the women of the near east, i'm in turkey's largest city, istanbul. looking at the collection of orientalist art here at the pera museum, i've discovered how the west's fascination with the east resulted in art that subtly — and sometimes not so subtly — asserted a sense of superiority. i'm meeting istanbul—based artist ardan ozmenoglu, who's inspired by orientalism. she wants to show me the works here that captivate her the most. ardan, i think this is an unbelievably intriguing picture. in part, that's because of its date, which is very prominently painted in the top left hand corner. 1654. so this is a 17th century painting of an oriental scene. but one thing that strikes me immediately is that you've got these two bands to the painting. do you have a sense how we're meant to read it? yeah. at the bottom part of it is welcoming scene. a guest is coming to the harem, and up side of the painting is more like what they do in the harem. at the corner, the painter wrote that ottoman ladies are not allowed to leave their houses. that's why they invite friends to their homes, and they spend their time in their houses. i see. so i guess it stands at the start