In the Taurus Mountains Simon stays with descendants of the original Turks, nomads known as Yoruks, whose lifestyle is under threat from the modern world and an increasingly religious government. They're not the only minority at odds with the authorities in Turkey; Simon sees first-hand the devastating effects of fighting in the country's Kurdish region. In an area where the government has detained foreign journalists, Simon gathers unique footage in the aftermath of a crackdown on Kurdish militants - the wholesale destruction of the historic centre of one of Turkey's oldest cities. Away from the conflict in the south, Simon heads towards the Black Sea coast. He meets a wildlife conservationist protecting Turkey's population of brown bears, and villagers who still communicate over long distances using an ancient bird language. In the country's capital he meets a victim of President Erdogan's authoritarian purge of people accused of complicity in the failed coup against him. Finally Simon's journey comes full circle when he returns to Istanbul - home to the new craze of 'Ottomania', a celebration of the vast empire that preceded modern Turkey. Simon visits the set of one of the world's most popular TV dramas - even getting a speaking role - based in the court of an Ottoman sultan
An ancient piece of corroded metal is more than it seems: an alien-looking device of intricate dials and cogs; there are over 30 gears inside and some gears have up to 65 teeth on them. Using cutting-edge imaging technology, experts examine what could actually be a 2,000-year-old computer. How can an ancient Roman cup change colour? It's not an optical illusion. It really does change colour from red to green.
The Phaistos Disc is one of the greatest mysteries of the Bronze Age. A strange 3,000-year-old relic found in an ancient Minoan palace marked with enigmatic images that no one has ever managed to decode. But now, using cutting-edge technology, experts might finally reveal its secrets. How can this corroded scrap of metal change the history of a continent? And is this dead woman's face the most kissed in history?
The jeweled-encrusted pectoral of King Tut is a hieroglyphic artefact of stunning craftsmanship and one of the greatest treasures of the pharaohs. Was this ancient glass scarab in Tutankhamun's tomb created by forces from beyond our world? Using new research and the latest tech, experts confront the ancient mystery of its flawless glass scarab. Is a 4,000 year old clay tablet the original instruction manual for Noah's ark? And how can a bizarre red moon rock contain signs of life?
An unassuming 80-year-old device that has the appearance of a typewriter could actually be one of the greatest secret weapons in history. Using cutting-edge digital technology, experts investigate the secrets of a revolutionary encryption machine. How could there be a carving of a modern helicopter on an ancient Egyptian inscription? can this 800-year-old device covered in strange sayings really predict the future?
Feast your eyes on a reconstruction of the mega-city and its amazing buildings. Alexandria, built in the middle of rancid marshland, had become in less than a century, the greatest city of the Mediterranean. An ideal position at the crossroads of east and west, and one that brought her great riches. Huge, modern, gleaming white and cosmopolitan, like no other in antiquity, it created its own identity. While the beauty of its planning, its great arteries, its temples and its ports would be equalled only by its openness to the rest of the world. And the monumental achievements of its sovereigns, still shrouded in mystery, we'll never cease to fire our imagination for millennia to come.
Away from the conflict in the south, Simon heads towards the Black Sea coast. He meets a wildlife conservationist protecting Turkey's population of brown bears, and villagers who still communicate over long distances using an ancient bird language. In the country's capital he meets a victim of President Erdogan's authoritarian purge of people accused of complicity in the failed coup against him.
Finally Simon's journey comes full circle when he returns to Istanbul - home to the new craze of 'Ottomania', a celebration of the vast empire that preceded modern Turkey. Simon visits the set of one of the world's most popular TV dramas - even getting a speaking role - based in the court of an Ottoman sultan