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Byzantium – A Tale of Three Cities episode 3: Simon discovers surprises in Istanbul as it rose to become the imperial capital and Islam‘s most powerful city. Visiting the great mosques and palaces built by the Ottoman emperors, he tells the stories behind them – of royal concubines, murderous bodyguards and sultans both the powerful and the depraved.     He shows how the Christians, Muslims and Jews of the city once co-existed before the waves of nationalist rebellions brought the Ottoman empire to its knees. In the 20th century the ancient capital was once more transformed by the new […]

Byzantium – A Tale of Three Cities episode 2: In the second episode he explores modern Istanbul in search of the last desperate centuries of Christian Byzantium, in which the once glorious city was buffeted by enemies from both east and west and yet still produced a golden artistic renaissance. This is story of the Christian crusaders who destroyed the city, and the Ottoman Muslims who restored it to life as an imperial capital after the epic siege of 1453.      Series in which historian Simon Sebag Montefiore traces the sacred history of Istanbul. Known as the ‘city

Byzantium – A Tale of Three Cities episode 1 : Simon Sebag Montefiore charts the rise of Istanbul from pagan trading post to capital of three empires and two religions, becoming not only holy but the most coveted city in the world.     Simon Sebag Montefiore traces the sacred history of Istanbul. Known as the ‘city of the world’s desire’, it’s a place that has been the focus of passion for believers of three different faiths – Paganism, Christianity and Islam – and for nearly 3,000 years its streets have been the battleground for some of the fiercest political