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, Musta
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 minarets just 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, i 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. Everyones scarpering out of the way. Its a really nice w
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. 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
Of this place, Istanbul Modern. Im in turkeys biggest city, istanbul. In many ways, the story of istanbul is the story of the Bosphorus Strait, the waterway that divides the city and has made it a key Meeting Place for centuries. The brand new home of Istanbul Modern acknowledges this with an impressive open plan ground floor that connects the city with the water. And ive been given special access to the museum as the team make final preparations ahead of its opening. Any new museum needs a gifted architect to create it. And in the italian renzo piano, Istanbul Modern has hired one of the best. Because pianos renowned internationally for his elegant structures, such as londons shard, and cultural buildings, from the pompidou in paris to the whitney in new york, are his speciality. Which is why im so excited that hes agreed to guide me, via a video call, around his latest creation. Hello. I would love to get a sense. How do you approach designing a building like this . The first thing i