"BBC.Francescos.Mediterranean.Voyage.11of12.The.Dardanelles.HDTV.x264.AC3.MVGroup.org 25 fps" "It's my 11th week aboard the Black Swan." "The end of my journey is in sight." "TRANSLATED FROM ITALIAN:" "The Strait of the Dardanelles, the corridor to the east, taking sailors to Istanbul and the riches beyond." "This is where the Venetian Empire ended and the Ottoman began." "No longer Christ's domain but the land of Allah." "I think we should lower the Venetian flag." "You see, Venice and Turkey were enemies once, but no more." "The Black Swan comes in peace." "Following the trading routes of my ancestors, I have visited Greece, explored the Greek islands, and now we are in Turkish waters heading towards the Straight of the Dardanelles and Gallipoli." "It's 5am and I've got a long day ahead, but this time I'm going on my own." "I'm going to remember one of the greatest tragedies in history." "It was a spring morning like this in 1915." "It was the middle of the First World War." "Turkey was an ally of the German Kaiser." "Both gathered here carrying thousands of Australian and New Zealand troops - the Anzacs." "Their mission - to take the Dardanelles." "Even as they disembarked, the Anzacs knew it was a mistake." "These high hills all around were swarming with Turkish soldiers." "It was a trap." "Trapped between the sea and the cliffs, more than 2,000 soldiers died in a single day." "In the following eight months the Anzacs advanced less than 800 metres and thousands more died." "Almost a century has passed, but you still see relics of the carnage all along the shore." "Look!" "A human bone." "The Anzac soldiers were part of a British Empire invasion force." "British and French casualties were huge as well, but for Australia and New Zealand, the Gallipoli campaign was the worst military disaster in their history." "Look at this one." "Only 16." "A little bit older than my son." "In spite of repelling the allied forces, the battle for Gallipoli is also a tragedy that lives on in the hearts of Turks." "In the end, more Turkish soldiers lost their lives than British, French or Anzacs, defending this little piece of land." "Millions of people visit Gallipoli every year to remember the dead." "Hello." "Francesco." "Hey, I'm Mark." "How're you doing?" "Hello." "Karin." "'But for Australians and New Zealanders, it has become a national pilgrimage.'" "My great-great-uncle would often talk about his experience here." "I was six years old." "He would weep quite often about the friends that he lost here in horrific ways." "So I'm here for him as well, to remember him, because he was here." "And what does it mean to you, this place?" "It's basically a spiritual place for us New Zealanders, to have a remembrance of the soldiers that came here and were hoping to get a ticket to see Europe and never made it back." "And from a very young age, too." "I saw a grave of a person of 16 years old." "We, yesterday, saw a grave of a boy that was 14." "He was 14 years old..." "Australian." "He was Australian." "Lied about his age, um, who he was, for the adventure." "Yeah, to see what was Europe, and I don't think they knew what they were getting themselves into." "I'm heading north." "It's supposed to be a three-hour journey, but at this rate I'll be lucky to get there before Christmas!" "I'm on my way to the ancient city of Edirne." "Edirne!" "Here?" "Yeah..." "Edirne." "Ciao!" "For land travellers from the west, Edirne was the first taste of the east." "It's still called the gateway to Turkey." "In the 15th century, Edirne was briefly the capital of the Ottoman Empire." "The greatest buildings of the city date from the 16th century and were all the work of one man," "Mimar Sinan." "Mimar Sinan was the greatest architect of his time." "He built over 400 buildings - palaces, hospitals, bridges, mosques, and this is his masterpiece." "This is the Selimiye Mosque, one of the most beautiful in the world." "But to appreciate its greatest glory, I must go inside." "Christian architects used to say that no Muslim could build a dome like those on the great cathedrals of Europe." "So Mimar Sinan set out to prove them wrong and built the largest dome of any other mosque in the world." "The dome took over six years to build and, when it was complete, with a diameter of more than 30 metres, it was the biggest and highest in Turkey and by far the most beautiful." "But it's not just a visual triumph - this dome is marvellous to listen to." "CHANTING" "IMAM'S SPEECH ECHOES" "Next morning I head out of town to find the Kirkpinar." "Do you speak English?" "Italiano?" "Wrestling Festival?" "La?" "OK." "Francesco." "Turkce." "Italiano." "Venezia." "Acqua." "OK." "Ciao." "Ciao." "Ciao." "Ciao." "The Kirkpinar Wrestling Festival is one of the biggest sporting events in Turkey." "Here, the top wrestlers are like popstars." "Murat Bonzuk is the ultimate sultan of sweat." "He's a national hero and now it's my chance to meet him." "Ciao." "Francesco." "Hello." "How are you?" "Very well." "How long have you been doing this wrestling?" "Er..." "You." "Wrestling is very old." "Very old." "And is it dangerous?" "For you!" "First, the wrestlers parade their talents." "Then they are covered in olive oil." "The fight is on." "To win, you must floor your opponent belly up." "Surprisingly, it's completely within the rules to put your hands down your opponent's trousers." "OK!" "Mamma mia!" "My opponent is Erol Idan." "He seems...friendly enough." "How do you say "stop"?" "Just in case." "SPEECH INDISTINCT" "It's very oily." "'Just as things are looking bad, another wrestler takes pity on me.'" "'But it's not enough.'" "Ciao." "Ciao." "I'm heading south to rejoin the Black Swan." "Someone must have given them a call, because they all seem to know about my big fight." "Next stop, Istanbul." "But I can't resist a quick diversion." "Bursa has produced many marvellous things, but perhaps the one that will be most familiar to you is something to eat - the doner kebab." "This is the actual restaurant where the modern kebab was invented back in the 19th century." "The meat may be lamb, beef, chicken or even goat, garnished with hot butter." "Hello." "HE ORDERS A KEBAB" "Welcome!" "Oh, hello." "How do you like...in the restaurant?" "Oh, thank you." "And Bursa is the home of the kebab." "We have the oldest kebab." "Wow." "Take a seat." "Thank you very much." "Wow!" "That's marvellous." "Would you like some?" "Thank you very much." "This is yoghurt?" "Yoghurt." "The lamb is very thin." "Really good." "Very good." "It's special." "It's tasty." "THEY CHEER" "Tomorrow we shall be in Istanbul, our final destination."