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The Whirling Dervishes

Episode number: 1

Overview: 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.

A Tale of Two Cities

Episode number: 2

Overview: 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.

Ships in the Night

Episode number: 3

Overview: Alice Roberts arrives in Istanbul and delves into the ingenious strategies employed by the Ottomans to capture the city from Roman control.

Controlling Europe

Episode number: 4

Overview: 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.

Choosing the Wrong Side

Episode number: 5

Overview: In her final train journey, Alice Roberts travels to Budapest to explore the Ottoman Empire's western front and understand its eventual collapse.