This week, im in turkey, where theyre gearing up for the countrys 100th Anniversary. Rising from the remains of the Ottoman Empire a century ago, turkey inherited a disparate group of cultures and began a process of rapid modernisation under its founder, ataturk. Im travelling the country to understand how all of these diverse cultures were brought together. From the Burial Grounds of the god kings of ancient anatolia. To the turquoise coast, where Queen Cleopatra is claimed to have once bathed. To an original ottoman coffee house in gaziantep, and the hotel frequented by the founder of the republic here in istanbul. Welcome to turkey. Ship horn blares. Now this has to be the best possible way to arrive in istanbul down the mighty bosphorus. Its this body of water that separates the city but also separates continents. And look at that, that silhouette with the domes, the minaretsjust popping up above the horizon. That is dolmabahce palace. Thats where the founder of the republic, Mustafa Kemal ataturk, set about the business of transforming turkey. And from the past to the present, this is taksim district, the heart of modern istanbul. Getting an ice cream in turkey seems like a bit of an extreme sport. I mean, its very. Its for you. She laughs. One vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, pistachio. Tram bell dings. These european style heritage trams have their roots back in 1871, when they were horse powered and later became electric. I love a tram. Thats notjust because im from melbourne. Something quite nice about the pace of it and also, going right through the middle of the city. Everyone� s scarpering out of the way. Its a really nice way to see a new place. Thank you. Youre welcome. Next stop for me, the pera palace hotel, where ataturk often stayed before he took up official residence at the dolmabahce palace. Good morning. Morning. Welcome. My guide sebnem altin is going to show me around the hotel. And here is the room, 101, where ataturk used to say. Where ataturk used to stay. I mean, the man himself. This room became a museum at the 100th Anniversary of ataturks birthday. They bought things that belonged to him from auction, such as his coffee cups, some of his pictures, as you can see here. And he was known to be a very chic man. He cared a lot about what he wears. So here. Sharp dresser. Oh, he was sharp dresser. Mustafa kemal ataturk is the founder of republic of turkey and he is the man who gave independence to turkish people. He managed to not only defeat the occupying powers, but also the occupying greek forces. And he is still the hero of people who value democracy, independence, science, secularism. Ataturk can be considered a controversialfigure by some people. Yes. Tell me a bit about that complex legacy. When he abolished the caliphate, for some people, this was him going towards a path that wasnt as religious. And we had the exchange of populations between greece and turkey. What does the 100th Anniversary mean to you . He said, one day my body will be just earth, but this republic of yours will continue forever. And that makes me so happy. And now im off to shop in an incredible venue that was around a long, long time before ataturk. This is the grand bazaar, the mother of all shopping malls. It dates back to the 15th century. And theres a really good reason why it was built here in istanbul, because this was the centre of the Ottoman Empire. So you had spices and almost Everything Else from over three continents coming right here. She laughs. I mean, these guys in some cases have been here for years and years and theyve really got the gift of the gab. They know how to get you through their door. This might be a bit difficult to pack in my bag. Ship horn blares. Galata bridge has long been viewed as the link between the old city of istanbul and its modern districts. Its a glorious, sunny day, so its not surprising to find people on the bridge fishing. And local Fisherman Mehmet is going to show me how its done. All right. Shall we . So now we go again. I hold, hold here. Oh, no drops. Ah, there we go. Yes. Whoa oh, weve got something weve got something go, mehmet. Yes weve done well. They both laugh. Oh, no. Come back, come back. Istanbul is a city that really wears its influences on its sleeve. You see this amazing diversity. Youve got the ottoman mosques, youve got the modern buildings. All of this comes together to really tell the story of the city. Although istanbul is a big tourist destination, most people head to turkey for a week or two of sun, sea and sand, so im off tojoin them. Hello from alanya on turkeys turquoise coast. And what better place to start than with this . Tourism in turkey has boomed in recent years, turning it into one of the top ten most visited countries in the world. Oh, i love a cable car. This region is home to some of the most beautiful coastline where you can swim and sunbathe from spring all the way to mid october. This is cleopatra beach, named after the legendary egyptian queen. And legend has it that she herself used to bathe in these waters. So who am i to argue . A cave is a kind of unusual place to be meeting a doctor. But i promise theres a reason. Hello. Im christa. Its nice to meet you. Thank you so much. This is the damlatas cave. Tourism here steadily grew as people came to hear about the alleged Healing Powers of the damlatas cave. And dr mehmet cam has agreed to show me around. Look at this. And so humid immediately. Only 95. 95 humidity. Yes, humidity. Oh, my goodness. Yeah, you can feel. Its like walking into a bath. 22 degrees all the year the same humidity and same temperature. What is it about the atmosphere that helps these patients . Is this treatment considered quite radical . I think its right for people to be sceptical about alternative therapies, that makes sense. It was quite compelling to hear the stories of the people down there, and i must say. I do feel quite refreshed. Eight hours east of alanya is the ninth biggest city in turkey, famous for its copper work and culinary prowess. Welcome to gaziantep, known as antep to the locals. This city in South Central turkey is off the well worn turkey tourist trail. But at First Impressions really shouldnt be. In the middle ages, this city was an important stronghold, and it changed hands between a variety of different dynasties before eventually being absorbed into the Ottoman Empire in the early 16th century. Gaziantep was 23 miles from the epicentre of the horrendous earthquake that devastated parts of turkey and nearby syria in february, and it was affected. And you can see here this watchtower that was built during the roman era has partially collapsed and its already under restoration. Luckily, though, this place survived. Its one of the oldest known ottoman Coffeehouses Dating back to 1635, unbelievably. And im told these days its the place to come and soak up some local atmosphere and try some of the best coffee in town. The owner mehmet is going to show me how they prepare their prized coffees. Merhaba. She laughs. The coffee is first boiled in a turkish coffee pot called a cezve. Ah, 0k. And then it gets a little hat. Oh, thank you. Thats amazing. Thats perfect. Shall i have a little. . Ill have a little taste. I think i should. Oh, that is delicious. Oh, the master. Perfect. Thank you very much. So what makes this coffee different . 0h, 0k. So this is, this is kind of the ottoman blend. Theres a real complexity to the flavour. This is delicious. Its said coffee arrived in turkey from yemen with travelling merchants back in the 16th century. Due to its stimulating effect, it was forbidden in 1511 by conservative imams, but the ban was lifted 13 years later. Band plays jaunty local tune. Now, i also really wanted to try a pistachio coffee. Oh, this is my favourite. Oh oh oh that is delicious. There is a more famous use of pistachios in turkey aside from the pistachio coffee. And that is, of course, the traditional sweet and sticky dessert baklava. But its gaziantep thats become known for its pistachio baklava, the most famous baklava in turkey. So im on my way to a pistachio farm because, guess what . Its harvesting season. She laughs. So hang on, these are pistachios . These ones here . Pistachios are supposed to be green. Shall we . Down the hatch. Oh, its very subtle, isnt it . Tractor engine rumbles distant chatting and laughter. The exact origin of baklava is disputed. Shared international histories are reflected in its recipes, with each providing a local flair to an ancient dessert. But it was the baklava from gaziantep that was given protected status in 2014 by the european commission. This is quite a reward for all my hard work. All of this baklava contains pistachios and looks so delicious. Oh, my goodness. Look at this. Its gooey. 0h 0h. Mm. Oh, its so good. She giggles. I was only going to have one or maybe two, but im not going to stop. The pistachios are falling out of this one. Im in heaven, absolutely. This could be the best day of my life. I came to turkey knowing i loved istanbul, but gaziantep has unexpectedly completely stolen my heart. I mean, its known for pistachios, coffee and baklava. Whats not to love . If you want my travel tip, come here in august, september, when the pistachios are at their freshest and tastiest. Im on my way to mount nemrut, one of the highest peaks in the eastern side of the taurus mountains. And tomorrow morning, im going to strap on my hiking boots and trek up to the summit to discover a different side of turkish history, far more ancient than the Ottoman Empire. She whispers morning. Its 3 36 am. And it feels like it. The footing isnt difficult because weve got this beautiful, modern, paved path. But it follows the ceremonial route used by people climbing this mountain back to the First Century bc under the stars. Im meant to be meeting my guide up here. Hello, christa. How are you . Im very well. Is this the summit up here . Are we nearly there . Yes, we are almost there. Amazing. Lets go. Dr Emine Yesim Bedlek has been guiding tourists around turkeys archaeological sites for years. And shes the perfect person to show me around this mountain. Who are these guys . These are actual gods and also a Goddess Symbolising the kingdom and the fertility of the kingdom. And also King Antiochus i. 0k. I need to ask you more about him. Yes. I want to know, though, where are their heads . Their heads are down because of the natural disasters. So no one came and. No one. 0k. Well, thats good so tell me about mount nemrut. What do i need to know . Two archaeologists arrive here, karl sester and Otto Puchstein in 1881. And when they first arrived here, they were shocked because they were expecting to see assyrian monuments. And then they realised that actually there is something very different and actually greek and persian cultures are uniting in mount nemrut. Wow. So creating something unique . Yeah, something unique. This religious sanctuary shows the Greek Gods Zeus and apollo and hercules the hero with greek faces but Persian Clothing and hairstyling. Alongside these composite deities is antiochus i, the king of the commagene empire. Its a small empire. It survived for 234 years on the western part of the euphrates river. During his reign, the kingdom was very, very rich, so he was the most powerful. They have the golden age. King antiochus i wanted to show his richness and his power. So hes like a godlike figure. So this whole thing is really a statement of power. Yeah, a statement of power. He wanted to be unforgettable, you know . Aha. Yes. Well, i mean, were not forgetting him today. Yes. And luckily, his head survived as well. Why did they need to merge greek and persian cultures . King antiochus, his mother was a greek and his father was a persian. 0k. And also this kingdom was a small kingdom in between two great powers persia in the east and roman empire, actually, in the west. Thats why they try to, you know, have a balance in political affairs. Isnt that fascinating . Because, of course, were coming up to the 100th Anniversary of the turkish republic, where ataturk famously brought people together and forged this sense of turkish identity. It seems like this has been a pattern going back an awfully long way. Yes. Actually he unified this multi ethnic country because it was a microcosm of Ottoman Empire. And he said that whoever feels turk, you know, and will be a turk, you know. Ive been travelling around this country trying to understand the significance of this 100th Anniversary of the turkish republic. But what ive come to see is that while its an important milestone, this past century is just a Blink Of An Eye in the long and incredibly rich history of this land. Hello there. The first thing to say is that theres no prolonged spell of dry weather on the way just yet. Indeed, over the next few days, as we pull in milder air on a south to south westerly wind so were going to find some further spells of rain on some more Weather Fronts. And weve seen cloud and rain pushing in it from the west during saturday continuing through Saturday Night so that by the time we get into sunday morning, weve got the rain still across the midlands and eastern parts of england. It should move away fairly quickly. So, its an improving sort of day on sunday, with the cloud breaking, sunny spells coming through, a few showers here and there, mainly for the northern half of the uk, and they could well be a little heavy later on. But its milder air that were moving into on sunday. Temperatures will be higher across the board by Something Like three or four degrees, compared with saturday. And in that milder air on sunday night, were going to find a couple of weakening Weather Fronts moving eastwards across the uk. They wont bring much rain at all and once that moves away, so well see the cloud breaking, sunshine coming through many places dry for a while on monday, but the next Weather System is arriving in from the atlantic, bringing rain, particularly into Northern Ireland, strengthening the winds here through the irish sea and into western most parts of scotland. But because its a southerly wind, those temperatures are going to be above normal for the time of year. Winds coming then from a long way south, lifting those temperatures, but bringing the threat of some further spells of rain ahead of this next Weather System, which will bring some rain overnight, mainly for the northern half of the uk and then clear away northwards with the low on tuesday. A few showers will follow and then the cloud should break up. Many places will become dry. But weve got this rain hanging about here along the south of england, particularly in the south west. Those temperatures arent changing too much, so were still sitting at 15 or 16 degrees. Quite a bit of uncertainty, though, perhaps as we head into wednesday because the weather is slowing down. Weve got a wave forming along the weather front, an area of low pressure, natural, actualfact, which slows it all down. And well see The Rain Moving back northwards again across the uk, maybe bringing some snow to the scottish mountains. Dont take those details too literally. Things could change a bit. At the moment, it looks a bit drier for Northern Ireland and also across the south east of england. And we may not get too much rain here because the wetter weather is going to pull away out into the north sea and away by the time we get to thursday, allowing the next Weather System to come in from the atlantic, together with some stronger winds. Now, the winds on thursday to begin with at least will be light still, and then we get the winds picking up in the north and west, together with some patchy rain coming in from the atlantic to the southeast, still looking generally dry, and temperatures peaking at 15 degrees. Now, as we head to the end of the week, it looks like its going to be turning quite windy, but the Wind Direction changing and were going to push away that mild air, things are going to be a bit colder, i think, by the end of the week and into the start of the weekend. Low pressure to the north of the uk. The Jet Stream Position here will dip to the south, allowing that colder air to come in. And then as we head into the start of the following week, the jet moves back to the north again, steers areas of low pressure to the north of the uk so Northern Areas seeing most of the rain and we may briefly start to see that milder weather returning. But things still unsettled certainly for the outlook. Live from london this is bbc news. The brother of diana, princess of wales, tells the bbc about how he and his sister were punished violently as children by one of their nannies. I dont think we realised that that was wrong. We knew it was painful, we knew it was something that we wanted to avoid, but i think children dont know morality, necessarily, at that stage. As the first ship bringing aid to gaza unloads its supplies, there are hopes talks for a ceasefire could resume on sunday. And Vaughan Gething is set to succeed Mark Drakeford as the first minister of wales making him the first black leader of any european country. Hello, im anjana gadgil. Princess dianas brother, charles spencer, has told the bbc that he and his sister suffered violent punishments at home by a nanny referred to as nanny forster. He said the punishments were painful and really hurt, adding that violence against children damages them, whatever family they are born into. Charles spencer also said the press attention suffered by his sister was more dangerous than the scrutiny currently being faced by catherine, the current princess of wales