About this season
Professor Alice Roberts takes a train ride that covers 600 years of the Ottoman Empire. Her mission is to learn about this vast empire that started with a dream in the 14th century.
Episodes (5)
1. The Whirling Dervishes
Aired 26 October 2024 • 47 min
Alice Roberts starts her Ottoman adventure in Adana. She visits a historic mosque and learns about the origins of Turkish delight. She then takes a train across the Taurus Mountains to Konya.
2. A Tale of Two Cities
Aired 2 November 2024 • 47 min
Alice Roberts is on a train to Ankara on her Ottoman adventure. She visits the tomb of Ataturk who saw out the end of the empire. Next, a train to the tomb of Osman, the empire's founder, in Bursa.
3. Ships in the Night
Aired 9 November 2024 • 47 min
Alice Roberts arrives in Istanbul and delves into the ingenious strategies employed by the Ottomans to capture the city from Roman control.
4. Controlling Europe
Aired 16 November 2024 • 47 min
Entering the Balkans by sleeper train, Alice Roberts visits Bulgaria's capital Sofia. She learns how Istanbul controls the empire and how the landscape is almost entirely Soviet.
5. Choosing the Wrong Side
Aired 23 November 2024 • 47 min
In her final train journey, Alice Roberts travels to Budapest to explore the Ottoman Empire's western front and understand its eventual collapse.