00:28 > 0:00:29It goes on and on.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32Look at this over here.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35The war is not something distant at this point.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40..with an increasingly authoritarian regime.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Just to my left, there's a protest developing.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47..crushing opposition at home and abroad...
0:00:47 > 0:00:51Unbelievable. "BBC, English terror agency."
0:00:51 > 0:00:55..Turkey is at the very heart of global events.
0:00:55 > 0:00:56THEY CHEER
0:00:56 > 0:00:58- Assalaamu Alaikum. - Assalaamu Alaikum.
0:01:08 > 0:01:13On this first leg of my journey, I'll be visiting Istanbul,
0:01:13 > 0:01:17before heading to the turquoise coast of the Aegean Sea
0:01:17 > 0:01:20and on to the border with Syria.
0:01:22 > 0:01:23I meet the billionaire
0:01:23 > 0:01:26cashing in on Turkey's economic transformation...
0:01:30 > 0:01:34..Syrian families struggling to carve out a new life...
0:01:34 > 0:01:36Family, family, family.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40..in the country now staking a claim to be a beacon
0:01:40 > 0:01:42for the entire Islamic world.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08I'm on a very windy ferry,
0:02:08 > 0:02:13approaching what's often called the European side of Turkey.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16In that direction is Greece and the European Union,
0:02:16 > 0:02:18in that direction is the Middle East.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21It's the boundary between Europe and Asia.
0:02:23 > 0:02:28I landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula, on the European side of Turkey.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30And so the journey begins.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41Look at this. Vineyards.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48Wine production isn't something I'd expect to find in an overwhelmingly
0:02:48 > 0:02:52Muslim country. Most Muslims believe Islam forbids alcohol.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59Some experts think Turkey is the birthplace of winemaking.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03Certainly it's been produced here in the region for thousands of years,
0:03:03 > 0:03:06but recently, if you can forgive the pun, there's been a bit of a hiccup.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14- Selim? Merhaba.- Merhaba. How are you?- I'm very well.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16Thank you very much indeed for having us.
0:03:16 > 0:03:17- It's beautiful!- Thank you.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19They look good. Look at these.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21VOICE OVER: 13 years ago,
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Selim Ellialti gave up a successful career in IT
0:03:24 > 0:03:27to follow his dream and own a vineyard.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31He now employs more than 250 growers, presses,
0:03:31 > 0:03:32packers and pickers.
0:03:32 > 0:03:33Merhaba.
0:03:35 > 0:03:36The weapon of choice.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40LAUGHTER
0:03:40 > 0:03:41I will try very hard not to.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44I can't even see them, where are they?
0:03:44 > 0:03:45Do I just cut them there?
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Happy with that? It's a little bunch of grapes, but, you know,
0:03:51 > 0:03:53every bit helps.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56What's your favourite part, Selim, of the process?
0:03:56 > 0:03:58The most joyful part is drinking...
0:03:58 > 0:03:59THEY LAUGH
0:03:59 > 0:04:01..at the end of the day.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Selim's here, you'd better be careful what you say.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20I'm eating far too many, but they are so delicious. Mmm!
0:04:23 > 0:04:27The vast majority of the 80 million Turks are Muslim,
0:04:27 > 0:04:31yet many here still like a beer or a glass of good wine.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35Modern Turkey was founded as a relatively liberal, secular state,
0:04:35 > 0:04:37where religion was kept in check.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39For decades, religious Turks
0:04:39 > 0:04:41were kept out of many positions of authority,
0:04:41 > 0:04:43but now they're in power.
0:04:43 > 0:04:44In a strange way,
0:04:44 > 0:04:48these grapes have come to symbolise
0:04:48 > 0:04:51the tensions that exist here in Turkey.
0:04:51 > 0:04:56Turkey is home to both people who are pious and conservative
0:04:56 > 0:04:58and people who are secular as well,
0:04:58 > 0:05:00people who look to Europe for their identity.
0:05:00 > 0:05:01And in recent decades,
0:05:01 > 0:05:03Turkey and the Turks have really struggled
0:05:03 > 0:05:06about which way this country moves,
0:05:06 > 0:05:07the direction of the nation.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11Does it look to the West for inspiration or to the East?
0:05:11 > 0:05:15And that's never really been resolved, and now,
0:05:15 > 0:05:19alcohol and wine has become the battleground.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22CELEBRATORY MUSIC PLAYS
0:05:24 > 0:05:27It's the start of harvest, so it's time to celebrate.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46These are fresh, easy-going,
0:05:46 > 0:05:48fruity, aromatic wines.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51That's really delicious.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53HE LAUGHS
0:05:53 > 0:05:55Behind the celebrations,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58these are worrying times for Selim and his wife, Pinar.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01Just when Turkish wines were being recognised internationally,
0:06:01 > 0:06:02the conservative government
0:06:02 > 0:06:05started actively discouraging people from drinking.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09Tastings, promotions and advertising of alcohol have been banned.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12MUSIC STOPS
0:06:12 > 0:06:14CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:06:15 > 0:06:19It is a difficult year for the industry, for sure.
0:06:19 > 0:06:20It was not a very nice,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23polite period for me,
0:06:23 > 0:06:27and most of the wineries, er, wine brands
0:06:27 > 0:06:29are diminishing.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33The marketing side, presumably, has become more difficult?
0:06:33 > 0:06:36- Yes, exactly. - You need to be more creative.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38We have a small group of bloggers
0:06:38 > 0:06:42- who came from Istanbul to see our festival.- A small group of bloggers.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46I love it. This country is so rich and varied, isn't it?
0:06:46 > 0:06:50Of course, you have ladies wearing headscarves doing the picking and
0:06:50 > 0:06:55- you have bloggers from Istanbul. - It's a very colourful country.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58We have different types
0:06:58 > 0:07:01of people, different lives, different beliefs
0:07:01 > 0:07:08and we have to learn to live altogether in respect.
0:07:08 > 0:07:13If we can achieve this as a country, we are, for sure,
0:07:13 > 0:07:17will be capable of making much better wines.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19- Much better business. - THEY LAUGH
0:07:19 > 0:07:22- It's all about the business, isn't it?- That's why we're all here.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36It feels like different aspects of Turkey
0:07:36 > 0:07:40coexist quite happily here at this party.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42I wonder if this level of harmony
0:07:42 > 0:07:44is something I'll see on the rest of my journey.
0:07:51 > 0:07:56I went east, around the Sea of Marmara,
0:07:56 > 0:07:57to a city I love...
0:07:58 > 0:08:00..Istanbul.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04We're still a hell of a distance from the centre of the city but...
0:08:04 > 0:08:07we're in it. It is huge.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11Istanbul is now a proper mega city.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Stretching over more than 2,000 square miles,
0:08:14 > 0:08:18Greater Istanbul is now six times the size of New York.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20Ah!
0:08:20 > 0:08:21With traffic to match.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29The city is home to 16 million Turks.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33It's been the scene of extraordinary recent events -
0:08:33 > 0:08:36terrorist attacks, political crisis and, of course,
0:08:36 > 0:08:38a failed attempt to overthrow
0:08:38 > 0:08:40the nation's hugely controversial leader.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Come and have a look at this.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47So, that's the president of Turkey, President Erdogan.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51He's a hugely significant figure in recent Turkish history,
0:08:51 > 0:08:55probably THE most significant figure in recent Turkish history.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57You see his poster up all around Istanbul,
0:08:57 > 0:08:59and that's actually something
0:08:59 > 0:09:02that's pretty rare in a serious democracy.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07Opponents often portray the president as a would-be dictator.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11He portrays himself as a devout Muslim from a humble background
0:09:11 > 0:09:13on a mission to make Turkey great.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17Under his rule, the country's experienced dramatic change.
0:09:17 > 0:09:22Millions of people from the poorer east of Turkey have migrated here
0:09:22 > 0:09:26to Istanbul, and they've transformed it.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29The new arrivals are mostly conservative religious families.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33Many settled in what were originally shanty districts within the city.
0:09:33 > 0:09:34I think we're here.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37CALL TO PRAYER
0:09:38 > 0:09:42This is a part of Istanbul that's away from the tourist trail -
0:09:42 > 0:09:47an area of often illegally built blocks known as Gezi condos,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49houses that landed in the night.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51I went to meet a family who call it home.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56Merhaba. Merhaba. Merhaba. Merhaba.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59VOICE OVER: Many outsiders still call this a shanty town,
0:09:59 > 0:10:02but domestic life for the Jamar family
0:10:02 > 0:10:04looks surprisingly comfortable.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07Oh, look. Look at this!
0:10:07 > 0:10:09Slippers for visitors.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11They're very nice, thank you very much.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22It's the new bride that does all the work.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27I have been in a lot of shanty areas in a lot of countries on the planet
0:10:27 > 0:10:29and, honestly,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32this is unlike any I have seen before.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36President Erdogan's success has been built on improving the lives of
0:10:36 > 0:10:39millions of families like this.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41He's become a hero to the pious and the poor,
0:10:41 > 0:10:44providing housing, jobs and growing the economy.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06After winning multiple elections,
0:11:06 > 0:11:07Erdogan's now arguably
0:11:07 > 0:11:10the most successful democratic politician in the world.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12And during the recent failed coup,
0:11:12 > 0:11:15when a faction of the Turkish military blocked bridges and streets
0:11:15 > 0:11:18with tanks, his millions of supporters remained loyal.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51The people who live here have not been forgotten.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54They are being looked after, if you like,
0:11:54 > 0:11:58they're being provided with the essential services of a state.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00Sewerage, for goodness' sake!
0:12:00 > 0:12:03And if you're the politician who makes this happen,
0:12:03 > 0:12:05you're guaranteed votes.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11The religious majority here used to be often oppressed and silent.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13Now they run the government.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15Secular Turks worry that religion
0:12:15 > 0:12:17will soon rule every aspect of daily life,
0:12:17 > 0:12:19as it does in much of the Middle East.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Wow.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24President Erdogan isn't exactly reassuring them.
0:12:24 > 0:12:29Rising over Istanbul for all to see is his signature project -
0:12:29 > 0:12:31the giant Camlica Mosque.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33Look at the scale of it!
0:12:33 > 0:12:36This is one of the largest mosques in the world.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07I met up with the man in charge of the build, Ergun Kalunk.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33The president personally asked you to be involved in the project?
0:13:33 > 0:13:34No pressure, then.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54The Ottoman sultans were the last to build huge mosques in Turkey.
0:13:59 > 0:14:00Right.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13Modern Turkey emerged from the ashes of the vast Ottoman Empire
0:14:13 > 0:14:18and the president makes no secret of his respect for the Ottoman sultans.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55I'd arrived during a landmark in the build,
0:14:55 > 0:14:58the completion of the mosque's central dome.
0:15:07 > 0:15:12Turkish flag goes atop grand mosque.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15It's quite a moment.
0:15:37 > 0:15:38It's up.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42What does that moment mean to you?
0:15:53 > 0:15:57It really is going to dominate the skyline of Istanbul
0:15:57 > 0:15:59for centuries to come.
0:15:59 > 0:16:00It's extraordinary.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04Supporters of it would doubtless say
0:16:04 > 0:16:07that it's sort of helping to rebalance the country,
0:16:07 > 0:16:11moving cultural power, religious power as well,
0:16:11 > 0:16:16away from the secular elite and towards the religious majority.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19Critics, of which there are many,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22have been a little bit ruder about it and quite cheeky.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25Some of them have said that it's a vanity project for the president
0:16:25 > 0:16:28and have labelled it the Mosque of Erdogan the Magnificent.
0:16:32 > 0:16:33A more charitable view might be
0:16:33 > 0:16:37that Ottoman history and Turkey's Islamic faith are being used
0:16:37 > 0:16:41by the president to unify the country and make Turks proud.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45Many love his grand projects and big vision for Turkey.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47It's not just mosques he's building.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51Turkey's had a property boom that has made some here very rich.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53Istanbul is now one of the major bases
0:16:53 > 0:16:55around the world for billionaires.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58And we're off to meet one.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01It might seem like a contradiction,
0:17:01 > 0:17:04but while the nation's leaders stress modesty and piety,
0:17:04 > 0:17:07the flash and the super-rich can thrive here.
0:17:07 > 0:17:08We're here.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12People like the shy and retiring so-called king of real estate,
0:17:12 > 0:17:13Ali Agaoglu.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15HE KNOCKS
0:17:15 > 0:17:16Should knock, knock.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19- Merhaba.- Merhaba.- Mr Ali.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24- Merhaba.- Merhaba.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26Is this your home?
0:17:26 > 0:17:29It feels like we're being invited into a very personal space here.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40It's an incredible view, an astonishing location.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03Connected at the highest levels,
0:18:03 > 0:18:06Ali is rarely out of the national newspapers
0:18:06 > 0:18:08for his colourful and extravagant lifestyle.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13VOICE OVER: Ali's appeared almost from nowhere
0:18:13 > 0:18:14and now owns a 50-acre estate
0:18:14 > 0:18:17in one of the swankiest areas of Istanbul.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21It's a billionaire's home, look at this.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27The mind just boggles.
0:18:27 > 0:18:28Come on.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38These aren't your shoes or your handbags, are they?
0:18:47 > 0:18:49Next, it was his cars.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51Oh, my goodness.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37Ali took me to see his latest and largest development so far.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01Whatever you think of him, Mr Ali's a powerful man.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03Look at this view.
0:20:03 > 0:20:04It is astonishing.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09VOICE OVER: I wondered what he made of the changes affecting Turkey.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59It was time for me to leave Istanbul.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01I crossed the Bosphorus from Europe
0:21:01 > 0:21:04and began travelling around the Asian side of Turkey.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10So this is the Osman Gazi Bridge.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14It's named after the founder of the Ottoman Empire.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16This bridge is part of a number of projects around the country
0:21:16 > 0:21:20that's designed to connect up Turkey,
0:21:20 > 0:21:24connect up the transport infrastructure, if you like.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27Look at this, nothing on the road.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30These mega-developments have cost billions
0:21:30 > 0:21:33and been made possible by enormous borrowing.
0:21:33 > 0:21:34SHE SPEAKS TURKISH
0:21:36 > 0:21:37HE LAUGHS
0:21:37 > 0:21:39Maybe that's why the bridge was so empty.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43It cost us more than 20 quid to cross it.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46President Erdogan wants Turkey to be one of the world's top ten economies
0:21:46 > 0:21:48by the middle of the next decade.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51It's a tall order. Like the empty bridge,
0:21:51 > 0:21:54some of his mega-developments seem to be white elephants,
0:21:54 > 0:21:58and during the last few years, the economy has stumbled.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04My route around Turkey was taking me towards the beaches
0:22:04 > 0:22:06and crystal clear waters of the Aegean Sea.
0:22:17 > 0:22:18It looks amazing.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23We're just approaching the Turkish Riviera,
0:22:23 > 0:22:26which is the heart of the Turkish tourism industry.
0:22:41 > 0:22:46This is such a classic example of how the world has changed,
0:22:46 > 0:22:48how Turkey has changed in the last few decades.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51You know, you see, driving down into the town,
0:22:51 > 0:22:55you arrive into this extraordinary bay.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58The hills around covered in trees, absolutely stunning.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02You come round here and then you see what the result of that is -
0:23:02 > 0:23:05people want to come and have a holiday here,
0:23:05 > 0:23:09so look at all the hotels along the front.
0:23:09 > 0:23:14This is just a small bit of Turkey's enormous tourism industry.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18It is not just a small part of the economy,
0:23:18 > 0:23:23it is a massive employer and revenue provider for the entire country.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26This is the Turquoise Coast.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31HE CHEERS
0:23:35 > 0:23:3940 million tourists come to Turkey every year.
0:23:39 > 0:23:40At one point,
0:23:40 > 0:23:43it was the sixth-biggest tourist destination in the world.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Legend has it that Mark Antony gave this stretch of coastline
0:23:49 > 0:23:51to Cleopatra as his main wedding gift.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53Wow.
0:23:53 > 0:23:54You can see why.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56It's really stunning.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01The country completely depends on tourism.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07But for hotel and boat owners like our skipper, Ethem Yeet,
0:24:07 > 0:24:09times are hard.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12Ethem, it's beautiful here.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15- Thank you.- Really gorgeous.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17How is business at the moment?
0:24:44 > 0:24:46How bad is it getting, are you having sleepless nights?
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Turkey's position between Europe and the Middle East
0:25:10 > 0:25:14makes it strategically vital but also incredibly vulnerable
0:25:14 > 0:25:17to the catastrophes that have afflicted the region.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19War in neighbouring Syria has been a hammer blow
0:25:19 > 0:25:21to millions in the tourism industry here.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34It is weird to be here.
0:25:34 > 0:25:40Looking out onto Greece over here, this is the island of Lesbos.
0:25:40 > 0:25:47A year ago, I was on Lesbos watching as hundreds and hundreds of migrants
0:25:47 > 0:25:49and refugees landed there.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55It was a complicated and upsetting situation then,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58it remains a complicated and upsetting situation today.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00There is still no solution to it.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02There is still war in Syria,
0:26:02 > 0:26:04there are still hundreds of thousands of people
0:26:04 > 0:26:05who are refugees,
0:26:05 > 0:26:09and, of course, there are plenty of other migrants on the move
0:26:09 > 0:26:13around the world at this time of unprecedented migration and crisis.
0:26:15 > 0:26:20At the height of the crisis, thousands of migrants and refugees
0:26:20 > 0:26:22were leaving Turkey for Europe every day.
0:26:22 > 0:26:27The credibility of the entire European Union was threatened.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30The EU says it stopped the influx by striking a deal with Turkey
0:26:30 > 0:26:33to keep migrants and refugees in the country
0:26:33 > 0:26:36and it's giving Turkey billions of euros in aid.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42I met up with a people smuggler.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45He insisted his identity must be concealed.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50At the moment, the flow of refugees and migrants
0:26:50 > 0:26:54across the water to Greece seems to have almost stopped.
0:26:54 > 0:26:55Why?
0:27:01 > 0:27:04So it's not the Turkish government that has switched off the tap,
0:27:04 > 0:27:06it's the Macedonian government
0:27:06 > 0:27:10closing the border that has really made the difference?
0:27:18 > 0:27:21With European borders finally closed,
0:27:21 > 0:27:25many Syrians believe their best options are back in the Middle East.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28It's not the wealthiest Islamic states they turn to,
0:27:28 > 0:27:30like Saudi Arabia or Kuwait -
0:27:30 > 0:27:33many Syrians see their future here in Turkey.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06Good Lord, people are paying
0:28:06 > 0:28:11to be smuggled back out of Europe into Turkey. That's astonishing.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36There are now more than 65 million people around the world
0:28:36 > 0:28:41displaced by conflict, the largest number since the Second World War.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45Almost three million Syrian refugees are living in Turkey.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49Many have found work in the country's black economy.
0:28:49 > 0:28:53They're hard to track down, living on the margins of society.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55Jump in, jump in.
0:28:55 > 0:28:57VOICE OVER: So I met up with Musab Yousef,
0:28:57 > 0:29:01a photographer who's been documenting the refugee crisis.
0:29:01 > 0:29:02Hi.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06He's heard about a group of Syrians
0:29:06 > 0:29:08working at a stone cutting factory inland.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25- Assalaamu Alaikum. - Assalaamu Alaikum.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44Syrians are rarely paid as much as Turkish workers,
0:29:44 > 0:29:47leading to claims businesses are exploiting a cheap new labour force.
0:30:17 > 0:30:21Employers here have said they're training and often housing Syrians,
0:30:21 > 0:30:23which is why they're paid less.
0:30:23 > 0:30:27It's very hard to make a judgment on the morality of this situation
0:30:27 > 0:30:28because this is not...
0:30:30 > 0:30:35This is not a normal situation, this is a time of chaos in this region.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38The West and the Middle East are not providing enough support,
0:30:38 > 0:30:41so people are going to have to look after themselves
0:30:41 > 0:30:46and they're going to need to earn some money for their families.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49Jassim Mohammed taught electrical engineering at a technical college
0:30:49 > 0:30:52in Syria before he was forced to flee across the border
0:30:52 > 0:30:53with his young family.
0:30:56 > 0:31:00I'm sorry to ask, but why did you leave Syria?
0:31:18 > 0:31:20So is this where you're living now?
0:31:21 > 0:31:24- Assalaamu Alaikum. - You're living in here?
0:31:25 > 0:31:26Is it OK to come in?
0:31:27 > 0:31:30Assalaamu Alaikum. Assalaamu Alaikum. Hi.
0:31:30 > 0:31:31Family, family, family.
0:31:33 > 0:31:34Wow.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39In a building not much bigger than a garage,
0:31:39 > 0:31:41there were dozens of people living together.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06We're near the Turkish coast here, we're near a coastline from which
0:32:06 > 0:32:10tens of thousands of Syrians left to try and find their way to Europe.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12Were any of you planning to go to Europe?
0:32:35 > 0:32:39Turks and Syrians share a faith, but their culture and their language are
0:32:39 > 0:32:41profoundly different,
0:32:41 > 0:32:43yet Turkey is doing more than any other country
0:32:43 > 0:32:45to host refugees like these.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52I wondered what Jassim thought the future holds for his two boys.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08Do you think you'll ever be able to take them home?
0:33:31 > 0:33:35The war across Turkey's southern border in Syria continues
0:33:35 > 0:33:37with devastating effects.
0:33:37 > 0:33:41The refugee crisis isn't the only consequence for Turkey.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44The country has been the victim of brutal terror attacks
0:33:44 > 0:33:47by so-called Islamic State, targeting cities,
0:33:47 > 0:33:50the main national airport and holiday-makers.
0:33:56 > 0:34:01I headed back towards Turkey's glorious Aegean coast to Antalya,
0:34:01 > 0:34:07past huge themed hotels built like palaces, castles and wedding cakes.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10There's even one modelled on the Kremlin.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14Well, this really is the resorty bit of the coastline.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17This has the feel, to me, of Dubai.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22The perfect storm of crises that have hit Turkey have come after
0:34:22 > 0:34:24many resorts here had invested heavily
0:34:24 > 0:34:27to appeal to wealthier western and Russian guests.
0:34:27 > 0:34:28Wow.
0:34:30 > 0:34:31That's a statement all right.
0:34:33 > 0:34:34Let's get our bags.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37I had come to the most expensive hotel ever built in Turkey.
0:34:37 > 0:34:41- Hello.- Hi. Welcome to Mardan Palace. - Thank you very much indeed.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45Cetin Pehlivan has been general manager of the Mardan Palace
0:34:45 > 0:34:47since it opened eight years ago.
0:34:47 > 0:34:53Costing an eye-watering £1 billion, the hotel has more than 500 rooms.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55Wow, look at the size of the chandeliers,
0:34:55 > 0:34:59- I was going to say singular, but plural.- We have five chandeliers.
0:34:59 > 0:35:00Sun is shining in Antalya
0:35:00 > 0:35:03and Mardan Palace also is shining with that chandelier.
0:35:08 > 0:35:10I look at it and I worry about the cleaning.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13- We have a special team for that. - I'm sure you do.
0:35:13 > 0:35:14- Yeah.- I'm sure you do.- Yeah.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20With 10,000 square metres of gold leaf...
0:35:22 > 0:35:24..and three football pitches of Italian marble...
0:35:26 > 0:35:30..the Mardan Palace appeals perfectly to guests who like luxury
0:35:30 > 0:35:31and a tonne of bling.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36SIMON CHUCKLES You've got a gondola here.
0:35:36 > 0:35:39- Yeah.- Of course. And we're going to go on a gondola?- Yeah.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42- Of course, of course. What could be more normal?- Should be unique.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44Merhaba.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46Right now when you go to Istanbul
0:35:46 > 0:35:49- you can see the same in the Bosphorus.- Yeah.
0:35:49 > 0:35:54But we're in a gondola inside your hotel.
0:35:54 > 0:35:55Yeah.
0:35:55 > 0:35:59Actually, we have not only one gondola, we have two gondolas.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01- Every night...- Why have one gondola when you could have two?
0:36:04 > 0:36:07The Mardan Palace employs 1,500 staff.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09Thank you.
0:36:09 > 0:36:14It has a monthly electricity bill of a quarter of a million pounds.
0:36:14 > 0:36:18With overheads like that, it needs to fill every room,
0:36:18 > 0:36:20especially its most expensive.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24Whoa. How much does it cost to stay here?
0:36:24 > 0:36:26- Would you like to learn? - Yes, please.
0:36:26 > 0:36:2815,000 euro per day.
0:36:30 > 0:36:3215,000 euros per day.
0:36:34 > 0:36:36Who is this gentleman who's walking around, who is this?
0:36:36 > 0:36:40- Your butler. - What do you mean, MY butler?
0:36:40 > 0:36:43He will assist you during your stay, our guest.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45Are you suggesting I am staying here?
0:36:47 > 0:36:48- I'm staying here?- Yeah.
0:36:49 > 0:36:50- Hello, by the way.- Hello.
0:36:50 > 0:36:53- Merhaba, I'm Simon.- Merhaba. - Nice to see you again.
0:36:53 > 0:36:55I didn't realise you were going to be, you know,
0:36:55 > 0:36:57accompanying us into the room. THEY LAUGH
0:36:57 > 0:36:59It's... It's...
0:36:59 > 0:37:01- It's very nice to see you. - Yes, OK. Thank you.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05HE GASPS
0:37:05 > 0:37:06Look at this!
0:37:08 > 0:37:10This is the most...
0:37:10 > 0:37:13how the other half live place I think I've ever been to.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18Just to be absolutely clear,
0:37:18 > 0:37:23we are not paying thousands of pounds for me to stay in this hotel.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25No letters to Points Of View, all right?
0:37:25 > 0:37:27Or the Daily Mail.
0:37:50 > 0:37:52A simple breakfast.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57Like most tourist businesses here,
0:37:57 > 0:37:59the Mardan Palace is feeling the effects
0:37:59 > 0:38:01of the drop in holiday-makers.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05It's quite sad to see, it's really empty out there.
0:38:06 > 0:38:11I mean, maybe a dozen of the sunbeds are occupied.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16You're going to have to find new customers
0:38:16 > 0:38:18and some hotels around here
0:38:18 > 0:38:20think they've got the answer.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27The solution could be a new tourism market that seems to fit very neatly
0:38:27 > 0:38:30into President Erdogan's new, more religious Turkey.
0:38:31 > 0:38:35While the rest of the tourism industry in Turkey sees a slump,
0:38:35 > 0:38:39Ufuk Secgin is an entrepreneur who sees opportunity.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42How is business for you in Turkey at the moment?
0:38:42 > 0:38:47It's booming. Year-on-year, compared to last year, we doubled our sales.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49- Doubled?- Doubled, yes.
0:38:49 > 0:38:51So, Ufuk, is this one of yours?
0:38:51 > 0:38:54This is one of our top-selling resorts, yeah.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57- Right.- This is called halal-friendly tourism.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00- Halal-friendly tourism? - Halal-friendly tourism, yeah.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03Ufuk runs a booming firm offering tailor-made holidays
0:39:03 > 0:39:05specifically for Muslims.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07What did you have to...?
0:39:07 > 0:39:11You had to convert it into a halal-friendly hotel,
0:39:11 > 0:39:14no pork and no alcohol, presumably?
0:39:14 > 0:39:16Absolutely. No alcohol.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18Those are really the basic requirements.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21What we then focus on more is the facilities.
0:39:21 > 0:39:23- Swimming pool or...?- Yeah.
0:39:23 > 0:39:28There's a complete separate swimming pool for women and one for men
0:39:28 > 0:39:31and there's also a mixed zone as well for families.
0:39:31 > 0:39:34- So three swimming pools, then?- Yes.
0:39:34 > 0:39:36And what's this here?
0:39:36 > 0:39:38So this is, basically,
0:39:38 > 0:39:42behind the walls that's the area for all the ladies.
0:39:42 > 0:39:44So that's the outdoor pool area.
0:39:44 > 0:39:46That's the ladies swimming pool area?
0:39:46 > 0:39:47Absolutely.
0:39:49 > 0:39:51To cater for Muslims,
0:39:51 > 0:39:55the hotel has built a 50-foot barrier through its existing pool.
0:39:55 > 0:40:00It's a high wall here to stop people seeing in from the rooms over there,
0:40:00 > 0:40:03- is it?- Yeah. I would say that's the most important thing,
0:40:03 > 0:40:07to have the outdoor pool area 100% private.
0:40:07 > 0:40:09So what is this area here now?
0:40:09 > 0:40:10So this is the mixed pool.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13There's a rule in terms of the swimming dress,
0:40:13 > 0:40:17so ladies are wearing a burkini.
0:40:17 > 0:40:18The mixed pool for families,
0:40:18 > 0:40:22ladies can go there generally but they would wear a burkini?
0:40:22 > 0:40:25- Burkini, yes.- So inside...
0:40:25 > 0:40:26They can wear a bikini.
0:40:26 > 0:40:30Behind the wall there. Bikinis in there, burkinis out there?
0:40:30 > 0:40:31- Burkinis, yeah.- All right.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34- And so...- Usually, people... It's a common understanding.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36- Yeah.- People who choose these type of hotels,
0:40:36 > 0:40:39they understand and that's actually why they're coming here
0:40:39 > 0:40:41because they know people are observing the rules.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46This hotel used to host lobster-coloured Germans and Brits.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49The wall down the middle of the swimming pool
0:40:49 > 0:40:51is a bit of a shock to me.
0:40:54 > 0:40:55I struggle with that.
0:40:56 > 0:41:00Demand for halal-friendly holidays here is rising.
0:41:00 > 0:41:01Within the next few years,
0:41:01 > 0:41:05the global industry is expected to be worth almost £200 billion.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10The point is that this industry,
0:41:10 > 0:41:13this sector of the industry is booming.
0:41:13 > 0:41:15This, clearly,
0:41:15 > 0:41:16is the future.
0:41:28 > 0:41:32For many here, segregated swimming pools are part of a larger battle
0:41:32 > 0:41:36over women's rights. Many women, especially in rural areas,
0:41:36 > 0:41:39have struggled to achieve equal rights in Turkey.
0:41:39 > 0:41:43The country ranks low on global studies of gender equality.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47Only half of all girls between 15 and 19 are in any kind of education.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51Some suggest the increasing dominance
0:41:51 > 0:41:54of traditional Islamic values won't help matters.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59Shall we just stop on the right here?
0:41:59 > 0:42:00Brilliant.
0:42:01 > 0:42:05This is a large mosque that's being built over here.
0:42:06 > 0:42:10It's part of a huge programme of mosque building
0:42:10 > 0:42:13across the entire country.
0:42:13 > 0:42:14Supporters, I think,
0:42:14 > 0:42:18would say that it's a recognition of the faith of the majority of Turks
0:42:18 > 0:42:20who are actually really rather religious.
0:42:20 > 0:42:24Critics would say Turkey could do with a few more hospitals rather
0:42:24 > 0:42:26than yet more places of worship.
0:42:27 > 0:42:29More interesting for me, actually,
0:42:29 > 0:42:33the workmen have just told us this is a religious education centre
0:42:33 > 0:42:34that's being built.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38And religious education here's hugely controversial.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40I'm off to the town of Konya now,
0:42:40 > 0:42:43to a religious school that's agreed to let me visit.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54I was heading into the rural heartlands of Turkey,
0:42:54 > 0:42:58to the country's most religious and conservative city, Konya.
0:43:04 > 0:43:09President Erdogan has said he wants to raise a pious generation,
0:43:09 > 0:43:11and religious schools have proliferated in Turkey
0:43:11 > 0:43:12in recent years,
0:43:12 > 0:43:15with the number of students rising from tens of thousands
0:43:15 > 0:43:19to more than one and a half million, an important issue.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22The government's proud of the schools, or so I thought.
0:43:23 > 0:43:25So, I've arrived in Konya
0:43:25 > 0:43:29expecting I'd be visiting a state religious school this morning
0:43:29 > 0:43:31but at the last moment
0:43:31 > 0:43:33the government has pulled the plug and said no.
0:43:34 > 0:43:35Tesekkur.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41I was hoping that it would be a chance to learn more
0:43:41 > 0:43:44about the growth of religious schools in Turkey,
0:43:44 > 0:43:47which is happening at quite a pace at the moment.
0:43:48 > 0:43:51I think the fact that we've got here and then we're told we can't go
0:43:51 > 0:43:54to the school might make a suspicious person think
0:43:54 > 0:43:57that the government has got something to hide.
0:43:58 > 0:44:01Certainly, one thing we were told is that people were worried that if
0:44:01 > 0:44:05we saw rows of young schoolgirls wearing headscarves,
0:44:05 > 0:44:09wearing hijabs and studying the Koran it might make viewers think
0:44:09 > 0:44:11that they were looking at a classroom in Iran.
0:44:15 > 0:44:17Many Turks feel the curriculum in the religious schools
0:44:17 > 0:44:19is far too narrow.
0:44:19 > 0:44:23The government here hasn't responded well to their criticism
0:44:23 > 0:44:24or to anybody else's.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27In fact, freedom of speech is taking a battering here.
0:44:29 > 0:44:33In the wake of the failed coup, newspapers have been shut down
0:44:33 > 0:44:35and Turkey now jails more journalists
0:44:35 > 0:44:37than China and Iran combined.
0:44:37 > 0:44:39The remaining pro-government papers
0:44:39 > 0:44:41have become a mouthpiece for the regime.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44Foreign media organisations are also under suspicion.
0:44:44 > 0:44:50Unbelievable. This is the front page main article
0:44:50 > 0:44:52on one of the big Turkish newspapers
0:44:52 > 0:44:55and the main headline, the banner headline, is,
0:44:55 > 0:44:58"BBC English terror agency."
0:44:58 > 0:45:01Apparently the BBC has been supporting
0:45:01 > 0:45:04or supportive of the organisation
0:45:04 > 0:45:08which is suspected of having organised the coup.
0:45:08 > 0:45:12And they're basically saying the BBC has been involved in plotting
0:45:12 > 0:45:14against the Turkish government.
0:45:14 > 0:45:18It's completely unbelievable.
0:45:18 > 0:45:19The BBC can't even...
0:45:20 > 0:45:22Well, it struggles to get Top Gear right,
0:45:22 > 0:45:24let alone organise a bloody coup in another country.
0:45:26 > 0:45:29Look at what the increasingly authoritarian Islamic government
0:45:29 > 0:45:31here says about faith, women, democracy,
0:45:31 > 0:45:35human rights, and it can seem the country's lurching in a direction
0:45:35 > 0:45:37many in the West find alarming.
0:45:37 > 0:45:40But traditionally this country's been a moderate force
0:45:40 > 0:45:41in the Islamic world.
0:45:43 > 0:45:47Turkey's a centre for a mystical strand of Islam known as Sufism.
0:45:48 > 0:45:52Every year, millions come to Konya to pay their respects at the tomb of
0:45:52 > 0:45:56a great Sufi poet and scholar called Mevlana, who preached tolerance,
0:45:56 > 0:45:58love and respect.
0:45:58 > 0:46:00It's one of Turkey's holiest sites.
0:46:00 > 0:46:02Even the president regularly visits.
0:46:06 > 0:46:12Is this, as much as anywhere, the soul of Turkish Islam?
0:46:45 > 0:46:50Esin Celebi is a descendant of Mevlana and deeply respected figure.
0:46:55 > 0:46:57In fact, she's something of a celebrity.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02Why did you want to get your photo taken with her?
0:47:20 > 0:47:25I am...I'm astonished to see all these police officers.
0:47:26 > 0:47:29They've got their feet covered and they've still got their side arms.
0:47:35 > 0:47:38Sufis believe in a loving God, not a vengeful one.
0:47:39 > 0:47:44One of this nation's most famous symbols is a dance Mevlana inspired.
0:47:45 > 0:47:48But it's so much more fundamental than that.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54These are the whirling dervishes of Konya.
0:47:55 > 0:47:58As they spin, they try to connect their souls to the Almighty.
0:48:00 > 0:48:04Their deeply spiritual dance is part of a Sufi tradition that has helped
0:48:04 > 0:48:07to shape the traditionally tolerant nature of Islam in Turkey.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16And I think what I take away from this is,
0:48:16 > 0:48:18fundamentally Turkish Islam,
0:48:18 > 0:48:22it is different to how Islam is thought of
0:48:22 > 0:48:27and practised to a certain degree in other parts of the world.
0:48:27 > 0:48:31For example, Saudi Islam, Wahhabism, which is such a dominant,
0:48:31 > 0:48:34powerful force in Islam around the world.
0:48:38 > 0:48:41Rather than fearing the rise of religion in Turkey,
0:48:41 > 0:48:44some leaders here say the world should welcome it
0:48:44 > 0:48:47as a healthy balance to rich, ultraconservative Islamic nations.
0:48:49 > 0:48:53President Erdogan has said a powerful, pious but moderate Turkey,
0:48:53 > 0:48:56certainly when compared to other countries in the Middle East,
0:48:56 > 0:49:00is nothing less than the hope of the entire Islamic world.
0:49:10 > 0:49:14I was coming to the end of the first part of my journey around Turkey
0:49:14 > 0:49:16as I headed to its volatile and dangerous
0:49:16 > 0:49:18southern border with Syria.
0:49:31 > 0:49:33Another refugee camp.
0:49:33 > 0:49:35And another on the left-hand side as well.
0:49:36 > 0:49:39They're scattered throughout this region,
0:49:39 > 0:49:43housing tens of thousands of men, women and children.
0:49:45 > 0:49:49The Turkish government has built more than 20 huge camps
0:49:49 > 0:49:52hosting around a quarter of a million Syrians.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55It's an extraordinary act of generosity and friendship.
0:49:56 > 0:49:59Turkey's done more than any other country to give shelter
0:49:59 > 0:50:03to the millions of people fleeing the unfolding tragedy in Syria.
0:50:03 > 0:50:09And we are now arriving into one of the main refugee camps in this area.
0:50:14 > 0:50:17Government official Orhan Gurbuz was keen to show me the facilities.
0:50:34 > 0:50:37So it's a fully functioning small town, effectively?
0:50:37 > 0:50:41- Exactly.- Does the camp...?
0:50:41 > 0:50:42DISTANT THUDDING
0:50:42 > 0:50:43What was that noise?
0:50:45 > 0:50:47Bombing.
0:50:47 > 0:50:49- That was artillery?- I think so.
0:50:49 > 0:50:51- I'm not expert, but, yeah.- No.
0:50:51 > 0:50:53It's common here, we hear all the time.
0:50:56 > 0:51:02The hairs on my arms are going up at that sound because that is the war
0:51:02 > 0:51:06and that is just beyond this wall right here.
0:51:09 > 0:51:15And this, in fact, is basically the Turkish border with Syria.
0:51:17 > 0:51:23Just a few miles in that direction was a so-called Isis stronghold.
0:51:23 > 0:51:26The Syrian city of Aleppo is a short distance that way.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29War is raging there right now.
0:51:29 > 0:51:33And we're here inside a refugee camp
0:51:33 > 0:51:36with children around playing on their bicycles...
0:51:38 > 0:51:39..people going about their business.
0:51:45 > 0:51:48It's like a porthole view into another world.
0:51:54 > 0:51:56After four long years of war...
0:51:56 > 0:51:58- ALL:- Bye!
0:51:58 > 0:52:00..for many Syrians this is the closest they'll get
0:52:00 > 0:52:03to some kind of normality.
0:52:03 > 0:52:04Look at this!
0:52:05 > 0:52:07There's a kiddy play area here.
0:52:07 > 0:52:11This is really, really unusual.
0:52:11 > 0:52:13And there's so many other things about this camp
0:52:13 > 0:52:14that really mark it out -
0:52:14 > 0:52:19satellite dishes on loads of the homes, there is street lighting,
0:52:19 > 0:52:21there are fire hydrants, there is a sewage system,
0:52:21 > 0:52:25there's electricity for people, shops, schools.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28They've done something fundamentally different here
0:52:28 > 0:52:31and I do think Turkey should be congratulated for it.
0:52:33 > 0:52:36Some say these are the best refugee camps ever built.
0:52:36 > 0:52:40Turkey spent more than £8 billion on the refugees.
0:52:40 > 0:52:42With help from abroad, they even hand out cash cards
0:52:42 > 0:52:46topped up with credit, so people can buy what they need in shops.
0:52:46 > 0:52:47It's the supermarket.
0:53:12 > 0:53:14The cost of all this has hit Turkey hard,
0:53:14 > 0:53:17but there could be a solid political reason
0:53:17 > 0:53:19behind the government's policy here.
0:53:20 > 0:53:24President Erdogan has talked about the possibility
0:53:24 > 0:53:25of giving citizenship
0:53:25 > 0:53:28to refugees in this country and, of course,
0:53:28 > 0:53:30if he was to grant them citizenship,
0:53:30 > 0:53:34it's quite likely that they would feel rather grateful to him
0:53:34 > 0:53:35and would want to vote
0:53:35 > 0:53:38for President Erdogan and his political party.
0:53:39 > 0:53:42As predominantly conservative Muslims,
0:53:42 > 0:53:45Syrians might be natural Erdogan supporters.
0:53:46 > 0:53:49There we go - Turkish language school.
0:53:49 > 0:53:52There are signs here that many Syrians think they won't leave.
0:53:52 > 0:53:54Thousands have already taken advantage
0:53:54 > 0:53:56of state-sponsored Turkish lessons.
0:53:56 > 0:53:58THEY SPEAK TURKISH
0:54:07 > 0:54:10Sir, is it possible to interrupt for just a couple of minutes,
0:54:10 > 0:54:11is that all right?
0:54:15 > 0:54:18Why do you think you all need to learn Turkish?
0:54:26 > 0:54:27Who wants to be a doctor?
0:54:29 > 0:54:31One, two, three doctors.
0:54:31 > 0:54:34Four. Maybe, four doctors.
0:54:34 > 0:54:36Five doctors.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39Who wants to be an engineer? Any engineers?
0:54:41 > 0:54:44Is the fact that you are learning Turkish
0:54:44 > 0:54:49a sign that you don't think you will necessarily be able to go home?
0:55:10 > 0:55:14We were standing out on the main street, I suppose, in the camp,
0:55:14 > 0:55:22and I was really shocked to hear the thud, thud of artillery fire.
0:56:07 > 0:56:10Turkey is now playing a key role in negotiations
0:56:10 > 0:56:12aimed at ending the war.
0:56:12 > 0:56:14Millions of Syrians have come to see Turkey
0:56:14 > 0:56:16as their ally and possible saviour.
0:56:16 > 0:56:20It's all part of the country's increasing global reach.
0:56:20 > 0:56:24I have personally been in a number of struggling and stricken countries
0:56:24 > 0:56:27where the Turks are delivering aid,
0:56:27 > 0:56:31where they're opening and running hospitals,
0:56:31 > 0:56:35and I think that's all part of the rise of Turkey,
0:56:35 > 0:56:40of Turkey becoming a wealthy and powerful and influential country.
0:56:42 > 0:56:45Turkey's one of the most important countries on the planet -
0:56:45 > 0:56:49a place where East and West meet and sometimes collide
0:56:49 > 0:56:53and with conflict raging in the Middle East, Turkey, more than ever,
0:56:53 > 0:56:56finds itself at the centre of world events.
0:57:01 > 0:57:02My God!
0:57:05 > 0:57:07We've just come up a hill just...
0:57:07 > 0:57:08The camp is here.
0:57:09 > 0:57:11And rockets...
0:57:11 > 0:57:14There's outgoing anti-aircraft fire or rockets,
0:57:14 > 0:57:16I'm not sure, just coming from there.
0:57:20 > 0:57:22There's a farmer down there,
0:57:22 > 0:57:24look, just wandering across his field.
0:57:24 > 0:57:27There's another tractor just there.
0:57:27 > 0:57:30It's extraordinary how quickly people who live here
0:57:30 > 0:57:33become accustomed to it -
0:57:33 > 0:57:35how the abnormal becomes the normal.
0:57:40 > 0:57:43What happens in Turkey affects the Middle East, Europe,
0:57:43 > 0:57:46the great religions and us all.
0:57:46 > 0:57:49And this is where the first leg of my journey around Turkey ends.
0:57:54 > 0:57:56Next time...
0:57:56 > 0:57:59This is terrifying and awesome all at the same time.
0:58:01 > 0:58:04..I'll discover some of Turkey's extraordinary wildlife...
0:58:06 > 0:58:07Oh, my God.
0:58:07 > 0:58:11..I'll see the internal conflict tearing this country apart...
0:58:11 > 0:58:13It goes on and on, look at this over here.
0:58:13 > 0:58:17..and I get a speaking role in one of Turkey's biggest successes.
0:58:17 > 0:58:18What do you think?