0:00:04 > 0:00:06I'm on a journey around Turkey.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11A place 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 > 0:00:25..where conflict and division
0:00:25 > 0:00:27threatens to tear the country apart...
0:00:28 > 0:00:30It goes on and on. Look at this over here.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35War is not something distant at this point.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40..with an increasingly authoritarian regime...
0:00:40 > 0:00:43So just 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 now at the very heart of world events.
0:00:55 > 0:00:56Bye!
0:00:56 > 0:00:59- As-salamu 'alaykum. - Wa'alaykumu s-salam.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09On this second leg of my journey around Turkey,
0:01:09 > 0:01:12I'll travel from the country's southern borders,
0:01:12 > 0:01:14north to the Black Sea coast
0:01:14 > 0:01:16and on to the capital city,
0:01:16 > 0:01:20before I reach my final destination, Istanbul.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23In the northern highlands,
0:01:23 > 0:01:26I visit a remote community keeping an ancient language alive.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28BIRD-LIKE WHISTLING
0:01:29 > 0:01:32In the volatile south, I meet the Kurds
0:01:32 > 0:01:34singing a lament to oppression and conflict.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37You can see this is a police station
0:01:37 > 0:01:42guarded and protected from bomb attacks by these blast barriers.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47And I get a speaking part in a Turkish mega-drama taking the world
0:01:47 > 0:01:49by storm.
0:01:49 > 0:01:50What do you think?
0:02:16 > 0:02:19I began the second part of my journey in the south,
0:02:19 > 0:02:20where the rugged peaks of
0:02:20 > 0:02:23the Taurus Mountains provide breathtaking views.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32- Do you want to ring them?- Yeah.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34Shall we just stop on the left somewhere here?
0:02:34 > 0:02:35My guide was Buket Sahin,
0:02:35 > 0:02:39whose family once lived as nomads in these mountains.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41If we just go quickly.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43SHE SPEAKS TURKISH
0:02:47 > 0:02:48It's a hell of a landscape here, eh?
0:02:52 > 0:02:55We've come to find the Yoruk people,
0:02:55 > 0:02:56who many believe are the original
0:02:56 > 0:02:59inhabitants of the country now called Turkey.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07The Yoruk still spend much of the year living a nomadic life,
0:03:07 > 0:03:11travelling long distances, often on foot, moving with their animals.
0:03:13 > 0:03:14Merhaba!
0:03:14 > 0:03:18When we finally found Mahmood, he'd just set up camp for the night.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22While the sound of goats signalled
0:03:22 > 0:03:25the arrival of his wife, Songul, with the herd.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28- Merhaba.- Simon.- Merhaba!
0:03:28 > 0:03:30It's a lion.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Wow! That's been in a few scrapes, hasn't it?
0:03:33 > 0:03:34Look at that.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37Where have you brought the goats from?
0:04:02 > 0:04:06Hundreds of years ago, it's said that there were a million of these
0:04:06 > 0:04:10nomadic people living in the central plains of Turkey...
0:04:11 > 0:04:15..in something like 200,000 huge tents.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19Now there's just a handful of families left
0:04:19 > 0:04:20who live a nomadic life.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23A sort of link with the past, I suppose.
0:04:23 > 0:04:24For all of us.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30But life isn't easy for Mahmood and his family.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32They're a minority group in modern Turkey,
0:04:32 > 0:04:36a country with an authoritarian Islamic government and they often
0:04:36 > 0:04:37face hostility.
0:04:39 > 0:04:40What just happened?
0:05:09 > 0:05:13Yoruks are Muslims but they generally don't pray in mosques.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16Turkey's recently become more Islamic and Yoruks are sometimes
0:05:16 > 0:05:19seen as inadequately religious by more pious Turks.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Locals just came up and basically threatened you
0:05:48 > 0:05:50and told you you had to leave.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53Do you ever feel unsafe on the road?
0:05:53 > 0:05:55You've got two small boys with you.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44Did you say wolves?
0:06:54 > 0:06:55What a way of life, eh?
0:06:57 > 0:06:58Incredible.
0:06:59 > 0:07:0021st-century.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07As you can hear, there's a lot of dogs out there.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09BARKING At least, I hope they're dogs!
0:07:12 > 0:07:14BLEATING
0:07:14 > 0:07:15Night, all.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21BARKING CONTINUES
0:07:37 > 0:07:40These dogs make more noise than cockerels.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Barking, barking, the entire night.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49On the plus side, no wolves and no snakes.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57After the warning, the family were
0:07:57 > 0:08:00packing their belongings and moving on.
0:08:11 > 0:08:12Do you want me to lift him in?
0:08:21 > 0:08:23It feels like you really love them.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32We were heading off on our separate journeys.
0:08:38 > 0:08:39Bye-bye.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49Mahmood and the children will drive on ahead to set up camp
0:08:49 > 0:08:53while Songul follows ancient trails through the mountains
0:08:53 > 0:08:55that only a Yoruk would still recognise.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59The last of the Yoruk nomads...
0:09:01 > 0:09:03..heading off into the sunrise.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09Just over 50 years ago, almost all Turks were rural.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11Now they're almost all urban.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13Nomads don't quite fit the mould.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21I headed east along Turkey's volatile southern border with Syria,
0:09:21 > 0:09:23towards the historic Turkish city of Mardin.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31So-called Islamic State was still holding positions a few miles away.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35Turkish forces have been involved in the war in Syria.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39It's a conflict with huge consequences for this country as well.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43So, look, the border, the fence is right here.
0:09:43 > 0:09:44Just by the side of the road.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53The name of this city, Mardin, means fortresses.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59And this place is no stranger to war and conquest.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08This really is such an ancient city.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12It's such an ancient region, actually.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16Some of the earliest human settlements found anywhere on this
0:10:16 > 0:10:18planet have been found here in this area.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21I think because the area, the region, is so old,
0:10:21 > 0:10:23it's sometimes easy to forget that
0:10:23 > 0:10:25Turkey itself is a relative youngster.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29Turkey, the country, is less than 100 years old.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33Of course, Turkey was formed out of the crumbling Ottoman Empire.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35Lots of different ethnic groups,
0:10:35 > 0:10:40all coming together under one flag and supposedly all becoming Turks.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48Turks are a proud, patriotic people
0:10:48 > 0:10:50but not all of the ethnic groups here
0:10:50 > 0:10:53have wanted to unite under the one flag.
0:10:55 > 0:10:56On the right, just here, look,
0:10:56 > 0:11:02you can see this is a police station and it's guarded and protected from
0:11:02 > 0:11:06bomb attacks by these blast barriers here.
0:11:06 > 0:11:11And that's designed to deflect the shock wave
0:11:11 > 0:11:13from a car bomb...or a truck bomb, for that matter.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17So-called Islamic State has infiltrated
0:11:17 > 0:11:20and launched attacks here but war
0:11:20 > 0:11:23in Syria has also helped reignite a bitter conflict inside Turkey.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30Just stopped by the side of the road to take a look at the foggy view.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34These are Kurdish communities out here.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36Kurds are an ethnic group found
0:11:36 > 0:11:39living in different countries throughout the Middle East
0:11:39 > 0:11:43but they lack their own nation or state and, for decades,
0:11:43 > 0:11:47many Kurds here in the south-east of Turkey
0:11:47 > 0:11:51have been campaigning or fighting for independence or autonomy.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54There are millions of Kurds in Turkey.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56They are at least one in five of the population.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00I headed into the heart of the Kurdish region
0:12:00 > 0:12:03to the ancient city of Diyarbakir.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07Kurds have a proud history, culture, and their own language.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09But for decades, they faced
0:12:09 > 0:12:11repression at the hands of the Turkish state,
0:12:11 > 0:12:13particularly the Turkish military.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15SINGING
0:12:18 > 0:12:22I met up with Kurdish activist Mehmet Kaya at a cultural centre...
0:12:23 > 0:12:25..where a group of local singers meet
0:12:25 > 0:12:27to perform traditional Kurdish songs.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17Is it true that it hasn't actually been possible,
0:13:17 > 0:13:21always possible, for the gentlemen to sing like this?
0:13:47 > 0:13:52So just to be clear, singing in Kurdish was illegal?
0:13:52 > 0:13:56Speaking in Kurdish in public was illegal?
0:14:40 > 0:14:43Mehmet is a moderate but, for decades,
0:14:43 > 0:14:47some Turkish Kurds have resorted to violence in their fight for autonomy
0:14:47 > 0:14:49for an independent Kurdish state.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53The main Kurdish armed group is called the PKK.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56It's classified as a terrorist group by the Turkish government and other
0:14:56 > 0:14:58countries like Britain and the US.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04So we're right next to the old walls of Diyarbakir now.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07During the long conflict between Kurds and Turks,
0:15:07 > 0:15:10tens of thousands have died on both sides.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14There had been a ceasefire but the war in Syria helped end that.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17The conflict here has restarted and escalated.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19Oh, my God.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22In Sur, the historic centre of Diyarbakir,
0:15:22 > 0:15:24street battles erupted.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27We're one of the only TV crews to see the consequences.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29This is where,
0:15:29 > 0:15:31just months ago,
0:15:31 > 0:15:36a smallish group of Kurdish rebels, or terrorists, decided they wanted
0:15:36 > 0:15:39to declare autonomy for this area of the city.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42They dug trenches and erected...
0:15:42 > 0:15:43set up booby-traps.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46The Turkish state didn't react very
0:15:46 > 0:15:47well to that, as you can probably imagine,
0:15:47 > 0:15:50but they reacted with what I think it's fair to say
0:15:50 > 0:15:52is overwhelming force.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58Turkish security forces rolled in here with tanks and artillery.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01The PKK fought back with assault rifles and explosives.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04Look, and it goes on and on, look at this over here.
0:16:06 > 0:16:07It's unbelievable.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12There were buildings
0:16:12 > 0:16:14all around us here.
0:16:14 > 0:16:15This place has been levelled.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17This is ground zero.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25The authorities say the damage from fighting was so extensive,
0:16:25 > 0:16:28they need to flatten the area to rebuild.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33There is a real question about
0:16:33 > 0:16:34proportionality here.
0:16:35 > 0:16:40Elements within the Turkish army thought it was perfectly acceptable
0:16:40 > 0:16:42to bring tanks in to this area,
0:16:42 > 0:16:47and use tank weapons and artillery against citizens of Turkey.
0:16:48 > 0:16:49Of their own country.
0:16:52 > 0:16:53It's unbelievable.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58Amnesty International is reporting that up to 40,000 residents
0:16:58 > 0:16:59were forced to leave this area.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03Hundreds of homes have since been demolished.
0:17:03 > 0:17:04I start to get, here,
0:17:04 > 0:17:06a real sense of the tragedy
0:17:06 > 0:17:10that lies at the heart of this tortured relationship.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13There have been tears and death
0:17:13 > 0:17:15on both sides for so long here.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23The government blames all this destruction on Kurdish terrorists.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29Much of Sur has now been expropriated by the state.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33Officials say they'll rebuild this historic area.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35Metin Evsin is in charge of the project.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53Is this all damage from the fighting as well?
0:17:53 > 0:17:55Have you got to restore and rebuild there?
0:18:13 > 0:18:17The residents that used to live here are now being told they can
0:18:17 > 0:18:20buy subsidised high-rise flats on the outskirts.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24Some here say Kurds are being deliberately displaced from Sur to
0:18:24 > 0:18:26change the political landscape.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31It looks extraordinary. Suddenly, secret police appear.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34Jonathan, stop filming - right now.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41There's a heavy security presence around here
0:18:41 > 0:18:42and it's very difficult for us to film.
0:18:42 > 0:18:48We've just had an encounter with Turkish police officers
0:18:48 > 0:18:50who were pretty bloody rude, to be honest.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54The authorities here prefer it when the media are under their thumb.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58There's been a huge crackdown on
0:18:58 > 0:19:02free speech and the opposition across Turkey recently.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05Hundreds of journalists have been arrested or fired.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07Foreign writers have been detained.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10The situation here in Diyarbakir is only compounded
0:19:10 > 0:19:13by the Kurdish-Turkish conflict.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15Tensions are high. So just to my left,
0:19:15 > 0:19:19there's a protest developing
0:19:19 > 0:19:23with lots of young, youngish men who've left the mosque
0:19:23 > 0:19:24after Friday prayers.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27You can see the armoured vehicles on my left.
0:19:27 > 0:19:32There's water cannon. There's a lot of armed cops around.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34We can't film clearly, overtly.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36I can't look at the camera because they'll guess
0:19:36 > 0:19:39and then we could be arrested ourselves.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42We can't afford that to happen because we could lose all of
0:19:42 > 0:19:45the footage that we have shot so far in Turkey.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47There's not really a process of discussion.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50There is confiscation.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54I think we're going to go around to the right here.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56OK.
0:19:56 > 0:19:57What a place.
0:20:01 > 0:20:02Under the current government,
0:20:02 > 0:20:06both sides in this struggle had taken a step forward towards peace.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09But now, they've gone two steps backward.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14Popular elected Kurdish officials have been arrested.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17Kurdish militants have launched deadly attacks.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19The conflict shows little sign of resolution.
0:20:27 > 0:20:28I headed north towards Turkey's
0:20:28 > 0:20:31eastern border with neighbouring Armenia.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42I was on my way to a dramatic and beautiful,
0:20:42 > 0:20:44yet rarely visited, part of the country.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49Who the hell gets on the train at ten to eight on a Saturday morning?
0:20:51 > 0:20:52No wonder there's nobody here!
0:21:01 > 0:21:04With rolling plains and huge mountains,
0:21:04 > 0:21:06Eastern Anatolia is little known to foreigners.
0:21:09 > 0:21:10But outside the tropics,
0:21:10 > 0:21:12this is one of the richest countries
0:21:12 > 0:21:14in the world for plants and wildlife.
0:21:16 > 0:21:17I don't know about you,
0:21:17 > 0:21:22but I don't really associate Turkey with amazing plants and wildlife.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24But they are here.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28Turkey, it turns out, has incredible biodiversity.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34In fact, Turkey has almost as many endemic plant species as all of
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Europe put together.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38I think this is my stop.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40My destination was the Sarikamis forest.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44Can, Can!
0:21:44 > 0:21:46Good to meet you.
0:21:46 > 0:21:47Lovely to meet you.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55Can is one of Turkey's leading conservationists.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01So we're now in the Sarikamis forest.
0:22:01 > 0:22:06We always keep an eye open for any wildlife that might pass by.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08Even brown bears,
0:22:08 > 0:22:10very rarely wolves during the day,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13and lynx are possible so just keep your eye open.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15- Brown bears, wolves and lynx?! - Yes. They're all here.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17- Really?- Oh, yeah.- They're here in the forest?
0:22:17 > 0:22:18- That is very exciting.- Yeah.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25Can has been carrying out the first detailed survey of Turkey's
0:22:25 > 0:22:26brown bear population.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31ALARM SOUNDS
0:22:31 > 0:22:32Oh, there's the bear alarm!
0:22:33 > 0:22:38So Can has just had an alert from one of his bear traps
0:22:38 > 0:22:42suggesting that maybe there's a bear that's been...
0:22:42 > 0:22:45- caught.- We have caught a wolf once
0:22:45 > 0:22:50in one of these bear traps, so even a wolf is a possibility.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53OK. And it's important to get there quickly for the animal's welfare,
0:22:53 > 0:22:58presumably also so it doesn't escape and nothing else finds it...
0:22:58 > 0:23:00- Exactly.- ..trapped there.- Exactly.
0:23:04 > 0:23:05Right, there's a van up ahead.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07BLEEP.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10So what do you think has happened?
0:23:10 > 0:23:11I don't know.
0:23:18 > 0:23:19False alarm.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31He activated the trap, got caught, and pulled it out.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34And he's denying it, of course, we can see.
0:23:38 > 0:23:39So we are now setting it up.
0:23:39 > 0:23:44We set it up so that the bear is forced to enter the trap,
0:23:44 > 0:23:46either this way or the opposite.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48Cos, you know, there's a dead sheep in there,
0:23:48 > 0:23:50so the bear will come and eat it.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53- There's another entrance here. Is there a trap here?- Right there.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56- Where?- Well, that's the point.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58You're not supposed to figure it out.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01Walk in there on all fours like a bear would.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04You want me to walk in there on all fours like a bear?
0:24:04 > 0:24:06Yeah, so you see how it works.
0:24:06 > 0:24:07- OK.- So go down on all fours.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11So just go in there. Go towards the sheep.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Right, yeah, the sheep does look particularly inviting at the moment.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18- You're not going to get to the sheep.- Are you sure?
0:24:18 > 0:24:22- Whoa! So then I... Oh, my goodness! - Now pull,
0:24:22 > 0:24:24- like a bear would.- Look at that.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26So it would just pull away.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28Of course, he will try to pull out,
0:24:28 > 0:24:30but what happens is, after a couple of minutes,
0:24:30 > 0:24:35they just stop and kind of wait until we show up.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40Can and his team then sedate the bear and fit a radio collar,
0:24:40 > 0:24:42so that its movements can be tracked
0:24:42 > 0:24:44and they've made an extraordinary discovery.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48The data we collect has shown that some of the bears we
0:24:48 > 0:24:50collared migrate to the more
0:24:50 > 0:24:53productive temperate rainforest facing
0:24:53 > 0:24:57the Black Sea, where they have access to a lot of acorns
0:24:57 > 0:24:59and forest fruits and then they migrate back.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02So this, I would say, is the most important discovery of the project.
0:25:02 > 0:25:03It's a global first.
0:25:03 > 0:25:08So these are the only bears of their kind in the world that migrate.
0:25:08 > 0:25:09We checked the entire literature.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12The world's only known migratory brown bears...
0:25:12 > 0:25:13- Amazing.- ..period.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22So the trap has been set
0:25:22 > 0:25:25and there are traps throughout the forest here.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27Hopefully, later, there will be some bear activity.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33So far, Can has trapped and tracked more than 30 bears.
0:25:33 > 0:25:38And his research has resulted in a rare triumph for conservation and
0:25:38 > 0:25:40for wildlife in Turkey.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43- It's pretty amazing here. - It is very nice.
0:25:43 > 0:25:48Sarikamis forest has some of the highest numbers and densities of
0:25:48 > 0:25:49brown bears in Turkey.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52These animals cover massive areas.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56You cannot have a sustainable, viable wolf or bear population
0:25:56 > 0:25:59in a small city forest. So we have to be connected.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04We have convinced the government to create Turkey's first
0:26:04 > 0:26:06wildlife corridor.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10Can's wildlife corridor links and connects pockets of forest -
0:26:10 > 0:26:13the bear's fragmented habitat.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17His aim is to create an unbroken 100-mile band of forest,
0:26:17 > 0:26:20stretching north all the way to the Black Sea,
0:26:20 > 0:26:23giving bears the chance to move freely and, crucially,
0:26:23 > 0:26:27spread their gene pool, which lowers their chances of extinction.
0:26:27 > 0:26:32This is an enormous environmental and conservation success, I think,
0:26:32 > 0:26:37- for Turkey, isn't it?- Yes. It's one of the few positive conservation
0:26:37 > 0:26:40stories to come out of Turkey in the past decade.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46Despite the new forest corridor,
0:26:46 > 0:26:48the bears still face serious threats.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02Can's tracking shows that while
0:27:02 > 0:27:04some bears are using the wildlife corridor,
0:27:04 > 0:27:06others have stopped migrating...
0:27:08 > 0:27:10Straight ahead, one just went over the top.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13..gathering instead at their favourite diner.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16It's the Sarikamis landfill.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18Landfill? A dump.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22The town dump is the best place to see bears.
0:27:22 > 0:27:23Look at that!
0:27:24 > 0:27:25My God!
0:27:26 > 0:27:29It's a huge, beautiful brown bear.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32Look at the size of that!
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Some of these males at this garbage dump because, you know,
0:27:35 > 0:27:37they're feeding all the time,
0:27:37 > 0:27:41they do reach grizzly sizes - up to 364 kilos.
0:27:41 > 0:27:46Wow! I can see the black shapes moving around.
0:27:46 > 0:27:51- There's...what?- The maximum count was 42.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54I personally counted 33 in one night.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57- 33, here?- Personally.- At one time?
0:27:57 > 0:27:59- Yeah, one time. - That's extraordinary.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01Yeah. So they don't migrate
0:28:01 > 0:28:03because there is food here in the rubbish dump.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05Yeah, I mean, migrating is quite...work, you know.
0:28:05 > 0:28:10A 250-kilometre round trip to eat acorns and fruit.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12I mean, why would you do that?
0:28:12 > 0:28:14So these bears have learned this behaviour.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17But there's a lot of plastic here so they swallow plastic bags along
0:28:17 > 0:28:21the way, chemicals, so it's very unhealthy.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26The bears need to migrate through
0:28:26 > 0:28:28the forest corridor and eat a healthy diet
0:28:28 > 0:28:30and spread their genes around.
0:28:30 > 0:28:34At the town dump, it's not only a dangerous diet they're getting,
0:28:34 > 0:28:35but unwanted attention.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39The locals come in. See, just local guys.
0:28:39 > 0:28:40- Sightseeing.- They want to see bears.
0:28:40 > 0:28:45It's not safe, because you get people who get out the car and I've
0:28:45 > 0:28:49even seen people taking selfies with the bears right behind them.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52People get out of their cars next to the bears?
0:28:52 > 0:28:56Yeah, and we're worried it's going to lead to an attack one day and
0:28:56 > 0:29:00the bears will be blamed for it and they will be all culled - or killed.
0:29:03 > 0:29:07About four, five years ago, we said a gate needs to be installed.
0:29:07 > 0:29:08The gate was installed the next day.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11The problem is, within three days,
0:29:11 > 0:29:14that gate that only garbage trucks could open,
0:29:14 > 0:29:17it was dismantled and thrown away.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20What I was told by the garbage-truck drivers,
0:29:20 > 0:29:23because it was too much of a hassle to get out, open the gate,
0:29:23 > 0:29:24- to close it again.- Ah, right.
0:29:24 > 0:29:28Yeah, so we just talked to the new governor of Sarikamis,
0:29:28 > 0:29:30and he totally agreed with us.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34So we're hoping there will be a gate installed, like, that's automatic,
0:29:34 > 0:29:36just for garbage trucks.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39- OK.- But it is like, you know, groundhog day.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43Every year, we tell the same thing to different people again and again
0:29:43 > 0:29:45for, like, a decade now.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50It's saddening to see these majestic bears
0:29:50 > 0:29:52scrabbling around in plastic bags.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55They are a Turkish national treasure.
0:29:55 > 0:29:59The failure of the local authority to protect them is part of a much
0:29:59 > 0:30:01bigger problem in Turkey.
0:30:01 > 0:30:05Nationally, conservation hasn't just been a low priority,
0:30:05 > 0:30:06it's been forgotten.
0:30:17 > 0:30:19It's really sad. Really disappointing.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22I think it's an area of life in Turkey
0:30:22 > 0:30:26where things really need to improve
0:30:26 > 0:30:28dramatically, drastically.
0:30:28 > 0:30:32Turkey is ranked 177th out of 180
0:30:32 > 0:30:36countries for conservation.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39Two of the only countries that come
0:30:39 > 0:30:41beneath it are Somalia and Afghanistan.
0:30:41 > 0:30:43I mean, Turkey is not doing well
0:30:43 > 0:30:45when it comes to protecting something
0:30:45 > 0:30:49that is so fundamentally wonderful about this incredible country.
0:31:16 > 0:31:21I went north towards the valleys and highlands of Turkey's Black Sea
0:31:21 > 0:31:24region and to another area of extraordinary beauty.
0:31:29 > 0:31:34I love those moments when just nature can be so stunning and brings
0:31:34 > 0:31:36a lump to your throat.
0:31:47 > 0:31:51Its deep valleys and rugged terrain has meant that this region's always
0:31:51 > 0:31:54been isolated and cut off from the rest of Turkey.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58But now, that might be about to change.
0:32:05 > 0:32:09So we think this is a relatively modest linking road,
0:32:09 > 0:32:13connecting up to what will be called the Green Road.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15It's going to be built snaking
0:32:15 > 0:32:18through the upper hills and highlands here,
0:32:18 > 0:32:20more than 1,000 miles long.
0:32:21 > 0:32:25It's the kind of grand national infrastructure project that's
0:32:25 > 0:32:31marked the leadership of Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
0:32:31 > 0:32:35It's very tricky. Part of the reason that President Erdogan is now quite
0:32:35 > 0:32:40possibly the most successful democratically elected politician in
0:32:40 > 0:32:43the world, he has won that many elections,
0:32:43 > 0:32:44is because he is building things.
0:32:44 > 0:32:46He is transforming the country.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48He's building roads,
0:32:48 > 0:32:51loads of them, and lots of people love that
0:32:51 > 0:32:53but it doesn't endear him to everyone.
0:32:55 > 0:32:59The government says the Green Road will link up isolated communities
0:32:59 > 0:33:05and encourage tourism and economic development, but some locals here are unconvinced.
0:33:05 > 0:33:09People here have a bit of a reputation - strong-minded,
0:33:09 > 0:33:11strong-willed, a bit eccentric.
0:33:13 > 0:33:17In an isolated and beautiful valley,
0:33:17 > 0:33:20Metin Akunju runs a bed-and-breakfast
0:33:20 > 0:33:21with a slight access issue.
0:33:24 > 0:33:25Lovely to meet you.
0:33:28 > 0:33:29SIMON LAUGHS
0:33:32 > 0:33:33Flipping heck.
0:33:33 > 0:33:35Metin, what on earth is this?
0:33:43 > 0:33:47What is the drop beneath your cable car?
0:34:00 > 0:34:01It turned out the crate had
0:34:01 > 0:34:03been built by a bloke in the local village.
0:34:03 > 0:34:05Right. OK.
0:34:11 > 0:34:13Oh, bloody hell.
0:34:14 > 0:34:18But Metin assured me he had designed it to take the weight of a cow.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21It all looked pretty sturdy.
0:34:21 > 0:34:22OK.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36Aargh!
0:34:39 > 0:34:40Oh, my God!
0:34:42 > 0:34:46It wobbles a bit. In a rather scary way!
0:34:55 > 0:34:59This is terrifying and awesome, all at the same time!
0:35:15 > 0:35:16Very good, Metin.
0:35:16 > 0:35:17Very good.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24What inspired you to create this system?
0:35:36 > 0:35:37Oh, my goodness.
0:35:40 > 0:35:41Oh, wow!
0:35:43 > 0:35:44Look at this.
0:35:46 > 0:35:47Ho, ho, ho!
0:35:49 > 0:35:51It's fantastic, Metin.
0:35:51 > 0:35:52Beautiful.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17COCKEREL CROWS
0:36:32 > 0:36:34Your eggs from your chickens.
0:36:36 > 0:36:37Your honey from your bees.
0:36:42 > 0:36:43From "the outside"?
0:37:19 > 0:37:22What do you mean "commercial road"?
0:37:52 > 0:37:57You think the Green Road is actually to encourage and enable mining?
0:38:12 > 0:38:14You keep living your incredible life.
0:38:14 > 0:38:16An inspiration to us all, Metin.
0:38:20 > 0:38:21- Bye-bye, Metin.- Bye-bye.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24- Are you going to send me off? - Hope to see you again, eh?
0:38:24 > 0:38:25I hope so, too.
0:38:27 > 0:38:29It is a bit tricky to get to,
0:38:29 > 0:38:32but Metin's extraordinary B&B gets five stars from me.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35Driving through these valleys,
0:38:35 > 0:38:39you do realise just how isolated the communities were
0:38:39 > 0:38:41before the arrival of roads.
0:38:41 > 0:38:46The villages are nestling in these incredibly steep valleys
0:38:46 > 0:38:48and, historically, it was very difficult, of course,
0:38:48 > 0:38:53before mobile phones, for people to communicate when they were on one
0:38:53 > 0:38:56side of the valley from their loved ones.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00But in the village up ahead, they came up with a solution.
0:39:00 > 0:39:01Kuskoy.
0:39:02 > 0:39:03We are here.
0:39:08 > 0:39:09BIRD-LIKE WHISTLING
0:39:22 > 0:39:24Mustafa still uses a language that
0:39:24 > 0:39:28is thought to have originated in these valleys hundreds of years ago.
0:39:36 > 0:39:40So just to be clear, many of you communicate here by whistling?
0:39:40 > 0:39:42HE WHISTLES
0:39:43 > 0:39:45Flipping heck!
0:39:48 > 0:39:52It's a rather beautiful sound coming out of your mouth there.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08All the way up there?
0:40:08 > 0:40:10Wow!
0:40:16 > 0:40:17Does Eren speak whistling?
0:40:17 > 0:40:19Merhaba, Eren. Merhaba.
0:40:22 > 0:40:24HE WHISTLES
0:40:27 > 0:40:30HE WHISTLES
0:40:32 > 0:40:35SHE WHISTLES
0:40:35 > 0:40:38HE WHISTLES
0:40:42 > 0:40:45WHISTLING
0:40:50 > 0:40:52It felt like time to go.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59Just to the north, I reach Turkey's Black Sea coast.
0:41:01 > 0:41:05The most powerful figure in recent Turkish history, President Erdogan,
0:41:05 > 0:41:07grew up around here.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10Huge posters glorifying him are everywhere.
0:41:10 > 0:41:14I can't stress enough what a significant figure he is
0:41:14 > 0:41:16in modern Turkey.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18He's a political colossus here.
0:41:19 > 0:41:23But Erdogan isn't the first controversial charismatic politician
0:41:23 > 0:41:25to dominate Turkey.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27I headed to the nation's capital.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32The city of Ankara became Turkey's seat of government
0:41:32 > 0:41:37when the nation was founded in the 1920s by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40His mausoleum still draws millions of Turks today.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43I mean, this is incredible.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47Look at the scale of this.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53All for one man.
0:41:53 > 0:41:54MILITARY DRILL COMMAND
0:41:58 > 0:42:02Ataturk, the father of the nation, closed Islamic schools,
0:42:02 > 0:42:03gave votes to women
0:42:03 > 0:42:07and aggressively insisted Turkey should be a secular state.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10Most Turks, but especially secular Turks,
0:42:10 > 0:42:12still revere Ataturk.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25The military here have long been seen
0:42:25 > 0:42:28as the ultimate defenders of Ataturk's ideals.
0:42:28 > 0:42:30They've launched a series of coups,
0:42:30 > 0:42:33particularly when they thought a government has become too Islamic.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37Now President Erdogan's ruling party
0:42:37 > 0:42:39is openly Islamic.
0:42:40 > 0:42:42He thought he had the military under control,
0:42:42 > 0:42:46but then, in 2016, a faction within the military launched another coup.
0:42:50 > 0:42:52So this is the Turkish parliament building.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56On the night of the failed coup,
0:42:56 > 0:42:59several dozen MPs, Members of Parliament, lawmakers,
0:42:59 > 0:43:01took shelter inside the building,
0:43:01 > 0:43:03partly as sanctuary and partially to defend it,
0:43:03 > 0:43:07because they could hear gunfire in the streets around.
0:43:07 > 0:43:08And while they were inside,
0:43:08 > 0:43:11a Turkish Air Force fighter bomber came over
0:43:11 > 0:43:13and tried to bomb the building.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18Can you imagine how bizarre that would be
0:43:18 > 0:43:20if you transposed that attack,
0:43:20 > 0:43:22that event, to London or Washington?
0:43:22 > 0:43:25What an assault on democracy that would be.
0:43:27 > 0:43:29The coup attempt was defeated.
0:43:29 > 0:43:31Erdogan emerged as a hero,
0:43:31 > 0:43:34a defender of democracy.
0:43:34 > 0:43:35People rallied to him.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38He blamed the coup on the secretive Gulen movement,
0:43:38 > 0:43:40led by a US-based Turkish preacher.
0:43:42 > 0:43:43A state of emergency was declared
0:43:43 > 0:43:46and a massive round-up of suspects began.
0:43:48 > 0:43:51It's since become a purge on an incredible scale.
0:43:51 > 0:43:53Tens of thousands, including army officers
0:43:53 > 0:43:55but also journalists, teachers and doctors
0:43:55 > 0:43:58have been arrested, detained or sacked.
0:43:59 > 0:44:00I'm trying to meet up with somebody
0:44:00 > 0:44:04who's been caught up in the purge.
0:44:04 > 0:44:06But we can't meet too openly,
0:44:06 > 0:44:09so we've come to a location outside the city.
0:44:09 > 0:44:12Hopefully, she's going to turn up.
0:44:15 > 0:44:19I'm meeting one of the few brave enough to speak out.
0:44:19 > 0:44:21She was suspended as a teacher without warning.
0:44:21 > 0:44:24- Nice to meet you. - Lovely to meet you, too.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26TRANSLATION:
0:44:34 > 0:44:36She denies any link to the plotters.
0:44:52 > 0:44:54So why do you think, then,
0:44:54 > 0:44:58that you have been targeted and suspended from your job?
0:45:32 > 0:45:34Some say the purge is a legitimate reaction
0:45:34 > 0:45:36to a secret, dangerous organisation.
0:45:36 > 0:45:40Others fear it's being used to crush all opposition to Erdogan.
0:45:41 > 0:45:43He's elected and has huge support,
0:45:43 > 0:45:47but some commentators now believe he wants to keep power for ever,
0:45:47 > 0:45:50even taking the country down a path towards dictatorship,
0:45:50 > 0:45:54while also shifting Turkey to become a fully Islamic nation,
0:45:54 > 0:45:56governed by religious principles and laws.
0:45:57 > 0:45:59They point to the enhanced role of the Diyanet,
0:45:59 > 0:46:03the government department responsible for religious affairs,
0:46:03 > 0:46:05as evidence of this new direction.
0:46:05 > 0:46:08I think I'm about to get as close as I will
0:46:08 > 0:46:11to the heart of power and influence in this country.
0:46:13 > 0:46:15I'm off to meet the man who's been described
0:46:15 > 0:46:17as the calm power in Turkey.
0:46:19 > 0:46:21The Diyanet is the religious authority
0:46:21 > 0:46:25that oversees Turkey's 85,000 mosques.
0:46:25 > 0:46:28It writes the crucial Friday sermons.
0:46:28 > 0:46:29The Diyanet is central to the lives
0:46:29 > 0:46:32of millions of people in this country,
0:46:32 > 0:46:34even if they don't know it.
0:46:34 > 0:46:35Under President Erdogan's rule,
0:46:35 > 0:46:39the budget of the Diyanet has quadrupled during the past decade.
0:46:39 > 0:46:41It's powerful and influential.
0:46:42 > 0:46:45I met the boss, Professor Mehmet Gormez.
0:46:45 > 0:46:46- Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you, too.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49- Nice to see you.- Thank you. - Thank you.- That's lovely.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52- Thank you so much. - Thank you. Tesekkur.- OK.
0:46:52 > 0:46:53- Tesekkur ederim. - Tesekkur ederim, yes.
0:46:53 > 0:46:56- It's OK?- Yes.- Yes.- Thank you. It's OK.
0:46:56 > 0:46:58I've been practising. All right.
0:46:58 > 0:47:03So, Professor, I would really like to try and understand
0:47:03 > 0:47:08the direction that Turkey is taking.
0:47:08 > 0:47:09TRANSLATION:
0:48:00 > 0:48:04'President Erdogan has said women can't be treated equally to men,
0:48:04 > 0:48:07'and that, as good Turks, they should have at least three children.
0:48:07 > 0:48:09'But the professor was keen to stress
0:48:09 > 0:48:11'Turkey's more liberal Islamic values.'
0:48:38 > 0:48:39'In the Islamic world,
0:48:39 > 0:48:42'Turkey's always been a more tolerant moderate voice
0:48:42 > 0:48:45'than ultra-conservative countries like Saudi Arabia.'
0:48:46 > 0:48:50President Erdogan has said that Turkey is the hope
0:48:50 > 0:48:52of the Islamic world.
0:48:52 > 0:48:56In the Middle East, we've seen areas that are in complete turmoil.
0:48:56 > 0:49:01Does the Diyanet have a role to play in guiding and inspiring Muslims
0:49:01 > 0:49:03around the world?
0:49:29 > 0:49:31I thought that was really interesting.
0:49:33 > 0:49:38I'm not looking to airbrush out the problems of this country,
0:49:38 > 0:49:41from the treatment of minorities and women
0:49:41 > 0:49:43to human rights abuses,
0:49:43 > 0:49:45the quashing of free speech.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48There are terrible things happening here,
0:49:48 > 0:49:50and yet, in many of the neighbouring countries,
0:49:50 > 0:49:51in this part of the world,
0:49:51 > 0:49:54things are much, much worse.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57I really hope Turkey as a nation
0:49:57 > 0:50:00can deliver on the high morals
0:50:00 > 0:50:02that he said this country embodies.
0:50:04 > 0:50:06'Below the offices of the Diyanet...'
0:50:06 > 0:50:08Looks like I'm going down to the car park.
0:50:08 > 0:50:09'..work is already well under way
0:50:09 > 0:50:13'to spread Turkey's religious messages and values -
0:50:13 > 0:50:14'around the globe.'
0:50:14 > 0:50:16Look at this!
0:50:16 > 0:50:19So this is Diyanet TV.
0:50:20 > 0:50:22Here, brand-spanking-new,
0:50:22 > 0:50:24state-of-the-art television and radio stations
0:50:24 > 0:50:26broadcast 24 hours a day.
0:50:29 > 0:50:31Oh, my goodness. Look, it's the gallery.
0:50:34 > 0:50:37'Critics complain the Diyanet is the religious mouthpiece
0:50:37 > 0:50:39'for a president intent on creating
0:50:39 > 0:50:42'a more conservative, authoritarian nation.'
0:50:42 > 0:50:47They get seven million viewers here in Turkey alone.
0:50:47 > 0:50:49They have YouTube videos up
0:50:49 > 0:50:53that are watched by more than 25 million people,
0:50:53 > 0:50:56so there's a lot of influence coming from this room
0:50:56 > 0:50:57through the channels.
0:50:57 > 0:50:59President Erdogan's supporters say
0:50:59 > 0:51:02this is for the majority of Turks who are religious,
0:51:02 > 0:51:05and they claim it allows the moderate values of Turkey
0:51:05 > 0:51:07to be broadcast around the Islamic world.
0:51:10 > 0:51:12It can be hard to get a handle on Turkey.
0:51:12 > 0:51:15Is it European or Middle Eastern?
0:51:15 > 0:51:16Religious or liberal?
0:51:16 > 0:51:18Perhaps it's a bit of both.
0:51:18 > 0:51:24For decades, people have been wondering and worrying about Turkey.
0:51:24 > 0:51:27And they've encouraged and pressed the Turks
0:51:27 > 0:51:30to make a choice between the East and the West,
0:51:30 > 0:51:34between being part of Europe or part of the Middle East.
0:51:34 > 0:51:37And most people said that Turkey needed to choose,
0:51:37 > 0:51:38it needed to make a decision,
0:51:38 > 0:51:41but the sense I have, the strong sense I have,
0:51:41 > 0:51:43is that Turkey's going to do something different.
0:51:44 > 0:51:47Turkey is not going to choose East or West.
0:51:47 > 0:51:49Turkey is going to choose its own destiny,
0:51:49 > 0:51:51it's going to take its own path.
0:51:51 > 0:51:52And that really matters,
0:51:52 > 0:51:55because Turkey is powerful and it is influential.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58Both in terms of religion and faith,
0:51:58 > 0:52:01but politically, militarily, and through culture as well,
0:52:01 > 0:52:03as I hope I'm about to see.
0:52:15 > 0:52:18Turkey hasn't been so key to global affairs
0:52:18 > 0:52:21since the time this land was ruled by the Ottomans -
0:52:21 > 0:52:25part of the greatest Islamic empire the world has ever seen.
0:52:26 > 0:52:28Under President Erdogan,
0:52:28 > 0:52:32the popularity of the all-powerful Ottoman sultans,
0:52:32 > 0:52:34grand rulers, has soared.
0:52:34 > 0:52:36Perhaps that's no coincidence.
0:52:36 > 0:52:39The Turks are calling it Ottomania.
0:52:39 > 0:52:40Look at this!
0:52:43 > 0:52:44Merhaba.
0:52:45 > 0:52:47All very normal.
0:52:47 > 0:52:49I don't know why they're looking at us
0:52:49 > 0:52:50like we're out of place.
0:52:50 > 0:52:51Exactly! Yeah, they are.
0:53:02 > 0:53:05This is Magnificent Century: Kosem,
0:53:05 > 0:53:08a huge period costume drama
0:53:08 > 0:53:11set within the sultans' royal palace.
0:53:11 > 0:53:14You might have missed it, but it's broadcast to the world,
0:53:14 > 0:53:16watched in prime time in scores of countries
0:53:16 > 0:53:19and making lead actors like Farah Zeynep Abdullah -
0:53:19 > 0:53:23who partly grew up in Maidenhead - global superstars.
0:53:23 > 0:53:25You're a big star...
0:53:25 > 0:53:27- Thank you.- ..in a mega-drama.
0:53:27 > 0:53:31Your one goes out to a quarter of the world.
0:53:31 > 0:53:33- Yeah. Wow!- A quarter of the world!
0:53:33 > 0:53:34It does, yeah.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37Scary. What role do you play?
0:53:37 > 0:53:38I play Faria,
0:53:38 > 0:53:42who is a Hungarian princess
0:53:42 > 0:53:44and a warrior at the same time,
0:53:44 > 0:53:47- so she's a... - You're a warrior Hungarian princess.
0:53:47 > 0:53:48- Yeah.- That's pretty cool.
0:53:50 > 0:53:54This drama is even popular in conservative Islamic countries,
0:53:54 > 0:53:56where the strong female characters
0:53:56 > 0:53:59have become heroines, and even role models.
0:54:00 > 0:54:03I'm just admiring your empire.
0:54:03 > 0:54:04The show was the brainchild
0:54:04 > 0:54:06of executive producer Timur Savci.
0:54:07 > 0:54:10TRANSLATION:
0:54:34 > 0:54:36Timur's drama has even been blamed
0:54:36 > 0:54:38for rising divorce rates.
0:54:50 > 0:54:53You've created an incredible world.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14Have you heard about this?
0:55:14 > 0:55:19Men have been coming, from some of the Gulf states, to Istanbul,
0:55:19 > 0:55:24to get their moustaches cosmetically enhanced
0:55:24 > 0:55:27so they can look like a sultan.
0:55:27 > 0:55:28Is this true?
0:55:28 > 0:55:30- Yes.- Unbelievable!
0:55:33 > 0:55:35You're not going to believe this.
0:55:35 > 0:55:37I'm getting roped in to the production.
0:55:41 > 0:55:42What do you think?
0:55:43 > 0:55:46- So...- Hey.- It's a tricky moment.
0:55:46 > 0:55:47I rather like it.
0:55:47 > 0:55:49It's not a difficult part.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54- Are you seriously saying I have to say a line?- Yes.- In Turkish?
0:55:54 > 0:56:01THEY SPEAK IN TURKISH
0:56:04 > 0:56:07HE SPEAKS IN TURKISH
0:56:07 > 0:56:08Sorry to interrupt,
0:56:08 > 0:56:11but they're ready and they're there waiting for us.
0:56:11 > 0:56:12We can practise over there.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15Wow. OK. Thank you very much.
0:56:15 > 0:56:17HE PRACTISES HIS LINE
0:56:26 > 0:56:30You cannot act but you must stay like this.
0:56:30 > 0:56:32Yeah, OK.
0:56:32 > 0:56:33Right hand over to the left.
0:56:36 > 0:56:40THEY PRACTISE LINES
0:56:43 > 0:56:45I've forgotten the words!
0:56:50 > 0:56:51Bloody hell.
0:57:19 > 0:57:21(That was all right.)
0:57:24 > 0:57:25- Perfect.- Oh! No.
0:57:30 > 0:57:32My coach, my mentor.
0:57:32 > 0:57:36This is a huge Turkish success story.
0:57:36 > 0:57:39A project with a massive audience,
0:57:39 > 0:57:42a global reach that promotes a powerful story
0:57:42 > 0:57:44and strong characters.
0:57:44 > 0:57:47It is a lot of fun to be just a tiny, tiny part of it.
0:57:53 > 0:57:55I headed back to Istanbul,
0:57:55 > 0:57:58where the real-life palaces of the former Ottoman sultans
0:57:58 > 0:58:00and the magnificent mosques they built
0:58:00 > 0:58:02still draw millions of visitors.
0:58:05 > 0:58:08This is close to where my journey around Turkey began,
0:58:08 > 0:58:10and it's where it ends.
0:58:11 > 0:58:13I do feel that my travels in this country
0:58:13 > 0:58:16have shown me many of the huge problems and issues
0:58:16 > 0:58:18that Turkey is facing -
0:58:18 > 0:58:21and nobody should deny they exist -
0:58:21 > 0:58:23but I do also think this journey
0:58:23 > 0:58:26has shown me much of what's best about this great country.